Controlling access to services via usage models

• US 8,639,582 B1
• Filed: 08/31/2011
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Sirota, Peter, Ghare, Gaurav D., Johnson, Don, Jain, Tushar, Frederick, Robert, Agrawal, Ashish, Barr, Jeffrey
• Primary Examiner(s): ZURITA, JAMES H
• Application Number:
  US13/223,153
• Time in Patent Office: 881 Days
• Field of Search: 705/26.1, 705/27.1
• US Class Current: 705/26.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

Techniques are described for facilitating interactions between computing systems, such as in accordance with usage models that are configured for available services by the providers of the services. In some situations, the services are Web services, and an electronic Web service (“WS”) marketplace is provided via which third-party WS providers make their WSes available to third-party WS consumers who purchase access to those WSes via the electronic marketplace based on configured usage models selected by the consumers. Some or all of the one or more usage models configured for an available WS may each have associated use prices and/or non-price use conditions, and if so access to those WSes using those usage models may be provided only if a consumer requesting access provides appropriate payment and otherwise satisfies the specified use conditions for a selected usage model.

Claims

1. A computing system, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory including instructions that upon execution by the processor cause the computing system to;

receive an indication of a request from a program executing on a client device of a consumer, the request being to invoke an indicated invocable service from a service provider on behalf of the consumer, wherein the indicated invocable service is provided by the service provider from one or more computer systems remote from the client device;

determine whether to authorize access of the consumer to the indicated invocable service based on an associated usage model for the indicated invocable service, the associated usage model including a use price for the invocable service or a use condition to control use of the invocable service, the determining being based, if the use price is included in the usage model, at least in part on whether payment is available for the use price, and the determining being based, if the use condition is included in the usage model, at least in part on whether the use condition is satisfied for the access; and

if it is determined to authorize the access in accordance with the associated usage model, initiate invocation of the invocable service from the service provider on behalf of the consumer by performing one or more interactions with the one or more computer system, and otherwise not initiate the invocation.

2. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the invocable service is a Web service, and wherein the associated usage model includes one or more use prices and one or more use conditions, such that the computing system determines whether to authorize the access based at least in part on whether payment is available for at least one of the one or more included use prices and on whether at least one of the one or more included use conditions are satisfied for the access.

3. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model includes the use price for the invocable service, and wherein the computing system determines whether to authorize the access to the indicated invocable service by determining to not authorize the access based at least in part on an inability to obtain the payment for the use price from the consumer.

4. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model includes the use condition, and wherein the computing system determines whether to authorize the access to the indicated invocable service by determining to not authorize the access based at least in part on the use condition not being satisfied by the request.

5. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model includes the use condition, and wherein the computing system determines whether to authorize the access to the indicated invocable service by determining whether the use condition is satisfied based at least in part on information regarding the consumer.

6. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model includes the use condition, and wherein the computing system determines whether to authorize the access to the indicated invocable service in response to the request and by determining whether the use condition is satisfied based at least in part on information included in the request.

7. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model includes one or more use condition, and wherein the one or more use conditions include at least one of a group including a geographical restraint on locations of consumers, a restraint on types of devices that consumers may use when accessing the indicated invocable service, a restraint on a number of devices that a consumer may use when accessing the indicated invocable service, a restraint on types of consumers who may use the indicated invocable service, a restraint on network locations of consumers, a restraint on types of currencies that consumers may use to pay for accessing the indicated invocable service, and a restraint on a number of distinct users that may access the indicated invocable service on behalf of a consumer.

8. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model includes one or more use prices for the invocable service, and wherein the one or more use prices include at least a price for a single access to the indicated invocable service, or a price for a subscription that provides a pre-paid indicated number of multiple accesses to the indicated invocable service.

9. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model is one of multiple usage models associated with the indicated invocable service, and wherein the computing system determines whether to authorize the access to the indicated invocable service based on one of the multiple usage models that is indicated in the request.

10. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the associated usage model includes the use price for the invocable service, and wherein the instructions included in the memory further cause the computing system to:

monitor access to the indicated invocable service provided to the consumer in accordance with the associated usage model; and

obtain additional payment from the consumer based at least in part on the monitoring and on the use price.

11. The computing system of claim 1 wherein the computing system is part of an online service operated by an entity that is unrelated to the consumer and to the service provider other than by acting as an intermediary to control access of consumers to the indicated invocable service of the service provider, and wherein the request is a programmatic request supplied using a defined API (application programming interface) for the indicated invocable service.

12. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

receiving, by one or more configured computing systems, an indication of a request from an executing program to invoke, on behalf of a consumer, an indicated invocable service from a service provider;

determining, by the one or more configured computing systems, to authorize access of the consumer to the indicated invocable service in accordance with a usage model associated with the indicated invocable service by the service provider, the associated usage model including one or more use prices for the invocable service and one or more use conditions to control use of the invocable service, the determining being based on payment being available for at least one of the one or more use prices on at least one of the one or more use conditions being satisfied for the access; and

in response to the determining to authorize the access in accordance with the associated usage model, initiating, by the one or more configured computing systems, invocation of the invocable service from the service provider on behalf of the consumer.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein the request is received, by the one or more configured computing systems, from a client device of the consumer on which the program is executing, and wherein the invocable service is a Web service provided by the service provider using one or more computer systems remote from the client device.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining to not authorize access of the consumer to the indicated invocable service for a second request based on an inability to obtain the payment for the one or more use prices from the consumer for the second request.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining to not authorize access of the consumer to the indicated invocable service for a second request based on the one or more use conditions not being satisfied by the second request.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein the determining to authorize the access to the indicated invocable service is further based at least in part on information regarding the consumer and on information included in the request.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more use conditions of the associated usage model include at least one of a group including a geographical restraint on locations of consumers, a restraint on types of devices that consumers may use when accessing the indicated invocable service, a restraint on a number of devices that a consumer may use when accessing the indicated invocable service, a restraint on types of consumers who may use the indicated invocable service, a restraint on network locations of consumers, a restraint on types of currencies that consumers may use to pay for accessing the indicated invocable service, and a restraint on a number of distinct users that may access the indicated invocable service on behalf of a consumer.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more use price of the associated usage model include multiple of a group including a price for a single access to the indicated invocable service, a price for a subscription that enables multiple pre-paid accesses to the indicated invocable service for an indicated period of time, and a price for a subscription that provides a pre-paid indicated number of multiple accesses to the indicated invocable service.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the associated usage model is one of multiple usage models associated with the indicated invocable service, and wherein the determining to authorize the access to the indicated invocable service is based on one of the multiple usage models that is indicated in the received request.

20. The method of claim 12 further comprising monitoring access to the indicated invocable service provided to the consumer in accordance with the associated usage model, and obtaining payment from the consumer based at least in part on the monitoring and on the one or more use prices.

21. The method of claim 12 wherein the one or more configured computing systems are part of an online service operated by an entity that is unrelated to the consumer and to the service provider other than by acting as an intermediary to control access of consumers to the indicated invocable service of the service provider, and wherein the request is a programmatic request supplied using a defined API (application programming interface) for the indicated invocable service that is provided by the online service.