Patent Document

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates to e-commerce systems deployment and more particularly to deploying e-commerce computing systems for different business operations in a host computing platform.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE RELATED ART  
       [0002]     Business entities generally own assets and conduct or engage in various business activities relating to those assets. For example, a business may own inventory which the business may sell to end users. The business similarly can maintain the inventory which the business can lease to end users. In either case, the business can acquire the inventory from suppliers. To support these rudimentary business activities, a business can be organized as a set of business facilities, each such facility having the responsibility for carrying out specific aspects of the business activities. For example, a business may have several branch offices, each office conducting core business activities in a specific geographic region. Alternatively, a business may be partitioned into several divisions, each division handling a specific set of business activities for a particular aspect of the market, for instance, a women&#39;s clothing division and a men&#39;s clothing division.  
         [0003]     The modern business enterprise can engage in multiple operations, each having a discrete business purpose. As an example, a business enterprise can include a selling operation, a distribution operation for supplying the selling operation with saleable product, and a fulfillment operation charged with the fulfillment of customer orders. To support the various operations of the business, the business can include selling facilities, distribution facilities, and fulfillment facilities. Hence, it will be apparent that business activities are in fact supported by the coordinated operation of several business facilities, which tend to be controlled by the business.  
         [0004]     The possibilities of activities in which a business enterprise can engage seem to be as endless as the creativity of enterprise in society. In fact, even if two business organizations engage in similar activities, the two business organizations may be organized in a completely different way, each utilizing very different types of business facilities. Accordingly, a principal challenge in implementing business processes in the online computing environment is how to represent a business and its associated business facilities in the underlying computing application.  
         [0005]     Generally, the activities of a single business enterprise can be modeled in a manner which is consistent with the existence and utilization of one or more business facilities. Little reuse of computing logic can occur for different business enterprises as the type, number and arrangement of facilities can vary from business enterprise to business enterprise. In fact, one can see that with all of the complexity of the computing models for the modern business enterprise, each business must reside in its own computing environment to support and automate its respective business processes. Moreover, because of the uniqueness of the processes of each business facility, each business facility frequently must be implemented within its own computing infrastructure, using its own computing resources.  
         [0006]     Presently, the model of the single business enterprise can be implemented electronically through the use of an e-commerce suite. Conventional e-commerce suite product offerings include a virtual storefront designer, an application server, database management system, and a messaging system. The virtual storefront designer can be used to develop the user interface components and underlying logic for operating a virtual storefront. The logic and user interface together can be deployed through the use of the application server, database management system and messaging system to form a single site. In all cases, the single site can include the model for only a single storefront operation.  
         [0007]     Nevertheless, it would seem logical that substantial cost, maintenance and performance advantages could derived through the co-location of multiple storefront operations in a single site. In fact, it would be desirable, if possible, to co-locate the underlying computing resources of business facilities, notwithstanding that each co-located business facility may be relied upon by one or more different business operations. In this regard, it is to be understood that a large business enterprise can have multiple business lines, each operating independently of one another. Alternatively, in a managed hosting environment, it can be cost effective to manage multiple e-commerce systems for different businesses in a single computing platform. In either case, conventional e-commerce suite technologies cannot segregate the business activities of different facilities from one another in a single site. As a result, a single suite effectively can host only a single, logical business operation.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     The present invention addresses the deficiencies of the art in respect to deploying e-commerce systems supporting a business operation and provides a novel and non-obvious method, system, architecture and apparatus for co-locating multiple e-commerce systems supporting respective business operations in a single, host computing platform. An e-commerce systems host computing platform which has been configured in accordance with the present invention can include a server computing device having storage and network connectivity to at least one remote client computing device over a computer communications network. An application server further can be disposed in the server computing device. Finally, a defined business application operation architecture can be configured for concurrently deploying multiple different business operation applications through the application server in the server computing device.  
         [0009]     In accordance with the present invention, an e-commerce systems architecture can include an instantiable owning business logic component derived from an abstract business definition and one or more instantiable business element components configured for aggregation under the control of a business facility instance. The business facility instance can include a coupling to an instance of the owning business logic component. Finally, the architecture can include an instantiable partner business component derived from the abstract business definition. In particular, the instantiable partner business component can include a configuration for limited access to selected ones of the instantiable business element components aggregated under the control of the business facility instance.  
