Method and system for communication between computer systems

• US 20030074401A1
• Filed: 04/11/2002
• Published: 04/17/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ronan Andrew Campbell
• Original Assignee: Activity Monitoring Solutions Limited
• Inventors: Acton, Paul, Connell, Brian
• Granted Patent: US 8,019,807 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2871 Implementation details of single intermediate entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A system for brokering business service requests in a computer network is disclosed. The system is operative to receive a request for information from a requester, transmit the request to a provider, and return a response to the requester. The broker typically comprises the following components. A requester-side processing stage operative to communicate with the requester; a provider-side processing stage operative to communicate with the provider; and a broking stage operative to exchange data between the requester-side processing stage and the provider-side processing stage. In operation of the business service broker, upon receipt of a request for a requester, the broking stage obtains data required to respond to the request by communicating with a provider through the provider-side processing stage. The brokering stage formulates a response and returns it to the requester through the requester-side processing stage. The mechanism by which the response is obtained is abstracted from the requester.

Claims

1. A service request broking system operative to receive a request for a service from a requester and to transmit the request to a provider;

a. a requester-side processing stage operative to communicate with the requester;

b. a provider-side processing stage operative to communicate with the provider; and

c. a broking stage operative to process the service request

in which;

upon receipt of a service request from a requester, the broking stage is operative to identify a provider to process the request, and to send a request to the provider through the provider-side processing stage.

2. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which the broking stage is further operative to obtain data required to respond to the requester by communicating with a provider through the provider-side processing stage.

3. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which the broking stage is operative to formulate and return a response to the requester through the requester-side processing stage.

4. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which the requester-side processing stage communicates with the requester using a requester-side protocol.

5. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which the provider-side processing stage communicates with the provider using a provider-side protocol.

6. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which the requester-side processing stage communicates with the requester using a requester-side protocol and the provider-side processing stage communicates with the provider using a provider-side protocol, the requester-side protocol and the provider-side protocol being dissimilar.

7. A service request broking system according to claim 1 further comprising a data store that contains information about one or more providers in which the broking stage is operative to make reference to the data store to determine parameters for processing the service request.

8. A service request broking system according to claim 7 in which the data store contains data that identifies which provider or providers can respond to the request.

9. A service request broking system according to claim 7 in which the data store contains data that relates to individual requestors and the services that the requesters can access.

10. A service request broking system according to claim 7 in which the data store contains data relating to conditions that affect provision of services.

11. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which the broking stage is operative to validate the service request prior to transmitting a request to a provider.

12. A service request broking system according to claim 11 in which validation includes verification that the request is validly formulated for the requester-side processing stage.

13. A service request broking system according to claim 10 in which validation includes verification that the requester is entitled to make the service request.

14. A service request broking system according to claim 4 in which a service request is delivered to the broking system over a computer network.

15. A service request broking system according to claim 14 in which a request is transmitted in accordance with a protocol including one or more of SOAP, IIOP and RMI.

16. A service request broking system according to claim 14 in which a response to a request is transmitted in accordance with a protocol including one or more of SOAP, IIOP and RMI.

17. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which available provider interfaces and capabilities are defined using a description language.

18. A service request broking system according to claim 17 in which the description language is IDL or WSDL.

19. A service request broking system according to claim 12 in which the service request is encrypted.

20. A service request broking system according to claim 1 in which the service request is expressed in terms that are independent of the addresses or capabilities of the providers.

21. A method of routing service requests between a plurality of computer applications in a computer installation in which:

a. a service request is sent by a requester to a broking system, the request being in made accordance with a requester-side protocol and a broker interface definition;

b. the broking system analyses the request and determines which provider or providers can process the service request; and

c. for the (or each) provider, the broking system formulates a provider request and sends it to the corresponding provider, the request being encoded in a provider-side protocol.

22. A method according to claim 21 in which, having sent the request to the (or each) provider, the broking system awaits a response from the provider and upon receipt of a response based on the response provides a response to the requester.

23. A method according to claim 21 in which the broking system determines which provider or providers can handle a response to the service request in dependence upon the service that is being requested, the identity of the requester, and the business rules associated with the delivery of the requested service to the requester.

24. A business service broker system comprising;

a data store, that contains service descriptions and a configuration repository that relates these to service requestor and service provider functionality; and

a system for processing service requests comprising;

a hub for communication protocol handling to the service requestor and service provider;

a service brokering object that comprises a plurality of components;

a broker management object comprising a plurality of components to process service requests;

an administration object comprising a plurality of components that provides the control management of the plurality of components with the business service broker system;

a plurality of requester gateway objects that communicate with requesters; and

a provider gateway object that communicate with providers.