System and method for communications management and data exchange

• US 20020152268A1
• Filed: 03/19/2002
• Published: 10/17/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Kureshy, Arif, Welch, Joseph F., Pace, Frederick G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,584,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for communications management and data exchange are provided. A mobile device includes one or more client applications that communicate with one or more server-based applications. The mobile device includes application bridge components for routing incoming and outgoing messages from the server-based application to one or more client applications. The server-based applications also communicate to each other and the client applications via a server-based application bridge. Both application bridges are operable to obtain transformation and routing information from the message and process the message accordingly. In the event communication becomes intermittent, the client-based application bridge and the server-based application bridge manage the messages and ensure message delivery.

Claims

1. A computer system for communications management and data exchange, the computer system comprising:

a communication network operable to facilitate the transmission of messages, wherein a data message includes one or more message data streams and one or more processing data streams;

a remote client computing device having at least one client-based application and a client-based application bridge, wherein the remote client computing device is in communication with the communication network; and

a server-based computing device having at least one server-based application and a server-based application bridge, wherein the server-based communication device is in communication with the communication network;

wherein the server-based application is operable to generate messages for the client-based application and wherein the client-based application is operable to generate messages for the server-based application; and

wherein the client-based application bridge and server-based application bridge are operable to manage the transmission of messages between the client-based application and the server-based application when the remote client computing device is not in communication with the communication network.

2. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein a message includes transformation information and wherein the client-based application bridge includes a transformation component operable to transform messages.

3. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein the transformation component is operable to compress the message.

4. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein the transformation component is operable to encrypt the message.

5. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes a manager component operable to manage a state of messages being processed by the client-based application bridge.

6. The computer system as recited in claim 5, wherein a message includes routing information and wherein the manager component is further operable to determine a routing path for messages being processed by the client-based application bridge.

7. The computer system as recited in claim 6, wherein the manager component is further operable to append the determined routing path to routing information in the message.

8. The computer system as recited in claim 5, wherein a message includes processing instructions and wherein the manager component is further operable to determine an order for delivery of the message.

9. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes an API component operable to interface with the client-based application.

10. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes a protocol component operable to interface with the communication network.

11. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes an application integration component operable to transmit messages to the client-based application.

12. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein a message includes transformation information and wherein the server-based application bridge includes a transformation component operable to transform messages.

13. The computer system as recited in claim 12, wherein the transformation component is operable to compress the message.

14. The computer system as recited in claim 12, wherein the transformation component is operable to encrypt the message.

15. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server-based application bridge includes a manager component operable to manage a state of messages being processed by the server-based application bridge.

16. The computer system as recited in claim 15, wherein a message includes routing information and wherein the manager component is further operable to determine a routing path for messages being processed by the server-based application bridge.

17. The computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein the manager component is further operable to append the determined routing path to the routing information in the message.

18. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server-based application bridge includes an API component operable to interface with the server-based application.

19. The computer system as recited in claim 1, server-based application bridge includes an application integration component operable to transmit messages to the server-based application.

20. The computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein the application integration component is operable to transmit messages to a distributed server-based application.

21. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server-based application bridge includes a protocol component operable to interface with the communication network.

22. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote client device is a mobile device.

23. The computer system as recited in claim 22, wherein the communication network is a wireless communication network.

24. The computer system as recited in claim 23, wherein the wireless communication network is an IEEE 802.11b wireless network.

25. The computer system as recited in claim 22, wherein the communication network is a combination wireless and wired communication network.

26. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application is a word processing application program.

27. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application is an electronic communication application program.

29. The computer-executable modules as recited in claim 28 further comprising a transformation component operable to obtain transformation information from a message and process the message according to the transformation information.

30. The computer-executable modules as recited in claim 28, wherein the manager component is further operable to obtain routing information from the message and determine a routing path for the message.

31. The computer-executable modules as recited in claim 28 further comprising an application integration component operable to interface with an application program.

32. The computer-executable modules as recited in claim 31, wherein the application integration component is operable to interface with a distributed application program.

33. The computer-executable modules as recited in claim 28, wherein at least one of the computer-executable modules are provided as part of a distributed application.

35. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein transforming the message includes encrypting the message.

36. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein transforming the message includes compressing the message.

37. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein determining a routing path includes selecting a routing path from a routing table having one or more available routing paths.

38. The method as recited in claim 34 further comprising managing the message if communications are not available.

39. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein managing the message includes editing the message.

40. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein managing the message includes deleting the message if the message has expired.

41. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the message is an outgoing message from an application program.

42. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the message is an incoming message.

43. The method as recited in claim 42 further comprising determining whether the message is part of a persisted data group, and wherein transmitting the message includes transmitting the message if one or more persisted group criteria have been satisfied.

44. The method as recited in claim 42 wherein transmitting the message includes transmitting the message if a user associated with an application program has been authenticated.

45. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the communications network is a wireless communications network.

46. The method as recited in claim 45, wherein the wireless network is an IEEE 802.11b wireless network.

47. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the communications network is a wired communications network.

48. The method as recited in claim 34, wherein the message includes multiple payloads associated with one or more components of an application program.

49. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the method recited in claim 34.

28. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable modules for communications management, comprising:

a manager component operable to manage the processing of a message;

a data store component in communication with the manager component and operable to store messages;

a protocol component in communication with the manager component and operable to communicate with a communications network, wherein communications with the communications network is intermittent; and

an application protocol interface component operable to interface with an application program, wherein the application generates and receives messages.

34. A method for processing message communications in a communication network, the method comprising:

obtaining a message;

transforming the message according to transformation information obtained from the message;

determining a routing path according to routing information obtained from the message; and

transmitting the message if communications are available.

50. A computer system having a processor, a memory, and an operating environment, the computer system operable to perform the method recited in claim 34.