1-18. (canceled)
19. A method for costing a REST web service operable for querying one or more data sources, the method comprising:
calculating the cost of operating the web service;
measuring web service usage data using one or more service metrics, wherein the one or more service metrics include at least one derived service metric;
choosing at least one service metric from the one or more service metrics, wherein one or more of the at least one chosen service metrics is a derived service metric;
calculating the cost of the web service based on the at least one chosen service metric; and
charging for usage of the web service based upon the calculated cost of the web service.
20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one derived service metric comprises custom data related to the REST web service generated by the REST web service in response to the querying one or more data sources.
21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one derived service metric comprises one or more of the set including: a response identifier, a query, a list of one or more data providers, a transport protocol, an indication of whether a proxy is used, a request identifier, a request time stamp, a response time stamp, an indication of whether the request was served from unexpired cache, an indication of whether the response was used to populate a response cache, size of the response, or throughput.
22. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one derived service metric comprises custom data related to the REST web service and the one or more data sources generated by the REST web service in response to the querying one or more data sources.
23. The method of claim 22, wherein the at least one derived service metric comprises one or more of the set including: a response identifier, a namespace of the queried data source, an indication of whether an operating level agreement has been satisfied, a request time stamp, a response time stamp, a requester identifier, content length, or throughput.
24. The method of claim 19, wherein calculating the cost of the web service based on the at least one chosen service metric comprises dividing the cost of operating the web service by the at least one chosen service metric.
25. The method of claim 24, wherein calculating the cost of operating the web service comprises the steps of:
determining a cost to the REST web service for all requests to each of the one or more data sources for which web service usage data was measured;
determining an operating cost of the REST web service for all requests to the REST web service for which web service usage data was measured; and
determining a total cost for all requests to the REST web service by summing the cost to the REST web service for all requests to each of the one or more data sources and the operating cost the REST web service.
26. The method of claim 25 wherein charging for usage of the web service based upon the calculated cost of the web service further comprises summing the cost of the web service with a flat fee.
27-32. (canceled)
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A device (14) for latching a first connector (10) to a complementary second connector (12), each connector including a series of male electrical contact elements (20) and respective female electrical contact elements (28) adapted to be connected to each other, the latching device (14) including:
a female element (38) that is fixed to the first connector (10) and delimits a housing (52) open axially rearward;
at least one elastically deformable retaining finger (56) that projects radially inside the housing (52) of the female element (38);
a male element (58) that includes a latching front section (62) furnished with a retaining notch (66), the latching section (62) being adapted to be inserted axially from the rear toward the front into the housing (52) of the female element (38) as far as a front latching position in which the retaining finger (56) is received in said retaining notch (66) to immobilize the first connector (10) axially on the second connector (12),
characterized in that the male element (58) is carried by the second connector (12), the male element (58) being mounted to slide from the rear toward the front relative to the second connector (12) from a rear rest position to its front latching position in the female element (38),
and in that the device (14) includes an unlatching member (112) that is carried by the male element (58) and is adapted to slide axially from the rear toward the front between the latching section (62) and the finger (56), between a rear rest position and a front unlatching position in which the unlatching member (112) retracts the retaining finger (56) out of the notch (66).
2. The device (14) as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the retaining finger (56) extends axially and obliquely from the rear toward the front toward the interior of the housing (52) so that the free front end of the finger (56) faces a radial rear face (68) of the notch (66) of the male element (58) when the male element (58) occupies its front latching position.
3. The device (14) as claimed in either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the male element (58) includes a first radial front face (70) forming a shoulder (72) from which a head (60) extends rearward, said head (60) of the male element (58) being situated outside said housing (52) when the male element (58) occupies its latching position, and in that the unlocking member (112) includes a radially projecting rear section (114) a radial rear face (125a, 125b) of which bears axially against said first radial front face (70) of the male element (58) when the unlatching member (112) occupies its rear rest position.
4. The device (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the second connector (12) includes a radial flange (36a) that delimits a through-hole (37a) in which the male element (58) is mounted to slide axially from the rear toward the front and in that the device (14) includes first return spring means (94a, 94b) adapted to urge the male element (58) in the rearward direction.
5. The device (14) as claimed in claims 3 and 4, characterized in that the male element (58) has a second radial front face (88) that is offset angularly relative to its first radial front face (70) and in that the first return spring means (94a, 94b) include at least one elastically deformable first return prong (94a, 94b) that is disposed axially between a rear face (100) of the flange (36a) of the second connector (12) and said second radial front face (88) of the male element (58), said first return prong (94a, 94b) being V-shaped and bent radially outward.
6. The device (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes second spring return means (128a, 128b) for urging the unlatching member (112) toward its rear rest position.
