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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to controlling execution of computer
systems and, more particularly, to general-purpose software for
configuring and controlling execution of real-time data processing
systems.
2. Description of the Related Art
Usually computers are controlled by sequential execution of instructions in
a computer program. These programs are usually created by writing line
after line of code (instructions in a computer language) and sometimes
incorporating blocks of previously written code. In addition, entire
programs, subprograms or modules which have previously been written may be
executed by a single instruction in a new program. This type of sequential
programming is still the most commonly practiced form of programming.
An alternative form of programming which has been increasingly used over
the last decade is termed "object-oriented" programming. U.S. Pat. Nos.
4,827,404; 4,821,220 and 4,325,120 provide examples of methods which use
object-oriented programming. In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,404 provides
an extended description of object-oriented programming in general and is
hereby incorporated by reference. Briefly summarizing the description of
object-oriented programming in U.S. Pat. No. 4,827,404, the basic
programming entity used in such programming is an "object" which contains
both information and predetermined processes which are applied to the
information. Typically, when such "objects" are used in programming, the
objects are arranged in a hierarchy of classes. Rules for the creation of
objects, such as inheritance of attributes within the hierarchy, are used
to simplify the programming process.
Besides using of these forms of programming, other alternatives exist for
controlling execution of computers. General purpose software has been
developed which uses data supplied by a user to control the execution of
the program. The data may be stored in a file prior to execution or input
in response to a series of prompts or menus. When the data is stored in a
file, the distinction between data controlling execution of a program and
a programming language executed by a special purpose compiler is not
always clear-cut. An example of a program which uses data stored in a file
to control its execution is a "spreadsheet" program which combines data
stored in various "cells" in a manner defined by data or instructions in
other cells. Software, such as spreadsheets, with the flexibility to be
applied to many different applications will be termed herein
"general-purpose" software.
The term "real-time" is used to describe a type of processing performed by
computers which involves collecting data at the time that the data is
created, i.e., at substantially the same time that an event occurs which
is of interest to the system. The event may be the arrival of material in
a warehouse in the case of an inventory system, the beginning of a lunch
break in a job costing system, detection of an alarm level in an
industrial process monitoring system, etc. There is no known "general
purpose" software which can be used to create a real-time data processing
system. As a result, it has been necessary to create a unique program
using either sequential programming or object-oriented programming for
each real-time data processing system.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to provide a system for controlling
execution of a real-time data processing system which does not require the
creation of a unique program.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a standardized method
for defining a variety of real-time data processing systems.
A further object of the present invention is to apply object-oriented
concepts to data processed by a computer.
The above objects are attained by providing a method for controlling
processing of real-time data obtained from at least one data source and
processed in at least one computer system, comprising the steps of storing
control data defining data record processing associated with the real-time
data provided by each data source and processing the real-time data,
obtained from the at least one data source, in the at least one computer
system in dependence upon the control data. In the preferred embodiment,
input screens are displayed requiring a user to configure storage and
output formats, the at least one data source and the at least one computer
system.
The control or configuration data classifies the input data to be obtained
from each data source. When the input data is received, it is identified
as a computer data object in accordance with the classification provided
by the configuration data. The input data is then processed as part of the
computer data object which includes the control data associated therewith
by the identification process.
These objects, together with other objects and advantages which will be
subsequently apparent, reside in the details of construction and operation
as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to
the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like reference
numerals refer to like parts throughout.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIGS. 1A and 1B are block diagrams illustrating examples of physical
configurations to which the present invention can be applied;
FIGS. 2A and 2B are block diagrams of the structure of software constructed
according to the present invention;
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of data flow in one application of the present
invention;
FIG. 4A is a table of transaction, record and field level processing
according to the present invention;
FIG. 4B is a processing flow diagram illustrating transaction, record and
field level processing; and
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of transaction processing modules according to
the present invention; and
FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an application to which the present invention
can be applied.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The present invention can be applied to many different types of computer
processing. It is particularly useful in real-time processing applications
and the detailed description will refer to this type of application.
