US 7,031,999 B1Granted

Method of interconnecting computers and computer network

AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation

InventorsHeiko H. Ludwig, Keith G. Whittingham

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Abstract

A method and a computer network for interconnecting a first server computer (112) of a service requestor (1) and a second server computer (122) of a service provider (2), each of the first server computer (112) and the second server computer (122) being connected to at least one client computer (111, 121), the first server computer (112) running a first workflow management system application (3), and the second server computer (122) running a second workflow management system application (4), the method comprising providing a first and a second connector application (5a, 6a) for permitting the first server computer (112) access to a copy of the first connector application (5a) and for permitting the second server computer (122) access to a copy of the second connector application (6a), wherein the copies of the first and the second connector application (5a, 6a) each comprises a connection agreement (8, 12) for a first work task (7) of a first workflow instance (18) encompassed by the first workflow management system application (3).

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of interconnecting a first server computer (112) of a service requestor (1) and a second server computer (122) of a service provider (2), each of said first server computer (112) and said second server computer (122) being connected to at least one client computer (111, 121);

said first server computer (112) running a first workflow management system application (3), and said second server computer (122) running a second workflow management system application (4);
said method comprising providing a first and a second connector application (5a, 6a) for permitting said first server computer (112) access to a copy of said first connector application (5a) and for permitting said second server computer (122) access to a copy of said second connector application (6a);
wherein said copies of said first and said second connector application (5a, 6a) each comprises a connection agreement (8, 12) for a first work task (7) of a first workflow instance (18) encompassed by said first workflow management system application (3);
which copy of said first connector application (5a) further comprises a first mapping table (9) including a first service terminology (9a) and a common terminology (9b, 13b), and which copy of said second connector application (6a) further comprises a second mapping table (13) including a second service terminology (13a) and said common terminology (9b, 13b);
said first work task (7) being transposed by said first mapping table (9) from said first service terminology (9a) into an input data set (ip1, ip2) in said common terminology (9b, 13b);
said input data set (ip1, ip2) being marshalled to said second server computer (122) over a common connection (17), and said marshalled input data set (ip1, ip2) being transposed to a second work task (15) by said second mapping table (13) from said common terminology (9b, 13b) into said second service terminology (13a), and said second work task (15) being processed by said second workflow management system application (4).

3 more elements

A computer network comprising a first server computer (112) of a service requestor (1) and a second server computer (122) of a service provider (2), each of said first server computer (112) and said second server computer (122) being connected to at least one client computer (111, 121);

said first server computer (112) running a first workflow management system application (3), and said second server computer (122) running a second workflow management system application (4);
said first and second server computer (112, 122) being interconnected by means of a first and a second connector application (5a, 6a) arranged in such a manner that said first server computer (112) having access to a copy of said first connector application (5a) and said second server computer (122) having access to a copy of said second connector application (6a);
wherein said first and said second connector application (5a, 6a) each comprise a connection agreement (8, 12) for a first work task (7) of a first workflow instance (18) encompassed by said first workflow management system application (3);
which copy of said first connector application (5a) further comprises a first mapping table (9) including a first service terminology (9a) and a common terminology (9b, 13b), and which copy of said second connector application (6a) further comprises a second mapping table (13) including a second service terminology (13a) and said common terminology (13b);
said first work task (7) being transposed by said first mapping table (9) from said first service terminology (9a) into an input data set (ip1, ip2) in said common terminology (9b, 13b);
said input data set (ip1, ip2) being marshalled to said second server computer (122) over a common connection (17), and said marshalled input data set (ip1, ip2) being transposed to a second work task (15) by said second mapping table (13) from said common terminology (9b, 13b) into said second service terminology (13a), and said second work task (15) being processed by said second workflow management system application (4).

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.