Patent ID: 12190135

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Robotic process automation (RPA) is used for automating various tasks and workflows.FIG.1is an architectural diagram of an RPA system100, in accordance with one or more embodiments. As shown inFIG.1, RPA system100includes a designer102to allow a developer to design automation processes using workflows. More specifically, designer102facilitates the development and deployment of workflows and robots for performing activities in the workflows. Designer102may provide a solution for application integration, as well as automating third-party applications, administrative Information Technology (IT) tasks, and business processes for contact center operations. One commercial example of an embodiment of designer102is UiPath Studio™.

In designing the automation of rule-based processes, the developer controls the execution order and the relationship between a custom set of steps developed in a workflow, defined herein as “activities.” Each activity may include an action, such as clicking a button, reading a file, writing to a log panel, etc. In some embodiments, workflows may be nested or embedded.

Some types of workflows may include, but are not limited to, sequences, flowcharts, Finite State Machines (FSMs), and/or global exception handlers. Sequences may be particularly suitable for linear processes, enabling flow from one activity to another without cluttering a workflow. Flowcharts may be particularly suitable to more complex business logic, enabling integration of decisions and connection of activities in a more diverse manner through multiple branching logic operators. FSMs may be particularly suitable for large workflows. FSMs may use a finite number of states in their execution, which are triggered by a condition (i.e., transition) or an activity. Global exception handlers may be particularly suitable for determining workflow behavior when encountering an execution error and for debugging processes.

Once a workflow is developed in designer102, execution of business processes is orchestrated by a conductor104, which orchestrates one or more robots106that execute the workflows developed in designer102. One commercial example of an embodiment of conductor104is UiPath Orchestrator™. Conductor220facilitates management of the creation, monitoring, and deployment of resources in an RPA environment. In one example, conductor104is a web application. Conductor104may also function as an integration point with third-party solutions and applications.

Conductor104may manage a fleet of robots106by connecting and executing robots106from a centralized point. Conductor104may have various capabilities including, but not limited to, provisioning, deployment, configuration, queueing, monitoring, logging, and/or providing interconnectivity. Provisioning may include creation and maintenance of connections between robots106and conductor104(e.g., a web application). Deployment may include assuring the correct delivery of package versions to assigned robots106for execution. Configuration may include maintenance and delivery of robot environments and process configurations. Queueing may include providing management of queues and queue items. Monitoring may include keeping track of robot identification data and maintaining user permissions. Logging may include storing and indexing logs to a database (e.g., an SQL database) and/or another storage mechanism (e.g., ElasticSearch®, which provides the ability to store and quickly query large datasets). Conductor104may provide interconnectivity by acting as the centralized point of communication for third-party solutions and/or applications.

Robots106are execution agents that run workflows built in designer102. One commercial example of some embodiments of robots106is UiPath Robots™. Types of robots106may include, but are not limited to, attended robots108and unattended robots110. Attended robots108are triggered by a user or user events and operate alongside a human user on the same computing system. Attended robots108may help the human user accomplish various tasks, and may be triggered directly by the human user and/or by user events. In the case of attended robots, conductor104may provide centralized process deployment and a logging medium. In certain embodiments, attended robots108can only be started from a “robot tray” or from a command prompt in a web application. Unattended robots110operate in an unattended mode in virtual environments and can be used for automating many processes, e.g., for high-volume, back-end processes and so on. Unattended robots110may be responsible for remote execution, monitoring, scheduling, and providing support for work queues. Both attended and unattended robots may automate various systems and applications including, but not limited to, mainframes, web applications, VMs, enterprise applications (e.g., those produced by SAP®, SalesForce®, Oracle®, etc.), and computing system applications (e.g., desktop and laptop applications, mobile device applications, wearable computer applications, etc.).

In some embodiments, robots106install the Microsoft Windows® Service Control Manager (SCM)-managed service by default. As a result, such robots106can open interactive Windows® sessions under the local system account, and have the rights of a Windows® service. In some embodiments, robots106can be installed in a user mode with the same rights as the user under which a given robot106has been installed.