However, the present invention has wider applicability.
A block diagram of the physical configuration of interconnected computer
systems is illustrated in FIG. 1A. The illustrated network includes a
master computer system 10 and two satellite systems 11 and 12. Each of the
systems 10-12 have a processor 14 including input/output interfaces, etc.
In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1A, all of the computer systems
10-have a CRT 16 and keyboard 18, but this is not a requirement of the
present invention. The master computer system 10 also has a printer 20
connected to the processor 14, while the satellite systems 11 and 12 each
have four bar code readers. The bar code readers 22 are one example of
data sources. Many other types of data sources may be used, such as
magnetic card readers, any known device used for clocking in employees
which has the capability of sending a data signal indicating the identity
of the employee, sensors in a manufacturing plant providing data on the
status of a process, etc. Of course, either the keyboard 18 or CRT 16
combined with a touch screen (not shown) could be used for inputting many
forms of data. Similarly, other forms of data output devices, besides the
CRTs 16 and printer 20 can be used, including magnetic tape drives,
plotters, etc.
Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to operation on computer
systems connected in a local area network. As illustrated in FIG. 1B, the
master computer system 10' may be connected not only to a near-by computer
system 12', but also to other computer systems 24 via modems 26. As a
result, the computer systems 24 can be thousands of miles away with nearly
instantaneous data availability on the master computer system 10'.
The present invention uses equipment in a configuration like that
illustrated in FIG. 1A or FIG. 1B to perform data entry, validation and
processing. According to the present invention a computer program is
written, using any known technique, which has two major modules as
illustrated in FIG. 2A and 2B. The first module used is a system set-up
module 30 that creates control data defining data record processing
associated with real-time data that will be processed by a system
operation module 32. The system set-up module 30 include sub-modules for
data base definition 34, station classification 36, system configuration
38 and report definition 40. The database definition sub-module 34 defines
the storage format of stored data, while the report definition sub-module
40 defines the output format of the data. The report definition sub-module
40 may be used for defining the output format of not only printed reports,
but also inquiries displayed on a CRT screen 16 or data output onto a
magnetic tape, etc. The database and report definition sub-modules 34, 40
may use input screens displayed on the CRT 16 of one of the computer
systems 10-12 in a manner similar to conventional programs which define
databases and report generation. However, the manner in which the
resulting configuration or control data is stored is significantly
different from conventional programs, as will be described below in more
detail.
The system configuration sub-module 38 is used to identify the data sources
associated with each of the computer systems 10-12 and specify connections
between each of the computer systems 10-12 and the data sources associated
therewith. Preferably, all of the sub-modules 34, 36, 38, 40 display input
screens prompting for input of the control data. As noted above, many
different hardware arrangements can be used with the present invention.
Therefore, the system configuration sub-module 38 displays input screens
requiring the definition of the characteristics of the computer systems
interconnected in the network on which the system operations module 32
will be run. In addition, the system configuration sub-module 38
identifies the data sources associated with each of the computer systems
and specifies the connections between each of the computer systems and the
data sources associated therewith. Thus, for the hardware arrangement
illustrated in FIG. 1A, the system configuration sub-module 38 would be
used to define a network containing a master computer system 10 connected
to two satellite computer systems 11 and 12, each of which is connected to
four bar code readers 22.
The station classification sub-module 36 is the most important sub-module
in the system set-up module 30. This sub-module classifies the input data
to be obtained from each data source. During execution of the system
operation module 32, when the input data is received it is identified as a
"computer data object" in accordance with the classification provided by
the station classification sub-module 36. The term "computer data object"
is used to refer to the particular form of object-oriented computer
processing which is used in the present invention. Note that the term
"object-oriented programming" is not used since the "computer data object"
is not used to produce a conventional computer program as in the prior
art, but rather to control execution of a general-purpose computer program
represented in FIG. 2B by the system operation module 32. The only known
example of "computer data objects" which are not used to produce computer
programs is the manipulation of graphical elements as described in U.S.
Pat. No. 4,827,404.
