US 8,019,807 B2 · Method and system for communication between computer systems

Abstract

A system for brokering business service requests in a computer network is disclosed. The system is operative to receive a request for information from a requester, transmit the request to a provider, and return a response to the requester. The broker typically comprises the following components. A requester-side processing stage operative to communicate with the requester; a provider-side processing stage operative to communicate with the provider; and a broking stage operative to exchange data between the requester-side processing stage and the provider-side processing stage. In operation of the business service broker, upon receipt of a request for a requester, the broking stage obtains data required to respond to the request by communicating with a provider through the provider-side processing stage. The brokering stage formulates a response and returns it to the requester through the requester-side processing stage. The mechanism by which the response is obtained is abstracted from the requester.

Claims24

Dependent claims

A service request broking system operative between independent first computer system and second computer system to receive a service request for a service from a computer application requester and to transmit the service request to a computer application provider, comprising:

(a) a requester-side processing stage operative to communicate with the computer application requester operative in a first computer system;
(b) a provider-side processing stage operative to communicate with a computer application provider operative in a second computer system, the computer application provider having a computer address and a physical and logical interface or structure;
and
(c) a broking stage independent of the computer application requester and of the computer application provider operative in a third computer system to receive the service request from the computer application requester, the service request identifies the service that is required by the computer application requester and does not contain an identification of the computer application provider to fulfil the service request, the service request expressed in terms that are independent of the computer address and the physical and logical interface or structure of the computer application provider,
wherein upon receipt of the service request from the computer application requester, the broking stage is further operative to identify the computer application provider to fulfil the service request and to send the service request to the computer application provider through the provider-side processing stage.

2 more elements

A method operative between independent computer systems of routing service requests between a plurality of computer application requesters each with a need for a service and a plurality of computer application providers, comprising the steps of:

(a) sending a service request by a computer application requester to an independent broking system, the service request being made in accordance with a requester-side protocol and a broker interface definition, the service request identifying the service that is required by the computer application requester and does not contain an identification of a computer application provider of the requested service;
(b) the broking system analyzing the service request received by the broking system to identify which one of at least one computer application provider can fulfil the service request, the computer application provider having a computer address and a physical and logical interface or structure, and the service request expressed in terms that are independent of the computer address and the physical and logical interface or structure of the computer application provider;
and
(c) for the computer application provider, formulating by the broking system a provider request that includes the service request and sending the provider request to the identified computer application provider, the service request being encoded in a provider-side protocol.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Method and system for communication between computer systems

Life of this patent

Method and system for communication between computer systems

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24