Dynamic directed graph workflows

US10909484B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC · US

Inventors

• Michael B. Palmer · Edmonds, US
• Emad Mohamed Hamdy Elwany · Kirkland, US
• Justin Brooks Cranshaw · Seattle, US
• Pamela Bhattacharya · Redmond, US
• Mayerber L. Carvalho Neto · Bellevue, US
• Charles Yin-Che Lee · Mercer Island, US
• Benjamin Gene Cheung · Menlo Park, US
• Andrés Monroy-Hernández · Princeton, US
• Todd D. Newman · Palo Alto, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Jun 20, 2017
• Grant date: Feb 2, 2021
• Expiry date: Mar 11, 2039

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06Q10/103
• WIPO field: IT methods for management
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A set of nodes are organized into a graph to represent a workflow to enable the dynamic and directed management of that workflow in a decentralized system. Each node maintains a value necessary for execution of the workflow, and includes code to populate that value. A workflow agent manages the population of the values according to an identified dependency structure for the nodes relative to the workflow. As changes are made to the workflow, the workflow agent ensures that values and dependencies of the nodes stay up-to-date. Each node retains historic values, which enables the workflow agent to query several states of the workflow throughout time as changes are made thereto. The dynamic management of the nodes improves the responsiveness of the system to changes, thereby improving computational efficiency.