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Counting and billing mechanism for web-services based on a SOAP-communication protocol

  • US 7,613,817 B2
  • Filed: 03/14/2002
  • Issued: 11/03/2009
  • Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2001
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. A Service-Provider System for providing chargeable Web-Services for Service-Requesters comprising:

  • a memory;

    a Service-Provider provided by a computer system, said Service-Provider comprising;

    a Service-Provider Web-Service component;

    a Service-Provider communication component (SOAP-server) allowing electronic communication between said Service-Provider system and a Service-Requester system using a SOAP-communication protocol, said Service Requester system provided by the computer system and having an application which generates digital data to be used by said Web-Service, a service description for accessing said Web-Service via said Service-Provider communication component (SOAP-server), and a communication component (SOAP-client) for exchanging digital data between said application and said Web-Service via said SOAP-server by using a SOAP-communication protocol;

    a service description for electronically accessing a Resource-Counter Service provided by another Service-Provider having a communication component (SOAP-client) allowing electronic communication with another Service-Provider system by using another SOAP-communication protocol, said Resource-Counter Service providing data for electronic calculation of charges of said Web-Service to be accessed by said Service Requester;

    a communication component (SOAP-client) for electronically exchanging data with a communication component (SOAP-server) of said Resource-Counter Service by using said service description of said Resource-Center Service and using a SOAP-communication protocol; and

    a bill presentment component having access to the data provided by said Resource-Counter Service for calculation of charges for Web-Service to be counted,wherein said service description for accessing said Resource-Counter Service is provided by a Service-Broker using a SOAP-communication protocol, said Service-Broker provided by said computer system,wherein said SOAP-communication protocol is based on a HTTP-protocol,wherein said service description is an XML document describing semantics and a message API (Application Programming Interface) of said Resource-Counter Service,wherein a Resource-Counter Service-Provider system for providing Resource-Counter Service for said Service-Provider system is provided by said computer system and comprises;

    said Resource-Counter Service component providing data for calculation of Web-Service to be accessed by Service Requester; and

    a communication component (SOAP-server) for electronically receiving data from a communication component (SOAP-client) located at the Service-Provider system, electronically passing said data to said Resource-Counter Service component, electronically receiving the result of the Resource-Counter Service component and electronically transmitting said result to the said communication component (SOAP-client) of said Service-Provider providing said Web-Service to be accessed by said Service Requester, the communication protocol used by said component being SOAP,wherein said Resource-Counter Service component is extended by a bill presentment functionality using the data provided by said Resource-Counter Service functionality and calculating charges for said Web-Service to be accessed,wherein said service description for accessing said Resource-Counter Service is created and published by said Resource-Counter Service-Provider system in a right category in the Service-Broker'"'"'s taxonomy using SOAP communication protocol,wherein a Web-Service architecture is provided by said computer system and comprises;

    said Service-Requester system;

    said Service-Provider system; and

    said Resource-Counter Service-Provider system,wherein said Resource-Counter Service provides accounting services through a SOAP message response to said Service-Provider when said Server Requester requests said Web-Service from said Service-Provider,wherein said Web-Service is not free of charge,wherein said Resource-Counter Service receives a SOAP message request from said Service-Provider asking for a single accounting for said Service Requester by providing a begin time of said Web-Service and an end time of said Web-Service,wherein a database stores said single accounting,wherein said accounting services comprise a plurality of accountings compiled over an accounting period for said Service Requester, said plurality of accountings created by said Resource-Counter Service, stored in said database for maintenance by said Resource-Counter Service, and comprising said single accounting, said accounting period comprising a period of time, andwherein said Resource-Counter Service is contractually obligated to provide said accounting services to said Service-Provider by a contract created by said Resource-Counter Service.

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