System and process using simplex and duplex communication protocols

• US 7,630,330 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Issued: 12/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gatts, Todd D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moe; Aung S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rose; Kerri M
• Application Number:
  US10/926,495
• Publication Number:
  US 20060056320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,930 Days
• Field of Search: 370/296, 370/259, 370/270, 370276-278, 370/282, 370/328, 370/329, 370/338, 455/73, 455/90.2
• US Class Current: 370/277
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method of and apparatus for initiating a duplex communication in response to a received simplex communication. In one embodiment of a method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication a simplex message is received; a duplex communication protocol is transmitted in response; and a duplex communication is initiated based on the response. In another embodiment of a method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication, a simplex message from a sender is received that includes the sender'"'"'s simplex ID. A duplex communication protocol associated with the sender'"'"'s simplex ID is sought, and a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is initiated when the protocol is received.

Claims

1. A method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication, the method comprising:

receiving a simplex message;

sending the simplex message to a recipient;

receiving a coded simplex message, which includes a simplex ID of a sender;

accessing a database on the network, the database having stored therein at least a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

comparing the simplex ID of the sender to the plurality of simplex IDs until a match occurs;

retrieving a duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID;

transmitting the duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message; and

initiating a duplex communication based on the response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplex message is received from the recipient of a prior simplex message sent by the sender and the duplex communication protocol is the sender'"'"'s duplex communication protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplex message is received from the sender and the duplex communication protocol belongs to the recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting a duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message further comprises:

inserting the duplex communication protocol into a header of a packet; and

inserting machine-executable instructions into a body of the packet that when executed by a processor associated with the sender cause the processor to automatically dial the duplex communication protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplex message is received from a sender and the simplex message contains the simplex ID of the sender.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message is performed by a network server.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the database is remote from a memory of a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the database is stored in a memory of a communicator used by the recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

9. A method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication, the method comprising:

sending a simplex message to a recipient;

receiving a coded simplex message from a sender that includes a simplex ID;

seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID by accessing a database having stored therein a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

comparing the simplex ID of the sender to the plurality of simplex IDs until a match occurs;

retrieving a duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID; and

initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the database is remote from a memory of a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID of the sender and the step of initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol are each performed by a network server.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID of the sender is performed by a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is performed by a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the database is stored within a memory of a communicator.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the sender'"'"'s simplex ID further comprises transmitting a duplex communication addressed to the sender'"'"'s simplex ID.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID of the sender further comprises:

comparing the simplex ID of the sender to the plurality of stored simplex IDs until a match occurs;

retrieving the duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is performed by a network server.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the step of initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is performed by a communicator used by a recipient of the simplex message.

19. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component to:

send a simplex message to a recipient;

receive a coded simplex message from a sender that includes the sender'"'"'s simplex ID;

seek a duplex communication protocol of the sender by querying a database having stored therein a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

compare the simplex ID of the sender with the plurality of stored simplex IDs until a match occurs;

retrieve the duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID; and

initiate a duplex communication based on the match.

20. A communicator for converting a simplex communication into a duplex communication, the communicator comprising:

a simplex transceiver and a duplex transceiver both coupled to a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions to cause a processor to;

receive a simplex message;

send the simplex message to a recipient;

receive a coded simplex message, which includes a simplex ID of a sender;

access a database on the network, the database having stored therein at least a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

compare the simplex ID of the sender to the plurality of simplex IDs until a match occurs;

retrieve a duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID;

transmit the duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message; and

initiate a duplex communication based on the response.

21. The comparator of claim 20, further comprising a comparator to compare the simplex ID received in the simplex message with contents of the database.

22. The comparator of claim 20, wherein the communicator is one of a cell phone, a handheld personal computer, or a personal digital assistant.

23. The communicator of claim 22, further comprising a coding module to uniquely code the coded simplex message transmitted from the communicator as a request for the duplex communication protocol, wherein the duplex communication protocol is uniquely associated with another communicator.

24. The communicator of claim 20, further comprising a command interface to receive a command from a user of the communicator to initiate the duplex communication with the sender of the simplex message.