In the present invention, the "computer data object" includes a specific
item of input data received from one of the data sources as well as the
control data which determines how the input data will be processed. In the
preferred embodiment, the input data is real-time data and this term will
be used hereafter to clarify the distinction between control data which is
input in the system set-up module 30 and the data which is input during
execution of the system operation module 32. However, the present
invention can be applied to situations where the data input in the system
operation module 32 is not real-time data, but rather is previously
recorded data.
To provide the necessary control data for proper processing of the
real-time data which will be input during execution of the system
operation module 32, the station classification sub-module 36 provides a
great deal of information about data which will be input from each of the
data sources. Included in the control data provided by the station
classification sub-module 36 is a classification of the real-time data,
provided by each of the data sources, according to transaction type. A
single data source may be used for many different transaction types. For
example, bar code readers 22 can be used for inputting any type of data
contained in bar code format. Many types of bar code readers include
keyboards and LED displays which provide communication between the user
and the data input program. Thus, the type of transaction which will be
input can be requested by the data input program and provided by means of
either the keyboard of reading a bar code. For example, a user may carry a
sheet with bar codes identifying different transaction types, or the
transaction type may be part of the bar code identifying an item or a
location on an assembly line.
The station classification sub-module 36 also is used in the preferred
embodiment to input transaction, record and field control data defining
different levels of processing of the real-time data. The transaction
control data controls the transfer of data between the data source from
which the real-time data is received and the computer system connected to
the data source. The record control data defines the processing of entire
records, while the field control data defines the processing of fields
within records. The details of how the different types of control data
affect processing of the real-time data will be described below in the
description of the system operation module 32.
An example of how real-time data becomes a "computer data object" during
processing according to the present invention is illustrated in FIG. 3.
The hardware used in the system depicted in FIG. 3 includes different
types of data sources, a bar code reader 22, a temperature sensor 42 and a
scale 44. A processor 14 obtains data from the data sources 22, 42, 44. As
described above, the real-time data received from the data sources 22, 42,
44 is classified according to classifications previously input in the
station classification sub-module 36 of the system set-up module 30. The
control data defining the classification of each specific item of
real-time data is associated with the items of real-time data to produce
computer data objects 46. These objects are stored in a database 48 in
accordance with the control data input in the database definition
sub-module 34 and can subsequently be displayed on reports 50 in
accordance with the control data input in the report definition sub-module
40.
The system operation module 32 illustrated in FIG. 2B includes three
sub-modules. A transaction processing sub-module 52 uses the transaction,
record and field control data in processing the real-time data. A database
maintenance sub-module 54 is used for conventional database maintenance
operations on the database 48 (FIG. 3). The report processor sub-module 56
uses the control data input in the report definition sub-module 40 to
determine how the "computer data objects" provided by the transaction
processing sub-module 52 are to be displayed. In addition to conventional
reports and database inquiries, the reports processor sub-module 56
preferably includes the ability to display status reports describing the
operation of the system operation module 32.
The type of operations performed by the transaction processing module 52
are indicated in tabular form in FIG. 4A and as a flow diagram in FIG. 4B.
As noted above, the station classification sub-module 36 is used to input
the transaction, record and field control data. As illustrated in FIG. 4A,
the transaction control data determine the rules for creating and denying
a transaction. In addition, transactions may be reset and terminated upon
the occurrence of real-time data indicating that transaction level
processing should be restarted or ended. The transaction reset can also be
used to change from one transaction type to another.
With continuing reference to FIG. 4A, the record control data determines
whether a validated transaction will create a new record or modify an
existing record. Various conditions which can be applied to record level
processing are indicated in FIG. 4A. Within a record, the field control
data determines whether a field value is changed or not, based upon
conditions which may be any of those indicated for creating a new record.
In addition, the field control data is used to define the extent and method
of validation for the real-time data which is input. For example, input
data may be compared with ranges, a list of valid values, etc. as is known
in the art. Similarly, for devices such as bar code readers 22 with LED
displays, prompts for input can be provided in the field or transaction
control data. A transaction is formed of a sequence of the real-time data
received from one data source which has been validated in field level
processing.
