US 2003/0069984 A1 · Computer access right intermediation support apparatus and job flow input method

Abstract

A job flow input means of a broker of the present invention displays (1) a display image format for inputting a job flow to an input/output apparatus, (2) icons of services (account job, stock management or the like) requested by a user depending on an input of the user thereof, (3) a communication route among respective icons, and (4) a communication cost of the route, while a restriction condition input means urges the user to input at least one restriction condition of the ASP computer access rights, a computer access right selection means searches a set of ASP computers for satisfying an input by the user from information about the computers stored in a service function storage means to obtain a communication cost of the same set of computers from a communication cost calculation means, and an output means sequentially outputs sets of the computers associated with the sets of ASP computer access rights with lower communication costs to the input/output apparatus. Thereby, a cost-effective intermediation is provided, based on the communication cost, for the user who requests incorporated software-based services consisting of a plurality of software-based services based upon the sets of ASP computer access rights.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A computer access right intermediation support apparatus, comprising:

service function storage means for storing service functions supported by ASP computers of which access rights are sold and information regarding application service providers (ASPs) for supporting ASP computer access rights;
job flow input means for displaying, on a display apparatus, a job flow requested by a user including a selection of service functions in the job flow from the stored service functions;
ASP computer access right selection means for selecting at least one set of ASP computer access rights from the ASP computer access rights to provide the selected service functions by referring to ASPs and ASP computers associated with the selected set of ASP computer access rights;
and
output means for outputting the ASPs and the ASP computers associated with the selected set of ASP computer access rights.

2 more elements

A method for intermediating ASP computer access rights between at least one user and a plurality of application service providers (ASPs) which support ASP computer access rights, comprising:

collecting and storing in a database service functions supported by the ASPS, ASP computers for executing the service functions, and locations of the ASP computers;
receiving a job flow requested by the user which includes included service functions;
searching the database to obtain a list of ASPs which support said at least one of the service functions in conjunction with ASP computers and ASP computer locations associated with said included service functions so as to compile candidate sets of ASP computer access rights for executing said included service functions in the job flow;
calculating one corresponding communication cost for each of the candidate sets of ASP computer access rights;
sorting the candidate sets of ASP computer access rights based upon the corresponding communication cost in a descending order;
and
providing the sorted results to the user to decide which one of the candidate sets of ASP computer access rights to use.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Computer access right intermediation support apparatus and job flow input method

Life of this patent

Computer access right intermediation support apparatus and job flow input method

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20