Using state information in a distributed environment

• US 7,062,539 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Leach, Paul J., Elvanoglu, Ferhan, Lucovsky, Mark H., Pierce, Shaun D., Kaler, Chris
• Primary Examiner(s): Barot, Bharat
• Application Number:
  US10/968,731
• Publication Number:
  US 20050080865A1
• Time in Patent Office: 602 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709205-206, 709217-220, 709/246, 710/5, 710/19, 707/10, 707/201
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6245 Protecting personal data, e.g. for financial or medical purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1863 comprising mechanisms for improved reliability, e.g. status reports arrangements for detecting or preventing errors by carrying supervisory signal the return channel H04L1/16
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

Processing a response to a network request using information that was transplanted into the response from a specific portion of the request. A requesting computer system generates an electronic request that includes the specific portion. The requesting computer system then submits the request to a responding computer system, which processes the request to form a response to the request. During processing of the request, the responding system transplants the specific portion of the request to the response. The responding computer system then transmits the response to the request to a processing computer system that processes the request. The processing computer system receives the response and extracts the information from the specific portion of the response. The processing computer system then uses the extracted information to process the request.

Claims

1. A computer program product for use in a computer network environment that includes a requesting computing system configured to dispatch a request, a responding computing system configured to generate a response to the request, and a processing computing system configured to process a response to the request, wherein each of the requesting computing system and the responding computing system have independent processors, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for processing the response to the request without the processing computing system beforehand having all of the state information relevant to process the request, the method comprising the following:

the requesting computing system generating a request that includes a portion that is to be transferred with a request and returned in a response to the request and without affecting the processing of the request, the portion including state information relevant for the processing computing entity to process a response to the request;

the requesting computing system dispatching the request to the responding computer entity and without storing the state information;

the processing computer system receiving a response to the request, the response including the portion that was transferred from the request without affecting the processing of the request; and

processing the response using the state information included in the response.

2. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the requesting computing system and the processing computing system are the same computing system.

3. A computer program product in accordance with claim 1, wherein the requesting computing system and the processing computing system are different computing systems.

4. A computer program product as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the request and response comprise an electronic message.

5. A computer program product for use in a computer network environment that includes a requesting computing system configured to dispatch a request, a responding computing system configured to generate a response to the request, and a processing computing system configured to process a response to the request, wherein each of the requesting computing system and the responding computing system have independent processors, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having computer-executable instructions for implementing a method for processing the response to the request without the processing computing system beforehand having all of the state information relevant to process the request, the computer program product comprising:

computer executable instructions for a requesting computing system to dispatch a request that includes an echo portion that is to be transferred with a request and returned in a response to the request without affecting the processing of the request, the portion including state information relevant for the processing computing entity to process a response to the request, wherein the requesting computer system sends the request without storing the state information to a responding computer system;

computer executable instructions for a responding computer system to generate the response without being affected by the echo portion, and to transplant the echo portion in the response;

computer executable instructions for a processing computer system to receive and process a response to the request using the state information that was included in the response.

6. A computer program product in accordance with claim 5, wherein the requesting computing system and the processing computing system are the same computing system.

7. A computer program product in accordance with claim 5, wherein the requesting computing system and the processing computing system are different computing systems.

8. A computer program product as recited in claim 5, wherein at least one of the request and response comprise an electronic message.

9. In a computer network environment that includes a requesting computing system configured to dispatch a request, a responding computing system configured to generate a response to the request, and a processing computing system configured to process a response to the request, wherein each of the requesting computing system and the responding computing system have independent processors, a method for processing the response to the request without the processing computing system beforehand having all of the state information relevant to process the request, the method comprising:

requesting computing system to dispatch a request that includes an echo portion that is to be transferred with a request and returned in a response to the request without affecting the processing of the request, the portion including state information relevant for the processing computing entity to process a response to the request, wherein the requesting computer system sends the request without storing the state information to a responding computer system;

wherein a responding computer system generates the response without being affected by the echo portion, and transplants the echo portion in the response; and

wherein a processing computer system receives and processes a response to the request using the state information that was included in the response.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the requesting computing system and the processing computing system are the same computing system.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the requesting computing system and the processing computing system are different computing systems.

12. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein at least one of the request and response comprise an electronic message.