Robots106in some embodiments are split into several components, each being dedicated to a particular task. Robot components in some embodiments include, but are not limited to, SCM-managed robot services, user mode robot services, executors, agents, and command line. SCM-managed robot services manage and monitor Windows® sessions and act as a proxy between conductor104and the execution hosts (i.e., the computing systems on which robots106are executed). These services are trusted with and manage the credentials for robots106. A console application is launched by the SCM under the local system. User mode robot services in some embodiments manage and monitor Windows® sessions and act as a proxy between conductor104and the execution hosts. User mode robot services may be trusted with and manage the credentials for robots106. A Windows® application may automatically be launched if the SCM-managed robot service is not installed. Executors may run given jobs under a Windows® session (e.g., they may execute workflows) and they may be aware of per-monitor dots per inch (DPI) settings. Agents may be Windows® Presentation Foundation (WPF) applications that display the available jobs in the system tray window or may be Electron® based applications. Agents may be a client of the service. Agents may request to start or stop jobs and change settings. Command line is a client of the service and is a console application that can request to start jobs and waits for their output. Splitting robot components can help developers, support users, and enable computing systems to more easily run, identify, and track what each robot component is executing. For example, special behaviors may be configured per robot component, such as setting up different firewall rules for the executor and the service. As a further example, an executor may be aware of DPI settings per monitor in some embodiments and, as a result, workflows may be executed at any DPI regardless of the configuration of the computing system on which they were created.

FIG.2shows an RPA system200, in accordance with one or more embodiments. RPA system200may be, or may be part of, RPA system100ofFIG.1. It should be noted that the “client side”, the “server side”, or both, may include any desired number of computing systems without deviating from the scope of the invention.

As shown on the client side in this embodiment, computing system202includes one or more executors204, agent206, and designer208. In other embodiments, designer208may not be running on the same computing system202. An executor204(which may be a robot component as described above) runs a process and, in some embodiments, multiple business processes may run simultaneously. In this example, agent206(e.g., a Windows® service) is the single point of contact for managing executors204.

In some embodiments, a robot represents an association between a machine name and a username. A robot may manage multiple executors at the same time. On computing systems that support multiple interactive sessions running simultaneously (e.g., Windows® Server 2012), multiple robots may be running at the same time (e.g., a high density (HD) environment), each in a separate Windows® session using a unique username.

Agent206is also responsible for sending the status of the robot (e.g., periodically sending a “heartbeat” message indicating that the robot is still functioning) and downloading the required version of the package to be executed. The communication between agent206and conductor212is initiated by agent206in some embodiments. In the example of a notification scenario, agent206may open a WebSocket channel that is later used by conductor212to send commands to the robot (e.g., start, stop, etc.).

As shown on the server side in this embodiment, a presentation layer comprises web application214, Open Data Protocol (OData) Representative State Transfer (REST) Application Programming Interface (API) endpoints216and notification and monitoring API218. A service layer on the server side includes API implementation/business logic220. A persistence layer on the server side includes database server222and indexer server224. Conductor212includes web application214, OData REST API endpoints216, notification and monitoring API218, and API implementation/business logic220.

In various embodiments, most actions that a user performs in the interface of conductor212(e.g., via browser210) are performed by calling various APIs. Such actions may include, but are not limited to, starting jobs on robots, adding/removing data in queues, scheduling jobs to run unattended, and so on. Web application214is the visual layer of the server platform. In this embodiment, web application214uses Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) and JavaScript (JS). However, any desired markup languages, script languages, or any other formats may be used without deviating from the scope of the invention. The user interacts with web pages from web application214via browser210in this embodiment in order to perform various actions to control conductor212. For instance, the user may create robot groups, assign packages to the robots, analyze logs per robot and/or per process, start and stop robots, etc.

In addition to web application214, conductor212also includes a service layer that exposes OData REST API endpoints216(or other endpoints may be implemented without deviating from the scope of the invention). The REST API is consumed by both web application214and agent206. Agent206is the supervisor of one or more robots on the client computer in this exemplary configuration.

