Counting and billing mechanism for web-services based on a soap-communication protocol

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for counting Web-Services by means of a Resource-Counter Service offered as an own, independent Web-Service based on a SOAP communication protocol as well as a system and method for billing Web-Services using the result of the Resource-Counter Service for calculation of a charge. The Resource-Counter Service may be accessed by all Service-Provider having service description of the Resource-Counter Service. The service description for the Resource-Counter Service may be preferably created and published by the Service-Provider, categorized by the Service-Broker, and can be found and used to invoke the Resource-Counter Service by all Service-Provider using a charging model for their Web-Services. The Resource-Counter Service mainly provides the functionality to create all necessary data allowing calculation of the charge for the use of a Web-Service. The final calculation of the charge itself may be done by a separate specific accounting and bill presentment component.

1 . Service-Provider System for providing chargeable Web-Services for Service-Requesters comprising:
 a Service-Provider Web-Service component a Service-Provider communication component (SOAP-server) allowing electronic communication between said Service-Provider system and a Service-Requester system using a SOAP-communication protocol, wherein said Service Requester system having an application which generates digital data to be used by said Web-Service, a service description for accessing said Web-Service via said Service-Provider communication component (SOAP-server) and a communication component (SOAP-client) for exchanging digital data between said application and said Web-Service via said SOAP-server by using a SOAP-communication protocol   characterized by   service description for electronically accessing a Resource-Counter Service provided by another Service-Provider having a communication component (SOAP-client) allowing electronic communication with another Service-Provider systems by using a SOAP-communication protocol, and a Resource-Counter Service providing data for electronic calculation of charges of said Web-Service to be accessed by said Service Requester   a communication component (SOAP-client) for electronically exchanging data with a communication component (SOAP-server) of said Resource-Counter Service by using said service description of said Resource-Counter Service and using a SOAP-communication protocol.   
     
     
         2 . Service-Provider System according to  claim 1 , wherein said service description for accessing said Resource-Counter Service is provided by a Service-Broker using a SOAP-communication protocol. 
     
     
         3 . Service-Provider System according to  claim 1 , wherein said SOAP-communication protocol is based on a HTTP-protocol. 
     
     
         4 . Service-Provider System according to  claim 1 , wherein said service description is a XML document describing the semantics and the message API (Application Programming Interface) of said Resource-Counter Service Service. 
     
     
         5 . Service-Provider according to  claim 1 , further comprising: a bill present component having access to the data provided by said Resource-Counter Service for calculation of charges for Web-Service to be counted. 
     
     
         6 . Resource-Counter Service-Provider system for providing Resource-Counter Service for a Service-Provider system as claimed in  claim 1  comprising: a Resource-Counter Service component providing data for calculation of Web-Service to be accessed by Service Requester a communication component (SOAP-server) for electronically receiving data from a communication component (SOAP-client) located at the Service-Provider system, electronically passing said data to said Resource-Counter Service component, electronically receiving the result of the Resource-Counter Service component and electronically transmitting said result to the said communication component (SOAP-client) of said Service-Provider providing a Web-Service to be accessed by said Service Requester, wherein the communication protocol used by said component is SOAP. 
     
     
         7 . Resource-Counter Service-Provider system according to  claim 6 , wherein said Resource-Counter Service component is extended by a bill present presentment functionality using the data provided by said Resource-Counter Service functionality and calculating charges' for said Web-Service to be accessed. 
     
     
         8 . Resource-Counter Service-Provider system according to  claim 6 , wherein a service description for accessing said Resource-Counter Service is created and published by said Resource-Counter Service-Provider system in the right category in the Service-Broker's taxonomy using SOAP communication protocol. 
     
     
         9 . Resource-Counter Service-Provider system according to  claim 8 , wherein said SOAP-communication protocol is based on HTTP. 
     
     
         10 . Resource-Counter Service-Provider system according to  claim 8 , wherein said service description is a XML document. 
     
     
         11 . Web-Service architecture comprising:
 a Service-Requester system comprising:   a communication component (SOAP-client) allowing electronic communication between said Service-Requester system and said Service-Provider system using a SOAP-communication protocol, wherein said Service Requester system having an application which generates digital data to be used by said Web-Service, and a service description for accessing said Web-Service   a Service-Provider system providing a Web-Service for Service Requester systems comprising:   a communication component (SOAP-server) allowing electronic communication of said communication component of said Service-Requester system with said Web-Service using a SOAP-communication protocol service description for electronically accessing a Resource-Counter Service provided by another Service-Provider   a communication component (SOAP-client) for electronically exchanging data with a communication component (SOAP-server) of a Resource-Counter Service by using said service description of said Resource-Counter Service and using a SOAP-communication protocol a Resource-Counter Service-Provider system comprising:   a Resource-Counter Service component for counting of a Web-Service   a communication component (SOAP-server) for electronically receiving data from a communication component (SOAP-client) located at the Service-Provider system providing Web-Service to be accessed, electronically passing said data to said Resource-Counter Service, electronically receiving the result of the Resource-Counter Service and electronically transmitting said result to the communication component of said Service-Provider, wherein the communication protocol used by said component is SOAP.   
     
     
         12 . Method for counting and charging of Web-Services using Service-Provider system as claimed in  claim 1  to  10 , comprising the steps of:
 performing an authentication process between Service requester and Service-Provider   receiving a SOAP-Bind request for the requested Web-Service being created by the SOAP-client of said Service-Requester   creating an instance for the Web-Service to be selected   sending a SOAP-Bind request to the SOAP-server of the Resource-Counter Service-Provider for execution of said Resource-Counter Service   receiving a SOAP-response from said Resource-Counter Service-Provider that the Resource is started executing said Web-Service   sending a SOAP-request to said Resource-Counter Service for stopping of counting when said Web-Service is completed   receiving a SOAP-response that the Resource-Counter Service is stopped   sending a SOAP-request to said Service-Requester containing the result of said Web-Service.   
     
     
         13 . Method according to  claim 12 , wherein said SOAP-Bind request for execution of said Resource-Counter Service contains data for authentication of said Service-Provider. 
     
     
         14 . Method according to  claim 12 , wherein an authentication process is performed with said Resource-Counter Service-Provider before said SOAP-Bind request is sent. 
     
     
         15 . Method according to  claim 12 , further including the steps:
 receiving a SOAP-response containing Resource-Counter data for said Web-Service being accessed   calculating charges for said Web-Service being accessed by said Service-Requester based on said Resource-Counter data sending a bill to said Service-Requester containing charges of said Web-Service being accessed.   
     
     
         16 . Method according to  claim 12 , further including the step:
 receiving a SOAP-response containing a bill being calculated and created by said Resource-Counter Service based on said Resource-Counter data and an account model provided by said Service-Provider   sending said bill to said Service-Requester.   
     
     
         17 . Computer program product stored in the internal memory of a digital computer, containing parts of software code to execute the method in accordance with  claims 12  to  16  if the product is run on the computer.