Method and system for transferring real-time messages between multiple non-connected messaging servers

• US 20040186888A1
• Filed: 03/19/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Samn, Jonathan
• Application Number:
  US10/392,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20040186888A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The present invention allows a client that may have multiple accounts, each on distinct, unconnected messaging servers, to be able to be a relay point between or among those messaging servers. In the system of the present invention, at least one user with accounts on the multiple servers would log on to each server. When that user wants to create a chat conference among people from each of the isolated servers, the relay user can invite each person to the conversation and relay messages from users within the conference on a given server, to the other users from the other server(s). The relay can be implemented easily by “echoing” messages coming from one server to other servers that are connected to the relay client.

Claims

1. A system for transferring real-time messages between multiple non-connected devices comprising:

a plurality of computing devices;

a computing network for transmitting messages to and from said computing devices;

interface devices connected to said plurality of computing devices for connecting said devices to said computing network and for interacting with said computing device; and

a central computing capable of interacting with each of said plurality of computing devices for the purposes of relaying messages to said plurality of computing devices.

2. The system as described in claim 1 further comprising at least two messaging servers connected to said computing network and connected to said central user, said messaging servers capable of generating and transmitting real-time messages to said computing devices.

3. The system as described in claim 2 wherein groups of said plurality of computing devices are connected to each of said messaging servers.

4. The system as described in claim 3 further comprising chat room modules contained in each of messaging servers.

5. The system as described in claim 4 wherein said central use has access to said chat room modules on each of said messaging servers.

6. The system as described in claim 4 wherein said computing devices only have direct access to chat room modules on the messaging server to which the computing device has a connection.

7. A method for transferring real-time messages between multiple non-connected devices comprising the steps of:

receiving an access request from a user for access to a messaging server;

transmitting a verification request to the requesting user;

receiving access verification information from requesting user;

verifying user access information;

establishing a connection to requested messaging server through a central user; and

transmitting information to the connected user from the messaging server through the central user.

8. The method as described in claim 7 wherein said verification step further comprises determining whether the user requesting access has authority to access the requested messaging server.

9. The method as described in claim 7 wherein the connection of the user is to a chat room module on the requested messaging server.

10. The method as described in claim 9 wherein said messaging information is transferred from the chat room module on the connected messaging server to the connected user by echoing the messaging server information from the central user to the connected user.

11. The method as described in claim 7 further comprising the step of terminating the access of user connected to a messaging server through a central user.

12. The method as described in claim 7 further comprising the step of broadcasting to the messaging servers connected to the central user, the number of chat room modules to which the central user is currently connected.

13. The method as described in claim 12 further comprising the step of displaying on the connected user'"'"'s computing device the chat room messaging board for the chat room for which the user is connected through the central user.

14. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for transferring real-time messages between multiple non-connected devices comprising:

instructions for receiving an access request from a user for access to a messaging server;

instructions for transmitting a verification request to the requesting user;

instructions for receiving access verification information from requesting user;

instructions for verifying user access information;

instructions for establishing a connection to requested messaging server through a central user; and

instructions for transmitting information to the connected user from the messaging server through the central user.

15. The computer program product as described in claim 14 wherein said verification instructions further comprise instructions for determining whether the user requesting access has authority to access the requested messaging server.

16. The computer program product as described in claim 14 further comprising instructions for accessing a chat room contained on a messaging server.

17. The computer program product as described in claim 16 further comprising instructions for transferring messaging information from the chat room module on the connected messaging server to the connected user by echoing the messaging server information from the central user to the connected user.

18. The computer program product as described in claim 14 further comprising instructions for terminating the access of user connected to a messaging server through a central user.

19. The computer program product as described in claim 14 further comprising instructions for broadcasting to the messaging servers connected to the central user, the number of chat room modules to which the central user is currently connected.

20. The computer program product as described in claim 19 further comprising instructions for displaying on the connected user'"'"'s computing device the chat room messaging board for the chat room for which the user is connected through the central user.