Method and apparatus for selecting services based on behavior models

• US 7,890,484 B1
• Filed: 11/10/2005
• Issued: 02/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AT&T Corporation (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property II LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hall, Robert J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Khanh B
• Assistant Examiner(s): CHEEMA, AZAM M
• Application Number:
  US11/272,310
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/705
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services

Abstract

A method and apparatus for providing service discovery are disclosed. Specifically, each service provider builds or constructs a behavior description or model of its service and, in turn, stores and publishes the behavior description. Each behavior description is implemented in accordance with a set of shared ontology of terms for a particular domain. In turn, a user may generate a query associated with service discovery that will be capable of exploiting the behavior descriptions for a plurality of services.

Claims

1. A method for performing service discovery, comprising:

receiving, via a processor, a query generated by a user using a generalized scenario tree view tool for discovering a service, wherein the query comprises a task requirement;

searching a registry in accordance with the query for identifying a candidate service that satisfies the query, wherein the registry comprises a plurality of service descriptions corresponding to a plurality of service nodes, where each one of the service descriptions is provided in accordance with a behavior model that describes a service provided by a respective one of the plurality of service nodes and, wherein the behavior model is constructed by a respective one of the plurality of service nodes, wherein the behavior model standardizes shared domain ontologies that define terminology for a service provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes; and

monitoring the service provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes in response to the query to ensure that the service complies with the behavior model provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the query is a temporal logic query.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the task requirement comprises a property of the task requirement.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the candidate service satisfies the temporal logic query if the property of the task requirement is satisfied.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the behavior model is implemented in accordance with an open model modeling language.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

validating the candidate service.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

monitoring an execution of the candidate service.

8. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a plurality of instructions, the plurality of instructions including instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform method for performing service discovery, comprising:

receiving, via a processor, a query generated by a user using a generalized scenario tree view tool for discovering a service, wherein the query comprises a task requirement;

searching a registry in accordance with the query for identifying a candidate service that satisfies the query, wherein the registry comprises a plurality of service descriptions corresponding to a plurality of service nodes, where each one of the service descriptions is provided in accordance with a behavior model that describes a service provided by a respective one of the plurality of service nodes and, wherein the behavior model is constructed by a respective one of the plurality of service nodes, wherein the behavior model standardizes shared domain ontologies that define terminology for a service provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes; and

monitoring the service provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes in response to the query to ensure that the service complies with the behavior model provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes.

9. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the query is a temporal logic query.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the task requirement comprises a property of the task requirement.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the candidate service satisfies the temporal logic query if the property of the task requirement is satisfied.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the behavior model is implemented in accordance with an open model modeling language.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

validating the candidate service.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 8, further comprising:

monitoring an execution of the candidate service.

15. An apparatus for performing service discovery, comprising:

means for receiving, via a processor, a query generated by a user using a generalized scenario tree view tool for discovering a service, wherein the query comprises a task requirement;

means for searching a registry in accordance with the query for identifying a candidate service that satisfies the query, wherein the registry comprises a plurality of service descriptions corresponding to a plurality of service nodes, where each one of the service descriptions is provided in accordance with a behavior model that describes a service provided by a respective one of the plurality of service nodes and, wherein the behavior model is constructed by a respective one of the plurality of service nodes, wherein the behavior model standardizes shared domain ontologies that define terminology for a service provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes; and

means for monitoring the service provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes in response to the query to ensure that the service complies with the behavior model provided by the respective one of the plurality of service nodes.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the query is a temporal logic query.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the task requirement comprises a property of the task requirement.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the candidate service satisfies the temporal logic query if the property of the task requirement is satisfied.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for validating the candidate service.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising:

means for monitoring an execution of the candidate service.