         [0010]     In the architecture of the present invention, each of the instantiable business element components can include an association with at least one of an asset, a business policy and an algorithmic process. Importantly, an instantiable business provisioning hub component can be configured for association with at least one business facility instance. Finally, the instantiable owning business logic can include logic for subscribing to an authorization domain having registration policies and access control policies.  
         [0011]     The architecture of the present invention can be utilized to support a co-locatable e-commerce system. The co-locatable e-commerce system can include a root organization component and a user organization component controlled by the root organization component. The co-locatable e-commerce system also can include a first selling organization component which can be controlled by the root organization component. The first selling organization component also can have a configuration enabling the component to be accessed by the user organization component. Finally, the co-locatable e-commerce system can include at least one other selling organization component which can be controlled by the root organization component and which further can have a configuration for permitting access to the other selling organization component by the user organization component. The user organization component can include a shopper organization component. The user organization component further can include an administrative organization component.  
         [0012]     The first selling organization component can include a business to consumer component. The first selling organization component also can include one or more reseller organization components, and a hub organization component configured to manage assets accessed by the reseller organization components. The hub organization can include an asset organization component configured to manage assets accessed by the reseller organization components; and, a management organization component configured to manage access to the assets by the reseller organization components.  
         [0013]     A method of deploying multiple e-commerce systems in a single computing platform can include the steps of locating a first instance of a business logic component for a first business operation in the single computing platform; and co-locating a second instance of a business logic component for a second business operation with the first instance of the business logic component in the single computing platform. The method further can include the step of associating at least one instance of a first business facility with the first instance of the business logic component; and, associating at least one instance of a second business facility with the second instance of the business logic component.  
         [0014]     Additional aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The aspects of the invention will be realized and attained by means of the elements and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0015]     The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute part of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention. The embodiments illustrated herein are presently preferred, it being understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown, wherein:  
         [0016]      FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a computing platform configured for deploying multiple e-commerce systems for different business operations;  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  is an object diagram illustrating an e-commerce architecture for deploying multiple e-commerce systems for different business operations in the computing platform of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0018]      FIG. 3  is a hierarchical diagram of a B2C e-commerce system implemented according to the architecture of  FIG. 2 ;  
         [0019]      FIG. 4  is a hierarchical diagram of a multi-reseller e-commerce system regulated through a management hub and implemented in a single, host computing platform according to the architecture of  FIG. 2 ; and,  
         [0020]      FIG. 5  is a hierarchical diagram of a mixed multi-reseller and B2C e-commerce system regulated through a management hub and implemented in a single, host computing platform according to the architecture of  FIG. 2 . 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0021]     The present invention is a method, system and apparatus for co-locating multiple business operations in a single, host computing platform. In accordance with the present invention, a business facility can be programmatically defined so that one or more instances of a business facility can be created by different business operations in the computing platform. Each business facility can include one or more business elements, which when combined, provide the functionality of the business facility. To that end, each business element can include assets managed in and by the facility, policies for interacting with the assets, and logic defined for interacting with the facility.  
         [0022]     Different business operations can be defined in terms of the underlying business facilities and their constituent business elements. In this regard, for each business operation, the requisite number and arrangement of business elements can be instantiated and rendered operable to support the business operation. Consequently, by providing a common architecture for supporting multiple, different business operations, multiple different business operations can be co-located in a single, host computing platform. As such, several previously unattainable advantages can be realized including cost-savings, ease of management and performance enhancement.  
         [0023]     In more particular illustration of the foregoing inventive arrangement,  FIG. 1  is a schematic illustration of a computing platform configured for deploying multiple e-commerce systems for different business operations. The computing platform can include a computing server  110  coupled to one or more computing clients  130  over a computer communications network  120 . The computing server  110  can be configured to host one or more e-commerce systems representative of one or more respective business operations.  
         [0024]     The computing server  110  can include an application server  160  programmed to host and manage a distributable application over the network  120 . The computing server  110  further can include a data store  140  configured to store an application interface  150  to one or more applications  180  operating through the application server  160 . Importantly, the computing server  110  also can include a defined business operation application architecture  170 . Specifically, instances of the business operation application architecture  170  can be created through the application server  160  to support corresponding business operations. Consequently, multiple business operations can be co-located within the platform of  FIG. 1 .  