The flow of processing executed in accordance with the control data is
illustrated in FIG. 4B. Receipt of the real-time input data 60 is
characterized by the transaction processing sub-module 52 as the
occurrence of events 62. Transactions are validated 64 using validation
files 66 and generate prompts for the input of more data 60 producing more
events 62. A validated transaction is stored in a station buffer 68 and
automatic entries 70 are made as required from system data 72, such as a
time stamp or related data from previously stored value files 74.
A validated transaction undergoes record level processing to validate 76
new records. The validation of a new record includes field level
processing 78 which as noted above may include the use of data in a
previous record 80 as well as data from the station buffer 68. The field
level processing 78 uses data stored in file buffers 82 and 84
corresponding to the previous record and recently received real-time data,
respectively. When the new record has been validated, it is stored 86 in
the database 48 (FIG. 3). If the record level processing indicates that a
previous record is to be modified, field level processing 88 is performed
for this purpose using data from the station buffer 68 and file buffer 82.
If validated, the data in the file buffer 82 is stored in the database 48,
thereby modifying 90 the record in the database. If the field level or
record level processing invalidates the transaction, a flag is written 92
in the alarm field of the record and it is stored 86 in the database 48.
In the preferred embodiment, the transaction processing sub-module 52
includes separate processes for processing data obtained from the data
sources. A line controller process 94 receives real-time data from the
data sources, such as a bar code reader (BCR) 22 and scale 44 and stores
the real-time data in a buffer pool 96. The real-time data is read from
the buffer pool 96 by a session controller process 98 and stored in a
station buffer 100. The session controller 98 essentially handles
transaction level processing while passing the real-time data to a session
process 102 via the station buffer 100. Thus, the session controller 98
stores prompts, defined by the field control data, in an output queue
(QOut) in an order defined by the transaction control data and obtains the
real-time data from the input queue (QIn) in the buffer pool 96, while the
line controller 94 supplies the prompts to one of the data sources from
the output queue (QOut) and supplies the real-time data from the data
sources to the input queue (QIn).
The session process 102 performs the field and record level processing as
described above. A log 104 may be produced or displayed to indicate status
of the transaction processing sub-module 52.
An example of an application of the present invention is illustrated in
FIG. 6. In a manufacturing shop, time clocks (TC) 104 are distributed
around the shop floor. The time clocks 104 provide data sources for
transactions on employee activity. Inspection stations (INSP) 106 and
material movement stations (MM) 108 may be provided with bar code readers
22 so that a supervisor at a supervisor terminal (SUPVR) 110 can monitor
the flow of work through the inspection 106 and material movement 108
stations. Additional bar code readers can be provided at the receiving and
shipping docks 112, 114 to monitor the receipt of raw materials and
shipment of finished products, respectively. In addition, both incoming
and outgoing materials/products may be located in a quality control area
116 and their presence there can also be identified by the use of bar code
readers 22. All of these areas may also be monitored at a quality control
terminal (QC*) 118.
In the case of materials received without bar codes, a printer 20 (FIG. 1A)
may be used to produce bar code labels at the receiving dock 112 so that
materials can be identified as they are received. Thus, a single system
can be used for raw and finished goods inventory, time keeping, quality
control, job costing, etc. with real-time data collection and reports
produced upon request.
Pseudo-code for a program capable of performing the preferred embodiment of
the present invention is provided as an appendix. The pseudo-code
corresponds to the block diagrams illustrated in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 5. Using
the pseudo-code in the appendix and the description associated with these
figures, an ordinary skilled programmer can produce a software product
which defines, creates and processes "computer data objects" appropriate
for many processing tasks.
Many of the features and advantages of the present invention are apparent
from the detailed specification, and thus, it is intended by the appended
claims to cover all such features and advantages which fall within the
spirit and scope of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications
and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, from the
disclosure of the invention, it is not desired to limit the invention to
the exact construction and operation illustrated and described.
Accordingly, suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to,
all falling within the scope and spirit of the invention.
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