Abstract: Various techniques for providing product configuration as a Web Service are disclosed. One method involves receiving a Web Service signature requesting access to a product configuration session to configure a product and accessing information representing an instance of the product, in response to receipt of the Web Service signature. A responsive Web Service signature, containing information such as the price of the instance of the product, whether the instance of the product represents a valid configuration, and/or indicative of options available to further configure the product, can be returned to the application that requested access to the session. The requester can request multiple changes to the instance of the product, and validation of those changes can be delayed until after all of the changes have been applied (as opposed to each change being validated independently). A single configurator can handle requests received via multiple different sales channels.

Abstract: Various techniques for providing product versioning as a Web Service are disclosed. One method involves receiving a Web Service signature requesting access to a product model. In response to receipt of that Web Service signature, a product model that includes several versions of a product is accessed, and the current version of the product is selected from the product model. The product model can include future versions of he product that are not yet effective; such versions will not be selected as the current model prior to becoming effective. Information representing the current version can then be returned to the request in a second Web Service signature. A single object broker can respond to Web Service signatures requesting access to the product model from various different sales channels.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for integrating procedural logic with a stateless constraint engine are disclosed. One method involves accessing a first set of values generated by a stateless constraint engine based upon a first set of inputs and then accessing a second set of values generated by the stateless constraint engine subsequent to the first set of values and based upon a second set of inputs. The second set of values is validated based upon a procedural constraint. The procedural constraint can include a precondition and a postcondition. The precondition is dependent upon at least one value from the first set of values, and the postcondition is dependent upon at least one value from the second set of values.

Abstract: A data driven, no-refresh, high-interactivity user interface framework, which can be used in (or with) web browsers to provide user interface for accessing product and service configuration through network connection. For example, the user interface can be used with web-based customer order management or product configurator. In one embodiment, the user interface presented as a web document is updated using Document Object Model (DOM) to avoid refreshing. Updates to the user interface are driven by the data managed by the user interface. An event queue for user actions to be dispatched to the server is provided to improve usability of the user interface. A user interface level application program interface is provided for external applications/modules to improve configurability.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for integrating procedural logic with a stateless constraint engine are disclosed. One method involves accessing a first set of values generated by a stateless constraint engine based upon a first set of inputs and then accessing a second set of values generated by the stateless constraint engine subsequent to the first set of values and based upon a second set of inputs. The second set of values is validated based upon a procedural constraint. The procedural constraint can include a precondition and a postcondition. The precondition is dependent upon at least one value from the first set of values, and the postcondition is dependent upon at least one value from the second set of values.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for integrating procedural logic with a stateless constraint engine are disclosed. One method involves accessing a first set of values generated by a stateless constraint engine based upon a first set of inputs and then accessing a second set of values generated by the stateless constraint engine subsequent to the first set of values and based upon a second set of inputs. The second set of values is validated based upon a procedural constraint. The procedural constraint can include a precondition and a postcondition. The precondition is dependent upon at least one value from the first set of values, and the postcondition is dependent upon at least one value from the second set of values.

Abstract: Various techniques for providing product versioning as a Web Service are disclosed. One method involves receiving a Web Service signature requesting access to a product model. In response to receipt of that Web Service signature, a product model that includes several versions of a product is accessed, and the current version of the product is selected from the product model. The product model can include future versions of he product that are not yet effective; such versions will not be selected as the current model prior to becoming effective. Information representing the current version can then be returned to the request in a second Web Service signature. A single object broker can respond to Web Service signatures requesting access to the product model from various different sales channels.

Abstract: Various techniques for providing product configuration as a Web Service are disclosed. One method involves receiving a Web Service signature requesting access to a product configuration session to configure a product and accessing information representing an instance of the product, in response to receipt of the Web Service signature. A responsive Web Service signature, containing information such as the price of the instance of the product, whether the instance of the product represents a valid configuration, and/or indicative of options available to further configure the product, can be returned to the application that requested access to the session. The requester can request multiple changes to the instance of the product, and validation of those changes can be delayed until after all of the changes have been applied (as opposed to each change being validated independently). A single configurator can handle requests received via multiple different sales channels.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for integrating procedural logic with a stateless constraint engine are disclosed. One method involves accessing a first set of values generated by a stateless constraint engine based upon a first set of inputs and then accessing a second set of values generated by the stateless constraint engine subsequent to the first set of values and based upon a second set of inputs. The second set of values is validated based upon a procedural constraint. The procedural constraint can include a precondition and a postcondition. The precondition is dependent upon at least one value from the first set of values, and the postcondition is dependent upon at least one value from the second set of values.

Abstract: Various systems and methods for providing product selection and dynamic catalog generation as a Web Service are disclosed. One method involves receiving a Web Service signature requesting access to catalog information. The Web Service signature comprises information indicative of a sales context. The method then dynamically generates a catalog, based upon the sales context. The method can also involve generating a second Web Service signature, which includes information indicative of the catalog, and sending that second Web Service signature to the application that requested access to the catalog information.

Abstract: A data driven, no-refresh, high-interactivity user interface framework, which can be used in (or with) web browsers to provide user interface for accessing product and service configuration through network connection. For example, the user interface can be used with web-based customer order management or product configurator. In one embodiment, the user interface presented as a web document is updated using Document Object Model (DOM) to avoid refreshing. Updates to the user interface are driven by the data managed by the user interface. An event queue for user actions to be dispatched to the server is provided to improve usability of the user interface. A user interface level application program interface is provided for external applications/modules to improve configurability.