# US 7,613,817 B2 · Counting and billing mechanism for web-services based on a SOAP-communication protocol

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- Number: US 7,613,817 B2
- Document ID: US7613817B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 10/466,937
- Filed: 2002-03-14
- Published: 2004-04-15
- Granted: 2009-11-03
- Earliest claimed: 2001-04-04
- Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation
- Inventors: Wolfgang Eibach; Matthias Gruetzner; Dietmar Kuebler
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613817B2

## CPC

- G06Q 30/04: Billing or invoicing
- G06Q 30/0283: Price estimation or determination
- H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04L 69/329: in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
- G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M)

## 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.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A Service-Provider System for providing chargeable Web-Services for Service-Requesters comprising: a memory;
a Service-Provider provided by a computer system, said Service-Provider 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, said Service Requester system provided by the computer system and 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;
a 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 system by using another SOAP-communication protocol, said 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-Center Service and using a SOAP-communication protocol; and
a bill presentment component having access to the data provided by said Resource-Counter Service for calculation of charges for Web-Service to be counted,
wherein said service description for accessing said Resource-Counter Service is provided by a Service-Broker using a SOAP-communication protocol, said Service-Broker provided by said computer system,
wherein said SOAP-communication protocol is based on a HTTP-protocol,
wherein said service description is an XML document describing semantics and a message API (Application Programming Interface) of said Resource-Counter Service,
wherein a Resource-Counter Service-Provider system for providing Resource-Counter Service for said Service-Provider system is provided by said computer system and comprises:
said Resource-Counter Service component providing data for calculation of Web-Service to be accessed by Service Requester; and
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 said Web-Service to be accessed by said Service Requester, the communication protocol used by said component being SOAP,
wherein said Resource-Counter Service component is extended by a bill presentment functionality using the data provided by said Resource-Counter Service functionality and calculating charges for said Web-Service to be accessed,
wherein said service description for accessing said Resource-Counter Service is created and published by said Resource-Counter Service-Provider system in a right category in the Service-Broker's taxonomy using SOAP communication protocol,
wherein a Web-Service architecture is provided by said computer system and comprises:
said Service-Requester system;
said Service-Provider system; and
said Resource-Counter Service-Provider system,
wherein said Resource-Counter Service provides accounting services through a SOAP message response to said Service-Provider when said Server Requester requests said Web-Service from said Service-Provider,
wherein said Web-Service is not free of charge,
wherein said Resource-Counter Service receives a SOAP message request from said Service-Provider asking for a single accounting for said Service Requester by providing a begin time of said Web-Service and an end time of said Web-Service,
wherein a database stores said single accounting,
wherein said accounting services comprise a plurality of accountings compiled over an accounting period for said Service Requester, said plurality of accountings created by said Resource-Counter Service, stored in said database for maintenance by said Resource-Counter Service, and comprising said single accounting, said accounting period comprising a period of time, and
wherein said Resource-Counter Service is contractually obligated to provide said accounting services to said Service-Provider by a contract created by said Resource-Counter Service.