Mechanism for combining data analysis algorithms with databases on the internet

• US 6,115,712 A
• Filed: 07/12/1996
• Issued: 09/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/12/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Islam, Nayeem, Singh, Vineet
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Hosain T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Corrielus, Jean M
• Application Number:
  US08/678,924
• Time in Patent Office: 1,516 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/3, 707/10, 707/102, 704/104, 706/42, 706/10, 395/183.02, 399/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/25 Integrating or interfacing systems involving database management systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

An open architecture for arbitrarily combining data analysis algorithms and databases on the Internet where the data analysis algorithm and database may be from different vendors or suppliers. At the request of a customer, the two are combined on the fly while maintaining proper security and while enforcing some agreed upon payment from the customer to both the algorithm and database suppliers. In one embodiment, a message including an identifier of a user selected independent content provider and an identifier of a particular service associated with a service provider is sent to the service provider on a communication network. The user selected independent content provider is separate from the service provider. In response to the message, a computer executable code, which when executed by the content provider will cause the particular service to be performed against content controlled by the content provider, is sent from the service provider to the content provider. The computer executable code is executed by the content provider and at least partial results of the executing is returned to the user by way of the communication network.

Claims

1. A computerized method for providing services over a communication network, comprising the steps of:

sending a service provider selected by an end user from among a plurality of service providers on the network a message including an identifier of an independent content provider selected by the end user from among a plurality of content providers and an identifier of a particular service associated with the service provider, wherein said independent content provider is separate from said service provider;

in response to the message, sending from the service provider to the content provider, a computer executable code which when executed by the content provider will cause the particular service to be performed against content controlled by the content provider;

executing the computer executable code by the content provider; and

,

returning at least partial results of said executing step to the end user by way of the communication network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code specifies one or more computing resources required, which include one of memory, disk space, and CPU time, for rendering the particular service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the computer executable code specifies one or more computing resources available, which include one of memory, and disk space, for rendering the particular service.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising selecting from the at least partial results by the end user.

5. The method for claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

in response to said selecting step, the end user communicating the message to the content provider;

wherein said step of sending a service provider on the network a message is performed by the content provider, in response to the message communicated from the client.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising the steps of:

in response to said selecting step, the end user communicating the message to the service provider.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of executing further comprises the step of constraining communications by the computer executable code to an application associated with the content executed against it.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the network is the Internet and the service provider, content provider, and the end user are communicating with Java enabled machines and wherein the computer executable code is an applet.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of billing the end user based on one or more of the particular service, the content, a computing resource used, and the at least partial results, in response to said returning step.

10. The method of claim 9 further comprising the step of interactively billing the end user for partial results.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said step of billing the end user for partial results interactively is implemented using an electronic commerce model.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of crediting the content provider for use of the content and the service provider for the use of the service.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the service provider is a data analysis service provider, the content provider is an independent database provider, the service is a particular data analysis algorithm associated with the service provider, and the content is a database controlled by the database provider.

14. A computerized method for providing services over a communication network including the World Wide Web (WWW), said method comprising the steps of:

sending an end user selected data analysis service provider on the network a message including an identifier of an independent database provider selected by the end user and an identifier of a particular data analysis algorithm associated with the service provider, wherein the data analysis service provider is selected by the end user from among a plurality of data analysis service providers, and wherein the independent database provider is selected by the end user from among a plurality of database providers;

in response to the message, sending from the service provider to the database provider, an applet which when executed by the database provider will cause a query to be performed against the database controlled by the database provider, wherein said database provider is separate from said service provider;

executing the applet by the database provider while constraining the applet to restrict communication to an application associated with the database; and

,

returning at least partial results of said executing step to the end user by way of the communication network.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising the step of billing the end user based on one or more of the particular data analysis algorithm, database, a computing resource used, and the at least partial results, in response to said returning step;

wherein the data analysis service provider, database provider, and the end user are communicating with Java enabled machines.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising the step of billing the end user for partial results interactivity.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said step of billing the end user for partial results interactively is implemented using an electronic commerce model.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising the step of crediting the database provider for use of the content and the service provider for the use of the service.

