Method and apparatus for dynamic, non-intrusive personalization of web services

• US 20050086330A1
• Filed: 07/23/2004
• Published: 04/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sanchez, Matthew, Laxminarayan, Chaitanya, Yarbrough, Keith, Perham, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,311 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/220
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• 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 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data

Abstract

A method and apparatus to employ a service proxy to dynamically personalize Web service messages by automatically supplying the interface parameters used for communications between a Web service provider and its client businesses. The service proxy does this according to context parameters that the client businesses specifies during configuration set up at the Web service provider'"'"'s Web site and in messages used to communicate with one or more Web services. For simpler administration, the context variables may be organized in multiple kinds of hierarchies by which communications parameters specified at a higher level are automatically applied to categories at a lower level, although parameters specified directly for a lower-level category will override parameters from a higher category.

Claims

1. An automatic and dynamic method of supplying personalized communications parameters used for communications between a web service and a client, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

setting up a personalization system by

predefining the formats of a plurality of client application messages,

setting up a configuration interface,

setting up a service proxy, the service proxy comprising

a user configuration comprising at least one subscriber profile, and

a web service configuration comprising a service profile; and

applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages by

selecting a web service end point by matching the subscriber profile to a service profile,

applying the correct communications parameters to a client application incoming message to personalize the client'"'"'s web service request, and

forwarding the client'"'"'s personalized web service request to the web service end point.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the configuration interface further comprises

a plurality of context variables comprising

web service variables,

user variables, and

channel variables;

and

a plurality of interface variables.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein the channel variables further comprise

faced variables for messages sent on behalf of a human operator;

and

faceless variables for messages sent by machine-to-machine.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein service proxy further comprises

at least one personalization engine;

and

at least one invocation engine.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein setting up a personalization system further comprises

setting up a metadata storage, the metadata storage comprising

at least one subscriber profile,

a web service profile, and

hierarchies comprising

web service hierarchy, and

user hierarchy, such that the hierarchies permit inheritance of the communications parameters.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the subscriber profile further comprises

interface parameters;

and

context parameters.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the client application messages further comprise

a SOAP envelope comprising

a plurality of context headers, and

a message body.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages further comprises

receiving the client application incoming message, such that the incoming message comprises context information;

and

selecting a web service end point by matching the subscriber profile to a service profile.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the correct communications parameters to the incoming message further comprises

determining the context parameters of the incoming message;

retrieving the service profile for the web service to be invoked; and

applying specified interface parameters to the client application incoming message to personalize the client'"'"'s web service request.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages further comprises

accepting an outgoing message response from the web service end point;

creating a response to the client application message; and

applying correct communications parameters to the outgoing message response.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein applying correct communications parameters to the outgoing message response further comprises

determining the context parameters of the message;

retrieving the service profile;

applying specified interface parameters to the outgoing message; and

sending a correctly formatted response to the client.

12. The method of claim 1 further comprising

storing client communications parameters by

receiving a client-specified configuration through the configuration interface, and

storing the subscriber profile.

13. An automatic and dynamic method of supplying personalized communications parameters used for communications between a web service and a source, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

setting up a personalization system by

predefining the formats of a plurality of client application messages,

setting up a configuration interface,

storing at least one subscriber profile, a web service profile, and hierarchies,

such that the hierarchies permit inheritance of the communications parameters,

setting up a service proxy, the service proxy comprising

a user configuration,

a web service configuration; and

applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the configuration interface further comprises

a plurality of context variables comprising

web service variables,

user variables, and

channel variables;

and

a plurality of interface variables.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein service proxy further comprises

at least one personalization engine;

and

at least one invocation engine.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the hierarchies further comprise

web service hierarchy;

and

user hierarchy, such that the hierarchies permit inheritance of the communications parameters.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the subscriber profile further comprises

interface parameters;

and

context parameters.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages further comprises

selecting a web service end point by matching the subscriber profile to a service profile,

applying the correct communications parameters to a client application incoming message to personalize the client'"'"'s web service request, and

forwarding the client'"'"'s personalized web service request to the web service end point.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages further comprises

receiving the client application incoming message, such that the incoming message comprises context information;

and

selecting a web service end point by matching the subscriber profile to a service profile.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein applying the correct communications parameters to the incoming message further comprises

determining the context parameters of the incoming message;

retrieving the service profile for the web service to be invoked; and

applying specified interface parameters to the client application incoming message to personalize the client'"'"'s web service request.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages further comprises

accepting an outgoing message response from the web service end point;

creating a response to the client application message; and

applying correct communications parameters to the outgoing message response.

