Service providing system for providing services suitable to an end user request based on characteristics of a request, attributes of a service and operating conditions of a processor

• US 6,006,251 A
• Filed: 01/29/1997
• Issued: 12/21/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
• Inventors: Honda, Yoshinori, Mori, Kinji, Hirasawa, Shigeki, Kawano, Katsumi, Toyouchi, Junichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Matar, Ahmad F.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Thomson, William D.
• Application Number:
  US08/776,717
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.33, 395/200.56, 395/200.53, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/200.59, 395/200.62, 395/200.76, 395/200.72, 395/200.74 , 395/200.79, 395/200.9, 709/203, 709/226, 709/223, 709/218, 709/219, 709/232, 709/246, 709/242, 709/244, 709/249, 709/230, 709/100, 709/104, 709/105
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions

Abstract

In a service providing system, a plurality of information acquiring computers for acquiring informations are connected via a network to a plurality of information providing computers for providing information. A service providing computer for executing an information providing service with respect to apparatuses for acquiring information is interposed between a plurality of in information acquiring apparatuses and a plurality of information providing apparatuses. The service providing computer receives a content of a request of the information acquiring computer, and determines a sort of information to be provided with a user based upon a quality of this request content, individual information and past historical information of the user, and also various sorts of conditions when the request is received. The service providing computer requests at least one of these information providing computers to provide the information. The information obtained from the request result is integrated by the service providing computer to be transmitted to the information acquiring computer.

Claims

1. A method for providing a service from a first computer to a third computer via a plurality of a second kind of computers, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from said third computer in said first computer;

dividing said received request into a plurality of service requests;

selecting at least two of said plurality of second kind of computers having said plurality of service requests corresponding to said request based on a characteristic of said request, a condition during reception of said request, and service utilization history information regarding said third computer;

transmitting said plurality of service requests from said first computer to said selected at least two of said second kind of computers;

integrating information provided from said selected at least two of said second kind of computers in response to said plurality of service requests, in said first computer; and

transmitting the integrated information from said first computer to said third computer;

wherein said request includes an attribute of said service corresponding to said request, and

wherein said characteristic of said request includes a payment amount and a purchase quantity, and said condition during reception of said request includes operation conditions of said plurality of second kind of computers, said operation conditions include environmental conditions.

2. A service providing system for providing service from a first computer to a third computer, via a plurality of a second kind of computers, said service providing system comprising:

receiving means for receiving a request from said third computer in said first computer;

dividing means for dividing said received request into a plurality of service requests;

selecting means for selecting at least two of said second kind of computers having said plurality of service requests corresponding to said request based on a characteristic of said request, a condition during reception of said request, and service utilization history information of said third computer;

transmitting means for transmitting said plurality of service requests from said first to said selected at least two of said second kind of computers;

means for integrating information provided from said selected at least two of said second kind of computers in response to said plurality of service requests, in said first computer; and

means for transmitting the integrated information from said first computer to said third computer;

wherein said request includes an attribute of said service corresponding to said request, and

wherein said characteristic of said request includes a payment amount and a purchase quantity, and said condition during reception of said request includes operation conditions for said plurality of second kind of computers, said operation conditions include environmental conditions.

3. A service providing system according to claim 2, further comprising sending means for sending integrated information, sent by said selected at least two of said second kind of computers, from said first computer to said third computer.

4. A service providing system, comprising:

a third computer which issues a request;

a plurality of a second kind of computers each having a plurality of services; and

a first computer for providing a service corresponding to said request;

wherein said first computer receives said request from said third computer;

divides said received request into a plurality of service requests;

selects at least two of said second kind of computers having said plurality of service requests corresponding to said request based on a characteristic of said request, a condition during reception of said request, and service utilization history information regarding said first computer;

transmits said request from said third computer to said selected at least two of said second kind of computers;

wherein said first computer integrates information provided from said selected at least two of said second kind of computers in response to said service requests, and transmits the integrated information to said third computer;

wherein said request includes an attribute of said service corresponding to said request; and

wherein said characteristic of said request includes a payment amount and a purchase quantity and said condition during reception of said request includes operation conditions of said plurality of second kind of computers, said operation conditions include environmental conditions.