Commerce Platform Adaptor for Inventory Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic commerce platforms face challenges in managing surges of high network traffic volume without overwhelming backend computing resources, particularly in inventory management systems built with older technology.
Innovation Solution
The system generates a static package containing necessary information for rendering the store interface and completing transactions, which is stored in networked storage and accessed by customers' browsers, reducing the load on the merchant's servers. An adaptor is used to protect the inventory management system from high traffic by maintaining a parallel ledger, reconciling with the internal ledger, and temporarily reserving inventory during non-peak times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the platform handles surge network traffic directly through backend systems, then customer service and transaction completion are maintained, but backend computing resources become overwhelmed and system reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a queueing layer and adaptor as intermediary components between the surge traffic and backend inventory management systems. The queueing layer captures incoming transactions during surges and queues them, preventing direct overload of backend systems. The adaptor mediates between the queue and the inventory management system, controlling the flow of transactions to match backend processing capacity, thus maintaining system reliability without overwhelming backend resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring the queueing layer and adaptor before surges occur. Inventory slices are pre-calculated and stored in the offer package during non-surge periods. The queueing infrastructure is established in advance to capture and buffer incoming traffic, allowing the system to absorb surge loads without impacting backend stability.
2Ease of manufacture
If inventory management systems are built with older technology, then development costs are reduced, but the systems cannot handle massive volume of queries during high traffic events
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor serves as an intermediary that shields older inventory management systems from the full burden of surge traffic. It translates and queues transactions, allowing legacy systems to process transactions at their native capacity while the adaptor handles the surge management, enabling affordable older technology to maintain productivity during high traffic events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the transaction processing into multiple stages: capture by the queueing layer, buffering in queues, staged processing through adaptors, and final execution by inventory management systems. This segmentation allows older systems to handle their portion of processing without being overwhelmed, maintaining overall system productivity while using cost-effective legacy technology.
3Productivity
If static packages with inventory information are generated in advance, then processing during surge is minimized, but inventory synchronization and data freshness may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary generation of offer packages containing inventory slices during non-surge periods when backend systems have capacity. This pre-processing captures inventory information in advance, enabling rapid serving during surges without real-time processing delays, thus maintaining both productivity and reasonable data freshness.
Solution Approach 2:
The adaptor implements feedback mechanisms by monitoring queue depths and backend system status. When inventory changes occur or queues become full, the system can trigger updates to offer packages or adjust processing rates, ensuring inventory data remains synchronized with actual stock levels while maintaining processing efficiency during surges.
4Measurement precision
If all transactions are processed through backend systems during surge, then transaction accuracy is maintained, but system overload and service degradation occur
Solution Approach 1:
The adaptor acts as a mediator that maintains transaction accuracy while protecting system availability. It validates and queues transactions before they reach backend systems, ensuring data integrity is maintained through controlled processing. The queueing layer buffers transactions to prevent system overload, allowing accurate processing to continue at sustainable rates without service degradation.
Data Source
AI summary
Management of surge network traffic to an electronic commerce platform is described herein. A network traffic surge resistant system includes network storage and one or more servers configured as a commerce platform. The commerce platform operates an adaptor between the commerce platform and an inventory management system. The adaptor protects the inventory management system from transactions generated by a surge of network traffic directed at the commerce platform. The commerce platform generates a script, an offer package, and an offer instantiator based on inventory information received by the adaptor. The commerce platform stores the script and the offer package onto the network storage. The offer instantiator provides the location of the script and the offer package in the network.