Application infrastructure platform (AIP)

A system for providing application services, the system comprising:

• an associated development and test bed environment conducting product and service development and test;
• an application service provider environment associated with multiple application service providers (ASPs) providing application services to customer entities for use in end user devices;
• and
• a common services environment including hardware and software and providing to said application service providers hardware, software and applications and integrated application, back-office, and management services used by said application service providers in delivering said application services to said customer entities for use in said devices, wherein said software and applications are provided to said application service providers including software containing content from said development and test bed environment.

A system for providing application services, the system comprising:

• an application service provider environment including multiple application service provider (ASP) systems providing application services to customer entities for use in end user devices, wherein the ASP systems are connected by an access system to a data network system and to said customer entities;
• a service bus for supporting communication among the ASP systems;
• and
• a common services environment providing applications and services including at least one of integrated application, back-office, and management services for used by said application service provider systems, wherein said application service provider systems being connected to said common services environment by the service bus.

A method of providing application infrastructure services, comprising:

• providing an application infrastructure platform (AIP) including an application service provider environment including multiple application service provider (ASP) hardware and software systems for providing application services to customer entities for use in end user devices;
• providing a common services environment including hardware and software for interacting with said application service provider hardware and software systems;
• independent operators operating said application service provider systems in said application service provider environment;
• and
• operating said common services environment to interact with and support said operation of said application service provider systems in said application service provider environment by said independent operators and supplying applications and integrated operating and management services used by said application service providers in delivering said application services to said customer entities for use in said devices.

A method comprising:

• developing on behalf of a proprietor information technology (IT) methods and software;
• selecting from said methods and software that are repetitive in said proprietor development;
• testing said selected methods and software;
• providing proprietor application service provider services to customers for use in end user devices;
• providing hardware and software to independent application service providers for use in their providing services to their customers for use in end user devices;
• providing independent service vendor services;
• and
• maintaining an infrastructure of hardware and software including said selected methods and software and including applications of said independent application service providers and including applications of said independent service vendors.

A method comprising:

• a first service provider providing wide area communication and application services to first customers;
• said first service provider engaging in ongoing development and testing developing improvements in said wide area communication and application services provided to said first customers;
• said first service provider providing to multiple second service providers services and apparatus for providing application services to customers of said second service providers for use by end users associated with said second service provider customers;
• said second service providers individually customizing their services to their customers;
• and
• said first service provider aggregating said individually customized services of said second service providers and providing to said first customers and to said second service providers a selection of at least some of said customized services.

A method for providing application services, comprising:

• creating an identity, node, hierarchy, and profile associated with an application infrastructure platform (AIP);
• establishing services that are internal and are accessible to said AIP;
• creating AIP product catalog and stores said internal services in said catalog;
• subscribing to services of an external application services provider (ASP) and adds said external services to said catalog;
• offering AIP services including said cataloged services.

A method for adding an application service provider (ASP) to an application infrastructure platform (AIP), comprising:

• creating an ASP profile;
• establishing services to be offered internally by the profiled ASP;
• creating a product catalog for said ASP;
• determining the services that the ASP will use or resell;
• and
• adding the services of the ASP to an AIP catalog.

A method for providing application services, the method comprising:

• receiving a request from a system of a first service provider to include an application service of the first service provider into a product catalog;
• creating a profile of the first service provider in response to the request;
• aggregating the application service of the first service provider into a product catalog of application services;
• and
• presenting the product catalog to a second service provider for subscription.