Method, system and computer program product for a lightweight directory access protocol client application program interface

• US 7,243,355 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Issued: 07/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: CDN Innovations, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Business Global LLC (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Espino, Mayel
• Primary Examiner(s): Thomson; William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Ho; Andy
• Application Number:
  US10/115,255
• Publication Number:
  US 20030191868A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 719/328, 709/230, 707/3, 707/4, 707/5
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/548 Object oriented; Remote method invocation [RMI] non-remote method invocation G06F9/449
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4523 using lightweight directory access protocol [LDAP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

A device, including a computer readable medium storing executable computer instructions for implementing an application program interface (API). The API including a function call for enabling communications between a calling application and a client on the device, the client communicating with a directory server. In another aspect, there is provided a computer-readable medium, including executable computer instructions for implementing an application program interface (API) on a device. The API, including a function call for enabling communications between a calling application and a client on the device, the client communicating with a directory server.

Claims

1. A hand-held device, comprising:

a computer readable medium storing executable computer instructions for implementing an application program interface (API), the API, including,

a function call for enabling communications between a calling application and a client on the hand-held device, the client communicating with a directory server in accordance with the lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP), wherein the function call stores a query string associated with the calling application and a preference of the calling application in a memory of the hand-held device, the query string identifying data used by the calling application, the preference including a parameter to enable the calling application to have data for the calling application automatically retrieved by the client upon the client connecting to the directory server.

2. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the function call requests the client to transmit a query to the directory server on behalf of the calling application, the query identifying data used by the calling application.

3. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the function call gets a row of data associated with the calling application stored in a memory of the hand-held device.

4. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the function call requests the client to terminate a connection with the directory server and release all data associated with the calling application.

5. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the function call allows the client to determine whether or not one or more applications on the hand-held device are configured to have data for the one or more applications, automatically retrieved by the client upon the client connecting to the directory server.

6. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the function call retrieves a preference of the calling application from a memory of the hand-held device.

7. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the function call retrieves a date and time since data associated with the calling application was last retrieved by the client from the directory server.

8. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the hand-held device includes one of a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a cellular phone and a palmtop computer.

9. The hand-held device of claim 1, wherein the directory server comprises a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory server.

10. A computer-readable storage medium, comprising:

executable computer instructions for implementing an application program interface (API) on a hand-held device, the API, including,

a function call for enabling communications between a calling application and a client on the hand-held device, the client communicating with a directory server in accordance with lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP), wherein the function call stores a preference of the calling application in a memory of the hand-held device and allows the client to determine whether one or more applications on the hand-held device are configured to have data for the one or more applications automatically retrieved by the client upon the client connecting to the directory server, wherein the preference includes a parameter to enable the calling application to have the data for the calling application to be automatically retrieved.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the function call stores a query string associated with the calling application in a memory of the hand-held device.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the query string identifies data used by the calling application.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the function call requests the client to transmit a query to the directory server on behalf of the calling application, the query identifying data used by the calling application.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the function call gets a row of data associated with the calling application stored in a memory of the hand-held device.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the function call requests the client to terminate a connection with the directory server and release all data associated with the calling application.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the function call retrieves a preference of the calling application from a memory of the hand-held device.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the function call retrieves a date and time since data associated with the calling application was last retrieved by the client from the directory server.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the hand-held device includes one of a personal digital assistant (PDA), an Internet appliance, a cellular phone and a palmtop computer.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the directory server comprises a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP) directory server.

20. A hand-held apparatus, comprising:

a client configured to communicate with a directory server using a lightweight directory access protocol (LDAP); and

a memory configured to store a customizable parameter and an executable computer instruction for implementing an application program interface (API) that includes a function call to enable communications between a plurality of calling applications and the client, wherein the customizable parameter specifies how the client generates a query to the directory server for updating the plurality of calling applications, the function call storing a preference of one of the calling applications in the memory, the preference including a parameter to enable the one calling application to have data for the one calling application automatically retrieved by the client upon the client connecting to the directory server.