System and method for communications management and data exchange

• US 7,584,241 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2002
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Welch, Joseph F., Pace, Frederick G., Kureshy, Arif
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan J
• Assistant Examiner(s): WASEL, MOHAMED A
• Application Number:
  US10/102,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20020152268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,723 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-232, 709/246, 709/247, 709/250, 455/412.1, 455/435.1
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/06 Message adaptation to terminal or network requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A system and method for communications management and data exchange are provided. A mobile device includes one or more client applications that communicate with one or more server-based applications. The mobile device includes application bridge components for routing incoming and outgoing messages from the server-based application to one or more client applications. The server-based applications also communicate to each other and the client applications via a server-based application bridge. Both application bridges are operable to obtain transformation and routing information from the message and process the message accordingly. In the event communication becomes intermittent, the client-based application bridge and the server-based application bridge manage the messages and ensure message delivery.

Claims

1. A computer system for communications management and data exchange, the computer system comprising:

a communication network operable to facilitate the transmission of messages, the messages including one or more message data streams and one or more processing data streams;

a remote client computing device in intermittent communication with the communication network, said remote client computing device including at least one client-based application and a client-based application bridge, said remote client computing device having a current routing availability; and

a server-based computing device in communication with the communication network, said server-based communication device including at least one server-based application and a server-based application bridge;

wherein the client-based application bridge is operable to determine a routing path for the messages based on the current routing availability of the remote client computing device;

wherein the server-based application is operable to generate messages for the client-based application and wherein the client-based application is operable to generate messages for the server-based application; and

wherein the client-based application bridge and the server-based application bridge are operable to manage the transmission of messages between the client-based application and the server-based application when the remote client computing device is not in communication with the communication network and content within the messages can be modified at any time before transmission of the messages.

2. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the messages also include transformation information and wherein the client-based application bridge includes a transformation component operable to transform messages.

3. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein the transformation component is operable to compress the messages.

4. The computer system as recited in claim 2, wherein the transformation component is operable to encrypt the messages.

5. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes a manager component operable to manage a state of messages being processed by the client-based application bridge.

6. The computer system as recited in claim 5, wherein the messages also include routing information and wherein the manager component is further operable to determine a routing path for messages being processed by the client-based application bridge.

7. The computer system as recited in claim 6, wherein the manager component is further operable to append the determined routing path to routing information in the message.

8. The computer system as recited in claim 5, wherein the messages also include processing instructions and wherein the manager component is further operable to determine an order for delivery of the messages.

9. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes an API component operable to interface with the client-based application.

10. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes a protocol component operable to interface with the communication network.

11. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application bridge includes an application integration component operable to transmit messages to the client-based application.

12. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the messages also include transformation information and wherein the server-based application bridge includes a transformation component operable to transform messages.

13. The computer system as recited in claim 12, wherein the transformation component is operable to compress the messages.

14. The computer system as recited in claim 12, wherein the transformation component is operable to encrypt the messages.

15. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server-based application bridge includes a manager component operable to manage a state of messages being processed by the server-based application bridge.

16. The computer system as recited in claim 15, wherein the messages also include routing information and wherein the manager component is further operable to determine a routing path for messages being processed by the server-based application bridge.

17. The computer system as recited in claim 16, wherein the manager component is further operable to append the determined routing path to the routing information in the message.

18. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server-based application bridge includes an API component operable to interface with the server-based application.

19. The computer system as recited in claim 1, server-based application bridge includes an application integration component operable to transmit messages to the server-based application.

20. The computer system as recited in claim 19, wherein the application integration component is operable to transmit messages to a distributed server-based application.

21. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the server-based application bridge includes a protocol component operable to interface with the communication network.

22. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote client device is a mobile device.

23. The computer system as recited in claim 22, wherein the communication network is a wireless communication network.

24. The computer system as recited in claim 23, wherein the wireless communication network is an IEEE 802.11b wireless network.

25. The computer system as recited in claim 22, wherein the communication network is a combination wireless and wired communication network.

26. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application is a word processing application program.

27. The computer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the client-based application is an electronic communication application program.

28. A computer-readable storage medium having computer-executable components for communications management, comprising:

a manager component operable to manage the processing of a message and determine a routing path for the message based on connectivity with a communications network;

a data store component in communication with the manager component and operable to store messages;

a protocol component in communication with the manager component and operable to communicate with the communications network, wherein communication with the communications network is intermittent; and

an application protocol interface component operable to interface with an application program that generates and receives messages.

29. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 28 further comprising a transformation component operable to obtain transformation information from a message and process the message according to the transformation information.

30. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 28, wherein the manager component is further operable to obtain routing information from the message and determine a routing path for the message based on said routing information.

31. The computer-readable storage medium as recited m claim 28 further comprising an application integration component operable to interface with an application program.

32. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 31, wherein the application integration component is operable to interface with a distributed application program.

33. The computer-readable storage medium as recited in claim 28, wherein at least one of the computer-executable modules are provided as part of a distributed application.

34. A system for communications management and data exchange, wherein a communication network is operable to facilitate the transmission of messages between a mobile computing device and a second computing device, said messages including one or more message data streams and one or more processing data streams, wherein the mobile computing device is running at least a first application and the second computing device is running at least a second application, comprising:

a first application bridge in the mobile computing device, wherein the first application bridge is operable to determine a routing path for the messages based on the current routing availability of the first computing device; and

a second application bridge in the second computing device;

wherein the first application bridge and the second application bridge are operable to manage the transmission of messages between the first application and the second application when the mobile computing device is in intermittent communication with the communication network;

wherein the first and second application bridges each comprise;

an application protocol interface for providing an interface to the first or second application for incoming and outgoing messages,

a transformation component for transforming messages,

a data store component for storing incoming and outgoing messages,

a manager component for managing the state transitions of the incoming and outgoing messages, and

a protocol component to facilitate the exchange of data between the first or second computing device and the communication network.