Asynchronous application data access system and method

• US 10,630,753 B2
• Filed: 03/04/2019
• Issued: 04/21/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Be-Bound Inc.
• Original Assignee: Be-Bound Inc.
• Inventors: Starck, Axel, Rousseau, Olivier
• Primary Examiner(s): Appiah, Charles N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Donado, Frank E
• Application Number:
  US16/292,149
• Publication Number:
  US 20190215357A1
• Time in Patent Office: 414 Days
• Field of Search: 455466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

An asynchronous application data access system and method are provided. In one implementation, the system and method may be used to provide data connectivity to geographic areas with limited bandwidth or connectivity so that those geographic areas will have access to a range of modern applications that use digital data including for example an email application, such as Gmail, a social networking application, such as Facebook, and LinkedIn and various other applications. In some implementations, an SMS network may be used as one of the variety of transport mechanisms of the system.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a source of digital content;

a receiver coupled to the source of digital content over a digital data network and included in a backend component; and

a computing device having display and a processor that executes a client application that is coupled to the receiver over a secondary network comprising a 2G network, the receiver receiving a request for digital content in a message over the secondary network from the client application of the computing device, wherein the digital content corresponds to a particular sub-application operating on the computing device and wherein the request includes an application programming interface (API) call communicated to the receiver with an API identifier used by the receiver to route the message to a digital content source that provides the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application, the receiver generating the request for digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application from the digital content source via the API call by translating the request for the digital content received over the 2G network into a language that describes a format that allows the particular sub-application on the computing device to receive data from a particular content service provider and converting the requested digital content from the digital content source into a response transmitted over the 2G network to the computing device wherein the receiver, upon making the determination that the computing device is determined to be using the 2G network, splits and compresses the requested digital content into a plurality of short message service (SMS) messages communicated over the secondary network, and the computing device receiving the plurality of SMS messages communicated over the secondary network and converting the plurality of messages into the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application that is displayed to the user on the display of the computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the application further comprises a meta-application having a plurality of the sub-applications.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver further comprises an encoder component that encodes an application programming interface (API) call into a message compatible with the secondary network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the message is encoded into an uuencoded base64 message.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver compresses and encrypts each message communicated over the secondary network to the computing device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver further comprises a decoder that decodes, decompresses and decrypts the message from the computing device into a call to the digital content source for the digital content.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the call to the digital content source is an HTTP REST API call.

8. A computing device, comprising:

a display and a processor that executes a client application, the client application generating a request for digital content in a message and sending the message over a secondary network to a backend component, wherein the digital component corresponds to a particular sub-application operating on the computing device, the secondary network comprising a 2G network, wherein generating the request includes generating an application programming interface (API) call communicated to the backend component with an API identifier used by the backend component to route the message to a digital content source that provides the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application, the request for the digital content received by the backend component, wherein the backend component translates the request for the digital content received over the 2G network into a language that describes a format that allows the particular sub-application on the computing device to receive data from a particular content service provider and converts the requested digital content from the digital content source into a response transmitted over the 2G network to the computing device, the client application receiving a plurality of short message service (SMS) messages communicated over the secondary network, wherein the backend component receives the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application from the digital content source via the API call and, upon making the determination that the computing device is determined to be using the 2G network, splits and compresses the requested digital content into the plurality of SMS messages, wherein the client application converts the plurality of messages into digital content and displays the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application to the user on the display of the computing device.

9. The client of claim 8 wherein the client application decodes and maps the message to one or more application programming interface (API) calls.

10. The client of claim 9, wherein the message is encoded into an uuencoded base64 message.

11. The client of claim 10, wherein each message has a credit cost that is debited from a credit balance.

12. A method for data exchange using a backend system and a computing device capable of communicating over a secondary network, the method comprising:

generating, by a computing device, a request for digital content message in a message, wherein the digital content corresponds to a particular sub-application operating on the computing device;

transmitting the request for data message over a secondary network to a backend system, the secondary network comprising a 2G network, wherein the request includes an application programming interface (API) call communicated to the backend system with an API identifier used by the backend system to route the message to a digital content source that provides the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application;

generating, at the backend system, a request for the digital content from a remote source by translating the request for the digital content received over the 2G network into a language that describes a format that allows the particular sub-application on the computing device to receive data from a particular content service provider;

receiving, by the backend system, the requested digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application from the remote source via the API call over a different network than the secondary network;

converting, by the backend system, the requested digital content into a plurality of short message service (SMS) messages sent over the 2G network back to the computing device, wherein the converting further comprises, upon making the determination that the computing device is determined to be using the 2G network, splitting and compressing the requested digital content into the plurality of SMS messages;

receiving, by the computing device, the plurality messages over the secondary network and converting the plurality of messages into the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application; and

displaying, on a display of the computing device and using application executed by a processor of the computing device, the digital content corresponding to the particular sub-application.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein converting the requested digital content into the plurality of messages sent over the secondary network further comprises encoding an application programming interface (API) call into the plurality of messages compatible with the secondary network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the message is encoded into an uuencoded base64 message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein encoding further comprises compressing and encrypting the message by the backend system.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein generating the request for digital content further comprises decoding, decompressing and decrypting the message from the computing device into a call to the remote server for the digital content.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the call to the remote server is an HTTP REST API call.