diff -Nur src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/converter/SerializableToByteArrayConverter.java src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/converter/SerializableToByteArrayConverter.java
--- src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/converter/SerializableToByteArrayConverter.java	2009-03-09 23:30:08.000000000 +0100
+++ src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/converter/SerializableToByteArrayConverter.java	2009-12-18 09:43:12.000000000 +0100
@@ -32,13 +32,14 @@
 import org.jbpm.JbpmConfiguration;
 import org.jbpm.JbpmException;
 import org.jbpm.bytes.ByteArray;
-import org.jbpm.context.exe.ContextConverter;
+import org.jbpm.context.exe.ProcessDefinitionContextConverter;
 import org.jbpm.db.hibernate.Converters;
 import org.jbpm.graph.def.ProcessDefinition;
 import org.jbpm.graph.exe.Token;
 import org.jbpm.util.CustomLoaderObjectInputStream;
 
-public class SerializableToByteArrayConverter implements ContextConverter<Serializable, ByteArray> {
+public class SerializableToByteArrayConverter implements
+    ProcessDefinitionContextConverter<Serializable, ByteArray> {
 
   private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
 
@@ -66,27 +67,30 @@
   }
 
   public Serializable revert(ByteArray o) {
-    return revert(o, null);
+    return revert(o, (ProcessDefinition) null);
   }
 
   public Serializable revert(ByteArray o, Token token) {
+    return revert(o, token != null ? token.getProcessInstance()
+        .getProcessDefinition() : null);
+  }
+
+  public Serializable revert(ByteArray o, ProcessDefinition processDefinition) {
     InputStream memoryStream = new ByteArrayInputStream(o.getBytes());
     try {
       ObjectInputStream objectStream;
-      if (token != null) {
-        ProcessDefinition processDefinition = token.getProcessInstance().getProcessDefinition();
-        ClassLoader classLoader = JbpmConfiguration.getProcessClassLoader(processDefinition);
-        objectStream = new CustomLoaderObjectInputStream(memoryStream, classLoader);
-      }
-      else {
+      if (processDefinition != null) {
+        ClassLoader classLoader = JbpmConfiguration
+            .getProcessClassLoader(processDefinition);
+        objectStream = new CustomLoaderObjectInputStream(memoryStream,
+            classLoader);
+      } else {
         objectStream = new ObjectInputStream(memoryStream);
       }
       return (Serializable) objectStream.readObject();
-    }
-    catch (IOException e) {
+    } catch (IOException e) {
       throw new JbpmException("failed to read object", e);
-    }
-    catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
+    } catch (ClassNotFoundException e) {
       throw new JbpmException("serialized object class not found", e);
     }
   }
diff -Nur src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/ProcessDefinitionContextConverter.java src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/ProcessDefinitionContextConverter.java
--- src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/ProcessDefinitionContextConverter.java	1970-01-01 01:00:00.000000000 +0100
+++ src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/ProcessDefinitionContextConverter.java	2009-12-18 09:41:16.000000000 +0100
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+package org.jbpm.context.exe;
+
+import org.jbpm.graph.def.ProcessDefinition;
+
+/**
+ * Converter able to revert an object also given the context of just a process
+ * definition.
+ * 
+ * @author Mauro Molinari
+ * @param <S>
+ *          the type of the object in its original form
+ * @param <T>
+ *          the type of the object in its persisted form
+ * @see <a href="https://jira.jboss.org/jira/browse/JBPM-2692"
+ *      target="_blank">JBPM-2692</a>
+ * 
+ */
+public interface ProcessDefinitionContextConverter<S, T> extends
+    ContextConverter<S, T> {
+
+  /**
+   * Reverts a persisted object to its original form, in the context of the
+   * given process definition.
+   * 
+   * @param o
+   *          the object in its persisted form
+   * @param processDefinition
+   *          the process definition
+   * @return the object in its original form
+   * 
+   */
+  S revert(T o, ProcessDefinition processDefinition);
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff -Nur src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.hbm.xml src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.hbm.xml
--- src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.hbm.xml	2009-03-09 23:30:18.000000000 +0100
+++ src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.hbm.xml	2009-12-17 17:52:32.000000000 +0100
@@ -40,6 +40,10 @@
                  column="PROCESSINSTANCE_"
                  foreign-key="FK_VARINST_PRCINST" 
                  index="IDX_VARINST_PRCINS" />
+    <many-to-one name="processDefinition" 
+             column="PROCESSDEFINITION_"
+             foreign-key="FK_VARINST_PRCDEF" />
+    
     
   </class>
 </hibernate-mapping>
diff -Nur src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.java src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.java
--- src1/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.java	2009-03-09 23:30:08.000000000 +0100
+++ src2/org/jbpm/context/exe/VariableInstance.java	2009-12-18 12:03:18.000000000 +0100
@@ -27,6 +27,7 @@
 import org.jbpm.context.exe.variableinstance.NullInstance;
 import org.jbpm.context.exe.variableinstance.UnpersistableInstance;
 import org.jbpm.context.log.VariableCreateLog;
+import org.jbpm.graph.def.ProcessDefinition;
 import org.jbpm.graph.exe.ProcessInstance;
 import org.jbpm.graph.exe.Token;
 
@@ -48,6 +49,8 @@
   protected Object valueCache = null;
   protected boolean isValueCached = false;
 
+	protected ProcessDefinition processDefinition = null;
+
   // constructors /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
   public VariableInstance() {
@@ -67,6 +70,8 @@
     if (token != null) {
       variableInstance.token = token;
       variableInstance.processInstance = token.getProcessInstance();
+			variableInstance.processDefinition =
+			  token.getProcessInstance().getProcessDefinition();
       token.addLog(new VariableCreateLog(variableInstance));
     }
     variableInstance.setValue(value);
@@ -140,11 +145,14 @@
     }
     Object value = getObject();
     if (value != null && converter != null) {
-      if (converter instanceof ContextConverter && token != null) {
+      if (converter instanceof ContextConverter<?, ?> && token != null) {
         ContextConverter<?, ? super Object> contextConverter = (ContextConverter<?, ? super Object>) converter;
         value = contextConverter.revert(value, token);
-      }
-      else {
+      } else if (converter instanceof ProcessDefinitionContextConverter<?, ?>
+          && processDefinition != null) {
+        ProcessDefinitionContextConverter<?, ? super Object> contextConverter = (ProcessDefinitionContextConverter<?, ? super Object>) converter;
+        value = contextConverter.revert(value, processDefinition);
+      } else {
         value = converter.revert(value);
       }
       valueCache = value;
@@ -161,6 +169,7 @@
 
   // utility methods /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
 
+  @Override
   public String toString() {
     return "${" + name + "}";
   }
@@ -179,6 +188,11 @@
     return token;
   }
 
+	public ProcessDefinition getProcessDefinition()
+	{
+		return processDefinition;
+	}
+
   public void setTokenVariableMap(TokenVariableMap tokenVariableMap) {
     this.tokenVariableMap = tokenVariableMap;
   }