Configurable Service Usage Facility for Web Service Billing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing mechanisms for integrating fee-based third-party Web services into applications are difficult and costly to implement, as they require complex mechanisms for collecting payments from end users and managing service usage, with developers often bearing liability for unpaid fees.
Innovation Solution
The Configurable Service Usage Facility (CSUF) system allows application developers to configure pricing models for invocable services, enabling tracking and billing of end user fees through automated processes, including the use of application keys and user tokens for secure and efficient fee allocation between service providers and application creators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If developers manually implement payment collection and service usage management mechanisms, then they can integrate fee-based Web services into applications, but the implementation becomes difficult and costly with increased complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a service usage facility as an intermediary system between applications and fee-based Web services. This facility automatically tracks service usage, collects fees from end users, and manages payment distribution to service providers. The application developer simply configures service parameters (service ID, pricing model, allocation ratios) without implementing complex payment collection and distribution mechanisms, thus reducing implementation complexity while maintaining integration capability
Solution Approach 2:
The service usage facility enables self-service by automatically performing fee collection, usage tracking, and payment distribution without requiring manual intervention from developers. The system autonomously manages the entire fee management lifecycle once configured, eliminating the need for developers to build and maintain complex payment infrastructure
2Extent of automation
If developers implement automated fee collection mechanisms, then end users can be billed for service usage, but the system requires complex payment collection and distribution infrastructure
Solution Approach 1:
The service usage facility acts as a mediator that handles all automated fee collection, tracking, and distribution operations. Developers configure pricing parameters and allocation ratios, but the facility itself executes the automated fee management without requiring developers to build payment processing infrastructure, thereby achieving automation without proportional increase in system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The service usage facility provides universal functionality by combining multiple functions (usage tracking, fee collection, payment distribution, reporting) into a single integrated system. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate complex systems for each function, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high extent of automation
3Reliability
If developers bear liability for unpaid fees to ensure service providers are paid, then service providers can be reliably compensated, but developers face increased financial risk and liability burden
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fee collection and liability management functions from the application developer and transfers them to the service usage facility. The facility directly collects fees from end users and manages payment to service providers, removing the liability burden from developers while maintaining payment reliability through direct user-to-facility-to-provider transactions
Solution Approach 2:
The service usage facility serves as an intermediary that assumes responsibility for fee collection and payment distribution. By positioning itself between end users and service providers, the facility absorbs the financial risk and liability for unpaid fees, protecting developers from liability while ensuring service providers receive reliable compensation
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for facilitating use of invocable services by applications in a configurable manner. In at least some situations, the invocable services are Web services or other network-accessible services that are made available by providers of the services for use by others in exchange for fees defined by the service providers. The described techniques facilitate use of such invocable services by applications in a manner configured by the application providers and the service providers, including to track use of third-party invocable services by applications on behalf of end users and to allocate fees that are charged end users between the applications and the services as configured by the providers of the applications and services. In some situations, the configured pricing terms for a service specify fees for end users that differ in one or more ways from the defined fees charged by the provider of that service.