Asynchronous Queued Messaging for Web Applications

• US 20100070586A1
• Filed: 09/15/2008
• Published: 03/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Sunava, Ananthanarayanan, Ganesh, Lawrence, Eric M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,344 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/546 Message passing systems or structures, e.g. queues
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

Various embodiments enable local web applications to communicate asynchronously with web based services and applications based on a local device'"'"'s current state and a user'"'"'s communications preferences. In at least some embodiments, a synchronization engine receives a message in a “Web Inbox” from a web based service or application. In at least some embodiments, the synchronization engine notifies a local web application of the message, sends the message to the web application, and/or loads the web application if it is not in session. The web application'"'"'s response to the message may be transferred to a “Web Outbox” where it resides until being sent to the web service. The synchronization engine then determines a time to transmit the response to the web service by querying the local device for its current state and a user'"'"'s communication preferences.

Claims

1. A method of asynchronous communication, comprising:

receiving one or more messages from one or more web servers at a first box residing on a local device;

receiving one or more responses to the one or more messages from one or more web applications at a second box residing on the local device;

determining a time to transmit the one or more responses from the second box to the one or more web servers; and

transmitting the one or more responses from the second box to the one or more web servers at a determined time.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the time is determined based on at least one of a network connection, a processor usage, or a user'"'"'s communication preferences.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the network connection is evaluated based on at least one of a type of network connection, a transmission rate, or a stability of the network connection.

4. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the user'"'"'s communication preferences comprises one or more of a message'"'"'s importance, a message'"'"'s urgency, a message'"'"'s size, a message'"'"'s content, a message'"'"'s recipient, or a user input.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more web applications comprise at least one web browser and the one or more responses comprise one or more requests for data and/or one or more submissions of data.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising determining whether the at least one web browser is in session, and if so, transferring the one or more messages from the first box to the at least one web browser.

7. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising determining whether the at least one web browser is in session, and if so, notifying the at least one web browser of the one or more messages.

8. A method as recited in claim 5, further comprising determining whether the at least one web browser is in session, and if not, loading the at least one web browser and/or one or more web applications.

9. A method of asynchronously communicating with a web application, comprising:

receiving one or more messages from one or more web applications residing on a local device at a first box;

receiving one or more responses to the one or more messages from one or more local applications residing on the local device at a second box;

transferring the one or more responses from the second box to a third box for transmission to one or more web services;

determining a time to transmit the one or more responses to the one or more web services; and

transmitting the one or more responses from the third box to the one or more web services at a determined time.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more web applications comprise a web browser application.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the time is determined based on at least one of a network connection, a processor usage, or a user'"'"'s communication preferences.

12. A method as recited in claim 11, wherein the network connection is evaluated based on at least one of a type of network connection, a transmission rate, or a stability of the network connection.

13. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising determining whether the one or more local applications are in session, and if the one or more local applications are in session, transferring the one or more messages from the first box to the one or more local applications.

14. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising determining whether the one or more local applications are in session, and if the one or more local applications are in session, notifying the one or more local applications of the one or more messages in the first box.

15. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising determining whether the one or more local applications are in session, and if the one or more local applications are not in session, loading the one or more local applications.

16. A system for communicating with a network, comprising:

a web inbox configured to asynchronously receive one or messages from one or more web services;

a web outbox configured to asynchronously receive one or more responses to the one or more messages from one or more web applications; and

a synchronization scheduler configured to determine a time to transmit the one or more responses residing in the web outbox to the one or more web services, wherein the synchronization scheduler is configured to determine the time to transmit the one or more responses by querying a computer operating system to ascertain at least one of a network connection, a processor usage, or a user'"'"'s communications preference.

17. A system as recited in claim 16, further comprising one or more web applications, wherein the one or more web applications are configured to retrieve the one or messages from the web inbox and perform an operation using the one or more messages.

18. A system as recited in claim 16, further comprising a local outbox configured to receive one or more messages from the one or more web applications, wherein one or more local applications receive the one or more messages from the local outbox.

19. A system as recited in claim 16, further comprising a local inbox configured to receive one or more responses to the one or more messages from the one or more local applications, wherein the one or more web applications retrieve the one or more responses from the local outbox for transmission to the one or more web services.

20. A system as recited in claim 19 wherein the one or more web applications transfer the one or more messages from the local inbox to the web outbox for transmission to the one or more web services.