         [0025]     As a more specific illustration,  FIG. 2  is an object diagram illustrating an e-commerce architecture for deploying multiple e-commerce systems for different business operations in the computing platform of  FIG. 1 . The architecture can include one or more business elements  235 . Each of the business elements  235  can be an aggregation of one or more assets  240 , one or more policies  245  and one or more algorithmic processes  250 . The assets  240  can include data stored on a file system graphics files, markup language documents, and server pages. The assets  240  further can include data stored in a database such as member, catalog, and order information. The business policies  245 , by comparison, can include contract policies that determine the price of products. Finally, the algorithmic processes  250  can include commands and tasks that perform business logic and render views.  
         [0026]     One or more of the business elements  235  can be grouped together as a facility fragment  230 . The facility fragment  230  can be private or shareable. Notably, a business facility  225  can create one or more facility fragments  230  in furtherance of the activities of the business facility, such as the operation of an on-line store. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the facility  225  can be modeled as an on-line store. Notably, the assets  240  can be used to present a visual interface to the business activity to end users. The business policies  245  and the algorithmic processes, in turn, can be programmed to drive the process flow of the business activity, to enforce the rules of the business activity, and to define the capabilities of the business activity.  
         [0027]     A business  205  can be composed from one or more facilities  225  and the business  205  can subscribe  280  to an authorization domain  260 . The authorization domain  260  can provide access control to determine those users allowed to create, update, delete or invoke the various business elements  235  of a business  205 . In this regard, the authorization domain  260  can include both registration policies  265 , and also access control policies  270 .  
         [0028]     Notably, a business  205  can be an owning business  210  or a partner business  215 . An owning business  210  can include a business which maintains control over all of its associated facilities  225 . An example of an owning business can include a Business to Consumer (B2C) store where the merchant supplies and control all the file assets, data assets, business policies, and algorithmic processes. A partner business  215 , by comparison, can include a business which has only limited control over its facilities  225 . A partner business  215  can include, for instance, a merchant who is acting as a reseller for part of a catalog. In this case, the partner business  215  can supply its own assets  240  and business policies  245  that provides a different look and feel to the catalog, though the data and algorithm processes can be accessed from shareable facility fragments  230  not controlled by the partner business  215 .  
         [0029]     To maintain control over shareable facility fragments  230 , a business provisioning hub  255  can be included in the architecture of  FIG. 2 . The business provisioning hub can control one or more shareable facility fragments  230 . The business provisioning hub  255  also can control its own facility  225  which can provide self-management features to allow a partner business  215  to register itself and to obtain shareable assets. The business provisioning hub  255  can have an association with an owning business  210  which can subscribe to facility creation policies  275  that govern what self-management operations a partner business  215  is allowed to perform and the rights of the partner business  215  in managing its own facilities  225 .  
         [0030]     Using the artifacts illustrated in the architecture of  FIG. 2 , e-commerce systems can be implemented and deployed in a single, hosting platform, which e-commerce systems can range from a simple B2C online businesses to very complex channel management deployments. For instance,  FIG. 3  is a hierarchical diagram illustrating a B2C e-commerce system implemented according to the architecture of  FIG. 2 . In the diagram businesses are represented as organizations, shown as ovals. In a computing environment all the businesses are owned by a single organization known as the Root Organization  310 . The Root Organization  310  can control other businesses, but the Root Organization  310  does not control in many cases its own facilities.  
         [0031]     The User Organization  320  can control an administrators organization  340  and a shopper organization  350 . The User Organization  320  further can control other organizations that contain users because, if there is need to integrate with external user repositories such as an LDAP directory, then the other non-user organizations need not be persisted to LDAP. Rather, in the case of an LDAP integration, the User Organization  320  can map to the LDAP root organization. The Seller Organization  330 , unlike the User Organization  320 , can control the B2C Organization  360  which itself controls a standalone facility.  
         [0032]     The facility controlled by the B2C Organization  360  can contain business elements that enable the B2C Organization  360  to operate an online store. In this regard, shoppers  380  can browse the wares of the B2C Organization  360  by electronically referencing the B2C store front  390 . The pages of the B2C store front  390  that the shoppers  380  can browse typically can be composed from the B2C file assets  355 . For example, the B2C file assets can include server pages, markup and graphic images. The data  365  obtained by the file assets  355  can include user personalization data, product data, pricing data and the like.  
