Patent ID: 8738790
Filing Date: 2014-05-27
Classification: G06F,G06Q,H04L,H04M

Abstract:
1. A method for determining charges for services, the method comprising the steps of: receiving, via a network, a request for a composite service for an application, and in response, determining, by one or more processors, a fixed fee for a transactional service to perform part of the request, a first metered usage fee for a first metered service invoked by the transactional service to perform part of the request, and a second metered usage fee for a second metered service invoked by the first metered service to perform part of the request, the first metered usage fee being based on an amount of usage of the first metered service responsive to the invocation by the transactional service, and the second metered usage fee being based on an amount of usage of the second metered service responsive to the invocation by the first metered service, and wherein the first metered service, the second metered service and the application are provided by different respective service providers; and receiving, via a network, a request for another composite service, the other composite service comprising (a) another transactional service and (b) the first and second metered services, the first and second metered services enable the other composite service, and in response, determining, by one or more processors, a fixed fee for the other transactional service and third and fourth metered usage fees for the first and second metered services, respectively, based on respective amounts of usage of the first and second metered services to enable the other composite service.