Message Interchange Network Mediating Diverse Formats
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current enterprise application integration (EAI) solutions are not scalable and require extensive customization and resource investment, making them costly and difficult for small-to-medium enterprises to implement, while web service providers face challenges in managing diverse message formats between business partners.
Innovation Solution
A message interchange network that specifies and translates message formats for each service, allowing services to interact without needing to specify the formats used by other services, thereby simplifying communication and reducing the need for custom setups and adapter maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If EAI solutions are implemented to integrate disparate business applications, then business process interactions between end points are managed, but the solutions are not easily scalable and require extensive customization and resource investment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a message interchange network as an intermediary layer between diverse business applications. This network mediates communications by automatically translating messages between different formats, eliminating the need for custom adapters for each vendor and application pair. The intermediary handles format translation centrally, making the system scalable without requiring extensive customization at each endpoint.
Solution Approach 2:
The message interchange network provides universal functionality by supporting multiple message formats and vendors through a single platform. Instead of requiring separate adapters for Oracle, SAP, Peoplesoft, and other vendors, the network universally handles format translation for all services, enabling one-to-many and many-to-many integrations without proportionally increasing complexity.
2Ease of manufacture
If web service providers host and manage third-party packaged software, then cost savings are achieved, but complex arrangements between business partners cannot be easily set up and dismantled
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables dynamic configuration of message formats and communication arrangements through the message interchange network. Business partners can dynamically specify their preferred message formats, and the network automatically adapts translations in real-time. This dynamic approach allows complex arrangements to be easily set up and dismantled without manual reconfiguration, as the network handles format translation on-demand based on service requirements.
3Reliability
If business partners specify custom formats for outgoing messages to comply with recipient requirements, then message delivery is achieved, but business entities must keep track of formatting requirements for each recipient, which is costly and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The message interchange network provides self-service by automatically handling format translation without requiring business entities to manually track or configure recipient-specific formatting requirements. Each service specifies its expected format once, and the network autonomously manages all translation operations, including detecting source formats, selecting appropriate translations, and delivering messages in the correct format. This eliminates the manual tracking burden while maintaining reliable message delivery.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for effectively mediating communications between entities in a computer network. In general, a format preference for a first service is received into a message interchange network. The format preference specifies an expected format for messages received by such first service without specifying a format for any other services. The format preference for the first service is then stored in a repository associated with the message interchange network. Messages sent to the first service are then mediated using the format preference stored for the first service so that the first service receives messages in the expected format specified by the format preference stored for the first service.