Web services gateway

• US 20030061404A1
• Filed: 09/23/2002
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corel Corporation (Corel Holdings LP)
• Original Assignee: Corel Corporation (Corel Holdings LP)
• Inventors: LeBel, Frederic, Atwal, Amar, Slaunwhite, Don, Mutzke, Rick, Subramanian, Ramesh, Chiu, Joseph, Mereu, Stephen, Schnarr, Matt, Rupsingh, Raul
• Granted Patent: US 7,640,348 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0838 using one-time-passwords

Abstract

A gateway module for managing functionality for one or more web services is provided. The web services gateway module comprises a client application interface unit for receiving communication from a client application over a standard protocol, a communication processor for processing the communication for a web service, and a web services interface unit for delegating the processed communication to the web service.

Claims

1. A gateway module for managing functionality for one or more web services, the web services gateway module comprising:

a client application interface unit for receiving communication from a client application over a standard protocol;

a communication processor for processing the communication for a web service; and

a web services interface unit for delegating the processed communication to the web service.

2. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a centralized repository for storing information relating to the client application and the web service.

3. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the communication processor has a method call processor for modifying a method call received from a client application.

4. The gateway module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the method call processor is a simple object access protocol processor for modifying a simple object access protocol method call received by the client application interface unit.

5. The gateway module as claimed in claim 3, wherein the method call processor is an application programming interface request processor for modifying an application programming interface contract request method call received by the client application interface unit.

6. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the client application interface unit sends communication to the client application;

and

the web services interface unit receives communication from the web service.

7. The gateway module as claimed in claim 6, further comprising a response processor for modifying a web services response to a method call received by the web services interface unit.

8. The gateway module as claimed in claim 7, wherein the response processor is a simple object access protocol response processor for modifying responses to simple object access protocol method calls.

9. The gateway module as claimed in claim 7, wherein the response processor is a web service description language processor for modifying a web service description language contract.

10. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an authentication module for checking the authenticity of the client application.

11. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an authorization module for checking the authorization of the client application to access the web service.

12. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a login services module having an authentication module for checking the authenticity of the client application;

and

an authorization module for checking the authorization of the client application to access the web service.

13. The gateway module as claimed in claim 12, wherein the login services module further comprises:

an authentication identifier provider for providing the client application a pool of authentication identifiers for use in subsequent communication with the web service; and

an authentication identifier validator for checking the validity of an authentication identifier from a pool of authentication identifiers sent with the subsequent communication.

14. The gateway module as claimed in claim 13, wherein each authentication identifier is limited to be used in one communication.

15. The gateway module as claimed in claim 13, wherein the pool of authentication identifiers are provided to the client application through a secured channel.

16. The gateway module as claimed in claim 13, wherein each communication from the client application to the web service containing one of the authentication identifiers is made through an unsecured channel.

17. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a metering module for metering web service usage of the client application.

18. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the standard protocol for messaging between the client application and the web service is simple object access protocol.

19. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the client application is another web service.

20. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a billing unit for billing the client application.

21. The gateway module as claimed in claim 20, wherein the billing unit bills a client application for the use of a package of bundles assigned to the client application, the bundles comprising one or more methods from a plurality of web services.

22. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a logging and metering module for logging and metering the usage of the gateway module by the client application.

23. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a reporting module for reporting the usage of the gateway module by the client application.

24. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an administration module for administering the gateway module.

25. The gateway module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a repository for storing information relating to methods of a plurality of web services organized into bundles, each bundle having one or more methods from one or more web services; and

an authorization module for authorizing a client application to access methods in one of the bundles.

26. The gateway module as claimed in claim 25, wherein at least one bundle has one or more methods from at least two web services.

27. The gateway module as claimed in claim 25, wherein the bundles are organized into packages.

28. A method for managing functionality for one or more web services, the method comprising steps of:

receiving communication from a client application over a standard protocol;

processing the communication for a web service; and

delegating the processed communication to the web service.

29. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the step of storing information relating to the client application and the web service.

30. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein processing step includes the step of modifying a method call received from a client application.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the step of modifying comprises the step of modifying a simple object access protocol method call received by the client application interface unit.

32. The method as claimed in claim 30, wherein the step of modifying comprises the step of modifying an application programming interface contract request method call received by the client application interface unit.

33. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising steps of:

receiving communication from the web service; and

sending communication to the client application.

34. The method as claimed in claim 33, further comprising a step of modifying a web services response to a method call received by the web services interface unit.

35. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the step of modifying includes the step of modifying responses to simple object access protocol method calls.

36. The method as claimed in claim 34, wherein the step of modifying includes the step of modifying a web service description language contract.

37. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the processing step comprises the step of checking the authenticity of the client application.

38. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the processing step comprises the step of checking the authorization of the client application to access a web service.

39. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the login steps of:

checking the authenticity of the client application; and

checking the authorization of the client application to access the web service.

40. The method claimed in claim 39, further comprising the steps of:

providing the client application a pool of authentication identifiers for use in subsequent communication with the web service; and

checking the validity of an authentication identifier from a pool of authentication identifiers sent with the subsequent communication.

41. The method as claimed in claim 40, further comprising the step of limiting each authentication identifier to be used in only one communication.

42. The method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the step of providing comprises the step of providing the pool of authentication identifiers to the client application through a secured channel.

43. The method as claimed in claim 40, wherein the step of receiving comprises receiving subsequent communication from the client application to the web service containing one of the authentication identifiers through an unsecured channel.

44. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the step of metering web service usage of the client application.

45. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the standard protocol for messaging between the client application and the web service is simple object access protocol.

46. The method as claimed in claim 28, wherein the client application is another web service.

47. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the step of billing the client application.

48. The method as claimed in claim 47, wherein the step of billing comprises the step of billing a client application for the use of a package of bundles assigned to the client application, the bundles comprising one or more methods from a plurality of web services.

49. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the step of logging and metering the usage of the gateway module by the client application.

50. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the step of reporting the usage of the gateway module by the client application.

51. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the step of administering the gateway module.

52. The method as claimed in claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

storing information relating to methods of a plurality of web services organized into bundles, each bundle having one or more methods from one or more web services; and

authorizing a client application to access methods in one of the bundles.

53. The method as claimed in claim 52, wherein the step of storing comprises storing at least one bundle having one or more methods from at least two web services.

54. The gateway module as claimed in claim 52, further comprising the step of organizing the bundles into packages.

55. Computer readable media storing the instructions and/or statements for use in the execution in a computer of a method for managing functionality for one or more web services, the method comprising steps of:

receiving communication from a client application over a standard protocol;

processing the communication for a web service; and

delegating the processed communication to the web service.

56. Electronic signals for use in the execution in a computer of a method for managing functionality for one or more web services, the method comprising steps of:

receiving communication from a client application over a standard protocol;

processing the communication for a web service; and

delegating the processed communication to the web service.

57. A computer program product for use in the execution in a computer of a method for managing functionality for one or more web services, the computer program product comprising:

a module for receiving communication from a client application over a standard protocol;

a module for processing the communication for a web service; and

a module for delegating the processed communication the web service.