Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Remote data accessing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-09-18
2001-12-25
Geckil, Mehmet B. (Department: 2152)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Remote data accessing
C709S219000, C710S010000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06334146
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to the field of supply chain, enterprise and site planning and, more particularly, to a system and method for implementing object workspace agents in a decision support environment.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Supply chain, enterprise and site planning applications and environments are widely used by manufacturing entities for decision support and to help manage operations. Decision support environments for supply chain, enterprise, and site planning have evolved from single-domain, monolithic environments to multi-domain, monolithic environments. Conventional planning software applications are available in a wide range of products offered by various companies. These decision support tools allow entities to more efficiently manage complex manufacturing operations. However, supply chains are generally characterized by multiple, distributed and heterogenous planning environments. Thus, there are limits to the effectiveness of conventional environments when applied to the problem of supply chain planning due to monolithic application architectures. Further, these problems are exacerbated when there is no one “owner” of the entire supply chain.
It is desirable for the next evolutionary step for planning environments to establish a multi-domain, heterogenous architecture that supports products spanning multiple domains, as well as spanning multiple engines and products. The integration of the various planning environments into a seamless solution can enable inter-domain and inter-enterprise supply chain planning. Further, an important function provided by some planning applications is the optimization of the subject environment rather than simply tracking transactions. In particular, the RHYTHM family of products available from I2 TECHNOLOGIES provide optimization functionality. However, with respect to planning at the enterprise or supply chain level, many conventional applications, such as those available from SAP, use enterprise resource planning (ERP) engines and do not provide optimization.
The success or failure of an enterprise can depend to a large extent on the quality of decision making within the enterprise. Thus, decision support software, such as I2 TECHNOLOGIES' RHYTHM family of products, that support optimal decision making within enterprises can be particularly important to the success of the enterprise. In general, optimal decisions are relative to the domain of the decision support where the domain is the extent of the “world” considered in arriving at the decision. For example, the decision being made may be how much of a given item a factory should produce during a given time period. The “optimal” answer depends on the domain of the decision. The domain may be, for example, just the factory itself, the supply chain that contains the factory, the entire enterprise, or the multi-enterprise supply chain. (The latter two can be considered to be larger domains or multiple domains.) Typically, the larger the domain of the decision support, the more optimal the decision will be. Consequently, it is desirable for decision support software to cover ever larger domains in the decision making process. Yet, this broadening of coverage can create significant problems.
One such problem involves the limitations of present decision support software that do not allow remote entities in the domain or multi-domain environment to access a local object workspace. Such software does not allow such remote entities to easily execute administrative tasks, optimization routines or other forms of data and object manipulation in a local workspace.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the present invention, a system and method for implementing object workspace agents in a decision support environment are disclosed that provide advantages over conventional supply chain, enterprise and site planning environments.
According to one aspect of the present invention, a computer system for remotely accessing data in a multi-enterprise collaboration comprises a workspace associated with a first enterprise having a plurality of stored objects. The computer system further comprises a network node associated with a second enterprise, the network node being in communication with the workspace across the network. The computer system further comprises an agent generated at the network node, the agent operable to access the workspace via the network, the agent further operable to manipulate at least one of the plurality of stored objects within the workspace to perform a collaboration activity.
A technical advantage of the present invention is the ability to access a remote workspace with an agent to satisfy programmed goals of the agent in that remote workspace. A further technical advantage of the present invention is the ability of the agent to execute tasks in a first enterprise, node or platform despite being initiated at a second enterprise, node or platform with which the agent has lost contact. A further advantage of the invention is that the agent is able to communicate results of executed tasks performed at a destination node back to an originating node. Another advantage is that the agent is operable to execute or operate on other agents which are residing in a workspace. Additional technical advantages should be readily apparent to one skilled in the art from the following FIGS., descriptions, and claims.
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Notani Ranjit N.
Parasnis Abhay V.
Whipple Mark B.
Baker & Botts L.L.P.
Geckil Mehmet B.
i2 Technologies US, Inc.
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