Web services broker

• US 7,725,590 B2
• Filed: 04/18/2003
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Computer Associates Think Inc. (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sedukhin, Igor
• Primary Examiner(s): APPLE, KIRSTEN SACHWITZ
• Application Number:
  US10/418,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20040030627A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,594 Days
• Field of Search: 601/60, 608/01, 75/35, 709/203, 709/219, 709/231, 705/35
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• 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 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method for providing a web service broker includes providing an interface between an enterprise and at least one of a service client and a service provider. The service client discovers web services on a service registry and uses the corresponding web services from the service provider. Communication is provided between the enterprise and the at least one of the service client and the service provider. Information from or to the enterprise is converted to a form that is appropriate for the at least one of the service client and the service provider. Additionally or alternatively, information from or to the at least one of the service client and the service provider is converted to a form that is appropriate for the enterprise.

Claims

1. A web service broker method comprising:

providing an interface on a computer system between an enterprise system and at least one of a service client and a service provider;

providing the interface on the computer system between an enterprise and at least one of a service client and a service provider, the service client discovering web services on a service registry and using corresponding web services from the service provider;

using a processor on the computer system as a web service broker at the interface to;

create and host, at the interface, an object-oriented model representation of each of the web services stored in the service registry, wherein creating the object-oriented model representation at the interface comprises;

interrogating Web Services Description Language from the service provider, the Web Services Description Language identifying at least one of a data type definition or a protocol associated with each of the web services; and

creating the object-oriented model representation based on one or more technical details obtained from interrogating the Web Services Description Language;

deploy each of the web services based on the object-oriented model representation hosted at the interface;

communicating information between the enterprise and the at least one of the service client and the service provider; and

converting information communicated from the enterprise to the service client or the service provider from a first XML message form appropriate for the enterprise to a second XML message form appropriate for the at least one of the service client or the service provider.

2. The web services broker method as recited in claim 1, wherein the enterprise comprises a software product.

3. The web services broker method as recited in claim 2, wherein the web services broker is provided for enabling the software product for a web service platform.

4. The web service broker method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating, at the interface, a technical description for a web service.

5. The web service broker method as recited in claim 1, further comprising converting the information from a XML data representation to an object-oriented model representation.

6. The web service broker method as recited in claim 1, further comprising translating nested elements in an XML data representation into an object that contains another object.

7. The web service broker method as recited in claim 1, wherein the interface is further operable to:

receive a request from the service provider to publish a new web service;

manipulate an existing object-oriented model to develop an aggregate object-oriented model for the new web service; and

store the aggregate object-oriented model.

8. A computer recording medium including computer executable code for implementing a web service broker, the computer recording medium comprising:

code for providing an interface between an enterprise and at least one of a service client and a service provider, the service client discovering web services on a service registry and using corresponding web services from the service provider;

code for using a web service broker at the interface to;

create and host, at the interface, an object-oriented model representation of each of the web services stored in the service registry, wherein creating the object-oriented model representation at the interface comprises;

interrogating Web Services Description Language from the service provider, the Web Services Description Language identifying at least one of a data type definition or a protocol associated with each of the web services; and

creating the object-oriented model representation based on one or more technical details obtained from interrogating the Web Services Description Language;

deploy each of the web services based on the object-oriented model representation hosted at the interface;

code for communicating information between the enterprise and the at least one of the service client and the service provider; and

code for converting information communicated from the enterprise to the service client or the service provider from a first XML message form appropriate for the enterprise to a second XML message form appropriate for the at least one of the service client or the service provider.

9. The computer recording medium as recited in claim 8, wherein the enterprise compromises a software product.

10. The computer recording medium as recited in claim 9, wherein the web services broker is provided for enabling the software product for a web service platform.

11. The computer recording medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising code for generating, at the interface, a technical description for a web service.

12. The computer recording medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising code for converting information from a XML data representation to an object-oriented model representation.

13. The computer recording medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising code for translating nested elements in an XML data representation into an object that contains another object.

14. The computer recording medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

code for receiving a request from the service provider to publish a new web service;

code for manipulating an existing object-oriented model to develop an aggregate object-oriented model for the new web service; and

code for storing the aggregate object-oriented model.

15. A web service broker system comprising:

an enterprise

a service client operable to discover web services on a service registry;

a web services provider operable to provide one or more web services to the service registry;

a service broker comprising an interface between the enterprise and at least one of the service client and the service provider, the service broker operable to;

create and host, at the interface, an object-oriented model representation of each of the web services stored in the service registry, wherein creating the object-oriented model representation at the interface comprises;

interrogating Web Services Description Language from the service provider, the Web Services Description Language identifying at least one of a data type definition or a protocol associated with each of the web services; and

creating the object-oriented model representation based on one or more technical details obtained from interrogating the Web Services Description Language;

deploy each of the web services based on the object-oriented model representation hosted at the interface;

communicate information between the enterprise and at least one of the service client and the service provider; and

convert information communicated from the enterprise to the service client or the service provider from a first XML message form appropriate for the enterprise to a second XML message form appropriate for the at least one of the service client or the service provider.

16. The web services broker system as recited in claim 15, wherein the enterprise comprises a software product.

17. The web services broker system as recited in claim 16, wherein the web services broker is provided for enabling the software product for a web service platform.

18. The web service broker system as recited in claim 15, wherein the service broker is further operable to generate, at the interface, a technical description for a web service.

19. The web service broker system as recited in claim 15, wherein the service broker is operable to convert information from a XML data representation to an object-oriented model representation.

20. The web service broker system as recited in claim 15, wherein the service broker is operable to translate nested elements in an XML data representation into an object that contains another object.

21. The web service broker system as recited in claim 15, wherein service broker is further operable to:

receive a request to publish a new web service;

manipulate an existing object-oriented model to develop an aggregate object-oriented model for the new web service; and

store the aggregate object-oriented model.