7. Device (14) as claimed in claims 3, 5 and 6, characterized in that the second spring return means (128a, 128b) include at least one elastically deformable second return prong (128a, 128b) that is disposed axially between a radial front face (129a, 129b) of the rear section (114) of the unlatching member (112) and said rear face (100) of the flange (36a) of the second connector (12).
8. The device (14) as claimed in claims 5 and 7, characterized in that said first return prong (94a, 94b) and said second return prong (128a, 128b) are parts of a one-piece sheet metal multifunction spring (84) bent and cut to shape.
9. The device (14) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized in that the multifunction spring (84) is fixed to the male element (58).
10. The device (14) as claimed in either of claims 8 and 9, characterized in that the multifunction spring (84) includes at least one prong (102) for attaching the male element (58) to the associated second connector (12) so that the assembly formed by the male element (58), the multifunction spring (84) and the unlatching member (112) is captive on the second connector (12).
11. The device (14) as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the rear actuating section (114) of the unlatching member (112) includes at least one portion (126a, 126b) projecting radially relative to the head (60) of the male element (58) so that said projecting portion (126a, 126b) of the actuation section (114) constitutes a pusher member (126a, 126b) for driving the unlatching member (112) toward its front unlatching position.
12. The device (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (14) includes an actuation knurled wheel that is mounted to rotate freely on the rear head (60) of the male element (58) and includes a threaded portion adapted to cooperate with a complementary threaded portion of the unlatching member so that the unlatching member (112) can be driven into its front unlatching position by rotating the knurled wheel.
13. The device (14) as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that the assembly formed by the male element (58), the multifunction spring (84) and the unlatching member (112) has an axial plane of symmetry.
14. The device (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes an indicator device furnished with a visual indicator (172) for indicating visually that the male element (58) is occupying its front latching position in the female element (38).
15. The device (14) as claimed in the preceding claim, characterized in that the indicator device includes:
a pin (188) that extends axially in the housing (52) of the female element (38),
an axial open well (114) that is delimited by the male element (58),
the visual indicator (172), which extends axially from the rear toward the front in said well (114), from a visualization rear head (182) to a drive front head (184), the indicator (172) being mounted to slide axially in said well (114) so that the indicator (172) occupies a front position retracted or concealed in the well (114) to which the indicator (172) is returned elastically by return spring means (186) when the male element (58) occupies its rear rest position, and in that the indicator (172) occupies a rear indicating position in which the front head (184) of the indicator (172) cooperates with said pin (188) that opposes the spring return of the indicator (172) when the male element (58) occupies its front latching position in the female element (38) so that the rear indicator head (182) of the indicator (172) can be seen by a user.
16. The device (14) as claimed in any of the preceding claims, characterized in that it includes an additional male element (136) that is fixed to an intermediate third connector (134) that is disposed between the first connector (10) and the second connector (12), the additional male element (136) including:
an additional rear head (140) delimiting an additional housing (142) open axially rearward in which there is at least one additional retaining finger (148), and wherein the latching front section (62) of the male element (58) is adapted to be inserted axially in the direction from the rear toward the front as far as a latching position in which the additional retaining finger (148) is received in the retaining notch (66) of the male element (58) to immobilize the second connector (12) axially on the intermediate third connector (134),
an additional latching front section (138) that is furnished with an additional notch (139) and is adapted to be inserted axially in the direction from the rear toward the front into the housing (52) of the female element (38) as far as a latching position in which the retaining finger (56) of the female element (38) is received in said additional retaining notch (139) to immobilize the intermediate third connector (134) axially on the first connector (10),
an additional unlatching member (146) that is carried by the additional male element (136) and is adapted to slide axially in the direction from the rear toward the front between the additional front latching section (138) and the finger (56) of the female element (38) between a rear rest position and a front unlatching position in which the additional unlatching member (146) retracts said retaining finger (56) out of said additional notch (139).
17. A latching tool (152) intended to drive the male element (58) as claimed in claims 5 and 9 axially, characterized in that the latching tool (152) includes:
a tubular portion that is adapted to be engaged axially around the head (60) of the male element (58) to center said head (60) relative to the latching tool (152),
at least one axial arm (160a, 160b) a free end of which is adapted to bear axially on a radial rear branch (95a, 95b) of the first return lug (94a, 94b) cranked in a V-shape to drive the latching member (112) into its front unlatching position.
18. An unlatching tool (154) intended to cooperate with the unlatching member (112) of the device (14), as claimed in claim 11, characterized in that the free end of the unlatching tool (154) includes a radial edge (170) adapted to cooperate by axial bearing engagement on said pusher member (126a, 126b) of the unlatching member (112) in order to drive the unlatching member (112) into its position before unlocking.
19. A multifunction tool (150), characterized in that it has the general shape of a rod a first end of which includes a latching tool (152) as claimed in claim 17 and an opposite second end of which includes an unlatching tool (154) as claimed in claim 18.