Quotation mechanism for service environments

• US 7,415,435 B1
• Filed: 05/05/2000
• Issued: 08/19/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitel Cloud Services, Inc. (MLN TopCo Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mitel Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Weiss, Michael, Gray, Tom
• Primary Examiner(s): Zeender; F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): THEIN, MARIA TERESA T
• Application Number:
  US09/566,049
• Time in Patent Office: 3,028 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26, 705/27, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/10, 705/37, 358/1.15, 358/1.18
• US Class Current: 705/37
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/04 Trading; Exchange, e.g. stocks, commodities, derivatives or currency exchange
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides a quotation mechanism for service environments where the service level is negotiated. A client makes a request for a type, quality or volume of service. The service provider provides a response in the form of a quote. A quote binds the service provider to providing a service at a specified price. The quote also contains parameters of type, quality, or volume of service that the service provider can provide at that price. The client, after evaluating the quote, can either accept or reject a quote. The client can also obtain quotes from multiple service providers and enter a service contract with the service provider of its choice. This choice will not be based solely on price, but also on the levels of service quoted, since the service provider might not be able to supply the service at the requested level.

Claims

1. A computer-based method for providing an electronic service in a service environment of clients and electronic service providers for performing work via computer applications or devices comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an electronic request message for electronic service at a client specified price, said request message containing at least one data field representing an electronic service level desired by said client;

(b) at an electronic service provider, generating a digital subsumption hierarchy of multiple service levels of said electronic service expressed in digital notation, wherein at least one of said service levels subsumes at least another one of said service levels provided that said at least one of said service levels offers at least the same quality of service as said at least another one of said service levels,

(c) testing a first service level, comprising a first conjunction of features, and a second service level, comprising a second conjunction of features, for subsumption hierarchy;

(d) determining if each feature in said first conjunction subsumes a corresponding feature in said second conjunction, if each said feature in said first conjunction subsumes said corresponding feature in said second conjunction, said first service level subsumes said second service level, otherwise said first service level does not subsume said second service level, wherein each of said features consist of a name and a value, and an arithmetic comparison or a negation;

(e) determining a given service level price by deriving a numerical quality value from quality factors associated with each of said features;

(f) generating an electronic quote message in response to said request, said quote message containing data representing the highest one of said service levels of which an associated one of said service providers is capable of delivering at said specified price and at no less than said service level desired by said client;

(g) sending said quote message to said client;

(h) receiving one of either a positive or negative notification message from said client in response to said quote message; and

(i) providing said electronic service upon receipt of said positive notification message.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of adding a service definition to define a service either dynamically or when the system is initialized.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein said step of providing said electronic service comprises prioritizing depending on the level of service requested in said electronic request message.

4. The method according to claim 1 further comprising the step of excluding a particular service level from said electronic quote when a capacity is reached.

5. A computer-based method for providing an electronic service quote in a service environment of clients and electronic service providers for performing work via computer applications or devices comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving an electronic request message for electronic service at a client specified price, said request message containing at least one data field representing an electronic service level desired by said client;

(b) at an electronic service provider, generating a digital subsumption hierarchy of multiple service levels of said electronic service expressed in digital notation, wherein at least one of said service levels subsumes at least another one of said service levels provided that said at least one of said service levels offers at least the same quality of service as said at least another one of said service levels,

(c) testing a first service level, comprising a first conjunction of features, and a second service level, comprising a second conjunction of features, for subsumption hierarchy;

(d) determining if each feature in said first conjunction subsumes a corresponding feature in said second conjunction, if each said feature in said first conjunction subsumes said corresponding feature in said second conjunction, said first service level subsumes said second service level, otherwise said first service level does not subsume said second service level, wherein each of said features consist of a name and a value, and an arithmetic comparison or a negation;

(e) determining a given service level price by deriving a numerical quality value from quality factors associated with each of said features;

(f) generating an electronic quote message in response to said request, said quote message containing data representing the highest one of said service levels of which an associated one of said service providers is capable of delivering at said specified price and at no less than said service level desired by said client; and

(g) sending said quote message to said client.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:

(h) receiving one of either a positive or negative notification message from said client in response to said quote message; and

(i) providing said electronic service upon receipt of said positive notification message.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said service provider generates said quote message only if the data representing said highest one of said service levels capable of being delivered by said service provider is at least as high as said service level desired by said client.