The REST API in this embodiment covers configuration, logging, monitoring, and queueing functionality. The configuration REST endpoints may be used to define and configure application users, permissions, robots, assets, releases, and environments in some embodiments. Logging REST endpoints may be useful for logging different information, such as errors, explicit messages sent by the robots, and other environment-specific information, for example. Deployment REST endpoints may be used by the robots to query the package version that should be executed if the start job command is used in conductor212. Queueing REST endpoints may be responsible for queues and queue item management, such as adding data to a queue, obtaining a transaction from the queue, setting the status of a transaction, etc. Monitoring REST endpoints monitor web application214and agent206. Notification and monitoring API218may be REST endpoints that are used for registering agent206, delivering configuration settings to agent206, and for sending/receiving notifications from the server and agent206. Notification and monitoring API218may also use WebSocket communication in some embodiments.

The persistence layer on the server side includes a pair of servers in this illustrative embodiment—database server222(e.g., a SQL server) and indexer server224. Database server222in this embodiment stores the configurations of the robots, robot groups, associated processes, users, roles, schedules, etc. This information is managed through web application214in some embodiments. Database server222may also manage queues and queue items. In some embodiments, database server222may store messages logged by the robots (in addition to or in lieu of indexer server224). Indexer server224, which is optional in some embodiments, stores and indexes the information logged by the robots. In certain embodiments, indexer server224may be disabled through configuration settings. In some embodiments, indexer server224uses ElasticSearch®, which is an open source project full-text search engine. Messages logged by robots (e.g., using activities like log message or write line) may be sent through the logging REST endpoint(s) to indexer server224, where they are indexed for future utilization.

FIG.3is an architectural diagram illustrating a simplified deployment example of RPA system300, in accordance with one or more embodiments. In some embodiments, RPA system300may be, or may include RPA systems100and/or200ofFIGS.1and2, respectively. RPA system300includes multiple client computing systems302running robots. Computing systems302are able to communicate with a conductor computing system304via a web application running thereon. Conductor computing system304, in turn, communicates with database server306and an optional indexer server308. With respect toFIGS.2and3, it should be noted that while a web application is used in these embodiments, any suitable client/server software may be used without deviating from the scope of the invention. For instance, the conductor may run a server-side application that communicates with non-web-based client software applications on the client computing systems.

In one embodiment, RPA system300may be implemented for cloud-based management of RPA robots. Such cloud-based management of RPA robots enables RPA to be provided as Software as a Service (SaaS). Accordingly, conductor304is implemented in the cloud for cloud-based management of RPA robots to, e.g., create RPA robots, provision RPA robots, schedule tasks on RPA robots, decommission RPA robots, or effectuate any other orchestration task for managing RPA robots.

FIG.4shows a network architecture400for implementing cloud-based management of RPA robots, in accordance with one or more embodiments. Network architecture400comprises a cloud computing environment402and a local computing environment404. Local computing environment404represents a local network architecture of a user or any other entity or entities, such as, e.g., a company, a corporation, etc. Local computing environment404comprises local network406. Cloud computing environment402represents a cloud computing network architecture that provides services or processing of workloads remote from the user at local computing environment404. Cloud computing environment402comprises various cloud networks, including internet414, user cloud network418representing a cloud network managed (or controlled) by the user and hosted by a cloud platform provider, and a cloud service provider cloud network420representing a cloud network managed by a cloud service provider and hosted by a cloud platform provider. The cloud service provider is an entity that provides services (e.g., RPA) via the cloud. The cloud platform provider is an entity that maintains cloud computing infrastructure. Local network406of local computing environment404is communicatively coupled to internet414of cloud computing environment402to facilitate communication between local computing environment404and cloud computing environment402.

As shown inFIG.4, a cloud orchestrator430is implemented in cloud computing environment402to enable cloud-based management of RPA robots. In particular, cloud orchestrator430is managed by a cloud service provider and hosted in cloud service provider cloud network420within cloud computing environment402. In one embodiment, the cloud service provider provides RPA to the user in local computing environment404.

