Component-based software distribution and deployment

• US 20040098706A1
• Filed: 08/28/2003
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Khan, Kashaf N, Papamargaritis, George, Smith, Alan P, See, Jean WC, Rudkin, Steven, Bappu, Benjamin
• Application Number:
  US10/469,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20040098706A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/120
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation

Abstract

A Component-based Software Distribution Channel allows Component Service Providers (10) to advertise component services via a Service Directory (12) to service developers. The component services are advertised in a format which encapsulates a legally binding contract which must be accepted before the components may be incorporated into a client service. The service developer may combine together a number of different component services to create a combined client service. That service may be announced in a Session Directory (16) in an encapsulated format which incorporates a legally binding agreement which must be accepted by a client before the resultant session may be accessed.

Claims

1. A method of creating application service announcements, comprising:

(a) selecting a plurality of component services descriptions, each component service description defining a component service having one or more components;

(b) creating an application template based on the selected component service descriptions; and

(c) repeatedly re-using the application template to create a plurality of application service announcements.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 in which the application service announcements are session announcements, each session announcement being created from the application template plus additional session-specific information.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 in which the session announcement announces an audio or video media session, or a game session.

4. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the application template includes the selected component service descriptions plus additional application-specific information.

5. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the component service descriptions include a contractually-binding component agreement.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the component agreement must be accepted by a creator of the application template before application service announcements may be created.

7. A method as claimed in claim 5 in which the component agreement must be accepted by a user who wishes to use the application service, before the application service may be used.

8. A method as claimed in any one of claims 5 to 7 in which the component agreement defines a charging policy which defines how use of the component service description, or use of the corresponding component service, will be charged.

9. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the application service announcements include a contractually-binding application agreement.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9 in which the application agreement must be accepted by a user who wishes to use the application service, before the application service may be used.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9 or claim 10 in which the application agreement defines a charging policy which defines how use of the application will be charged.

12. A method as claimed in claim 8 or claim 111 in which the application service announcement includes a charging component, or a pointer to a charging component, the charging component interpreting the charging policy and facilitating payment.

13. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims in which the application service announcements and the component service descriptions are constructed from a common structured data format.

14. A method as claimed in claim 13 in which the structured data format is Extensible Mark-up Language (XML).

15. A method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims including the step of selecting the component service descriptions by searching a service directory in which the descriptions are advertised.

16. A method as claimed in claim 15 in which the searching is carried out within a federation of service directories.

17. A method as claimed in claim 15 or claim 16 including storing components corresponding to the component service descriptions in a component store of the service directory.

18. A computer program for implementing a method as claimed in any one of the preceding claims.

19. A computer-readable carrier carrying a computer program as claimed in claim 18.

20. A software distribution channel comprising:

(a) a service directory for storing a plurality of component service descriptions, each component description defining a component service having one or more components;

(b) an application template builder for creating an application template based on the selected component service descriptions; and

(c) an application builder for repeatedly re-using the application template to create a plurality of application service announcements.

21. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 20 in which the application service announcements are session announcements, the application template builder creating each session announcement from the application template plus additional session-specific information.

22. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 20 or claim 21 in which the session announcement announces an audio or video media session, or a game session.

23. A software distribution channel as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 22 in which the application template builder uses the selected component service descriptions plus additional application-specific information to create the template.

24. A software distribution channel as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 23 in which the component service descriptions include a contractually-binding component agreement.

25. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 24 in which the component agreement must be accepted prior to the creation of application service announcements by the application builder.

26. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 24 in which the component agreement must be accepted by a user who wishes to use the application service, before the application service may be used.

27. A software distribution channel as claimed in any one of claims 24 to 26 in which the component agreement defines a charging policy which defines how use of the component service description, or use of the corresponding component service, will be charged.

28. A software distribution channel as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 27 in which the application service announcements include a contractually-binding application agreement.

29. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 28 in which the application agreement must be accepted by a user who wishes to use the application service, before the application service may be used.

30. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 28 or claim 29 in which the application agreement defines a charging policy which defines how use of the application will be charged.

31. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 28 or claim 30 in which the application service announcement includes a charging component, or a pointer to a charging component, the charging interpreting the charging policy and facilitating payment.

32. A software distribution channel as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 31 in which the application service announcements and the component service descriptions are constructed from a common structured data format.

33. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 32 in which the structured data format is Extensible Mark-up Language (XML).

34. A software distribution channel as claimed in any one of claims 20 to 33 including a service directory in which the component service descriptions are advertised, and means for selecting the component service descriptions from the service directory.

35. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 34 including a federation of service directories.

36. A software distribution channel as claimed in claim 34 or claim 35 in which the service directory includes a component store for storing components corresponding to the component service descriptions.