Method for using electronic mail for exchanging data between computer systems

• US 6,272,549 B1
• Filed: 05/27/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett Packard Enterprise Development LP (Hewlett-Packard Enterprise Company)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett Packard Company (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Daniel, Robert S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Assistant Examiner(s): HO, CHUONG T
• Application Number:
  US09/085,604
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/229, 709/206, 709/247, 709/246, 709/218
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168

Abstract

A TCPEmail system that builds an additional TCP/IP protocol layer on top of an electronic mail system. An application program uses TCPEmail in the conventional manner of using TCP/IP. The application program calls TCPEmail and passes the data to be sent. TCPEmail breaks the data into packets, converts them into ASCII format, and sends the packets as a conventional electronic mail messages. When an electronic mail message is received the data in the mail message is converted into a binary data packet, combined with other packets, and sent to the application.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging data records using a TCP/IP protocol between a first process in a first computer and a second process in a second computer, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a send data record from the first process;

(b) subdividing the send data record into one or more send data packets within a TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

(c) enclosing each send data packet from step (b) into an electronic mail message within an IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

(d) sending the electronic mail message from the first computer to the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;

(e) receiving the electronic mail message in the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;

(f) removing the data from the electronic mail message to form a receive data packet within the IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

(g) combining the receive data packet from one or more electronic mail messages into a receive data record within the TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol; and

(h) sending the receive data record to the second process.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step (c) further comprises the following step (c1), and wherein step (f) further comprises the following step (f1):

(c1) converting data of the send data packet from a binary format into an ASCII format; and

(f1) converting the data of the receive data packet from an ASCII format to a binary format.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic mail send and receive in steps (d) and (e) is sent using a second TCP/IP protocol.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein step (d) further comprises the steps of:

(d1) sending an address of the first computer to a mail server process;

(d2) receiving a reply from the mail server process;

(d3) sending an address of the second computer to a mail server process;

(d4) receiving a reply from the mail server process;

(d5) sending the send data packet to the mail server process; and

(d6) receiving a reply from the mail server process.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein each reply from the mail server process is ignored.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein all steps of the method are performed within a user address space of each of the first and second computer systems.

7. A method for exchanging data records using a TCP/IP protocol between a first process in a first computer and a second process in a second computer, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a send data record from the first process;

(b) subdividing the send data record into at least one send data packet within a TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

(c) converting data of each send data packet from step (b) from a binary format into an ASCII format;

(d) enclosing each converted send data packet from step (c) into an electronic mail message within an IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

(e) sending the electronic mail message from the first computer to the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;

(f) receiving the electronic mail message in the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;

(g) removing the data from the electronic mail message;

(h) converting the data removed in step (g) from an ASCII format to a binary format to form a receive data packet within the IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

(i) combining the receive data packet from one or more electronic mail messages into a receive data record within the TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol; and

(j) sending the receive data record to the second process.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the electronic mail send and receive in steps (e) and (f) is sent using a second TCP/IP protocol.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein step (e) further comprises the steps of:

(e1) sending an address of the first computer to a mail server process;

(e2) receiving a reply from the mail server process;

(e3) sending an address of the second computer to a mail server process;

(e4) receiving a reply from the mail server process;

(e5) sending the send data packet to the mail server process; and

(e6) receiving a reply from the mail server process.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein each reply from the mail server process is ignored.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein all steps of the method are performed within a user address space of each of the first and second computer systems.

12. A system for exchanging data records using a TCP/IP protocol between a first process in a first computer and a second process in a second computer, said method comprising:

means for receiving a send data record from the first process;

means for subdividing the send data record into one or more send data packets within a TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

means for enclosing each send data packet into an electronic mail message within an IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

means for sending the electronic mail message from the first computer to the second computer using conventional electronic mail means;

means for receiving the electronic mail message in the second computer using conventional electronic mail means;

means for removing the data from the electronic mail message to form a receive data packet within the IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;

means for combining the receive data packet from one or more electronic mail messages into a receive data record within the TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol; and

means for sending the receive data record to the second process.

13. The system of claim 12 further comprising:

means for converting data of the send data packet from a binary format into an ASCII format and means for converting the data of the receive data packet from an ASCII format to a binary format.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein the means for sending further comprises:

means for sending an address of the first computer to a mail server process means;

means for receiving a reply from the mail server process means;

means for sending an address of the second computer to a mail server process means;

means for receiving a reply from the mail server process means;

means for sending the send data packet to the mail server process means; and

means receiving a reply from the mail server process means.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein each reply from the mail server process is ignored.