System and method for managing communication for component applications

• US 20060165105A1
• Filed: 01/24/2005
• Published: 07/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Shenfield, Michael, Bibr, Viera, Fritsch, Brindusa
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,363 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers

Abstract

An application gateway server is provided for managing communication between an application executing in a runtime environment on a device and at least one backend server. The application gateway server comprises a message listener, a connector subsystem, and a messaging subsystem. The message listener receives messages from the component applications. The connector subsystem comprises a plurality of connectors, each of the plurality of connectors for communicating with one or more associated backend servers. The messaging subsystem comprises a message broker for processing messages received from the message listener and transmitting them to an associated one of the plurality of connectors and a communication mapping for identifying which of the plurality of connectors is to be used for each message in accordance with an origin of the message.

Claims

1. An application gateway server for managing communication between an application executing in a runtime environment on a device and at least one backend server;

the application gateway server comprising;

(a) a message listener for receiving messages from the component applications;

(b) a connector subsystem comprising a plurality of connectors, each of the plurality of connectors for communicating with one or more associated backend servers;

(c) a messaging subsystem comprising;

(i) a message broker for processing messages received from the message listener and transmitting them to an associated one of the plurality of connectors; and

(ii) a communication mapping for identifying which of the plurality of connectors is to be used for each message in accordance with an origin of the message.

2. An application gateway server of claim 1, further comprising a lifecycle subsystem for maintaining a list of devices and component applications installed thereon for ensuring that valid messages are transmitted.

3. The application gateway server of claim 2, wherein the lifecycle subsystem verifies the component application transmitting the message for inhibiting the installation of malicious component applications.

4. The application gateway server of claim 2, wherein the lifecycle subsystem verifies the component application receiving a message from the backend server for reducing bandwidth used for erroneous messages.

5. The application gateway server of claim 1, wherein the communication mapping includes details about how to interpret the contents of the message before sending it to the backend subsystem.

6. The application gateway server of claim 1, further comprising a transformation subsystem for transforming the message between a compact message format used to communicate between the device and the application gateway server and an internal message format used to communicate elsewhere.

7. A method for managing communication at an application gateway server between an application executing in a runtime environment on a device and a at least one backend server, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving messages from the application at a message listener;

(b) mapping the message to a destination backend server in accordance with a predefined communication mapping and an origin of the message;

(c) delivering the message to a connector in accordance with the destination backend server; and

(d) delivering the message to the backend server.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of decrypting the message received from the component application.

9. The method of claim 7, further comprising the steps of validating the message received from the component application.

10. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of transforming the message between a compact message format used to communicate between the device and the application gateway server and an internal message format used to communicate elsewhere.

11. The method of claim 7, wherein the delivery of the message to the backend server is synchronous.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the message is a registration for notification from the component application to a backend server, the method further comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a response from the backend server, the response including an external correlator identifier;

(b) storing the external correlator identifier for identifying the component application upon receipt of a notification message from the backend server.