Keep-alive messaging when two applications are running

• US 6,981,048 B1
• Filed: 11/22/2000
• Issued: 12/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Toshiba America Information Systems Incorporated (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba America Information Systems Incorporated (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Tuan, Abdolbaghian, Soheila
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US09/721,498
• Time in Patent Office: 1,861 Days
• Field of Search: 704200-203, 704223-228, 704231-232, 714/51, 714/55, 714/4
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

The present invention is generally directed to a system and method in which a second application (the “keep-alive function”) sends a ping, message or other signal to a first application to prevent the first application from being timed out (hereinafter, “keep-alive input”). In an embodiment of the invention, the first application is queried as to the appropriate content and format of a timeout period restart message. The keep-alive function may be automatically executed upon the occurrence of a triggering event. The keep-alive function may, periodically or based on a timeout clock related to the first application, check the status of the first application and/or send a keep-alive input.

Claims

1. An application management system comprising:

a first computer configured to host an application;

a user terminal;

a communication network, said first computer coupled to said user terminal through said communication network;

an computer-executable first application, wherein at least a portion of said first application is executed by said first computer and at last a second portion of the first application being executed at said user terminal;

a computer-executable second application, wherein said second application is executed at said user terminal; and

a computer-executable keep-alive function, to collect first application timeout information related to said first application to formulate a keep-alive input based on the collected first application timeout information; and

to transmit said keep-alive input to said first computer.

2. The application management system according to claim 1, wherein said first computer is a server, and said user terminal establishes communication with said server by sending said server a session initiation request.

3. The application management system according to claim 1, wherein

said keep-alive input has a content and a format, and

at least one of said content and said format is based on said timeout information collected by said keep-alive function.

4. The application management system according to claim 1, wherein said first application timeout information includes information related to a timeout period.

5. The application management system according to claim 1, wherein:

said first computer maintains an application timeout clock, a timeout function terminating said application when said timeout clock reaches a specified state and said application timeout clock being reset when said first computer receives the keep-alive input, and

said timeout information includes information related to a current state of said timeout clock.

6. The application management system according to claim 1, wherein said keep-alive function maintains a keep-alive function timeout clock and said keep-alive input is transmitted to said first computer when said keep-alive function timeout clock reaches a specified state.

7. The application management system according to claim 6, wherein:

said first computer maintains an application timeout clock, a timeout function terminating said first application when said timeout clock reaches a specified state and said application timeout clock being reset when said first computer receives the keep-alive input,

said timeout information includes information related to a current state of said application timeout clock, and

said keep-alive function timeout clock is set based on said timeout information.

8. An application management system according to claim 7, wherein said keep-alive function timeout clock is reset when the application timeout clock has been reset.

9. An application management system according to claim 7, wherein said keep-alive function timeout clock is reset when the user performs an action to keep said application alive.

10. The application management system according to claim 1, wherein said keep-alive function causes a query to be sent to a user seeking authorization from said user to transmit said keep-alive input to said first computer.

11. The application management system of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive function is housed on a computing device that is not the first computer or the user terminal.

12. The application management system of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive function is housed on the user terminal.

13. The application management system of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the second application is executed by said first computer.

14. The application management system of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive function transmits a keep-alive information request to the first computer in order to collect the first application timeout information.

15. The application management system of claim 1, wherein the first application is a downloading web page application and the keep-alive input transmitted to the first computer includes instructions to refresh the content of a web page.

16. The application management system of claim 1, wherein the keep-alive function transmits a keep-alive information request to the user terminal in order to collect the first application timeout information.

17. A method of managing a plurality of applications, said method comprising:

executing a first application, at least a portion of the first application being executed by a first computer and at least a second portion of the first application being executed at a user terminal, the first computer and the user terminal being coupled via a network;

executing a second application at the user terminal;

collecting, by a keep-alive function, first application timeout information related to said first application;

formulating a keep-alive input based on the collected timeout information; and

transmitting said keep-alive input from said user terminal to said first computer.

18. The method of managing an application according to claim 17, wherein said application timeout information includes information related to an application timeout clock maintained by said first computer and related to said first application.

19. The method of managing an application according to claim 18, wherein said keep-alive input is transmitted based on a state of said application timeout clock.

20. The method claim 18, further including, by said keep-alive function, maintaining a keep-alive function timeout clock related to said first application timeout clock, and wherein said keep-alive input is transmitted based on a state of said keep-alive function timeout clock.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein said application timeout includes information related to a required content or a required format for said keep-alive input, and said keep alive input is formulated based on said application timeout information.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein said application timeout information includes information related to a required format for said keep-alive input, and said keep-alive input is formulated based on said application timeout information.

23. The method of claim 17, further including transmitting a keep-alive information request to the first computer in order to collect the first application timeout information.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the keep-alive information request is a request identifying environmental variables or parameters associated with the time-out of the first application and a response includes the environmental variables or parameters.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the keep-alive function sorts through the environmental variables or parameters to identify timeout parameters.

26. The method of claim 24, further including sorting, by the keep-alive function, through the environmental variables or parameters to identify likely timeout parameters and determining whether multiple likely timeout parameters are present.

27. The method of claim 26, further including selecting one of the multiple likely timeout parameters having a smallest value.