19. A computer system for providing services over a communication network including a plurality of servers, the system comprising:

a client coupled to the network and adapted for communicating requests from an end user;

the client and the servers including a communication mechanism for sending a service provider selected by the end user from among a plurality of service providers on the network a message including an identifier of an independent content provider selected by the end user from among a plurality of content providers and an identifier of a particular service associated with the service provider, wherein said user selected independent content provider is separate from said service provider;

the servers including a downloading mechanism for sending from the service provider to the content provider, a computer executable code which when executed by the content provider will cause the particular service to be performed against content controlled by the content provider, in response to the message;

an execution mechanism, coupled to the downloading mechanism, for executing the computer executable code by the content provider; and

,

means for returning at least partial results of said executing step to the end user by way of the communication network.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer executable code specifies one or more computing resources required, which include one of memory, disk space, and CPU time, for rendering the particular service.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the computer executable code specifies one or more computing resources available, which include one of memory, and disk space, for rendering the particular service.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the client is further adapted for selecting by the end user, the particular service.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the client is further adapted for communicating the message to the content provider;

and the content provider is adapted for sending the service provider the message communicated from the client.

24. The system of claim 22, further comprising:

the client being adapted for communicating the message to the service provider; and

the service provider being adapted for sending the computer executable code in response to the message communicated from the client.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the execution mechanism is further adapted for constraining communication by the computer executable code to an application associated with the content executed against it.

26. The system of claim 19, wherein the network is the Internet and the service provider, content provider, and the client are communicating with Java enabled machines and wherein the computer executable code is an applet.

27. The system of claim 19, further comprising an electronic commerce system, coupled to the network, for interactively billing the end user based on the at least partial results.

28. The system of claim 27 further comprising a computerized payment means, coupled to the database supplier for determining a cost to the end user for the at least partial results.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the cost for the partial results is based on one or more of the particular service, the content, a computing resource used, and the at least partial results.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising means for crediting the content provider for use of the content and the service provider for the use of the service.

31. The system of claim 19, wherein the service provider is a data analysis service provider, the content provider is an independent database provider, the service is a particular data analysis algorithm associated with the service provider, and the content is a database controlled by the database provider.

32. A computer system for providing services over a communication network including the World Wide Web (WWW), said system comprising:

a client coupled to the network and adapted for communicating requests from an end user;

the client and the servers including a communications mechanism for sending a data analysis service provider selected by the end user from among a plurality of data analysis service providers on the network a message including an identifier of an independent database provider selected by the end user from among a plurality of database providers and an identifier of a particular data analysis algorithm associated with the data analysis service provider;

the servers including a downloading mechanism for sending from the service provider to the database provider, a downloadable code fragment which when executed by the database provider will cause a query to be performed against a database controlled by the database provider, wherein said database provider is separate from said service provider;

an execution mechanism for executing the downloadable code fragment against the database while constraining communications to an application associated with the database; and

,

means for returning at least partial results of said executing step to the end user by way of the communication network.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising an electronic commerce system, coupled to the network, for interactively billing the end user based on the at least partial results.

34. The system of claim 33 further comprising a computerized payment means, coupled to the database supplier for determining a cost to the end user for the at least partial results.

35. The system of claim 34, wherein the cost for the partial results is based on one or more of the particular service, the content, a computing resource used, and the at least partial results.

36. The system of claim 35, further comprising means for crediting the database provider for use of the content and the service provider for the use of the service.

37. The system of claim 32, wherein the service provider, the database provider, and the client are communicating with Java enabled machines and wherein the downloadable code fragment is an applet.

38. The system of claim 37, wherein the execution environment at the database provider further comprises:

a multithreading mechanism; and

,

a shared memory wherein the applet runs in a thread which is constrained to communicate only through the shared memory.

39. The system of claim 37, wherein the means for returning at least partial results of said executing step to the end user by way of the communication network comprises a system thread, coupled to the applet, the system thread being adapted for communicating the partial results to the client.

40. The system of claim 37, wherein the means for returning at least partial results of said executing step to the end user by way of the communication network comprises a content delivery mechanism, coupled to the applet, for communicating the partial results to the client.