Abstract: In the case where Web service providers and Web service brokers are successively connected in a multistage manner to form a tree structure, with each of the Web service brokers relaying messages to be transmitted and received between a Web service requestor and the Web service providers, not only the performance, states, and configurations of Web service providers which are directly called by a Web service broker, but also those of Web service providers existing in a descendant direction of the tree structure, are made use of as information used to determine a Web service provider to which a request message should be transmitted.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a plurality of information acquiring computers for acquiring informations are connected via a network to a plurality of information providing computers for providing information. A service providing computer for executing an information providing service with respect to apparatuses for acquiring information is interposed between a plurality of in information acquiring apparatuses and a plurality of information providing apparatuses. The service providing computer receives a content of a request of the information acquiring computer, and determines a sort of information to be provided with a user based upon a quality of this request content, individual information and past historical information of the user, and also various sorts of conditions when the request is received. The service providing computer requests at least one of these information providing computers to provide the information.

Abstract: A client (referred to as A) transmits a request to a service mediate server (referred to as B) through a communication medium. B receives information. A server (referred to as C) receives a request for obtaining information from B and transmits information requested by B. B receives a request from A. A service mediate managing unit determines a type of information to be provided to A, based on the attribute information of the content of the request, the customized information of A and C pre-stored in the service mediate managing unit, and various status at the receipt of the request. The service mediate agent selects any one of plural Cs and transmit the request for obtaining information to the selected C. The information received by C is processed by the service mediate agent and the processed information is transmitted to A.

Abstract: Login operation leads a user (e.g., employee) to an integrated portal platform 29, in which centralized management of IDs of the user for each specialized service site is carried out to realize a single sign-on scheme. Individual information of the who has accessed the system is located by looking up an individual information database in a transactions system 30, and utilizing the individual information, a list of available services is customized to suit the user. Accordingly, a front page that appears immediately after the login operation includes a customized screen with a customized menu. Subsequently, by specifying a preferred item of the menu, the user automatically logs into specialized service groups 31, and a service corresponding to the specified item of the menu is provided via the platform 29 to the user.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a plurality of information acquiring computers for acquiring informations are connected via a network to a plurality of information providing computers for providing information. A service providing computer for executing an information providing service with respect to apparatuses for acquiring information is interposed between a plurality of in information acquiring apparatuses and a plurality of information providing apparatuses. The service providing computer receives a content of a request of the information acquiring computer, and determines a sort of information to be provided with a user based upon a quality of this request content, individual information and past historical information of the user, and also various sorts of conditions when the request is received. The service providing computer requests at least one of these information providing computers to provide the information.

Abstract: In a service providing system, a plurality of information acquiring computers for acquiring informations are connected via a network to a plurality of information providing computers for providing information. A service providing computer for executing an information providing service with respect to apparatuses for acquiring information is interposed between a plurality of in information acquiring apparatuses and a plurality of information providing apparatuses. The service providing computer receives a content of a request of the information acquiring computer, and determines a sort of information to be provided with a user based upon a quality of this request content, individual information and past historical information of the user, and also various sorts of conditions when the request is received. The service providing computer requests at least one of these information providing computers to provide the information.