22. An automatic and dynamic method of supplying personalized communications parameters used for communications between a web service and a source, the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

setting up a personalization system by

predefining the formats of a plurality of client application messages, the messages comprising context headers,

setting up a configuration interface comprising

a plurality of context variables,

a plurality of interface variables,

setting up a metadata storage, the metadata storage comprising

at least one subscriber profile,

a web service profile, and

hierarchies, such that the hierarchies permit inheritance of the communications parameters,

setting up a service proxy, the service proxy comprising

a user configuration comprising

a plurality of subscriber profiles,

a web service configuration comprising

a web service profile,

at least one conversion engine, and

at least one invocation engine;

storing client communications parameters by

receiving a client-specified communications parameters configuration through the configuration interface, and

storing the service policies associated with the client-specified communications parameters configuration; and

applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages by

receiving the client application incoming message comprising context information,

selecting a web service end point by matching the subscriber profile to a service profile,

applying the correct communications parameters to the incoming message to personalize the client'"'"'s web service request,

forwarding the client'"'"'s personalized web service request to the web service end point;

accepting an outgoing message response from the web service end point; and

creating a response to the client application message,

applying correct communications parameters to the outgoing message, and

sending a correctly formatted response to the client.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the context variables further comprise

web service variables;

user variables; and

channel variables.

24. The method of claim 23 wherein the channel variables further comprise

faced variables for messages sent on behalf of a human operator;

and

faceless variables for messages sent by machine-to-machine.

25. The method of claim 22 wherein the hierarchies further comprise

web service hierarchy;

and

user hierarchy, such that the hierarchies permit inheritance of the communications parameters.

26. The method of claim 22 wherein the subscriber profile further comprises

interface parameters;

and

context parameters.

27. The method of claim 22 wherein the client application messages further comprise

a SOAP envelope comprising

a plurality of context headers, and

a message body.

28. An automatic and dynamic method of supplying personalized communications parameters used for communications between a web service and a client the method comprising the computer-implemented steps of:

setting up a personalization system by

setting up WSDL documents for communicating context information to the personalization system;

predefining the formats of a plurality of client application messages, the messages comprising

a SOAP envelope comprising

a plurality of context headers, and

a message body,

setting up a configuration interface comprising

a plurality of context variables comprising

web service variables,

user variables,

channel variables comprising

 

faced variables for messages sent on behalf of a human operator, and

 

faceless variables for messages sent by machine-to-machine, and

a plurality of interface variables comprising service level,

setting up a metadata storage, the metadata storage comprising

at least one subscriber profile comprising

interface parameters, and

context parameters,

a web service profile, and

hierarchies comprising

web service hierarchy, and

user hierarchy, such that the hierarchies permit inheritance of the communications parameters,

setting up a service proxy, the service proxy comprising

a user configuration comprising

a plurality of subscriber profiles,

a web service configuration comprising

a web service profile,

at least one personalization engine, and

at least one invocation engine;

storing client communications parameters by

receiving a client-specified configuration through the configuration interface, and

storing the subscriber profile; and

applying the correct communications parameters to client application messages by

receiving the client application incoming message comprising context information,

selecting a web service end point by matching the subscriber profile to a service profile;

applying the correct communications parameters to the incoming message by

determining the context parameters of the message,

retrieving, from storage, the service profile for the web service to be invoked, and

applying specified interface parameters to the client application incoming message to personalize the client'"'"'s web service request,

forwarding the personalized client'"'"'s web service request to the web service end point;

accepting an outgoing message response from the web service end point; and

creating a response to the client application message,

applying correct communications parameters to the outgoing message by

determining the context parameters of the message,

retrieving the service profile from storage,

applying specified interface parameters to the outgoing message; and

sending a correctly formatted response to the client.

29. The method of claim 28 wherein the web service hierarchy further comprises

at least one suite of applications;

at least one application within the suite of applications;

at least one business service related to the application; and

at least one web service related to the business service.

30. The method of claim 28 wherein the user hierarchy further comprises

an organization;

at least one group within the organization; and

at least one individual within the group.

31. The method of claim 28 wherein the user variables further comprise

an organization identifier;

a group identifier; and

an individual identifier.

32. The method of claim 28 wherein the faced variables further comprise a channel identification selected from the group consisting of

a web browser;

and

a handheld device.

33. The method of claim 28 wherein the faceless variables 494 further comprise a channel identification selected from the group consisting of

HTTP;

FTP;

a web service; and

EDI.

34. The method of claim 28 wherein the subscriber profile further comprises

interface parameters;

and

context parameters.

35. The method of claim 28 wherein the SOAP envelope further comprises

a SOAP header further comprising

a plurality of context headers.

36. The method of claim 28 wherein plurality of context headers further comprise

a web service header indicating the web service;

a user header indicating the user invoking the web service;

a timestamp header indicating the time the message was sent; and

a channel header indicating the transmission channel of the application message.

37. The method of claim 28 wherein the context variables further comprise

timeframe.

38. The method of claim 28 wherein the interface variables further comprise

encryption level;

timeout; and

number of retries.

39. A system for supplying personalized communications parameters used for communications between a web service and a client the system comprising

at least one web service;

a personalization system, such that the personalization system

predefines the formats of a plurality of client application messages,

sets up a configuration interface,

stores hierarchies, such that the hierarchies permit inheritance of the communications parameters, and

sets up a service proxy, the service proxy comprising

a user configuration comprising at least one subscriber profile, and

a web service configuration comprising a service profile; and

network communication between the web service and the personalization system.

40. The system of claim 39 wherein

the personalization conversion system is provided on a first server;

and

the web service is provided on a second server.