Method for exchanging messages between entities on a network comprising an actor attribute and a mandatory attribute in the header data structure
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- exchanging a message having a data structure within a header element of the message between entities on a network, wherein the message also comprises a body data structure separate from the header element, and wherein a portion of the message is forwarded to a destination entity of the message;
the message'"'"'s data structure having;
an actor attribute specifying an identity of an intermediate entity between the entities on the network; and
a mandatory attribute indicating whether an entry in the message is mandatory or optional for the intermediate entity to process,wherein if the entry in the message is mandatory and the intermediate entity is unable to understand and process the entry, then the intermediate entity generates and sends a fault message, and wherein the fault message indicates the Universal Resource Identifier (URI) of a fault source and whether the fault is related to processing the body data structure.
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Abstract
Using a message exchanger (“message exchanger”), data messages are exchanged between entities in a decentralized, distributed, potentially heterogeneous, network environment. The message exchanger employs XML (extensible Markup Language). To accomplish this, the entities on both ends of the message exchange understand, identify, and parse the message format. The message exchanger defines such a mechanism. Data messages are broken down into two portions—one portion (the body) is intended from an ultimate destination and the other portion (the header) is intended for intermediate destination and/or the ultimate destination. The body may be defined so that it must be understood by the ultimate destination. The header may be defined so that it must be understood or changed. Regardless, the data in the body is delivered intact to the ultimate destination. The message exchanger defines a message envelope exchange format in XML over a transport protocol, such as HTTP (HyperText Transport Protocol). This format allows for the execution of RPC (Remote Procedure Call) over XML, but it can be used for any message exchange over a network.
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Citations
18 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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exchanging a message having a data structure within a header element of the message between entities on a network, wherein the message also comprises a body data structure separate from the header element, and wherein a portion of the message is forwarded to a destination entity of the message; the message'"'"'s data structure having; an actor attribute specifying an identity of an intermediate entity between the entities on the network; and a mandatory attribute indicating whether an entry in the message is mandatory or optional for the intermediate entity to process, wherein if the entry in the message is mandatory and the intermediate entity is unable to understand and process the entry, then the intermediate entity generates and sends a fault message, and wherein the fault message indicates the Universal Resource Identifier (URI) of a fault source and whether the fault is related to processing the body data structure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method comprising:
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receiving at an entity on a network a message having a data structure within a header element of the message with an actor attribute specifying the identity of the entity and a mandatory attribute indicating that an explicit request for the entity to perform a task in the message'"'"'s data structure must be performed by the entity, wherein a portion of the message is forwarded to a destination entity of the message; and performing, at the entity, the task in the message'"'"'s data structure, wherein if the entity does not understand the mandatory attribute of the message or if the entity encounters a problem in processing the message, then a fault message is generated by the entity to indicate the Universal Resource Identifier (URI) of a fault source and whether the fault is related to performing the task in the message'"'"'s data structure. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
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13. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a computer, performs a method comprising:
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receiving at an entity on a network a message having a data structure within a header element of the message with an actor attribute specifying the identity of the entity and a mandatory attribute indicating whether an entry in the message is mandatory or optional for the entity to process, wherein a portion of the message is forwarded to a destination entity of the message; and determining that the entity is specified by the actor attribute, wherein if the entity does not understand the mandatory attribute of the message or if the entity encounters a problem in processing the message, then a fault message is generated by the entity, and wherein the fault message indicates a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) of a fault source and whether the fault is related to processing the message. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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Specification