icFoundation web site development software and icFoundation biztalk server 2000 integration

Abstract

icFoundation is the core of a Web-based Electronic Commerce system. The icFoundation product provides a platform between corporate systems and e-commerce channels with common presentation and navigation, environment management, common standards, error management, auditing, and enhanced security features. One goal of icFoundation is to demonstrate enterprise value by combining three basic standards of Transaction Processing; Scalability, Reliability, and Security. icFoundation specifically takes full advantage of the Pentium class Processor running Windows NT. A single server may easily scale from 8 to 32 processors and multiple servers may be combined into a centralized or distributed architecture. icFoundation is tightly integrated with Microsoft™ Transaction Server (MTS). Integrating MTS into icFoundation provides the assurance that the integrity of data is maintained as it moves across the system. icFoundation uses Secure Sockets Layer technology in order to encrypt and protect data.

We claim:  
     
         1 . A Web-based Electronic Commerce system comprising: 
 a platform between corporate systems and e-commerce channels with common presentation and navigation, environment management, common standards, error management, auditing, and enhanced security features;    at least one default Site is be loaded into the system, wherein multiple sites is be added as needed (i.e., Intranet, Extranet, and various Internet sites) through the Multiple Sites sub-menu option;    wherein the properties of the default Site is be modified to reflect the preferred Site Name, Site URL, and the like    wherein each Site's colors, frame-set style, fonts, name and description is be configured using the Site Style Wizard;    wherein the Site Style Wizard icon is be located on the Results Tab of the Manage Sites sub menu option.    
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein a default System Setup record is be added when system is installed; 
 wherein the global properties of the system is be configured after the installation of system;    wherein the global properties include default retry intervals for IVR settings, fax, email transmissions, and file directories.    
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 2 , wherein after determining the functionality of each application created or being deployed with system, User Groups is be created in order to access the different areas of functionality.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 3 , wherein if the application deployed with system generates reports, User Groups is be assigned to have access to each report.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 4 , wherein navigation and report permissions is be assigned to each group to determine the menus presented to the user when they log on.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 5 , wherein each user's account information, including email address (when the user account is activated, the user is automatically be notified of his new password and PIN by email) is be gathered and each user mapped to their appropriate office and user groups, 
 wherein each user is be a member of multiple groups and a user is inherit the sum of all of the group's permissions.    
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 6 , wherein the ability to add, delete, and update Users depends on the permissions set by the Administrator and the Manage Groups Sub-menu option uses the standard system procedures for searching, updating, viewing, adding, and deleting.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 7 , wherein a user with the appropriate permissions is permitted to create an Office Type and office Accounts, wherein an Office Type category is be created before an Office is be added and after creating an office, User accounts is be assigned to that office.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 8 , wherein Users is be readily assigned to various groups through an Add Users to Groups Sub-menu option such that multiple Users is readily configured and assigned permissions by placing all the Users in a particular Group and configuring the Group accordingly.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 9 , wherein Permissions are defined for the menus and web pages a User is access when they log on to the system site and Permissions are also defined for special business processes, such as the ability to approve an order and edit all User accounts, wherein Permissions is be set to allow users readonly or full access to data presented on forms and Administrative permissions allow support people to use the same User interface and forms as a regular User.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein Permissions is be applied to one or more of three areas: Navigation, Reports, and IVR such that Groups which are assigned permissions in the Navigation and Reports tabs is be directly related to the appearance of the Main Menu and Sub Menus and Permissions assigned in the IVR tab give the Group access to assigned IVR functions.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 12 , wherein functions are logged to the system database and utilized for usage analysis and billing and Events, Reports and User time on-line data are tracked such that a combination of all three are used to bill a customer for utilizing the system.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 13 , wherein an unlimited number of billing matrices is be pre-defined, wherein matrix properties include a base rate and up to ten tiers of rates, each with a maximum and minimum value and an associated rate, wherein the setup for each user account includes a Billing Group attribute comprising a user group from which an account is derive Event and report billing matrices, and wherein the setup for each user account also includes a Billing ID attribute comprising a billing matrix which is be applied to this user's time on-line usage.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein an Event is mapped to a pre-defined billing matrix for each user group to allow an administrator to setup different rate schedules for different user groups, for each event, and 
 a Report is mapped to a pre-defined billing matrix for each user group such that when a report is processed, User Name, Report ID, and date/time of the report information is logged.    
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 15 , wherein Errors, warnings, and audits are termed “Events” and Custom events are added to the system to track custom occurrences, such as; change in sales volume, the check of an order status, or the download of a file, Errors, warnings, and audits and custom events is be configured to notify users when they occur.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein Multiple Support Types is be configured so users is be notified when the events occur, at varying time of the day and Users is also be billed when specific events occur by assigning a billing matrix to each event.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 17 , wherein Default event settings is be modified using the User Messages sub-menu option and External processes is also be triggered to run when any message occurs, wherein external process comprises one or more of a batch f ile and an executable file with command line arguments.  
     
     
         18 . A system for e-commerce, employing a Windows Management Interface (WMI) for starting and stopping of NT Services, Coloraborative Data Objects (CDO), SMTP Service for sending of email, CRYPTO API for encryption of data using standard algorithims, ActiveX Data Objects (ADO) for database access, wherein the system is configured in a three tier environment including: 
 a Presentation Tier for formatting HTML to be displayed in a browser;    a Business Tier for performing any business logic and connecting to databases and legacy systems; and    a Data Tier for performing data storage, queries and manipulation.    
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein the Presentation Tier comprises a plurality of Active Server Pages (ASP) for communicating with Business Tier COM objects for sending HTML to a web browser.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the ASP pages comprise scripts including one or more of VBScript, JavaScript and HTML, the scripts being processed on the server through Microsoft Internet Information Server.  
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the Business Tier comprises a system product including a plurality of COM objects for communicating with the Data Tier to process business rules and query data.  
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 21 , wherein the COM objects comprise compiled Visual Basic 6.0 ActiveX DLLS conforming to the Component Object Model (COM) standard and the system product comprises 23 COM objects, each COM object comprises a plurality of class files which contain several code functions and/or sub-routines to provide business-rule processing, the processes including creating sites, user groups, users, menus, and assigning permissions.  
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 22 , wherein the Data Tier comprises a plurality of database tables for storing information to configure one or more of sites, users, groups, permissions, menus, audits, logs, and statistics.  
     
     
         24 . A method of managing a system site for e-commerce which allows for multiple sites or user interfaces to information, each of the sites configured to have their own functionality, pages, users, groups, reports, menus, logos, colors, fonts, and style, each of the sites administrated from a single site or from each site individually, said method comprising the steps of 
 configuring, by an administrators, groups of users,    managing, by the groups of users, individual pieces of each site including one or more of user accounts, manages permissions, manages site logos, colors and menus, manages the audit logs and security settings,    wherein all sites are run from the same system database which is be used to brand identical sites with different colors and logos for different groups of users and customers.    
     
     
         25 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein all sites run off of the same ASP pages and IP address assigned in IIS such that a single set of ASP pages and components may be managed to manage a plurality of different sites.  
     
     
         26 . The method of  claim 25 , wherein multiple function sites are configured and managed using the system multi-site architecture.