System and method for invocation of services

• US 20030053459A1
• Filed: 03/30/2001
• Published: 03/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Douglas, Jason, Norton, Kenneth, Panec, Peter, Brouk, Lev
• Granted Patent: US 7,516,191 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• 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 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for enabling the interchange of enterprise data through an open platform is disclosed. This open platform can be based on a standardized interface that enables parties to easily connect to and use the network. Services operating as senders, recipients, and in-transit parties can therefore leverage a framework that overlays a public network.

Claims

1. A message routing method, comprising:

(a) invoking a first service during a logical routing of a message in a message routing network, said first service invocation having a first context; and

(b) invoking a second service during said logical routing of said message in said message routing network, said second service invocation having a second context that is defined at least in part by said first service.

2. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context to an invocation includes an identity of an invoker service.

3. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context to an invocation includes arguments to an invoked service.

4. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context to an invocation includes a session identifier for said message.

5. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context to an invocation includes a topic for said message.

6. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context to an invocation includes billing responsibility for said invocation.

7. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein said message routing network controls at least part of an invocation.

8. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context of an invocation is included at least in part in a header element of a message.

9. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context of an invocation is included at least in part in a body element of a message.

10. The message routing method of claim 1, wherein a context of an invocation is included at least in part in an attachment of a message.

11. The message routing method of claim 1, further comprising restoring said context, upon return from said second service invocation, to said first context.

12. The message routing method of claim 1, further comprising adding a returned context from said second service invocation to said restored context.

13. A computer program product comprising:

computer-readable program code for causing a computer to invoke a first service during a logical routing of a message in a message routing network, said first service invocation having a first context;

computer-readable program code for causing a computer to invoke a second service during said logical routing of said message in said message routing network, said second service invocation having a second context that is defined at least in part by said first service; and

a computer-usable medium configured to store the computer-readable program codes.

14. A message routing system, comprising:

a message routing network that enables message routing between a plurality of services, wherein said routing is based on a logical routing of said message that is effected through a sequence of invocations among said plurality of services, wherein a context of an invocation is defined at least in part by an invoking service, wherein upon return from a service invocation, said message routing network restores a message context to a context state of an invoking service of said service invocation.

15. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context of an invocation is defined at least in part by a header of a message.

16. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context to an invocation includes an identity of an invoker service.

17. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context to an invocation includes arguments to an invoked service.

18. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context to an invocation includes a session identifier for said message.

19. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context to an invocation includes a topic for said message.

20. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context to an invocation includes billing responsibility for said invocation.

21. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein said message routing network controls at least part of an invocation.

22. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein said logical routing occurs prior to a physical routing of a message.

23. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein at least part of said logical routing occurs after initiation of a physical routing of a message.

24. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein physical routing of a message occurs at identified points during said logical routing.

25. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context of an invocation is included at least in part in a header element of a message.

26. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context of an invocation is included at least in part in a body element of a message.

27. The message routing system of claim 14, wherein a context of an invocation is included at least in part in an attachment of a message.

28. A message routing method, comprising:

(a) invoking a first service that receives only logical delivery of an application message, said application message received over a public network, wherein said first service invocation has a first context defined at least in part by a first invoking service;

(b) invoking a second service, said second service invocation having a second context that is defined at least in part by said first service, wherein said second service invocation is managed by a message routing network on behalf of said first service; and

(c) delivering said message having said second context to said second service over said public network.

29. The message routing method of claim 28, wherein a context of an invocation is defined at least in part by a header of a message.

30. The message routing method of claim 28, wherein a context to an invocation includes an identity of an invoker service.

31. The message routing method of claim 28, wherein a context to an invocation includes arguments to an invoked service.

32. The message routing method of claim 28, wherein a context to an invocation includes a session identifier for said message.

33. The message routing method of claim 28, wherein a context to an invocation includes a topic for said message.

34. The message routing method of claim 28, wherein a context to an invocation includes billing responsibility for said invocation.