Automated API Generation for SaaS and IoT Sensor Integration

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing SaaS applications face challenges in seamlessly integrating with various IoT sensors, requiring burdensome manual data entry and customization, which is costly and inefficient for handling diverse sensor types across different enterprises.

Innovation Solution

An automated approach is implemented to generate Application Program Interfaces (APIs) that facilitate data interfaces between SaaS applications and IoT sensors, enabling automated data collection and control, using an IoT hub that dynamically generates APIs based on input fields and sensor data, allowing integration with multiple sensors and applications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If manual data entry and customization are used to integrate IoT sensors with SaaS applications, then integration flexibility is achieved, but operational efficiency deteriorates and costs increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveintegration flexibilityVSAvoidoperational efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system enables self-service integration by automatically generating API code that connects SaaS applications to IoT sensors. The automated code generation eliminates manual programming requirements, allowing the system to adapt to different sensor types and application requirements without human intervention, thus resolving the contradiction between integration flexibility and operational efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary action by pre-generating standardized API templates and integration code structures before actual integration is needed. This advance preparation allows rapid deployment of new sensor integrations without manual coding, maintaining flexibility while dramatically improving operational efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If automated API generation is implemented to integrate IoT sensors with SaaS applications, then productivity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveoperational efficiencyVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system applies universality by creating a multi-functional automated API generation platform that handles diverse IoT sensor types, multiple SaaS applications, and various data formats through a single unified system. This consolidates complexity into one centralized component rather than requiring separate integration solutions for each sensor-application pair, thus improving productivity without proportionally increasing overall system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentEP3696673B1Computing system providing saas application integration with internet of things (IOT) sensors through automated application program interface (API) generation and related methods
Publication Date: 2023.06.21 CITRIX SYSTEMS INC
  • EP3696673B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3696673B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3696673B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A computing system may include a server configured to provide Software as a Service (SaaS) application sessions and at least one client computing device cooperating with the server to run a first one of the SaaS application sessions having a form including an input data field, and generate an application program interface (API) based upon the input data field from the form. The at least one client computing device may further link an output of an Internet of Things (IoT) sensor corresponding to the input data field to the API, and collect data output from the IoT sensor and populate the input data field in the form via the API.