Methods and systems for message forwarding and property notifications using electronic subscriptions

• US 6,260,148 B1
• Filed: 07/26/1999
• Issued: 07/10/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Beebee, Peter L., Wong, Leon C. W., Aggarwal, Sudhanshu M., Calsyn, Martin R., Surati, Rajeev
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): ELISCA, PIERRE E
• Application Number:
  US09/360,531
• Time in Patent Office: 715 Days
• Field of Search: 348/7, 348/10, 705/26, 705/27, 705/39, 713/200, 713/201, 713/202, 380/205, 380/210, 380/211
• US Class Current: 726/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3055 Monitoring arrangements for monitoring the status of the computing system or of the computing system component, e.g. monitoring if the computing system is on, off, available, not available error or fault processing without redundancy G06F11/0703; error detection or correction by redundancy in data representation G06F11/08; error detection or correction by redundancy in operation G06F11/14; error detection or correction by redundancy in hardware G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3079 the data filtering being achieved by reporting only the changes of the monitored data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/328 Computer systems status display G06F11/327 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3495 for systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/875 Monitoring of systems including the internet
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/043 using or handling presence information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/02 for separating internal from external traffic, e.g. firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/30 Profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A messaging system is described in which subscription requests are transmitted over the Internet using Internet protocols such as extensions of HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP). The subscription request may be for a wide variety of information from the remote device. For example, the subscription request might be for messages to be forwarded from the device as they are received. Also, the subscriptions could be for messages to be generated when a property value of the remote device has a predetermined characteristic. Such property values might include, for example, stock prices, inventory levels, online status, error codes, heart rates, and the like. The subscription request itself is a data structure representing a subscribe method identification, an address of the device containing the information, and an address of the device to which the information is to be forwarded. Optionally, the subscription request may also define the conditions under which a message is to be forwarded, or under which a property notification is to be sent.

Claims

1. In a first device that is included in a network system that also includes a second device, the first device being capable of monitoring the value of a property at the first device, a method of transmitting a message from the first device to the second device when the value of the property at the first device experiences a specified conditions so that the second device is notified that the value of the property has experienced the specified condition, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving a subscription request from the second device, the subscription request specifying;

the property to which the second device is subscribing; and

a condition associated with the value of the property, wherein the subscription request represents a request for the first device to generate a message when the value of the specified property at the first device experiences the specified condition;

in response to receiving the subscription request, monitoring the value of the specified property at the first device, resulting in the first device making a determination that the value of the specified property has experienced the specified condition;

upon the first device making the determination, generating a message that includes information identifying the value of the specified property at the first device; and

transmitting the message from the first device to the second device, such that the second device is notified that the value of the property has experienced the specified condition.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of receiving the subscription request from the second device comprises the following act of:

receiving the subscription request over the Internet from the second device using an extension of HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of monitoring the value of the specified property comprises act of:

monitoring the value of the specified property for a predetermined time period and upon the completion of the time period ceasing monitoring the value of the specified property.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the message is a first message, the method further comprising the following act of:

generating a message forwarding subscription request to be sent to the second device from a third device so as to result in, when the messaging forwarding subscription request is received at the second device, a second message being sent from the second device to a third device when the second device receives the first message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the act of monitoring the value of the specified property comprises monitoring when an online status value of the property at the first device changes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the value of the property comprises

a value selected from the group consisting of a stock price value, a heart rate value, and an inventory value.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscription request is a first subscription request, wherein the message is a first message, the method further comprising the following act:

generating a second subscription request so as to result in, when the second subscription request is received at the second device, a second electronic message being sent from the second device to a third device when the second device receives the first electronic message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscription request is a first subscription request, wherein the message is a first electronic message, the method further comprising the following step:

generating a second subscription request so as to result in, when the second subscription request is received at the second device, a second electronic message having the same content as the first electronic message being sent from the second device to a third device when the second device receives the first electronic message.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the subscription request is a first subscription request, wherein the message is a first electronic message, the method further comprising the following step:

generating a second subscription request so as to result in, when the second subscription request is received at the first device, a second electronic message having the same content as the first electronic message being sent from the first device to at least one other device upon the happening of the specified condition.

