M2M Service Layer Proxy for Third-Party Service Access

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Solution Overview

Problem

M2M Service Layers do not support direct access to third-party services, leading to increased complexity, cost, and scalability issues for constrained devices and applications, as they must perform additional processing or use out-of-band communications to access these services.

Innovation Solution

Implementing a proxy mechanism within the M2M Service Layer to enable access to third-party services, allowing devices to use a single interface and hiding the details of third-party providers, with methods for provisioning, discovery, and interface translation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If M2M Service Layers directly access third-party services, then service functionality is enhanced, but device complexity and cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice functionalityVSAvoiddevice complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a Service Layer as an intermediary component that sits between M2M devices and third-party services. This Service Layer handles service access, translation, and management functions, allowing devices to access third-party services without directly implementing the complexity of multiple service protocols. The Service Layer acts as a mediator that abstracts the complexity from constrained devices while maintaining access to diverse third-party services.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If M2M devices use out-of-band communications to access third-party services, then service access is enabled, but scalability deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice accessVSAvoidscalability

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The Service Layer is designed as a universal platform that provides multi-functional service access capabilities. It implements a standardized interface that can access multiple third-party services through a single architecture, eliminating the need for separate out-of-band communication channels for each service. This universal approach enables scalable service access where the same Service Layer infrastructure supports growing numbers of services and devices without proportional increases in complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Adaptability or versatility

If additional processing is implemented in M2M devices to access third-party services, then service access capability is improved, but device cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice access capabilityVSAvoiddevice cost

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the complex service access processing logic from constrained M2M devices and relocates it to the Service Layer. Instead of embedding additional processing capabilities, protocol stacks, and service-specific code in each device, the Service Layer centralizes these functions. This extraction allows devices to remain simple and cost-effective while the Service Layer handles the sophisticated service access, translation, and management requirements for third-party services.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS20250301047A1Systems and methods for enabling access to third party services via a service layer

Publication Date: 2025.09.25 INTERDIGITAL PATENT HOLDINGS INC

AI summary

An M2M Service Layer is expanded to access the services of third parties and exchange data with these third parties. The M2M Service Layer is then able to act as a proxy between M2M Devices and the third party services. The M2M Service Layer is able to present a single/consistent interface, or API, to the M2M Device and hide the details of the third party service provider from the M2M Device.