Message filtering and demultiplexing system

• US 20060159096A1
• Filed: 01/19/2005
• Published: 07/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Naaman, Nir, Gershinsky, Gidon, Harpaz, Avraham, Tock, Yoav
• Granted Patent: US 7,958,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking

Abstract

A publish/subscribe system includes a publisher and multiple subscribers. The published includes a packet generator to generate a packet with at least one of: a fixed length flow label labeling a message or a message bundle and a fixed length node label labeling at least one message bundle and indicating at least one of the nodes of a topic tree to which the flow label belongs. Each received includes a user selection data holder and a message selector. The data holder stores a selection of topics of interest to a user from the topic tree. The message selector receives a packet having a header and data, determines which flow and/or node labels are incorporated in the header and accepts the data if the user selection data holder indicates that the labels within the header are of interest to the user.

Claims

1. A publisher in a publish/subscribe system, the publisher comprising:

a packet generator to generate a packet with at least one of;

a fixed length flow label labeling a message or a message bundle and a fixed length node label labeling at least one message bundle and indicating at least one of the nodes of a topic tree to which said flow label belongs.

2. The publisher according to claim 1 and wherein said packet generator comprises:

a topic data holder storing said topic tree wherein said flow labels indicate topics and said node labels indicating nodes which group said topics;

a message labeler to label a message having a topic with a flow label, taken from said topic data holder, associated with said topic; and

a message batcher at least to generate a message bundle from one or more messages with the same flow label and to label at least one bundle with one or more node labels, taken from said topic data holder, associated with the nodes to which said flow label belongs.

3. The publisher according to claim 2 and wherein said message batcher comprises a message nester to generate a nested bundle of multiple message bundles whose flow labels are associated with the same node labels.

4. The publisher according to claim 2 and also comprising a transmitter to transmit a packet formed by said message batcher.

5. The publisher according to claim 2 and wherein said topic tree comprises a semantic tree of nodes and flows.

6. The publisher according to claim 2 and wherein said topic tree comprises a virtual tree of nodes and flows.

7. The publisher according to claim 6 and wherein said virtual tree reflects the subscription activity of users.

8. The publisher according to claim 6 and wherein said virtual tree reflects system requirements.

9. A receiver in a publish/subscribe system, the receiver comprising:

a user selection data holder to store a selection of topics of interest to a user from a topic tree of fixed length labels, said labels comprising flow labels indicating topics and node labels indicating nodes which group said topics; and

a message selector to receive a packet having a header and data, to determine which flow and/or node labels are incorporated in said header and to accept said data if said user selection data holder indicates that the labels within said header are of interest to said user.

10. The receiver according to claim 9 and wherein said user selection data holder comprises at least a node label reject list and a flow label accept list.

11. The receiver according to claim 10 and wherein said message selector comprises:

a message extractor to extract at least one message from said packet when so indicated;

a header reader to read said flow and/or node labels;

a header comparer to compare said node labels with said node label reject list and said flow labels with said flow label lists and to indicate to said message extractor to throw away said packet when either said node label reject list includes said node label or said flow label reject list includes said flow label.

12. A method comprising:

transmitting messages from a content publisher with fixed length labels, said labels comprising flow labels indicating topics and node labels indicating nodes which group said topics.

13. The method according to claim 12 and wherein said transmitting comprises:

labeling a message having a topic with a flow label associated with said topic;

generating a message bundle from one or more messages with the same flow label; and

labeling at least one bundle with one or more node labels associated with the nodes to which said flow label belongs.

14. The method according to claim 13 and wherein said second labeling comprises generating a nested bundle of multiple message bundles whose flow labels are associated with the same node labels.

15. The method according to claim 13 and wherein said nodes and flows comprise a semantic tree.

16. The method according to claim 13 and wherein said nodes and flows comprise a virtual tree.

17. The method according to claim 16 and wherein said virtual tree reflects the subscription activity of users.

18. The method according to claim 16 and wherein said virtual tree reflects system requirements.

19. A method comprising:

having a user selection data holder to store a selection of topics of interest to a user from a topic tree of fixed length labels, said labels comprising flow labels indicating topics and node labels indicating nodes which group said topics; and

receiving a packet having a header and data, to determine which flow and/or node labels are incorporated in said header and to accept said data if said user selection data holder indicates that the labels within said header are of interest to said user.

20. The receiver according to claim 19 and wherein said user selection data holder comprises at least a node label reject list and a flow label accept list.

21. The method according to claim 20 and wherein said receiving comprises:

extracting at least one message from said packet when so indicated;

reading said flow and/or node labels;

comparing said node labels with said node label reject list and said flow labels with said flow label lists; and

throwing away said packet when either said node label reject list includes said node label or said flow label reject list includes said flow label.

22. A computer product readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps comprising:

transmitting messages from a content publisher with fixed length labels, said labels comprising flow labels indicating topics and node labels indicating nodes which group said topics.

23. The product according to claim 22 and wherein said transmitting comprises:

labeling a message having a topic with a flow label associated with said topic;

generating a message bundle from one or more messages with the same flow label; and

labeling at least one bundle with one or more node labels associated with the nodes to which said flow label belongs.

24. The product according to claim 23 and wherein said second labeling comprises generating a nested bundle of multiple message bundles whose flow labels are associated with the same node labels.

25. The product according to claim 23 and wherein said nodes and flows comprise a semantic tree.

26. The product according to claim 23 and wherein said nodes and flows comprise a virtual tree.

27. The product according to claim 26 and wherein said virtual tree reflects the subscription activity of users.

28. The product according to claim 26 and wherein said virtual tree reflects system requirements.

29. A computer product readable by a machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps comprising:

having a user selection data holder to store a selection of topics of interest to a user from a topic tree of fixed length labels, said labels comprising flow labels indicating topics and node labels indicating nodes which group said topics; and

receiving a packet having a header and data, to determine which flow and/or node labels are incorporated in said header and to accept said data if said user selection data holder indicates that the labels within said header are of interest to said user.

30. The receiver according to claim 29 and wherein said user selection data holder comprises at least a node label reject list and a flow label accept list.

31. The product according to claim 30 and wherein said receiving comprises:

extracting at least one message from said packet when so indicated;

reading said flow and/or node labels;

comparing said node labels with said node label reject list and said flow labels with said flow label lists; and

throwing away said packet when either said node label reject list includes said node label or said flow label reject list includes said flow label.