System and method for service oriented email client application

• US 8,676,902 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2007
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bahrs, Peter C., Barcia, Roland, Chen, Gang
• Primary Examiner(s): Zele, Krista
• Assistant Examiner(s): VOSTAL, ONDREJ C
• Application Number:
  US11/946,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20090138561A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,302 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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]

Abstract

A system to facilitate a service oriented email client application. The system includes a service registry, a service address book coupled to an email client, and an email composer coupled to the service address book. The service registry includes service information. The service information describes how to invoke a web service. The service address book includes a web service entry linked to the service information for the web service in the service registry. The email composer generates a user input form with a custom input field corresponding to the service information for the web service.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer useable storage medium to store a computer readable program that, when executed on a computer, causes the computer to perform operations comprising:

link a web address entry of an address book in an email client to service information from a service registry, wherein the service information corresponds to a web service, wherein the service information from the service registry comprises metadata indicative of invocation procedures for the web service, wherein the service information includes metadata corresponding to a custom user input field for the web service;

generate a user input form within an email composer, the user input form comprising the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service; and

invoke a service request for the web service via an email message according to user input via the custom user input field of the user input form of the email composer.

2. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to store a map of the service information from the service registry in a service registry cache coupled to the address book in the email client.

3. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to analyze the service information for the web service and to determine the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service.

4. The computer program product of claim 3, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to generate a graphical user interface for display on a display device, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to direct a user to provide input according to the user input form with the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service.

5. The computer program product of claim 4, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to transform a service request with the user input from the user input form into a message format compatible with the service information for the web service.

6. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on the computer, causes the computer to perform operations to generate the user input form with a free text input field to allow a free text input corresponding to a service request for the web service in the service registry.

7. A system to facilitate a service oriented email client application, the system comprising:

a service registry comprising service information, wherein the service information describes how to invoke a web service, wherein the service information from the service registry comprises metadata indicative of invocation procedures for the web service, wherein the service information includes metadata corresponding to a custom user input field for the web service;

a service address book coupled to an email client at least partially implemented on an electronic memory device, the service address book comprising a web service entry linked to the service information for the web service in the service registry; and

an email composer coupled to the service address book, the email composer to generate a user input form within the email composer, the user input form comprising the custom user input field, the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

an email server coupled to the email client, the email server to receive a service request from the email client; and

an adapter coupled between the email server and a web service endpoint corresponding to the web service in the service registry, the adapter to receive the service request from the email client and to communicate the service request to the web service endpoint.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the adapter is further configured to receive a synchronous reply from the web service endpoint and to communicate the synchronous reply to the email server for communication to the email client.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the adapter comprises a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) adapter.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the service request comprises an asynchronous service request.

12. The system of claim 7, further comprising a service data transformer coupled to the email composer, the service data transformer to transform a service request from the email composer into a message format compatible with the service information for the web service.

13. The system of claim 7, further comprising a user interface controller coupled to the email composer, the user interface controller to generate a graphical user interface for display on a display device, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to direct a user to provide input according to the user input form with the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service.

14. The system of claim 13, further comprising a service analyzer coupled to the email composer, the service analyzer to analyze the service information for the web service and to determine the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service.

15. The system of claim 7, further comprising a service registry cache coupled to the service address book, the service registry cache to store a map of the service information from the service registry in the service address book, wherein the service address book is local to the email client.

16. The system of claim 7, wherein the email composer is further configured to generate the user input form with a free text input field to allow a free text input corresponding to a service request for the web service in the service registry.

17. A system comprising:

a plurality of service endpoints within a service network, wherein each of the service endpoints is configured to provide a web service;

a service registry coupled to the service network, the service registry to store service information descriptive of invocation procedures for the web services corresponding to the plurality of service endpoints, wherein the service information from the service registry comprises metadata indicative of invocation procedures for the web service, wherein the service information includes metadata corresponding to a custom user input field for the web service; and

an email client coupled to the service registry, the email client to invoke a service request for the web service of at least one of the plurality of service endpoints over an email protocol, the email client comprising an email composer, the email composer to generate a user input form within the email composer, the user input form comprising the custom user input field, the custom input field corresponding to service information for the web service for which the service request is to be invoked by the email client.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising an address book coupled to the email client, the address book to store a plurality of web service entries, wherein the plurality of web service entries correspond to the plurality of service endpoints.

19. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

an email server coupled between the email client and the service network, the email server to receive the service request from the email client; and

a Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) adapter coupled between the email server and the service network, the SMTP adapter to receive the service request from the email service using the email protocol and to communicate the service request to the service endpoint corresponding to the web service indicated in the service request.

20. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a service analyzer coupled to the address book of the email client, the service analyzer to analyze the service information for the web service and to determine the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service;

a user interface controller coupled to the email composer, the user interface controller to generate a graphical user interface for display on a display device, wherein the graphical user interface is configured to direct a user to provide input according to the custom user input field corresponding to the service information for the web service;

a service data transformer coupled to the user interface controller, the service data transformer to transform the user input from the user interface controller into a message format compatible with the service information for the web service; and

an email service requestor coupled to the service data transformer, the email service requestor to invoke the service request via the email protocol, wherein the service request comprises the user input in the message format compatible with the service information for the web service.

21. A method comprising:

obtaining service information descriptive of invocation procedures for a web service, wherein the service information comprises metadata corresponding to a custom user input field for the web service, wherein the service information from the service registry comprises metadata indicative of invocation procedures for the web service, wherein the service information includes metadata corresponding to the custom user input field for the web service;

generating an email composer, the email composer comprising a user input form, the user input form comprising the custom user input field;

generating a custom user interface on a display to facilitate user input according to the custom user input field for the web service; and

using an email protocol to invoke a service request for the web service based on the user input.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising storing a web service entry in an address book of an email client, the web service entry comprising a service request email address for invoking the service request for the web service, wherein generating the custom user interface further comprises providing an email address input field for user input of the service request email address corresponding to the web service.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein generating the custom user interface further comprises providing a free text input field for free text input of custom data according to the custom user input field for the web service.

24. An apparatus to facilitate an email client as a web service consumer, the apparatus comprising:

an email composer for mapping a service endpoint from a service registry into an email address book;

a user interface controller for automatically generating a custom email composer interface based on a service description of the service endpoint, wherein the custom email composer interface comprises a user input form, the user input form comprising a custom user input field for user input of custom data specified by the service description, wherein the service description comprises metadata indicative of invocation procedures for the web service, wherein the service information includes metadata corresponding to the custom user input field for the web service;

a service data transformer for automatically transforming the custom data into a message format compatible with the service description; and

an email service requestor for invoking a service request for the service endpoint over an email protocol.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the email client is configured to act as the web service consumer of heterogeneous web services via a single type of email adapter.