System and method for multi-protocol communication in a computer network
First Claim
1. A system for multi-protocol messaging communication on a computer network, the system comprising:
- a user interface module to permit user entry of data for an outgoing message to be transmitted on the computer network, the user interface module having a format compatible with an application software program;
first and second service providers having first and second communication protocols, respectively;
an application program interface coupled to the user interface module and communicating therewith, the application program interface defining a set of data structures to support data transfer, including the outgoing message, from the user interface to the first and second service providers; and
a conversion platform coupled to the application program interface and to the first and second service providers, the conversion platform converting data defined by at least one of the data structures of the application program interface to the first and second communication protocols for communicating with the first and second service providers, respectively, the conversion platform converting the outgoing message received from the application program interface to the first and second communication protocols and transmitting the outgoing message using the first and second communication protocols to the first and second service providers, respectively.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system for multi-protocol communication in the computer network has a user interface layer with a common data structure to permit instant messaging communication with multiple service providers that each have different communication protocols. Message data and commands are transferred to a conversion platform layer using an application programming interface (API). Within the conversion platform layer, the data and commands transformed to conform with the messaging requirements and communication protocol of the different service providers. The conversion process is transparent to the user and permits instant messaging to recipients regardless of the recipient'"'"'s service provider. Incoming messages received from a recipient are received by the conversion platform layer and converted from the messaging requirements and communication protocol of the recipient'"'"'s service provider to the common data structure of the user interface. The system also permits a user to establish and display a contact list even though the individuals in the contact list may be subscribers to different service providers. When the user logs on to the various service providers, the contact list data for each service provider is provided to the user interface and converted for display to the user.
811 Citations
43 Claims
-
1. A system for multi-protocol messaging communication on a computer network, the system comprising:
-
a user interface module to permit user entry of data for an outgoing message to be transmitted on the computer network, the user interface module having a format compatible with an application software program;
first and second service providers having first and second communication protocols, respectively;
an application program interface coupled to the user interface module and communicating therewith, the application program interface defining a set of data structures to support data transfer, including the outgoing message, from the user interface to the first and second service providers; and
a conversion platform coupled to the application program interface and to the first and second service providers, the conversion platform converting data defined by at least one of the data structures of the application program interface to the first and second communication protocols for communicating with the first and second service providers, respectively, the conversion platform converting the outgoing message received from the application program interface to the first and second communication protocols and transmitting the outgoing message using the first and second communication protocols to the first and second service providers, respectively. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
-
-
17. A computer-readable medium containing computer-executable instructions for performing multi-protocol messaging communication on a computer network comprising:
-
sensing user entry of data for an outgoing message to be transmitted on the computer network;
placing the entered data in a format compatible with an application software program;
establishing a communication link with first and second service providers having first and second communication protocols, respectively;
defining a set of application program interface data structures to support data transfer, including the outgoing message, from the user interface to the first and second service providers;
converting data defined by at least one of the set of data structures of the application program interface to at least one of the first and second communication protocols; and
transmitting the outgoing message using the at least one of the first and second communication protocols to a corresponding one of the first and second service providers. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A method for multi-protocol messaging communication on a computer network, the method comprising:
-
sensing user entry of data for an outgoing message to be transmitted on the computer network;
placing the entered data in a format compatible with an application software program;
establishing a communication link with first and second service providers having first and second communication protocols, respectively;
defining a set of application program interface data structures to support data transfer, including the outgoing message, from the user interface to the first and second service providers;
converting data defined by at least one of the data structures of the application program interface to the first and second communication protocols; and
transmitting the outgoing message using the first and second communication protocols to the first and second service providers. - View Dependent Claims (33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
-
Specification