Lightweight IoT information model

1. A first network apparatus executing a first entity for a service providing one or more applications with service capabilities in a RESTful architecture through a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), the first network apparatus configured to perform operations comprising:

receiving, from a second network apparatus, a RESTful request to create at least one application-specific instance of an information model object in the RESTful architecture, wherein the request comprises:

at least one information model object description in the RESTful architecture, wherein the at least one information model object description is application-specific and is provided by a second entity executing on the second network apparatus; and

wherein the at least one information model object description comprises a description of a uniquely addressable resource in the service; and

wherein the description comprises one or more characteristics, states, statuses, or other attributes of the information model object;

creating the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object based on the at least one information model object description, wherein each of the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object comprises one or more uniform resource identifiers for one or more associated information model object instances; and

transmitting a response to the second network apparatus comprising an identifier for the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object, wherein the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object is accessible via RESTful requests issued by other entities implemented on other network apparatuses.

2. The first network apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise restricting use of the at least one application-specific instance by only the second entity executing on the second network apparatus.

3. The first network apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a response to the second network apparatus via the communication network comprising a confirmation of the creation of the at least one application-specific object instance.

4. The first network apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the request to create the application-specific instance of an information model object further comprises one or more object creation rules, and wherein creating the at least one application-specific instance of a information model object comprises creating the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object in accordance with the one or more object creation rules.

5. The first network apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise transmitting a response to the second network apparatus comprising an attribute that identifies a type of the at least one application-specific object instance.

6. The first network apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the operations further comprise advertising the at least one application-specific object instance to another network apparatus.

7. The first network apparatus of claim 6 , wherein the operations further comprise sending to the another network apparatus the at least one application-specific object instance in response to a retrieve message received from the another network apparatus.

8. The first network apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the information model object is defined in a service layer for an IoT network.

9. The first network apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the service layer comprises a common service layer function for an M2M service.

10. The first network apparatus of claim 9 , wherein the common service layer function is defined according to ETSI or oneM2M standards.

11. A method performed by a first entity, executing on a first network apparatus, in a service providing one or more applications with service capabilities in a RESTful architecture through a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), the method comprising:

receiving, from a second network apparatus, a RESTful request to create at least one application-specific instance of an information model object in the RESTful architecture, wherein the request comprises:

at least one information model object description in the RESTful architecture, wherein the at least one information model object description is application-specific and is provided by a second entity executing on the second network apparatus; and

wherein the at least one information model object comprises a description of a uniquely addressable resource in the service; and

wherein the description comprises one or more characteristics, states, statuses, or any other attributes of the information object;

creating the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object based on the at least one information model object description, wherein each of the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object comprises one or more uniform resource identifiers for one or more associated information model object instances; and

transmitting a response to the second network apparatus comprising an identifier for the at least one application-specific object instance, wherein the application-specific instance of the information model object is accessible via RESTful requests issued by other entities implemented on other network apparatuses.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising restricting use of the at least one application-specific instance by only the second entity executing on the second network apparatus.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting a response to the second network apparatus via the communication network comprising a confirmation of the creation of the at least one application-specific object instance.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising transmitting a response to the second network apparatus comprising an identifier for the at least one application-specific object instance.

15. The method of claim 11 , wherein the request to create the application-specific instance of an information model object further comprises one or more object creation rules, and wherein creating the at least one application-specific instance of a information model object comprises creating the at least one application-specific instance of the information model object in accordance with the one or more object creation rules.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising advertising the at least one application-specific object instance to another network apparatus.

17. The method of claim 16 , further comprising sending to the another network apparatus the at least one application-specific object instance in response to a retrieve message received from the another network apparatus.

18. The method of claim 11 , wherein the information model object is defined in a service layer for an IoT network.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the service layer comprises a common service layer function for an M2M service.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein the common service layer function is defined according to ETSI or oneM2M standards.