SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR REPLICATING OFFLINE SCHEDULING TRANSACTIONS FROM A CLIENT TO A SERVER

• US 20120254282A1
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Published: 10/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/02/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Simmons, Daniel, Lindquist, Josh
• Granted Patent: US 9,183,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A facility for replicating offline scheduling transactions directed to a server is provided. The facility is implemented as a client-side application that integrates with and utilizes components of a store-and-forward application, which is operable to execute on a client to guarantee that transactions submitted on the client are replicated and carried out on a service hosted on a remote server even in light of intermittent connectivity between the client, the server, and networks. Records describing transactions intended remote service are written to an outbox of the store-and-forward application on the client. If the item is intended for the scheduling application, the facility is invoked by the store-and-forward application to send the item to the scheduling application. Otherwise, the facility returns the item to the outbox for processing by other components of the store-and-forward application.

Claims

1-24. -24. (canceled)

25. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions for controlling a computing device to process transactions of a first application by a method comprising:

receiving by the first application a message to be sent to a first remote service via a network;

when the computing device is not currently connected to the network, storing the message at the computing device;

requesting by the first application a store-and-forward application to provide a network connection notification to the first application after the store-and-forward application detects that the computing device is connected to the network, the store-and-forward application being adapted to detect when the computing device is connected to the network so that the store-and-forward application can send messages to a second remote service that is different from the first remote service; and

after receiving the network connection notification provided by the store-and-forward application,

retrieving by the first application the stored message; and

sending by the first application the retrieved message to the first remote service via the network.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the message is stored in an outbox of the store-and-forward application.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein when the store-and-forward application detects that the computing device is connected to the network, the store-and-forward application retrieves the message from the outbox and sends the message to the first application for retrieval by the first application.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the store-and-forward application is an electronic mail application and the first application is a collaboration application.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the store-and-forward application is an electronic mail application and the first application is a scheduling application.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the retrieving and sending are performed by a service delivery component of the first application.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein a service delivery component and a service user interface component of the first application are implemented as an integral part of the store-and-forward application.

32. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions of a store-and-forward application for controlling a computing device to send messages to a service server and a store-and-forward server, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

a component that detects when the computing device is connected to a network; and

a component that, in response to detecting that the device is connected to the network,

retrieves messages that were stored while the computing device was not connected to the network;

determines whether a message is to be sent the service server or the store-and-forward server;

upon determining that a message is to be sent to the service server, invoking a service delivery component to send the message to the service server; and

upon determining that a messages is to be sent to the store-and-forward server, invoking a store-and-forward delivery component to send the message to the store-and-forward server

wherein the component that detects when the computing device is connected to a network detects connectivity for sending messages to both the service server and the store-and-forward server.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 32 wherein the service delivery component is an integral portion of the store-and-forward application.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 33 wherein a server user interface component for receiving messages for the service server is an integral portion of the store-and-forward application.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 32 wherein messages are stored in an outbox of the store-and-forward application.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 35 wherein when the store-and-forward application detects that the computing device is connected to the network, the store-and-forward application retrieves messages from the outbox and sends the message to service delivery component or the store-and-forward delivery component based on the determining whether a message is to be sent the service server or the store-and-forward server.

37. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 32 wherein the store-and-forward application is an electronic mail application and the service server provides collaboration services.

38. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 32 wherein the store-and-forward application is an electronic mail application and the service server provides scheduling services.

39. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions of a store-and-forward application for controlling a computing device so that a message generated by a service application is sent to a service server and a message generated by the store-and-forward application is sent to a store-and-forward server, the computer-executable instructions comprising:

a component that detects when the computing device is connected to a network; and

a component that, in response to detecting that the device is connected to the network,

retrieves messages that were stored while the computing device was not connected to the network;

determines whether a message is to be sent a service server or a store-and-forward server;

upon determining that a message is to be sent to the service server, notifying the service application to send the message to the service server; and

upon determining that a messages is to be sent to the store-and-forward server, invoking a store-and-forward delivery component of the store-and-forward application to send the message to the store-and-forward server

wherein the component that detects when the computing device is connected to a network detects connectivity for sending messages to both the service server and the store-and-forward server.

40. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 39 wherein the notifying includes providing the message to the service application.

41. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 39 wherein messages are stored in an outbox of the store-and-forward application.

42. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 39 wherein the service application stores messages in the outbox.

43. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 39 wherein the store-and-forward application is an electronic mail application and the service application is a collaboration application.

44. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 39 wherein the store-and-forward application is an electronic mail application and the service application is a scheduling application.