US 11,734,734 B2
System and method for web service billing
Robert Birch, Orlando, FL (US); Scott Irwin, Winter Springs, FL (US); Joseph Lupo, Apopka, FL (US); and Steve Weagraff, Orlando, FL (US)
Assigned to NETCRACKER TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS INC., Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed by Netcracker Technology Solutions Inc., Cincinnati, OH (US)
Filed on Jul. 14, 2017, as Appl. No. 15/650,330.
Application 15/650,330 is a continuation of application No. 10/666,631, filed on Sep. 18, 2003, abandoned.
Prior Publication US 2018/0158117 A1, Jun. 7, 2018
Int. Cl. G06Q 30/04 (2012.01); G06Q 20/10 (2012.01)
CPC G06Q 30/04 (2013.01) [G06Q 20/102 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method for billing for web services comprising the steps of:
creating a descriptor file designating an identified web service and a pre-defined element to be extracted from a web service network communication for the identified web service as the web service network communication is transmitted to or from a web service provider, the pre-defined element including information corresponding to the identified web service and used for rating or authorization and further used to create an event record to be used by a billing system;
storing said descriptor file in a tangible computer readable medium;
monitoring, by a stack handler resident on a computer of one of the web service provider or a service requestor, web service network communications of the computer for communications between the service requestor and the web service provider for a web service network communication for the identified web service;
determining, by the stack handler, that the web service network communication between the service requestor and the service provider requires rating or authorization based on the descriptor file and the identified web service of the web service network communication;
parsing, by the stack handler, the web service network communication for said predefined element in said descriptor file for the identified web service responsive to determining that the web service network communication requires rating or authorization;
sending, from the stack handler, said pre-defined element to a set of programmed instructions to create said event record, wherein the set of programmed instructions is configured to copy the pre-defined element from the web service network communication into the event record; and
electronically transmitting said event record to said billing system for further processing;
wherein the stack handler configured to monitor for said predefined element in said descriptor file is located at an entity taken from the list of entities consisting of:
a) the service requestor; or
b) the service provider;
wherein the web service network communication continues to the service provider if the web service network communication between the service requestor and the service provider does not require rating or authorization.