Method, apparatus and computer program for modifying messages in a communications network

• US 10,171,608 B2
• Filed: 10/21/2014
• Issued: 01/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Openwave Mobility Inc. (Enea AB)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Mobility Inc. (Enea AB)
• Inventors: Marquess, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): Vostal, O. C.
• Application Number:
  US14/520,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20150113040A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,533 Days
• Field of Search: 709202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

There is described a system for modifying messages having an archive format in a communications network, the communications network comprising a first network device, a second network device and a third network device. The system comprises receiving, at the first network device, a message, the message sent from the second network device for receipt by the third network device; selectively modifying, at the first network device, content of the received message that is in an archive format, based on a determination that the content can be optimized, sending the received message with the optimized content to the third network device.

Claims

1. Apparatus for modifying messages having an archive format in a network comprising the apparatus, a second network device and a third network device, the apparatus comprising:

at least one processor;

and at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code being configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to;

receive a message sent from the second network device for receipt by the third network device;

based on a determination that content of the received message that is in an archive format is modifiable so that the received message takes up less space and/or takes up less bandwidth when being transmitted to the third network device, modify the content of the received message that is in an archive format; and

send the received message with the optimised content to the third network device,

wherein the received message having the archive format comprises a container for an electronic file, the received message having a header and a body and the container being in the body,

wherein the container is a ZIP container,

wherein the modifying the content of the received message comprises;

identifying a Growth Hint field of the ZIP container for removal from the ZIP container; and

and removing the identified Growth Hint field from the ZIP container.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optimising of the received messaged is based on a characteristic of the received message.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic is a content type indicated by the received message.

4. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the file is an Office Open XML file and the field is a Growth Hint field.

5. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the received message is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) response message.

6. Apparatus according to claim 5 wherein the processing system is further arranged to cause the apparatus to analyse a content-type header of the HTTP response message to determine if the HTTP response message comprises an archive format.

7. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optimised message for sending to the third network device also comprises an archive format.

8. Apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the archive format is a ZIP file format.

9. A method for modifying messages having an archive format in a communications network, the communications network comprising a first network device, a second network device and a third network device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the first network device, a message, the message sent from the second network device for receipt by the third network device;

based on a determination that content of the received message that is in an archive format is modifiable so that the received message takes up less storage space and/or takes up less bandwidth when being transmitted to the third network device, modifying, at the first network device, the content of the received message that is in an archive format;

sending the received message with the optimized content to the third network device, wherein the received message having the archive format comprises a container for an electronic file, the received message having a header and a body and the container being in the body,

wherein the container is a ZIP container,

wherein the modifying the content of the received messages;

comprises;

identifying a Grow Hint field of the ZIP container for removal from the ZIP container, and removing the identified Growth Hint field from the ZIP container.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a set of computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by a processing system, cause the processing system to carry out a method for modifying messages having an archive format in a communications network, the communications network comprising a first network device, a second network device and a third network device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the first network device, a message, the message sent from the second network device for receipt by the third network device;

based on a determination that content of the received message that is in an archive format is modifiable so that the received message takes up less storage space and/or takes up less bandwidth when being transmitted to the third network device, modifying, at the first network device, content of the received message that is in an archive format;

sending the received message with the optimized content to the third network device,

wherein the received message having the archive format comprises a container for an electronic file, the received message having a header and a body and the container being in the body,

wherein the container is a ZIP container,

wherein the modifying the content of the received messages comprises;

identifying a Growth Hint field of the ZIP container for removal from the ZIP container; and

removing the identified Growth Hint field from the ZIP container.