         [0033]     The Business Policies  345  limit the type and content of information which can be displayed to the shoppers  380 , such as prices for products. The shoppers further can perform any activities that are part of the B2C algorithmic processes  325  such as executing a command to add a new item to a shopping cart, or to check out from the store, provided that this is allowed by the access control policies  335  governed by the B2C Authorization Policies  315  to which the B2C business subscribes. Finally, shoppers  380  associated with the shopper organization  350  and administrators  370  associated with the administrators organization  340  participate in a particular role in the business operations, which in conjunction with the access control policies  335  determine what operations a user is allowed to perform when interacting with the business operation.  
         [0034]     While  FIG. 3  depicts a simpler B2C e-commerce system deployment, the invention is not so limited and more complex arrangements are made possible by the architecture shown in  FIG. 2 . As an example,  FIG. 4  is a hierarchical diagram of a multi-reseller e-commerce system regulated through a management hub and implemented in a single, host computing platform according to the architecture of  FIG. 2 . As before in the case of the simple B2C system, in the multi-reseller system depicted in  FIG. 3 , a Root Organization  410  can own a User Organization  415 . In addition, the Root Organization  410  can own a Re-Seller Organization  420  and Hub Organization  425 , which can be associated with a Re-Seller Registration Policy  490 .  
         [0035]     The Re-Seller Organization  420  can include a multiplicity of reselling organizations  440 ,  445  (only two shown for purposes of simplicity), each providing the operative functionality of a virtual store  470 ,  475  using the business element mechanism of the architecture of the present invention. Notably, the reselling organizations  440 ,  445  do not in of themselves control their inventory assets. Rather, the reselling organizations  440 ,  445  merely access the assets of the Asset Organization  450  as a partner business rather than an owning business.  
         [0036]     The User Organization  415  can control both an Administrative Organization  430  and a Shopper Organization  435 . The Administrative Organization  430  can provide a role for the administrators  460  with which the administrators  460  can access and managing the operations of the reselling organizations  440 ,  445 . The Shopper Organization  435 , by comparison, can include the shoppers  465  empowered to shop the virtual stores  470 ,  475  provided by the reselling organizations  440 ,  445 . In this regard, to the shoppers  465 , the virtual stores  470 ,  475  appear as if to own the inventory assets managed by the Asset Organization  450  and purchase transactions with the reselling organizations  440 ,  445  appear to be seamless from the perspective of the shoppers  465 .  
         [0037]     Importantly, the Hub Organization  425  provides management capabilities to allow the partner businesses to self-register themselves to access the assets and functionality managed through organizations controlled by the Hub Organization  425 . The management capabilities are provided by the Management Organization  455  and all of its artifacts provided through the “Management Store”  485 . Separately, the Hub Organization  425  can provide through the Asset Organization  450  those business elements that can be used by the reselling organizations  440 ,  445  through an “Asset Store”  480 .  
         [0038]     In operation, a business partner can register by visiting the Management Store  485  provided by the Management Organization  455 . As part of the registration process a partner business can be created. For example, the partner business can be a reselling organization  440 ,  445 . Notably, the partner business can be bootstrapped with an administrator who has been given administrative roles as defined by the registration policies  490 . These administrative roles allow the business partner to create additional administrators  460  to manage its customers, and administrator its store. In the example shown in  FIG. 4 , the administrators  460  can be owned by the Administrative Organization  430 . Also, the created business partner can be given access to use the shareable resources owned by the Asset Organization  450  to host within the store of the business partner.  
         [0039]     Significantly, the architecture of  FIG. 2  can permit additional combinations of business operations, such as multi-reseller and direct B2C configurations (as well as B2B configurations) in a single, host computing platform. In this regard, each new business operation can be added as an organization owned by the root organization. While the seller organizations can control their own assets, just the same the seller organizations can access the assets of business partner organization through a management hub. In this way, the operations of the different businesses can coexist in a single host computing platform without requiring separate computing facilities for each business operation.  
         [0040]     Specifically,  FIG. 5  is a hierarchical diagram of a mixed multi-reseller and B2C e-commerce system regulated through a management hub and implemented in a single, host computing platform according to the architecture of  FIG. 2 . As shown in  FIG. 5 , a multi-reseller e-commerce system can be coupled to the Root Organization  510  which can own a first User Organization  515 A for the multi-reseller e-commerce system. In addition, the Root Organization  510  can own a Re-Seller Organization  520  and Hub Organization  525 , which can be associated with a Re-Seller Registration Policy  590 .  
