RPA Code Loading with Separate Class Loaders for Bot Isolation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional Robotic Process Automation (RPA) systems face administrative complexity and limited scalability due to the need for bot creation/execution software to be loaded on different devices, and are operating system dependent, which increases costs and limits processing capability.
Innovation Solution
A robotic process automation system that employs a server processor to initiate a Java Virtual Machine on a second device, using separate class loaders for task processing instructions to ensure centralized control and sandboxing, allowing platform-independent execution of bots and commands, thereby reducing administrative complexity and increasing scalability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If bot creation/execution software is loaded onto different devices, then the system can execute software robots on multiple devices, but administrative complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component that centralizes the management of bot creation and execution software. Instead of distributing software across multiple devices, the server acts as a centralized platform that handles bot deployment, execution, and management, thereby reducing administrative complexity while maintaining multi-device execution capability
Solution Approach 2:
The server is designed as a universal platform that can manage and execute multiple different bot types across various devices. This multi-functional server consolidates what would otherwise require separate software installations on each device, simplifying administration while providing versatile bot execution capabilities
2Ease of operation
If software robots operate at application level like human users, then they can perform tasks identically to humans, but the system becomes operating system dependent
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as an intermediary layer between the bot execution environment and the target applications. By operating at this intermediate level, the server enables bots to perform human-like tasks across different operating systems without being bound to any single OS, as the server handles the adaptation and translation layer
Solution Approach 2:
The system separates the bot creation and execution functionality into distinct modular components that can be independently deployed and managed. This segmentation allows the bot execution engine to be platform-agnostic while maintaining human-like interaction capabilities with various applications across different operating systems
3Productivity
If conventional RPA systems use shared class loaders, then resource utilization is efficient, but implementation impact spreads across the entire system
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements separate class loaders for different bot implementations instead of using a shared class loader. This segmentation isolates each bot's class loading process, ensuring that implementation changes or errors in one bot do not affect other bots, while still maintaining efficient resource utilization through the server's centralized management
Solution Approach 2:
Each bot is assigned its own class loader with specific responsibilities and scope, creating localized resource management. This allows each bot to efficiently utilize resources within its own context while preventing the spread of implementation issues across the entire system, as each class loader operates independently with its own namespace
Data Source
AI summary
A robotic process automation system includes a server processor that performs an automation task to process a work item, by initiating a java virtual machine on a second device. A first user session that employs credentials of a first user for managing execution of the automation task is also initiated on the second device. The server processor loads into the java virtual machine, with a platform class loader, one or more modules, such as logging and security, that perform functions common to the sets of task processing instructions. A first class loader a first set of task processing instructions is also loaded. Then each instruction in the first set of task processing instructions is loaded with a separate class loader. The server processor causes execution, under control of the first user session, on the second device, the task processing instructions that correspond to the work item.