10. In a first device that is included in a network system that also includes a second device, the first device being capable of monitoring receipt of an electronic mail message at the first device, a method of transmitting the electronic mail message from the first device to the second device when the electronic mail message is received by the first device so that the electronic mail message is automatically forwarded to the second device, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving a subscription request from the second device, the subscription request specifying;

the first device to which the second device is subscribing; and

a condition associated with the electronic mail message, wherein the subscription request represents a request for the first device to forward the electronic mail message from the first device upon the first device experiencing the specified condition;

in response to receiving the subscription request, monitoring the receipt of the electronic mail message at the first device, resulting in the first device making a determination that the first device has experienced the specified condition;

upon the first device making the determination, transmitting the electronic mail message from the first device to the second device, such that the second device is notified that the first device has experienced the specified condition.

11.The method of claim 10, wherein the act of receiving the subscription request from the second device comprises the act of receiving the subscription request over the Internet from the second device using an extension of HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP).

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of receiving the subscription request from the second device comprises the act of receiving the subscription request over the Internet from the second device using an HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP).

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the specified condition comprises receiving the electronic mail message at the first device.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the subscription request is a message forwarding subscription request so as to result in, when the first device receives the message forwarding subscription request, the electronic mail message that was originally addressed to the first device being forwarded from the first device to the second device as the first device receives the electronic mail message.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the act of monitoring the receipt of the electronic mail message comprises the act of monitoring the receipt of the electronic mail message for a predetermined time period and upon the completion of the time period ceasing monitoring the receipt of the electronic mail message.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the electronic mail message is a first electronic mail message, the method further comprising the act of:

generating a message forwarding subscription request so as to result in, when the message forwarding subscription request is received by the second device, a second electronic mail message being send from the second device to at least one other device when the second device receives the first electronic mail message.

15. The method of claim 15, wherein upon completion of the time period, ceasing to forward the electronic mail message received at the first device to the second device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the subscription request comprises a subscription lifetime defining the time period that the first device monitors receiving the electronic mail message.

18. The method of claim 18, wherein the second electronic mail message is the same as the first electronic mail message.

19. A computer product for implementing, in a system that includes a first device and a second device, the first device being capable of monitoring the value of a property at the first device, a method of transmitting a message from the first device to the second device when the value of the property at the first device experiences a specified conditions so that the second device is notified that the value of the property has experienced the specified condition, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions for implementing the method, wherein the computer-executable instructions, when executed by the system, cause the system to perform the acts of;

receiving a subscription request from the second device, the subscription request specifying;

the property to which the second device is subscribing; and

a condition associated with the value of the property, wherein the subscription request represents a request for the first device to generate a message when the value of the specified property at the first device experiences the specified condition;

in response to receiving the subscription request, monitoring the value of the specified property at the first device, resulting in the first device making a determination that the value of the specified property has experienced the specified condition;

upon the first device making the determination, generating a message that includes information identifying the value of the specified property at the first device; and

transmitting the message from the first device to the second device, such that the second device is notified that the value of the property has experienced the specified condition.

20. The computer product of claim 20, wherein the act of receiving the subscription request from the second device comprises the following act of:

receiving the subscription request over the Internet from the second device using an extension of HyperText Transport Protocol (HTTP).

21. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the act of monitoring the value of the specified property comprises the act of:

monitoring the value of the specified property for a predetermined time period and upon the completion of the time period ceasing monitoring the value of the specified property.

22. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the message is a first message, the method further comprising the following act of:

generating a message forwarding subscription request to be sent to the second device from a third device so as to result in, when the messaging forwarding subscription request is received at the second device, a second message being sent from the second device to a third device when the second device receives the first message.

23. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the act of monitoring the value of the specified property comprises monitoring when an online status value of the property at the first device changes.

24. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the value of the property comprises a value selected from the group consisting of a stock price value, a heart rate value, and an inventory value.

26.The computer product of claim 21, wherein the subscription request is a first subscription request, wherein the message is a first message, the method further comprising the following act:

generating a second subscription request so as to result in, when the second subscription request is received at the second device, a second electronic message being sent from the second device to a third device when the second device receives the first electronic message.

25. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the subscription request is a first subscription request, wherein the message is a first electronic message, the method further comprising the following step:

generating a second subscription request so as to result in, when the second subscription request is received at the second device, a second electronic message having the same content as the first electronic message being sent from the second device to a third device when the second device receives the first electronic message.

26. The computer product of claim 21, wherein the subscription request is a first subscription request, wherein the message is a first electronic message, the method further comprising the following step:

generating a second subscription request so as to result in, when the second subscription request is received at the first device, a second electronic message having the same content as the first electronic message being sent from the first device to at least one other device upon the happening of the specified condition.