Transformational conversation definition language

• US 20030120730A1
• Filed: 12/06/2001
• Published: 06/26/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lemon, Michael L., Karp, Alan H., Kuno, Harumi Anne
• Granted Patent: US 7,970,826 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/085 specially adapted for interworking of IP-based networks with other networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A computer language for facilitating communication between web services, where web services may use disparate input and output document formats, and system using same. A Conversation Definition Language (CDL) is extended with transformational information to a Transformational Conversation Definition Language (TCDL). The CDL defines document types, transitions and interactions of a conversation between two or more web services. In a preferred embodiment, the transformational information is a subset of the interaction information. Stylesheets are used to define the semantics of the required transformation and the appropriate stylesheets are identified in the TCDL file. A conversation controller component reads the TCDL files that correspond to a given conversation and utilizes the transformation information, when necessary to transform documents between web services without human intervention.

Claims

1. A web service system allowing two or more web services to autonomously communicate in a conversation via documents, where the documents used by the two or more web services may require transformation, said system comprising:

a plurality of conversation definition language (CDL) description files, wherein each of the respective CDL description files defines document types, transitions and interactions of a conversation; and

a conversation controller controlling conversation for at least one web service and having access to the plurality of CDL description files, the conversation controller handling a plurality of inbound and outbound documents, and utilizing a plurality of CDL description files to determine document types for each of the inbound and outbound documents, and to determine transitions and interactions of a conversation, wherein the conversation controller is capable of utilizing a transformational CDL (TCDL) description file, the TCDL being a CDL extended with transformational elements.

2. The web service system as recited in claim 1, wherein the use of a TCDL file results in automatic transformation of a document valid for a first web service into a transformed document valid for a second web service

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein a TCDL file is generated by an associated web service.

4. The system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a plurality of transformational conversation definition language (TCDL) description files accessible by the conversation controller, wherein each TCDL file defines document types, transitions, interactions and at least one document transformation of a conversation.

5. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein each CDL file includes transformational elements.

6. The system as recited in claim 2, further comprising at least one additional conversation controller, wherein each conversation controller is used by a corresponding web service.

7. The system as recited in claim 2, further comprising a registry, wherein the registry holds information corresponding to a plurality of CDL and TCDL files and associated web services, the information being retrievable by a conversation controller to determine an appropriate CDL/TCDL file to use for a given web service.

8. A computer readable medium containing a data structure for defining document transformations in a web service conversation between two or more web services, where the data structure is to be parsed by a conversation controller computer program, said data structure comprising:

a first section defining document types for a plurality of inbound and outbound documents used in a conversation;

a second section defining interactions of a conversation;

a third section defining a flow of a conversation; and

a fourth section identifying document transformations in a conversation, wherein a document transformation is necessary to transform a document used by a first web service into a document used by a second web service.

9. The computer readable medium as recited by claim 8, wherein the section of the data structure identifying document transformations is a subsection of the section defining interactions.

10. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the section of the data structure identifying document transformations identifies a corresponding stylesheet document, the corresponding document comprising elements defining attributes, fields and computations related to a required transformation.

11. The computer readable medium as recited in claim 10, wherein the identified stylesheet is a virtual single document comprised of a plurality of linked documents.

12. A memory for storing data for access by at least one conversation controller managing a conversation between web services, comprising:

a first section stored in memory defining document types for a plurality of inbound and outbound documents in a conversation;

a second section stored in memory defining interactions of a conversation;

a third section stored in memory defining a flow of a conversation; and

a fourth section stored in memory identifying document transformations in a conversation, wherein a document transformation is necessary to transform a document used by a first web service into a document used by a second web service.

13. The memory as recited in claim 12, wherein the section of the data structure identifying document transformations is a subsection of the section defining interactions.

14. The memory as recited in claim 12, wherein the section of the data structure identifying document transformations identifies a corresponding stylesheet document, the corresponding document comprising elements defining attributes, fields and computations related to a required transformation.

15. The memory as recited in claim 14, wherein the corresponding stylesheet document is stored in a second memory accessible by the conversation controller.

16. The memory as recited in claim 14, wherein the identified stylesheet is a virtual single document comprised of a plurality of linked documents.

17. The memory as recited in claim 16, wherein the plurality of linked documents are stored in at least one additional memory accessible by the conversation controller.

18. A method for automatically transforming documents in a conversation between two or more web services, said method comprising steps of:

retrieving at least one transformational conversation description language (TCDL) description file for use by a conversation controller;

determining, by the conversation controller, whether a document needed in a transition from a first state in the conversation to a second state in the conversation requires a transformation; and

automatically transforming the document needed in the transition, by the conversation controller, if the retrieved TCDL description file has a transformational element for the needed document transformation.