         [0041]     The Re-Seller Organization  520  can include a multiplicity of reselling organizations  540 ,  545  (only two shown for purposes of simplicity), each providing the operative functionality of a virtual store  570 ,  575  using the business element mechanism of the architecture of the present invention. Notably, the reselling organizations  540 ,  545  do not in of themselves control their inventory assets. Rather, the reselling organizations  540 ,  545  merely access the assets of the Asset Organization  550  as a partner business rather than an owning business.  
         [0042]     The User Organization  515  can control both an Administrative Organization  530  and a Shopper Organization  535 . The Administrative Organization  530  can provide a role for the administrators  560  with which the administrators  560  can access and managing the operations of the reselling organizations  540 ,  545 . The Shopper Organization  535 , by comparison, can include the shoppers  565  empowered to shop the virtual stores  570 ,  575  provided by the reselling organizations  540 ,  545 . In this regard, to the shoppers  565 , the virtual stores  570 ,  575  appear as if to own the inventory assets managed by the Asset Organization  550  and purchase transactions with the reselling organizations  540 ,  545  appear to be seamless from the perspective of the shoppers  565 .  
         [0043]     As in the multi-reseller case of  FIG. 4 , the Hub Organization  525  provides management capabilities to allow the partner businesses to self-register themselves to access the assets and functionality managed through organizations controlled by the Hub Organization  525 . The management capabilities are provided by the Management Organization  525  and all of its artifacts provided through the “Management Store”  585 . Separately, the Hub Organization  555  can provide through the Asset Organization  550  those business elements that can be used by the reselling organizations  540 ,  545  through an “Asset Store”  580 .  
         [0044]     In addition to the multi-reseller e-commerce system, a B2C e-commerce system can be deployed within the same host computing platform as shown in  FIG. 5 . In particular, the Root Organization  510  can control both a second User Organization  515 B and a Seller Organization  595 . The Seller Organization  595  can control the B2C Organization  620  which itself controls a standalone facility. The facility controlled by the B2C Organization  620  can contain business elements that enable the B2C Organization  620  to operate an on-line store. In this regard, shoppers  640  can browse the wares of the B2C Organization  620  by electronically referencing the B2C store front  650 .  
         [0045]     It will be recognized by the skilled artisan that the business models implemented in the host computing platform are not limited strictly to the multi-reseller and B2C paradigm. Rather, it is also contemplated that other business models can be accommodated within the single host computing platform of the present invention. For instance, a business-to-business (B2B) Direct model can be accommodated in which a merchant sells directly to companies.  
         [0046]     Also, a B2B Direct Extended Sites model can be accommodated in which merchants can request for their stores to be hosted by an Internet Service Provider (ISP). In the B2B Direct Extended Sites model, a new merchant access the hosting hub of the ISP to request a new store. Subsequently, the new merchant can proceed to create a store. Finally, the new merchant can open the store to the general public. The ISP, however, can maintain control over shared assets for the hosted stores.  
         [0047]     A Demand Chain model also can be accommodated in which a channel hub acts as the marketplace where resellers buy products from distributors to resell to the consumers. The consumer direct stores, distributors, and their relationships can be dynamically created in the Demand Chain model. Similarly, a Supply Chain model can be accommodated in which a supplier hub acts as the marketplace bringing together suppliers and their buyers. The supplier stores and buyers in addition to their relationships with one another can be dynamically created in the Supply Chain model.  
         [0048]     The present invention can be realized in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. An implementation of the method and system of the present invention can be realized in a centralized fashion in one computer system, or in a distributed fashion where different elements are spread across several interconnected computer systems. Any kind of computer system, or other apparatus adapted for carrying out the methods described herein, is suited to perform the functions described herein.  
         [0049]     A typical combination of hardware and software could be a general purpose computer system with a computer program that, when being loaded and executed, controls the computer system such that it carries out the methods described herein. The present invention can also be embedded in a computer program product, which comprises all the features enabling the implementation of the methods described herein, and which, when loaded in a computer system is able to carry out these methods.  
         [0050]     Computer program or application in the present context means any expression, in any language, code or notation, of a set of instructions intended to cause a system having an information processing capability to perform a particular function either directly or after either or both of the following a) conversion to another language, code or notation; b) reproduction in a different material form. Significantly, this invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and accordingly, reference should be had to the following claims, rather than to the foregoing specification, as indicating the scope of the invention.

Technology Category: g