Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Distributed data processing – Processing agent
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-01
2001-09-04
Black, Thomas (Department: 2171)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Distributed data processing
Processing agent
C707S793000, C705S026640
Reexamination Certificate
active
06286028
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
To conduct business on the INTERNET a company must separate its internal business data (e.g., customer profiles, accounts receivable, etc.) from its WEB commerce server. Conventionally, two applications are required, a business management backend application which contains and manages the company's internal business data, and a WEB commerce frontend application with which customers interact via the INTERNET.
The frontend and backend applications are connected via a firewall which prevents INTERNET access to the backend application. However, to enable the frontend and the backend applications to successfully execute the many different commercial operations (e.g., placing an order, obtaining product information, obtaining customer information, obtaining order status, etc.) that arise, requires considerable time and effort. Specifically, each frontend and each backend application typically employs diverse database schemes, program calls, application programming interfaces (APIs) or common-gateway interfaces (CGIs). To compound the problem, the database schemes, program calls, APIs and CGIs of each application may vary with each new release of the application, and companies may frequently change or customize their commercial operations. Accordingly, a generic interface which can be quickly adapted to new frontend and new backend applications is required, as is a method of enabling easily customizable commercial operations.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides an object-oriented computer program product for providing a generic interface between an electronic commerce frontend and a business management backend. The inventive program is carried by a medium readable by a computer (e.g., a carrier wave signal, a floppy disc, a hard drive, a random access memory). The computer readable medium contains object-oriented program code which provides a plurality of object classes from which a specific business object (e.g., an order business object, product information business object, etc.) can be created. The computer readable medium also contains object-oriented program code for mapping data between the frontend and the backend applications, and for transferring data by transferring a specific business object, which is loaded with the data, between the frontend and the backend applications.
Additionally, the computer readable medium contains object-oriented program code for providing a framework within which the specific business objects travel. The framework comprises an environment means for providing data relevant to performing business data manipulations within the framework (e.g., database driver locations, business object class names, and various communications details). A listener object is operatively coupled to the environment means, and to the frontend or the backend application, for receiving an operation ID from the frontend or the backend application. The listener object accesses the environment means to determine a business object class identified by the operation ID, and creates a business object of the identified business object class. The inventive framework further comprises at least one business framework object operatively coupled to both the listener object and the environment means for receiving business objects created by the listener object and for executing a method of each received business object; and a communications object operatively coupled to the at least one business framework object and to the environment means, for sending and receiving business objects to and from both the at least one business framework object and a remote framework.
The code for creating a specific business object provides a common business object class containing methods required by the framework within which the business object is to travel; at least one specific business object class containing data variables and methods specific to the operation to be performed by a business object of the specific business object class; a frontend adapter class containing methods for adapting to a specific frontend application; a backend adapter class containing methods for adapting to a specific backend application; and code for creating a business object derived from the common business object class, the specific business object class, the frontend adapter class and the backend adapter class.
When the source code for the first framework instance is compiled, a base adapter class set is created. The base adapter class set is created by inheriting the common business object class, inheriting the specific business object class, inheriting the frontend adapter class containing the frontend mapping methods and inheriting a backend adapter class containing the backend mapping methods. Thereafter, in operation, the first framework instance receives an operation ID from the frontend application. The operation ID identifies the specific base adapter class from which a business object is to be created (e.g., via a lookup table in the environment means). The data to be transferred by the specific business object class may be provided with the operation ID, or may be loaded into the specific business object in a subsequent step. Thereafter, the specific business object is created from the identified base adapter class, is loaded with data and is transported to a remote framework instance via the communications object. Within the remote framework the data carried by the specific business object is unloaded from the specific business object to the backend application (e.g., by executing an outbound( ) method of the specific business object). The data and methods inherited from the appropriate frontend and backend adapter classes provide the specific business object with the information required to map the data to and from the frontend and the backend, respectively.
Because data mapping information is contained in a separate class (e.g., the “frontend adapter class” and the “backend adapter class”) the mapping code can be easily customized for use with one or more frontends and/or one or more backends. An instance of the inventive framework is coupled to each frontend and each backend application. In operation, relevant data is taken from a frontend application or a backend application and placed in a business object readable by each framework instance, making the invention both generic and extensible. The business objects may be customized without requiring revision of the framework. Accordingly, the code for the framework and for the business objects can be packaged separately.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, the appended claims and the accompanying drawings.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5542078 (1996-07-01), Martel et al.
patent: 5778349 (1998-07-01), Okonogi
patent: 6055562 (2000-04-01), Devarakonda et al.
patent: 6065039 (2000-05-01), Paciorek
patent: 6106569 (2000-08-01), Bohrer et al.
patent: 6119101 (2000-09-01), Peckover
Cohen Mitchell Adam
Harris Tracy Mark
Sturzenbecker Martin Clarence
Walters James Allen
Black Thomas
Chen Ge Yu
Dugan & Dugan
International Business Machines - Corporation
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