System and method for communicating data between wireless mobile hand-held computer and a back-end computer system

• US 8,028,039 B1
• Filed: 12/23/2005
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zebra Technologies Corporation
• Original Assignee: Reflexis Systems, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Stan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bates; Kevin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chang; Tom Y
• Application Number:
  US11/317,646
• Time in Patent Office: 2,104 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems

Abstract

An asynchronous, middleware system positioned between a larger computer system and a wireless mobile hand-held computer anticipates the needs of a wireless mobile hand-held computer that is served by the middleware system. The middleware system can anticipate and process needs for a mobile hand-held computer when the hand-held computer is not “synchronized” with a larger computer network. The middleware system can be designed to prepare information for downloading from a larger computer system to a wireless mobile hand-held computer well in advance of a communication link while the hand-held computer is not “synchronized” with the larger computer network. The middleware system can provide a network architecture that is very durable, scaleable, and flexible to serve hundreds and thousands of wireless mobile hand-held computers.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for communicating data between a wireless mobile hand-held computer and a back-end computer system comprising the following steps performed in sequence:

assigning a static and unique authentication identifier for the wireless mobile hand-held computer prior to the wireless mobile hand-held initiating any communications;

assigning the wireless mobile hand-held computer to a group of articulation engines based on the static and unique authentication identifier for the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

storing a first list of the articulation engines from the group in memory of the wireless mobile hand-held computer, the articulation engines for receiving communications from the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

initiating a request to establish a communications link between the wireless mobile hand-held computer and the back-end computer system;

identifying an articulation engine from the first list of articulation engines for receiving communications from the wireless mobile hand-held computer which are stored in memory of the wireless mobile hand-held computer, the articulation engine comprising a first computer server, wherein the step of identifying an articulation engine from the first list further comprises randomly selecting a first articulation engine from the first list;

determining if the identified first articulation engine is available;

if the first articulation engine is not available, then selecting the next articulation engine in sequence on the first list after failure of the random selection of the first articulation engine;

identifying an expression engine for receiving communications from the articulation engine by randomly selecting an expression engine from a second list, the second list containing articulation engines, each expression engine comprising a second computer server, each expression engine further comprises dual extension queues for processing uploaded files received from the mobile hand-held computer;

after identifying an articulation engine and expression engine, sending a connection message to the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

monitoring a communication link between the articulation engine and expression engine;

requesting with the articulation engine the static and unique authentication identifier that uniquely identifies the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

granting access to the identified articulation engine without any rigorous authentication if the static and unique authentication identifier of the wireless mobile hand-held computer matches a corresponding static and unique authentication identifier in a list of static and unique authentication identifiers maintained by the identified articulation engine;

receiving a file registry comprising a third list, the third list containing names of files contained within the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

receiving a statement of health indicator from the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

receiving the files with the articulation engine;

creating and sending a command file with the articulation engine to the wireless mobile hand-held computer, the command file comprising commands for the wireless mobile hand-held computer; and

creating and sending a statement of health indicator with the articulation engine to signify successful completion of downloaded files to the wireless mobile hand-held computer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of stopping communications with the wireless mobile hand-held computer if a communication link between the articulation engine and expression engine fails.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the expression engine comprises double services for managing the files received from the wireless mobile hand-held computer that are established for each file type.

3. A computer-implemented system for communicating data between a wireless mobile hand-held computer and a back-end computer system comprising:

a wireless mobile hand-held computer running a client process engine for managing communications with an articulation engine, the articulation engine comprising a first computer server, the wireless mobile hand-held computer storing in memory an authentication identifier that is static and unique to the wireless mobile hand-held computer prior to the wireless mobile hand-held computer starting any communications, the wireless mobile hand-held computer being assigned to a group of articulation engines based on the static and unique authentication identifier, the wireless mobile hand-held computer further storing in memory a first list of the group of assigned articulation engines for communication, the wireless mobile hand-held computer performs the following steps in sequence;

the wireless mobile hand-held computer randomly selects a first articulation engine from the first list of assigned articulation engines for establishing communication with the selected first articulation engine, the wireless mobile hand-held computer selects subsequent articulation engines after the first selected articulation engine in sequence from the first list after failure of the random selection of the first articulation engine in order to promote a communication load balancing among the articulation engines on the first list;

the wireless mobile hand-held computer creating a statement of health indicator to signify successful completion of downloaded files to the wireless mobile hand-held computer after a connection and file transfer with an articulation engine has been made;

an articulation engine for receiving data from and sending data to the wireless mobile hand-held computer, the articulation engine storing in memory a second list of static and unique authentication identifiers in memory corresponding to one or more wireless mobile hand-held computers that are served by the articulation engine, the articulation engine granting access to the wireless mobile hand-held computer without any rigorous authentication if the static and unique authentication identifier of the mobile hand-held computer matches one in the second list of static and unique authentication identifiers, the articulation engine further storing in memory a third list of available expression engines, wherein the articulation engine randomly selects an expression engine from the third list of available expression engines;

the articulation engine performing the following steps in sequence;

receiving a file registry comprising a list of files contained within the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

the articulation engine receiving files from the wireless mobile hand-held computer;

the articulation engine receiving a statement of health indicator from the wireless mobile hand-held computer after a connection and file transfer with the articulation engine has been made by the wireless mobile hand-held computer; and

an expression engine for receiving data from and sending data to the articulation engine, the expression engine comprising a second computer server, the expression engine coupled to the back-end computer system, for processing information received from back-end computer system, the expression engine comprises dual extension queues for processing uploaded files received from the mobile hand-held computer.