Method and apparatus for central coordination of data transmission between a transmitting and a receiving network element

• US 20020036794A1
• Filed: 08/08/2001
• Published: 03/28/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/08/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Siemens AG
• Original Assignee: Siemens AG
• Inventors: Kim, Peter, Boehmer, Bernhard, Kastelewicz, Georg, Vogel, Arnim
• Application Number:
  US09/923,799
• Publication Number:
  US 20020036794A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

Terminals and applications which communicate with one another need to agree on a common protocol and data interchange format. Conversion functions are now offered as a separate service for widely differing formats and protocols in the network. Applications no longer need to support every standard, but can use the appropriate conversion service when required. A central entity is introduced in which the available converters register with this entity and store information about the protocols/formats which they can convert to one another. The central entity manages this information and makes it accessible to applications and terminals.

Claims

1. A method for central coordination of data transmission between a transmitting network element and a receiving network element, comprising:

requesting a converter service from a converter coordinator using the transmitting or receiving network element;

selecting the converter service using the converter coordinator and performing a data conversion on the data, wherein

the transmitting and receiving network elements do not have compatible data or transmission formats.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transmitting and/or receiving network element is a terminal.

3. The method as claimed in patent claim 1, wherein the transmitting and/or receiving network element is an application.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

sending a report via the converter service to the network element which produced the request.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

sending a report via the converter service to the transmitting network element, to the receiving network element and to the selected conversion service.

6. The method as claimed claim 1, wherein the report includes information about the interchange format to be used by the transmitting and receiving network elements.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein data is transmitted between the transmitting and receiving network elements via the converter without any further action by the converter coordinator.

8. An apparatus for central coordination of data transmission between a transmitting network element and a receiving network element, comprising:

at least one converter which is registered; and

at least one transmitting or receiving network element which receives a request for a converter service, wherein

the apparatus selects one of the at least one registered converters.

9. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein

the selected registered converter is sent as a response to the requesting network element.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 8, wherein the selected registered converter is sent as a response to relevant network elements.