Service framework with local proxy for representing remote services
View Patent ↗In an information appliance system 100 , a user device 108 comprises a client platform ( 200 , FIG. 5 ) that includes a service framework ( 235 , FIG. 5 ) to discover and connect with a variety of services, both remote and local, transient and persistent, and to disconnect from them when they are no longer of interest or become unavailable. The service framework 235 provides a standard, consistent, simplified way for services to make themselves available and for service-using entities to locate and connect with the services of interest to them. From the perspective of the client platform 200 , all services, whether local or remote, are presented as local services to the application. Each remote service is represented as a local service through the use of a local proxy that insulates the service user from the complexities of communicating with a remote server. Various methods of operating a service framework are also described.
1. In a communications platform comprising a service-requesting entity, a consolidating service, and an interface with which a remote communications node can be coupled to the communications platform the remote communications node comprising a plurality of remote services, the method comprising:
the consolidating service locating, connecting with, and consolidating the plurality of remote services;
designating one of the remote services as a hidden service;
the service-requesting entity requesting access to the hidden service;
the consolidating service granting access by the service-requesting entity to the hidden service if the service-requesting entity specifies the hidden service be considered; and
representing the hidden service on the communications platform only by a proxy.
2. The method recited in claim 1 , wherein the proxy comprises a remote service frontend.
3. The method recited in claim 2 , wherein the communications platform comprises a connection manager service to indicate when the interface is active or not, and wherein the remote service comprises the remote service frontend residing on the communications platform and a remote service backend residing on the remote communications node.
4. The method recited in claim 3 , wherein the communications platform comprises a remote service event notification registry, the method further comprising:
the remote service frontend registering a notification request for the remote service backend in the remote service event notification registry.
5. The method recited in claim 4 , the method further comprising:
the connection manager service indicating that the interface is active; and
notifying the remote service frontend that the remote service backend is on the remote communications node.
6. The method recited in claim 5 , the method further comprising:
the remote service frontend communicating with the remote service backend.
7. The method recited in claim 6 , wherein the communications platform comprises a service registry, the method the comprising:
the remote service frontend registering the remote service in the service registry.
8. The method recited in claim 7 , the method further comprising:
notifying the service-requesting entity that the remote service is registered in the service registry; and
the service-requesting entity invoking the remote service.
9. The method recited in claim 8 , wherein the communications platform comprises at least one local service, and wherein the at least one local service and the remote service appear indistinguishable to the service-requesting entity.
10. The method recited in claim 8 , the method further comprising:
the connection manager service indicating that the interface is inactive; and
the remote service frontend unregistering the remote service in the service registry.
11. A computer-readable medium containing computer instructions for instructing a processor to perform a method of operating a communications platform comprising a service-requesting entity, a consolidating service, and an interface with which a remote communications node can be coupled to the communications platform, the remote communications node comprising a plurality of remote services, the instructions comprising:
the consolidating service locating, connecting with, and consolidating the plurality of remote services;
designating one of the remote services as a hidden service;
the service-requesting entity requesting access to the hidden service;
the consolidating service granting access by the service-requesting entity to the hidden service if the service-requesting entity specifies the hidden service be considered; and
representing the hidden service on the communications platform only by a proxy.
12. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 11 , wherein the proxy comprises a remote service frontend, wherein the remote service comprises the remote service frontend residing on the communications platform and a remote service backend residing on the remote communications node, the instructions further comprising:
the remote service frontend communicating with the remote service backend when the interface is active.
13. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 12 , the instructions further comprising:
notifying the service-requesting entity that the remote service is available; and
the service-requesting entity invoking the remote service.
14. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 13 , the instructions further comprising:
the remote service frontend not communicating with the remote service backend when the interface is inactive.
15. The computer-readable medium recited in claim 13 , the instructions further comprising:
the remote service frontend indicating to the service-requesting entity that the remote service is unavailable if the interface becomes inactive.