Patent ID: 9083711
Filing Date: 2015-07-14
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A client device comprising: means for storing a central web service address of a server computer providing a central web service; wherein the means for storing the central web service address further comprises an application program that: means for generating location information; means for generating a web service request, wherein the web service request comprises additional information, the additional information comprising: location information, user-group identifying information, and tax information, for use in selecting one of a plurality of alternative web services, wherein the application program uses an embedded mark-up language document for entry of user data for the web service request; interface means for sending the web service request to a central web service address and for receiving a web service response from the selected one of a plurality of alternative web services; wherein each of the plurality of alternative web services is assigned to one or more groups comprising a geographically-oriented group, a user-oriented group, and a tax-oriented group prior to the selected web service being selected by the central web service, the assignments being made by associations created in one or more memories accessible to the central web service, between each of the plurality of alternative web services and the one or more groups, and wherein the selected alternative web service is selected by the central web service, based on a predefined selection criterion that uses the additional information of the web service request to identify at least one of the one or more groups; timer means for application of a time-out criterion, for determining if the central web service is unavailable; and means for selecting the selected one of the plurality of alternative web services using a local copy of a selection table, if the central web service is unavailable, wherein the interface means is adapted to re-send the web service request to the selected one of the plurality of web services, if the central web service is unavailable, and wherein the means for selecting the selected one of the plurality of web services is adapted to update the local copy of the selection table by storing a copy of a selection table stored on the server computer that provides the central web service.