Bridging Communications Between Communication Services Using Different Protocols

• US 20100287226A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 11/11/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Raytheon Company (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Lear, John S., Stem, John E., Wright, Kenneth W.
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,529 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/56 Unified messaging, e.g. interactions between e-mail, instant messaging or converged IP messaging [CPM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

According to particular embodiments, a system for bridging communications includes agent servers that deploy monitoring agents into source communication services where the monitoring agents collect events in a native communication protocol of the source communication service. The agent servers select events for relaying and translate those events into a native communication protocol of the destination communication service. In addition, the agent servers deploy relay agents into destination communication services to relay the translated events to the destination communication service.

Claims

1. A system for bridging communications, comprising:

a database comprising a plurality of user profiles;

one or more agent servers, each of the agent servers adapted to deploy a plurality of monitoring agents, each of the monitoring agents adapted to receive an identification of a source communication service and a first selected one of the user profiles, to register the first selected user profile with the source communication service, to collect a plurality of events from the source communication service in a native communication protocol of the source communication service, and to transmit the events to the agent server, wherein the source communication service comprises a real-time group communication service;

wherein the agent servers are further adapted to receive the events and, for each of a plurality of sets of bridging instructions, to determine a destination communication service according to the bridging instructions, to identify events from the received events for relaying to the destination communication service, and to translate the identified events to a native communication protocol of the destination communication service; and

wherein the agent servers are further adapted to deploy a plurality of relay agents, each of the relay agents adapted to receive an identification of a destination communication service, a second selected one of the user profiles, and at least a portion of each of selected ones of the translated events, to register the second selected user profile with the destination communication service, and to submit the translated events to the destination communication service.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent servers are further operable, in relay mode, to:

deploy one of a plurality of automated agents to each of two or more bridging communication services, each of the automated agents operable to;

receive an identification of a bridging communication service and a third selected one of the user profiles;

register the third selected user profile with the bridging communication service;

collect a plurality of events from the bridging communication service in a native communication protocol of the bridging communication service;

transmit the events to the agent server;

receive the translated events; and

for each of the translated events, identify a user name portion of the translated event and a communication portion of the translated event, generate a textual communication comprising the user name portion, the communication portion, and an indication that the communication portion is associated with the user name portion, and submit the textual communication to the bridging communication service.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the indication that the communication portion is associated with the user name portion comprises one or more spaces, characters, and/or textual symbols for separating the user name portion from the communication portion.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent servers are further operable, in transparent mode, to:

deploy one monitoring agent to the source communication service;

for each of a plurality of users associated with the source communication service;

deploy one relay agent to the destination communication service;

identify a selection of the translated events that were originated by the user, each of the translated events comprising a user name portion and a communication portion; and

transmit the communication portions of the selected translated events to the relay agent.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the agent servers are further operable to:

for each of the translated events, determine a timing characteristic for the collected event by identifying a first origination time for the collected event, identifying a second origination time for the immediately preceding collected event, calculating a difference between the second origination time and the first origination time, and designating the difference as the timing characteristic; and

submit each of the translated events to the destination communication service according to the timing characteristic associated with the translated event.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication portion of each of the relayed events comprises a user name that corresponds to a user that originated the event, an original communication, and an indication that the user originated the communication portion, the indication comprising language for indicating that the user originated the communication and one or more spaces, characters, and/or textual symbols for separating the user name and the indication from the communication.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising an administrator interface operable to transmit a plurality of bridging instructions to each of one or more agent servers, the bridging instructions comprising two or more communication services to be bridged and a mode of bridging that is selected from a group consisting of a transparent mode and a relay mode.

8. A method for bridging communications, comprising:

maintaining in a database a plurality of user profiles;

receiving a plurality of user profiles and a plurality of sets of monitoring instructions from a central server;

deploying a plurality of monitoring agents, each of the monitoring agents adapted to receive an identification of a source communication service and a first selected one of the user profiles, to register the first selected user profile with the source communication service, to collect a plurality of events from the source communication service in a native communication protocol of the source communication service, and to transmit the events to the agent server, wherein the source communication service comprises a real-time group communication service;

receiving the events; and

for each of a plurality of sets of bridging instructions, determining a destination communication service according to the bridging instructions, identifying events from the received events to relay to the destination communication service, and translating the identified events to a native communication protocol of the destination communication service; and

deploying a plurality of relay agents, each of the relay agents adapted to receive an identification of a destination communication service, a second selected one of the user profiles, and at least a portion of each of selected ones of the translated events, to register the second selected user profile with the destination communication service, and to submit the translated events to the destination communication service.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, in relay mode:

