Method and apparatus for accessing web services

• US 20060004764A1
• Filed: 06/07/2004
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Srivastava, Biplav, Kurhekar, Manish P.
• Granted Patent: US 7,676,472 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display

Abstract

Methods, apparatuses and computer programs for making information relating to web services available to applications hosted by a client platform and/or using such information to invoke web services for use by an application hosted by a client platform are disclosed. The information is preferably obtained from a local repository or otherwise from a remote repository via the internet. The information may relate to web services previously used by the applications such as particular invocation instances of those web services. The information may comprise statistical Quality of Service (QoS) information relating to particular invocation instances of web services.

Claims

1. A method for making information relating to web services available to applications hosted by a client platform, said method comprising:

obtaining information relating to said web services from a remote repository via the internet; and

storing at least a portion of said information in a local repository hosted by said client platform for access by said applications.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said information relates to web services previously used by one or more of said applications.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said information comprises information relating to particular invocation instances of said web services.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising ranking said information relating to said web services.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said information further comprises statistical Quality of Service (QoS) information relating to particular invocation instances of said web services.

6. A method for invoking a web service for use by an application hosted on a client platform, said method comprising:

obtaining information relating to said web service from a local repository hosted by said client platform; and

invoking said web service using said information.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein said information relates to a web service previously used by an application hosted by said client platform.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said information relates to one or more previous invocation instances of said web service.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said information further comprises statistical Quality of Service (QoS) information relating to one or more previous invocation instances of said web service.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

obtaining information relating to said web service from a remote repository if said information is unavailable from said local repository; and

storing at least a portion of said information in said local repository.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein said web service is invoked by said application.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein said web service is invoked by a proxy server.

13. An apparatus for making information relating to web services available to applications hosted by a client platform, said apparatus comprising:

at least one communications interface operable for transmitting and receiving data;

a memory unit operable for storing data and instructions to be performed by a processing unit; and

a processing unit coupled to said at least one communications interface and said memory unit, said processing unit programmed to;

obtain information relating to said web services from a remote repository via the internet; and

store at least a portion of said information in a local repository hosted by said client platform for access by said applications.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein said information relates to web services previously used by one or more of said applications.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein said information comprises information relating to particular invocation instances of said web services.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said processing unit is further programmed to rank said information relating to said web services.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said information further comprises statistical Quality of Service (QoS) information relating to one or more previous invocation instances of said web service.

18. An apparatus for invoking a web service for use by an application hosted on a client platform, said apparatus comprising:

at least one communications interface operable for transmitting and receiving data;

a memory unit operable for storing data and instructions to be performed by a processing unit; and

a processing unit coupled to said at least one communications interface and said memory unit, said processing unit programmed to;

obtain information relating to said web service from a local repository hosted by said client platform; and

invoke said web service using said information.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said information relates to a web service previously used by an application hosted by said client platform.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein said information relates to one or more previous invocation instances of said web service.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said information further comprises statistical Quality of Service (QoS) information relating to one or more previous invocation instances of said web service.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein said processing unit is further programmed to:

obtain information relating to said web service from a remote repository if said information is unavailable from said local repository; and

store at least a portion of said information in said local repository.

23. A computer program for instructing a computer to perform a method for making information relating to web services available to applications hosted by a client platform, said computer program comprising:

computer program code for obtaining information relating to said web services from a remote repository via the internet; and

computer program code for storing at least a portion of said information in a local repository hosted by said client platform for access by said applications.

24. The computer program of claim 23, wherein said information relates to web services previously used by one or more of said applications.

25. The computer program of claim 24, wherein said information comprises information relating to particular invocation instances of said web services.

26. The computer program of claim 25, further comprising computer program code for ranking said information relating to said web services.

27. The computer program of claim 26, wherein said information further comprises statistical Quality of Service (QoS) information relating to particular invocation instances of said web services.

28. A computer program for instructing a computer to perform a method for invoking a web service for use by an application hosted on a client platform, said computer program comprising:

computer program code for obtaining information relating to said web service from a local repository hosted by said client platform; and

computer program code for invoking said web service using said information.

29. The computer program of claim 28, wherein said information relates to a web service previously used by an application hosted by said client platform.

30. The computer program of claim 29, wherein said information relates to one or more previous invocation instances of said web service.

31. The computer program of claim 30, wherein said information further comprises statistical Quality of Service (QoS) information relating to one or more previous invocation instances of said web service.

32. The computer program of claim 28, further comprising:

computer program code for obtaining information relating to said web service from a remote repository if said information is unavailable from said local repository; and

computer program code for storing at least a portion of said information in said local repository.

33. The computer program of claim 28, wherein said computer program further comprises said application.

34-35. -35. (canceled)