Cloud orchestrator430manages RPA robots in cloud computing environment402. In particular, the user interacts with computing device412in local computing environment404to transmit instructions for managing RPA robots to cloud orchestrator430in cloud computing environment402. Alternatively, the user interacts with computing device412in local computing environment404to set a schedule on cloud orchestrator430to automatically transmit instructions on behalf of the user for managing RPA robots. Exemplary instructions for managing RPA robots include instructions for creating RPA robots, provisioning RPA robots, scheduling a task on RPA robots (e.g., schedule a time for performing the task and a type of robot to perform the task), decommissioning RPA robots, or any other orchestration instructions for RPA robots. In response to receiving the instructions, cloud orchestrator430effectuates the instructions by, e.g., creating the RPA robots, provisioning the RPA robots, scheduling the task of the RPA robot, decommissioning the RPA robots, etc. In one embodiment, cloud orchestrator430also facilitates secure access control and manages robot licenses. In one embodiment, cloud orchestrator430may be similar to conductor104ofFIG.1, conductor212ofFIG.2, or conductor304ofFIG.3, but implemented in cloud service provider cloud network420within cloud computing environment402.

In one embodiment, the instruction for managing RPA robots transmitted to cloud orchestrator430is included in a command for executing a job for performing an RPA workflow. In this embodiment, cloud orchestrator430effectuates the instructions in response to receiving the command for executing the job.

The RPA robots managed by cloud orchestrator430may include a pool of cloud robots that are deployed and maintained within cloud computing environment402. Such cloud robots may include one or more cloud service robots428-A, . . . ,428-X (hereinafter collectively referred to as cloud service robots428) of cloud service robot pool426and one or more cloud managed robots424-A, . . . ,424-Y (hereinafter collectively referred to as cloud managed robots424) of cloud managed robot pool422. Such cloud robots perform (i.e., process) tasks in cloud computing environment402and transmit results of the tasks to the user in local computing environment404. Additionally or alternatively, the RPA robots managed by cloud orchestrator430may include one or more local robots410-A, . . . ,410-Z (hereinafter collectively referred to as local robots410) of local robot pool408.

Cloud service robots428are maintained by the cloud service provider in cloud service provider cloud network420for performing RPA tasks in cloud computing environment402for the user in local network environment404. Cloud service robots428are created upon request by the user sending instructions from computing device412to cloud orchestrator430. Upon creation, cloud service robots428enter into a standby mode while waiting to perform a task (or workflow). While in standby mode, the cost for running the cloud service robots428is minimized or otherwise reduced. Tasks are scheduled on cloud service robots428by the user sending instructions from computing device412to cloud orchestrator430. The instructions for scheduling tasks define the time for performing the task and a type of robot for performing the task. Cloud service robots428wake up from standby mode to perform the task and return to standby mode once the task is complete. Accordingly, cloud service robots428perform the tasks on cloud service provider cloud network420for the user in local computing environment404.

Cloud service robot pool426is maintained by the cloud service provider in cloud service provider cloud network420to include cloud service robots of different types. For example, cloud service robot pool426may include standard robots or custom robots. Standard robots are defined by the user using standard machine templates, which provide a standard predetermined set of software to the robots. Standard robots may be, e.g., machines with only a standard browser used for web automation, machines with an operating system installed for performing virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) automation, machines with standard applications for performing desktop automation, or a combination thereof. Custom robots are defined by the user using custom machine templates, which provide a custom set of software to the robots. The custom machine templates may be uploaded by the user as a machine image for the cloud service provider to use when creating the custom robots, or may be selected from one or more snapshot images of virtual machines previously configured by the user. Custom machine images may include proprietary software that is owned by the user or special-licensed applications that were purchased by the user. Standard and custom robots are used to run automations (processes) that were submitted to cloud orchestrator430. Cloud orchestrator430awaits instructions to execute automations from either: a) the user directly through manual invocation, or b) through previously scheduled regular automations. Once cloud orchestrator430is ready to execute an automation, it inspects the type of process and identifies whether it needs a standard robot or a custom robot to execute that automation. Once the robot type is identified, cloud orchestrator430inspects robot pools available for that robot type to find an available robot that is already running or an available robot that is almost finished with a job. If a robot of that type is already running, cloud orchestrator430will utilize that robot to avoid starting a new robot unnecessarily in an effort to minimize costs. If no robots are running, it will start a robot that is on standby and submit the job request to that robot.

