Web Services Marketplace Usage Model Enforcement
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current Web service implementations lack effective mechanisms for providers to manage and monitor usage, ensure reliability, security, and payment, and do not facilitate wide-scale interaction between providers and consumers, nor do they provide adequate discovery or ranking of services.
Innovation Solution
A Web Services Marketplace (WSM) system that allows providers to register services with configurable usage models, including pricing and conditions, and enables consumers to discover, access, and pay for services while ensuring security and reliability through a marketplace framework.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If Web services allow heterogeneous applications and computers to interact, then interoperability and versatility are improved, but security control and reliability assurance become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a usage model repository and usage model verification mechanism as intermediaries between service providers and consumers. The usage model acts as a mediator that defines and enforces security policies, access conditions, and service level agreements, enabling secure interactions without requiring direct trust between heterogeneous systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by requiring service providers to register and configure usage models before making services available. The usage model including security requirements, pricing, and service level agreements is established in advance and stored in a repository, allowing consumers to verify compliance before interaction occurs.
2Extent of automation
If Web services provide programmatic interaction between remote applications, then automation capability is improved, but mechanisms for discovery, ranking, and selection of services are insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms by collecting and providing information about service usage, ratings, and performance metrics. The usage model repository stores and makes accessible information about service quality, consumer feedback, and usage patterns, enabling automated selection and ranking of services based on objective criteria.
3Productivity
If Web services enable wide-scale interaction between providers and consumers, then market scale is improved, but mechanisms for payment collection and usage monitoring are inadequate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by creating a standardized usage model framework that handles multiple functions including authentication, authorization, usage monitoring, billing, and service level agreement enforcement. This universal framework simplifies the complexity of payment and monitoring mechanisms by providing a single integrated solution applicable across all service interactions.
4Ease of operation
If Web services allow service providers to define usage terms, then control over service usage is improved, but mechanisms to enforce these terms and ensure compliance are lacking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback loops that continuously monitor service usage against the defined usage model. The system verifies whether actual usage complies with the registered usage terms and automatically enforces compliance by controlling service access and triggering billing events, ensuring reliable enforcement of usage terms.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are described for facilitating interactions between computing systems, such as in accordance with usage models that are configured for available services by the providers of the services. In some situations, the services are Web services, and an electronic Web service (“WS”) marketplace is provided via which third-party WS providers make their WSes available to third-party WS consumers who purchase access to those WSes via the electronic marketplace based on configured usage models selected by the consumers. Some or all of the one or more usage models configured for an available WS may each have associated use prices and/or non-price use conditions, and if so access to those WSes using those usage models may be provided only if a consumer requesting access provides appropriate payment and otherwise satisfies the specified use conditions for a selected usage model.