deploying one of a plurality of automated agents to each of two or more bridging communication services, each of the automated agents operable to;

receive an identification of a bridging communication service and a third selected one of the user profiles;

register the third selected user profile with the bridging communication service;

collect a plurality of events from the bridging communication service in a native communication protocol of the bridging communication service;

transmit the events to the agent server;

receive the translated events; and

for each of the translated events, identify a user name portion of the translated event and a communication portion of the translated event, generate a textual communication comprising the user name portion, the communication portion, and an indication that the communication portion is associated with the user name portion, and submit the textual communication to the bridging communication service.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication that the communication portion is associated with the user name portion comprises one or more spaces, characters, and/or textual symbols for separating the user name portion from the communication portion.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising, in transparent mode:

deploying one monitoring agent to the source communication service; and

for each of a plurality of users associated with the source communication service;

deploying one relay agent to the destination communication service;

identifying a selection of the translated events that were originated by the user, each of the translated events comprising a user name portion and a communication portion; and

transmitting the communication portions of the selected translated events to the relay agent.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

for each of the translated events, determining a timing characteristic for the collected event by;

identifying a first origination time for the collected event;

identifying a second origination time for the immediately preceding collected event;

calculating a difference between the second origination time and the first origination time; and

designating the difference as the timing characteristic; and

submitting each of the translated events to the destination communication service according to the timing characteristic associated with the translated event.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the communication portion of each of the relayed events comprises a user name that corresponds to a user that originated the event, an original communication, and an indication that the user originated the communication portion, the indication comprising language for indicating that the user originated the communication and one or more spaces, characters, and/or textual symbols for separating the user name and the indication from the communication.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, by an administrator interface, a plurality of bridging instructions to each of one or more agent servers, the bridging instructions comprising two or more communication services to be bridged and a mode of bridging that is selected from a group consisting of a transparent mode and a relay mode.

15. A computer readable medium comprising software for bridging communications, the software comprising computer code such that when executed is operable to:

maintain in a database a plurality of user profiles;

receive a plurality of user profiles and a plurality of sets of monitoring instructions from a central server;

deploy a plurality of monitoring agents, each of the monitoring agents adapted to receive an identification of a source communication service and a first selected one of the user profiles, to register the first selected user profile with the source communication service, to collect a plurality of events from the source communication service in a native communication protocol of the source communication service, and to transmit the events to the agent server, wherein the source communication service comprises a real-time group communication service;

receive the events; and

for each of a plurality of sets of bridging instructions, determine a destination communication service according to the bridging instructions, identify events from the received events to relay to the destination communication service, and translate the identified events to a native communication protocol of the destination communication service; and

deploy a plurality of relay agents, each of the relay agents adapted to receive an identification of a destination communication service, a second selected one of the user profiles, and at least a portion of each of selected ones of the translated events, to register the second selected user profile with the destination communication service, and to submit the translated events to the destination communication service.

16. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, the computes code further operable when executed, in relay mode, to:

deploy one of a plurality of automated agents to each of two or more bridging communication services, each of the automated agents operable to;

receive an identification of a bridging communication service and a third selected one of the user profiles;

register the third selected user profile with the bridging communication service;

collect a plurality of events from the bridging communication service in a native communication protocol of the bridging communication service;

transmit the events to the agent server;

receive the translated events; and

for each of the translated events, identify a user name portion of the translated event and a communication portion of the translated event, generate a textual communication comprising the user name portion, the communication portion, and an indication that the communication portion is associated with the user name portion, and submit the textual communication to the bridging communication service.

17. The computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the indication that the communication portion is associated with the user name portion comprises one or more spaces, characters, and/or textual symbols for separating the user name portion from the communication portion.

18. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, the computer code further operable when executed, in transparent mode, to:

deploy one monitoring agent to the source communication service;

for each of a plurality of users associated with the source communication service;

deploy one relay agent to the destination communication service,

identify a selection of the translated events that were originated by the user, each of the translated events comprising a user name portion and a communication portion; and

transmit the communication portions of the selected translated events to the relay agent.

19. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, the computer code further operable when executed to:

for each of the translated events, determine a timing characteristic for the collected event by identifying a first origination time for the collected event, identifying a second origination time for the immediately preceding collected event, calculating a difference between the second origination time and the first origination time, and designating the difference as the timing characteristic; and

submit each of the translated events to the destination communication service according to the timing characteristic associated with the translated event.

20. The computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein the communication portion of each of the relayed events comprises a user name that corresponds to a user that originated the event, an original communication, and an indication that the user originated the communication portion, the indication comprising language for indicating that the user originated the communication and one or more spaces, characters, and/or textual symbols for separating the user name and the indication from the communication.