Methods, apparatus and system for mediating services

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10755208-B2
Application number	US-201213586774-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 15, 2012
Priority date	Aug 15, 2012
Publication date	Aug 25, 2020
Grant date	Aug 25, 2020

Abstract

A computerized method for providing a service is described. The method may instantiate an instance of a process object. The process object may be configured to manage two or more business process objects of one or more backend systems to provide the service. The service may be performed utilizing the process object.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A computerized method for providing a service, the method comprising:
instantiating, using at least one processor of a machine; an instance of a process object of a service infrastructure, wherein the process object comprises a first data structure and is configured to manage two or more business process objects of the service infrastructure that reside external to the process object and on two or more heterogeneous backend systems, each of the two or more business process objects comprising a corresponding data structure containing information related to the corresponding business process object, the first data structure maintaining a local representation of at least a portion of the information in one of the corresponding data structures, each of the heterogeneous backend systems providing different functionality; and
performing, using the one or more processors, the service utilizing the process object of the service infrastructure and at least one of the backend systems.

2. The method of claim 1 , further comprising obtaining a service request from one or more of a service application and a background process.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein said process object is configured to check one or more nodes of one or more of said business process objects based on one or more business rules.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein said process object is identified by a process object type and configured to perform one or more services corresponding to said process object type.

5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising instantiating one or more process object nodes comprising a representation of two or more objects of said one or more backend systems.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising aggregating two or more services provided by said two or more backend systems into a compound service.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein said process object comprises one or more process object nodes, wherein each process object node comprises a representation of one or more data elements of one or more of said two or more backend systems.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein said one or more represented data elements represent a subset of data elements maintained by an object of one of said two or more backend systems.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein said process object is further configured to manage an order of a sequence of processes performed by said two or more backend systems.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein said instantiated process object is configured to initially interface with a first application to process said service and is configured to transition to interface with a second application to continue processing said service.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein said instantiated process object resides in a process object layer, wherein said process object layer is located between an application layer and a services platform layer.

12. The method of claim 1 , further comprising accessing one or more business rules to facilitate said performance of said service.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising persistently storing a state of said process object in a storage element.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein said storage element maintains a history of one or more of: one or more states of said process object; one or more activities of said process object; and one or more data elements associated with said process object.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein said storing step is performed in response to one or more of a completion of said service, an identification of an error condition, and a completion of an error handling procedure.

16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
identifying an error in performing said service;
generating an alert comprising an indication of said error; and
maintaining said process object during a corresponding error handling procedure.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein said process object is based on a generic process object, wherein said generic process object comprises one or more generic service interfaces and one or more generic operations.

18. The method of claim 1 , further comprising compensating for one or more modifications to one or more of said backend systems associated with an aborted service.

19. An apparatus to provide a service, the apparatus comprising:
one or more hardware processors;
memory to store instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors perform operations comprising:
instantiating an instance of a process object of a service infrastructure, wherein the process object comprises a first data structure and is configured to manage two or more business process objects of the service infrastructure that reside external to the process object and on two or more heterogeneous backend systems, each of the two or more business process objects comprising a corresponding data structure containing information related to the corresponding business process object, the first data structure maintaining a local representation of at least a portion of the information in one of the corresponding data structures, each of the heterogeneous backend systems providing different functionality; and
performing the service utilizing the process object of the service infrastructure and at least one of the backend systems.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium embodying instructions that, when executed by a processor perform operations comprising:
instantiating an instance of a process object of a service infrastructure, wherein the process object comprises a first data structure and is configured to manage two or more business process objects of the service infrastructure that reside external to the process object and on two or more heterogeneous backend systems, each of the two or more business process objects comprising a corresponding data structure containing information related to the corresponding business process object, the first data structure maintaining a local representation of at least a portion of the information in one of the corresponding data structures, each of the heterogeneous backend systems providing different functionality; and
performing the service utilizing the process object of the service infrastructure and at least one of the backend systems.

Assignees

• Laber Werner
• Besinger Ralf
• Heinzmann Andreas
• Hoffmann Christian
• Jensen Jens-Peter
• Sap Se

Inventors

• Laber Werner
• Besinger Ralf
• Heinzmann Andreas
• Hoffmann Christian
• Jensen Jens-Peter

Classifications

• G06Q10/06 Primary

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