API Bundling System for Marketplace Monetization

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Solution Overview

Problem

Developers face challenges in manually grouping and managing application programming interfaces (APIs) based on their functional and non-functional properties, leading to inefficiencies in access control and consumption trends, which hinders the monetization and consumption of APIs in a marketplace setting.

Innovation Solution

A computer-implemented method that dynamically bundles related APIs and composite APIs based on consumption patterns, relationships, and predicted trends, using a pricing model to generate and price API bundles tailored to specific consumer clusters, thereby increasing API consumption and monetization.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If developers manually group and manage APIs based on functional and non-functional properties, then access control and consumption trends can be managed, but inefficiencies occur leading to reduced productivity and increased time consumption

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAPI management efficiencyVSAvoidTime for manual grouping and management

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically performs API bundling and pricing without requiring manual developer intervention. The API analytics engine autonomously analyzes consumption patterns, identifies related APIs, creates bundles, and applies pricing models, allowing the system to serve itself rather than relying on manual developer efforts for routine management tasks

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the manual mechanical process of API grouping and management with an automated computational system. The API analytics engine uses algorithms to analyze consumption data, identify relationships between APIs, and automatically create bundles, substituting human manual work with automated mechanical/computational processes that are faster and more efficient

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Ease of operation

If APIs are manually grouped and managed, then access control can be implemented, but operational efficiency is reduced and monetization is affected

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAccess control implementationVSAvoidOperational efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system automatically manages API bundles and pricing without requiring manual developer intervention. The API analytics engine autonomously analyzes consumption patterns, identifies related APIs, creates bundles, and applies pricing models, allowing the system to serve itself rather than relying on manual developer efforts for routine management tasks

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The API bundles and pricing are dynamically adjusted based on real-time consumption patterns and analytics. The system continuously monitors API usage, updates bundle compositions, and modifies pricing strategies automatically, making the system adaptive and flexible rather than static and rigid

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Productivity

If dynamic bundling and pricing automation is implemented, then API consumption and monetization increase, but device complexity and system infrastructure requirements increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveAPI consumption and monetizationVSAvoidSystem infrastructure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The API analytics engine serves multiple functions: it analyzes consumption patterns, identifies related APIs, creates bundles, determines pricing, and manages updates. By consolidating these diverse functions into a single multi-functional system, the patent reduces the need for multiple separate complex systems while achieving dynamic bundling and pricing automation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10528965B2Bundling application programming interfaces

Publication Date: 2020.01.07 INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINE CORPORATION

AI summary

Bundling application programming interfaces is provided. Related application programming interfaces within a set of application programming interfaces and their corresponding dependent application programming interfaces are combined with related composite application programming interfaces within a set of composite application programming interfaces and their corresponding dependent application programming interfaces to generate a set of application programming interface bundles. The computer prunes the set of application programming interface bundles based on a determined application programming interface budget pattern that corresponds to a selected cluster of application programming interface consumers. The computer prices the pruned set of application programming interface bundles based on an application programming interface bundle pricing model.