In one embodiment, algorithms may be applied to maximize the utilization of the robots in cloud service robot pool426and to reduce operating costs for the user. Cloud orchestrator430will look ahead at the upcoming planned schedule of automation and optimize a plan for how to parallelize and queue automations so that they run on the minimum number of robots. Once the schedule is defined, cloud orchestrator430will use the schedule to run automations. Additionally, cloud orchestrator430will be constantly monitoring the state of running robots and modify the planned schedule based on real-measured execution of the robots. This results in maximizing the utilization of the running robots and reducing the costs of running additional robots.

In one embodiment, cloud service robot pool426may service multiple users in a multi-tenant environment.

Cloud managed robots424are maintained by the user in a user cloud network418for performing RPA tasks in cloud computing environment402for the user in local network environment404. Cloud managed robots424are similar in capability to cloud service robots428and are also hosted in cloud computing environment402. However, user cloud network418, upon which cloud managed robots424are hosted, is managed by the user while cloud service provider cloud network420, upon which cloud service robots428are hosted, is managed by the cloud service provider and hosted by the cloud platform provider. Cloud orchestrator430manages cloud managed robots424by establishing a connection between cloud service provider cloud network420and user cloud network418. User cloud network418may be established by the user utilizing cloud provider technology to tunnel back to local network406. The user can establish a dedicated network connection from local network406to cloud service provider cloud network420. Connectivity is typically in the form of, e.g., an any-to-any (e.g., internet protocol virtual private network) network, a point-to-point Ethernet network, or a virtual cross-connection through a connectivity provider at a co-location facility. These connections do not go over the public Internet. This offers more reliability, faster speeds, consistent latencies, and higher security than typical connections over the Internet. User cloud network418continues to be fully controlled and managed by the user, thereby providing stringent control over data to the user.

Once the connection between cloud service provider cloud network420and user cloud network418has been established, cloud managed robots424are created upon request by the user interacting with cloud orchestrator430via computing device412. Cloud managed robots424are created on user cloud network418. Accordingly, cloud managed robots424perform the tasks on user cloud network418for the user in local computing environment404. Algorithms may be applied to maximize the utilization of the robots in cloud managed robot pool422and to reduce operating costs for the user.

In one embodiment, cloud robots (e.g., cloud service robots428or cloud managed robots424) may be created disconnected from cloud orchestrator430. In this embodiment, virtual machines on which the cloud robots are implemented are created with the ability to accept jobs automatically disabled, for example, by automatically setting the accept jobs property of the virtual machines to false. Advantageously, the virtual machines may be configured upon creation without having jobs run on the virtual machine before they are ready. Once the virtual machines are configured (or otherwise ready to accept jobs), the virtual machines may be set to accept jobs, for example, by setting the accept jobs property to true. If needed, the accept jobs property may be set to false for maintenance.

In one embodiment, to generate a snapshot image of a virtual machine (e.g., executing cloud service robots428or cloud managed robots424), the virtual machine is initially implemented using a standard machine template. The user configures the virtual machine (e.g., via remote desktop protocol) to, for example, install and configure a VPN (virtual private network) (e.g., VPN client or a site-to-site VPN) to allow cloud robots executing on the virtual machine to access assets behind the firewall of local network406. Once configured, a snapshot image of the configured virtual machine is generated by the user interacting with cloud orchestrator430.

FIG.7shows a user interface700of a cloud orchestrator (e.g., cloud orchestrator430ofFIG.4), in accordance with one or more embodiments. User interface700shows three virtual machines: machine1, machine2, and machine3. To generate a snapshot image of machine2, the user interacts with user interface700to stop execution of machine2, disable accepting of jobs by machine2, and selects create snapshot field702. In response, a dialog box will prompt the user to define various properties of the generated snapshot image.

