Patent ID: 7433835

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for selling access to Web services to Web service consumers who are unrelated to Web service providers who provide those Web services, the method comprising: in response to registration requests from providers of Web services, registering Web services so as to make access to those Web services available for purchase by unrelated consumers of Web services, the registered Web services each having at least one associated use price; providing information about the available registered Web services to consumers of Web services; in response to each of multiple access requests from the consumers, performing a sale to a consumer for access to an indicated one of the registered Web services in exchange for an access fee from the consumer that is based on a use price associated with the indicated Web service; after each of at least some sales to a consumer for access to a registered Web service, providing to the consumer access to the registered Web service by invoking that Web service from the provider of the Web service on behalf of the consumer and by providing response information from the invoking to the consumer; and providing payment for each of the registered Web services to the provider of that Web service based on the access fees paid by the consumers for access to that Web service.