Transmitting data between a host computer and a terminal computer

• US 6,243,752 B1
• Filed: 03/13/1998
• Issued: 06/05/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Juniper Networks Incorporated
• Original Assignee: British Telecommunications PLC (BT Group PLC)
• Inventors: Butt, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILLETT, STEPHAN F
• Application Number:
  US09/043,153
• Time in Patent Office: 1,180 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/227, 709/229, 709/228, 340/825.01, 370/431
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/74 Address processing for routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A terminal computer is used to send instructions to a host computer through a public network to open and close application programs and to transmit data between the application programs and the terminal computer through the public network. In order to open application programs, the terminal computer establishes an initial connection between the two computers and instructions are sent over this initial connection to open application programs. The host computer establishes an additional connection for each application program. In the terminal computer, a respective terminal emulator window is created for each additional connection. For each application program, data is transmitted over the respective additional connection using a character-based protocol. In the terminal computer, the data is converted from the character-based format to a bit-mapped graphical format and then displayed in the respective terminal emulator window.

Claims

1. A method of establishing data connections between a host computer and a computer acting as a terminal computer through a communications network, said data connections relating to a plurality of application programs running on the host computer, said method comprising the steps of:

said terminal computer establishing an initial connection between the terminal computer and the host computer using a long-on procedure;

said terminal computer creating an initial terminal emulator window for said initial connection;

said host computer transmitting a menu of its application programs to the terminal computer over said initial connection;

said terminal computer displaying said menu in said initial terminal emulator window; and

for each application program selected by the user of the terminal computer;

transmitting a request over said initial connection from the terminal computer to the host computer to open the selected application program;

said host computer establishing an additional connection between the host computer and the terminal computer;

said terminal computer creating an additional terminal emulator window for said additional connection;

transmitting data relating to said selected application program between the host computer and the terminal computer over said additional connection; and

displaying data relating to said selected application programs in said additional terminal emulator window.

2. A method as in claim 1 in which, after said step of establishing an initial connection between the terminal computer and the host computer, the host computer obtains the network address of the terminal computer, and said host computer uses said network address during said step of establishing an additional connection between the host computer and the terminal computer.

3. A method as in claim 1 in which, in the terminal computer, the data relating to each application program is converted from character-based protocol into a bit-mapped format prior to display in the respective additional terminal emulator window.

4. A method as in claim 1 in which the host computer is a network manager.

5. A computer system comprising a host computer, a computer acting as a terminal computer and a network for transmitting data between said computers, each of said computers being controlled by a respective program, and said programs being arranged so as to cause said computers to perform the following operations in order to transmit data connections between a plurality of application programs running on said host computer and said terminal computers:

said terminal computer establishes an initial connection between the terminal computer and the host computer using a log-on procedure;

said terminal computer creates an initial terminal emulation window for said initial connection;

said host computer transmits a menu of its application programs to the terminal computer over said initial connection;

said terminal computer displays said menu in said initial terminal emulator window; and

for each application program selected by the user of the terminal computer;

said terminal computer transmits a request over said initial connection to the host computer to open the selected application program;

said host computer establishes an additional connection between the host computer and the terminal computer;

said terminal computer creates an additional terminal emulator window for said additional connection;

data relating to said selected application program is transmitted between the host computer and the terminal computer over said additional connection; and

data relating to said selected application program is displayed in said additional terminal emulator window.

6. A computer system as in claim 5 in which, after the initial connection between the terminal computer and the host computer has been established, the host computer obtains the network address of the terminal computer and uses said network address when establishing an additional connection between the host computer and the terminal computer.

7. A computer system as in claim 5 in which, in the terminal computer the data relating to each application program is converted from character-based protocol into a bit-mapped format prior to display in the respective additional terminal emulator window.

8. A computer system as in claim 5, in which the host computer is a network manager.