FIG.8shows a dialog box800for defining properties of a generated snapshot image, in accordance with one or more embodiments. Dialog box800prompts the user to define properties such as, e.g., image name, description, and default username on image in fields802-806respectively. The user may also check box808to set the generated snapshot image as the default image for the robot pool. By checking box808, all virtual machines created in that robot pool will be created using the generated snapshot image. Once all properties are defined, the user selects the create box810to generate the snapshot image of the virtual machine. In one embodiment, the number of snapshot images of virtual machines may be limited to a maximum predefined number of snapshot images (e.g.,20) to encourage maintenance. The generated snapshot image may be used to implement new virtual machines in the cloud orchestrator (e.g., cloud orchestrator430). Advantageously, by generating a snapshot image of a virtual machine for implementing new virtual machines, there is no need for the user to create a custom image in the user's own infrastructure and upload that image to implement the new virtual machines.

Referring back toFIG.4, in one embodiment, virtual machines (including cloud robots (e.g., cloud service robots428or cloud managed robots424) on which they are executing) are manually configured (e.g., by the user via computing device412) via RDP (remote desktop protocol). Cloud robots are implemented on various virtual machines. The user may interact with cloud orchestrator430to enable RDP functionality for one or more of the virtual machines.FIG.9shows a user interface900of a cloud orchestrator (e.g., cloud orchestrator430ofFIG.4), in accordance with one or more embodiments. To enable RDP functionality for Machine2, for example, the user interacts with user interface900to select enable remote desktop field902. In one embodiment, the RDP functionality is disabled by default. When enabled by the user, the RDP functionality is enabled for a predefined period of time (e.g., 24 hours), after which the RDP functionality is automatically disabled. In response to enabling RDP functionality, the RDP port on the one or more virtual machines is opened. For example, the user may remote desktop into the one or more virtual machines via RDP to install custom software (e.g., a VPN such as a VPN client or a site-to-site VPN) or apply any other customization. RDP functionality will be automatically disabled after a predefined time out period (e.g., 30 minutes), when the status of the virtual machine is anything other than running (e.g., stopped), or when disabled by the user interacting with cloud orchestrator430. Disabling RDP functionality may fail if a job is running or queued on the cloud robot implemented on that virtual machine. Advantageously, instead of having to grant network access for cloud robots to local network406, RDP enables the user to directly configure and customize the virtual machines implementing the cloud robots.

In one embodiment, to enable the user (e.g., via computing device412) to automatically push updates to manually maintained virtual machines (e.g., executing cloud service robots428or cloud managed robots424), a maintenance window is defined. During the maintenance window, cloud robots are automatically configured to not accept jobs (e.g., by setting the accept jobs property to false) and left on (or turned on if previously turned off) for the duration of the maintenance window for applying the update. The maintenance window may be defined according to any recurrence pattern (e.g., weekly, monthly, etc. at a specified day and time). Once the maintenance window ends (or once all cloud robots are updated), the cloud robots are automatically configured to accept jobs (e.g., by setting the accept jobs property to true). Advantageously, the maintenance window enables automatic software updates to be installed on the virtual machines in a manner that does not cause RPA jobs to fail (e.g., if an application is being updated and an RPA job tries to interact with it, the RPA job would fail).

In one embodiment, the maintenance window may be configured for rolling updates. In this embodiment, cloud robots are separated into portions and cloud robots are updated portion-by-portion during the maintenance window such that cloud robots of portions that are not being updated continue to accept jobs. In one example, cloud robots may be separated in half. During a first period of time of the maintenance window, the first half of the cloud robots are taken offline (e.g., by setting accept jobs to false) and updated while the second half of the cloud robots continue to accept jobs. Once the first half of the cloud robots are updated, during a second period of time of the maintenance window, the first half of the cloud robots are returned online to accept jobs and the second portion of the cloud robots are taken offline and updated. The cloud robots may be selected to be in the first portion or second portion based on, for example, whether the robot is running a job such that an idle robot is selected first before a robot running a job. If there are an odd number of cloud robots, the number of cloud robots will be rounded up and the first portion or second portion may have an extra robot.

In one embodiment, cloud managed robot pool422and/or cloud service robot pool426may be automatic machine pools where virtual machines are created or deleted to automatically scale the cloud robots as needed based on the workload. The virtual machines of the automatic machine pools may be implemented using standard machine templates or custom machine templates. In one embodiment, the virtual machines of the automatic machine pools are implemented using generated snapshot images of virtual machines configured with a VPN (e.g., a VPN client or a site-to-site VPN) to access data behind the firewall of local network406.

In one embodiment, cloud service robots428of cloud service robot pool426may be licensed from the cloud service provider based on a model of robot units. The user purchases bundles of robot units and uses the robot units license one or more cloud service robots428according to a deployment model. The deployment model may comprise, for example, a reserved instance model or a pay by day model. In the reserved instance model, the user commits to using a robot for a predetermined period of time (e.g., 1 month) in exchange for a relatively lower cost. In the pay by day model, robots are licensed per day (or any other predetermined period of time) in exchange for a relatively higher cost. The robot units may be utilized for licensing other types of RPA robots (e.g., serverless robots).

Local robots410are maintained by the user in local network406for performing RPA tasks for the user in local network environment404. Local network406is controlled or otherwise managed by the user. Cloud Orchestrator430maintains a connection to local robots410through standard HTTPS connectivity. Local robots410are configured using a secure network key that the user extracts from the user interface of cloud orchestrator430. Using that secure key, local robots410reach out to cloud orchestrator430and establish a secure connection. All traffic happens as outbound requests from the local robots410. This minimizes the need for inbound connectivity from the cloud to local network406which improves security.

FIG.5shows a method500for cloud-based management of RPA robots, in accordance with one or more embodiments. Method500will be described with continued reference to network architecture400ofFIG.4. In one embodiment, the steps of method500are performed by cloud orchestrator430.

At step502, an instruction for managing an RPA robot is received at an orchestrator430in a cloud computing environment402from a user in a local computing environment404. The instruction for managing the RPA robot may include, for example, an instruction for creating the RPA robot, provisioning the RPA robot, scheduling a task on the RPA robot, and/or decommissioning the RPA robot. The RPA robot may include local robots410, cloud managed robots424, or cloud service robots428. The cloud managed robots424and cloud service robots428are for performing RPA tasks in the cloud computing environment and transmitting results of the RPA tasks to the user in the local computing environment404. While not performing a task, the RPA robots are in a standby mode having reduced operating costs.

At step504, in response to receiving the instruction, the instruction for managing the RPA robot is effectuated. In one embodiment, where the instruction for managing the RPA robot is an instruction for creating the RPA robot, the instruction is effectuated by creating the RPA robot for execution in a cloud network418managed by the user in the cloud computing environment402, by creating the RPA robot for execution in a cloud network420managed by a cloud service provider (associated with the cloud orchestrator430) in the cloud computing environment402, or by creating the RPA robot for execution in a local network406managed by the user in the local computing environment404.

In one embodiment, the instruction for managing the RPA robot received by orchestrator430at step502is included in a command for executing a job for performing an RPA workflow and the command for executing the job is received at orchestrator430. The instruction for managing the RPA robot is then effectuated by orchestrator430in response to receiving the command for executing the job.

Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention enable RPA as a SaaS. Such SaaS RPA enables users to create and scale the number of robots on demand for automating tasks using the cloud, for example, during a time period of peak usage. Such SaaS RPA lowers the total cost of ownership for the user by reducing cloud operating costs, simplifies the network infrastructure required to implement RPA, and enables a secure cloud-based infrastructure for implementing RPA.

One illustrative application of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference toFIG.4. An airline company may utilize RPA robots for customer service to modify airline bookings. The airline company provisions ten RPA robots as local robots410on a local computing environment404, which is sufficient for handling customer service at a regular load. Occasionally, the airline company will have an emergency, such as, e.g., a thunderstorm at one of their hubs that may require grounding a few hundred airplanes within a time period of a few hours, resulting in tens of thousands of customers stranded at airports and attempting to reschedule their flights. Customer service representatives at the airport and the ten RPA robots are unable to handle this additional load. Advantageously, embodiments of the present invention enable the airline company to scale up the number of RPA robots to a few hundred RPA robots as cloud service robots428to help serve the stranded customers immediately. The airline company is able to scale the number of RPA robots without having to manage the infrastructure for the additional RPA robots or having to provision the RPA robots for peak capacity during normal operation times. Further, the airline company would only pay for the additional RPA robots during peak usage, thereby reducing costs.

FIG.6is a block diagram illustrating a computing system600configured to execute the methods described in reference toFIG.5, according to an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, computing system600may be one or more of the computing systems depicted and/or described herein, such as, e.g., conductor104, robots106, unattended robot110, and attended robot108ofFIG.1, conductor212ofFIG.2, robots302and conductor304ofFIG.3, and local robots410, computing device412, cloud managed robots424, cloud service robots428, and cloud orchestrator430ofFIG.4. Computing system600includes a bus602or other communication mechanism for communicating information, and processor(s)604coupled to bus602for processing information. Processor(s)604may be any type of general or specific purpose processor, including a Central Processing Unit (CPU), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), multiple instances thereof, and/or any combination thereof. Processor(s)604may also have multiple processing cores, and at least some of the cores may be configured to perform specific functions. Multi-parallel processing may be used in some embodiments.

Computing system600further includes a memory606for storing information and instructions to be executed by processor(s)604. Memory606can be comprised of any combination of Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, cache, static storage such as a magnetic or optical disk, or any other types of non-transitory computer-readable media or combinations thereof. Non-transitory computer-readable media may be any available media that can be accessed by processor(s)604and may include volatile media, non-volatile media, or both. The media may also be removable, non-removable, or both.

Additionally, computing system600includes a communication device608, such as a transceiver, to provide access to a communications network via a wireless and/or wired connection according to any currently existing or future-implemented communications standard and/or protocol.

Processor(s)604are further coupled via bus602to a display610that is suitable for displaying information to a user. Display610may also be configured as a touch display and/or any suitable haptic I/O device.

A keyboard612and a cursor control device614, such as a computer mouse, a touchpad, etc., are further coupled to bus602to enable a user to interface with computing system. However, in certain embodiments, a physical keyboard and mouse may not be present, and the user may interact with the device solely through display610and/or a touchpad (not shown). Any type and combination of input devices may be used as a matter of design choice. In certain embodiments, no physical input device and/or display is present. For instance, the user may interact with computing system600remotely via another computing system in communication therewith, or computing system600may operate autonomously.

Memory606stores software modules that provide functionality when executed by processor(s)604. The modules include an operating system616for computing system600and one or more additional functional modules618configured to perform all or part of the processes described herein or derivatives thereof.

One skilled in the art will appreciate that a “system” could be embodied as a server, an embedded computing system, a personal computer, a console, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a cell phone, a tablet computing device, a quantum computing system, or any other suitable computing device, or combination of devices without deviating from the scope of the invention. Presenting the above-described functions as being performed by a “system” is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention in any way, but is intended to provide one example of the many embodiments of the present invention. Indeed, methods, systems, and apparatuses disclosed herein may be implemented in localized and distributed forms consistent with computing technology, including cloud computing systems.

It should be noted that some of the system features described in this specification have been presented as modules, in order to more particularly emphasize their implementation independence. For example, a module may be implemented as a hardware circuit comprising custom very large scale integration (VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic, programmable logic devices, graphics processing units, or the like. A module may also be at least partially implemented in software for execution by various types of processors. An identified unit of executable code may, for instance, include one or more physical or logical blocks of computer instructions that may, for instance, be organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the executables of an identified module need not be physically located together, but may include disparate instructions stored in different locations that, when joined logically together, comprise the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module. Further, modules may be stored on a computer-readable medium, which may be, for instance, a hard disk drive, flash device, RAM, tape, and/or any other such non-transitory computer-readable medium used to store data without deviating from the scope of the invention. Indeed, a module of executable code could be a single instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over several different code segments, among different programs, and across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be identified and illustrated herein within modules, and may be embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a single data set, or may be distributed over different locations including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network.

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and are included within its spirit and scope. Furthermore, all examples and conditional language recited herein are principally intended to be only for pedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the principles of the disclosure and the concepts contributed by the inventor to furthering the art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to such specifically recited examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, and embodiments of the disclosure, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future.