Communication network for transferring information between a mobile terminal and source servers, and terminal and method for managing the transfer of information in such a network

• US 8,315,611 B2
• Filed: 03/31/2008
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synchronoss Technologies France
• Original Assignee: Miyowa
• Inventors: Colon, François
• Primary Examiner(s): ADDY, ANTHONY S
• Application Number:
  US12/058,953
• Publication Number:
  US 20090176498A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1, 455/412.2, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/466, 455/566, 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/227, 709/230, 370/328, 370/338, 370/352, 370/400, 370/401
• US Class Current: 455/414.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/567 Integrating service provisioning from a plurality of service providers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/4509 Unified messaging with single point of access to voicemail and other mail or messaging systems

Abstract

A communication network includes a mobile terminal designed to receive information in a target format, source servers designed to deliver information in source formats, and an intermediate server that is independent of the source servers. Information destined for the mobile terminal goes through the intermediate server. The intermediate server is designed to receive information in the source formats from the source servers, convert to the target format the information received in the source formats, transmit the information in the target format to the mobile terminal, analyze an initial request sent by the mobile terminal, use a memory zone of the intermediate server to identify one of the source servers in response to the initial request, and transmit a request relay to the identified source server to receive information in source formats from the identified source server.

Claims

1. A communication network comprising:

a mobile terminal designed to receive information in a target format;

source servers designed to deliver information in source formats; and

an intermediate server, which is independent of the source servers, arranged between the mobile terminal and the source servers so that the information destined for the mobile terminal goes through the intermediate server, wherein the intermediate server is designed to;

receive information in the source formats from the source servers,

convert, to the target format, the information received in the source formats,

transmit the information in the target format to the mobile terminal,

analyze a first initial request sent by the mobile terminal at a first time, the first initial request including a first message,

use a memory zone of the intermediate server to store a mapping from the first message to different relay requests according to times at which the first message is received,

identify one of the source servers in response to the first initial request,

determine a first relay request from the memory zone in response to the first initial request and the first time, and

transmit the first relay request to the identified source server to receive information in the source formats from the identified source server,

wherein the initial requests displayed on a screen of the mobile terminal are associated with predefined text messages, the memory zone associating the text messages with relay requests designed to be transmitted to the source servers in order to receive the requested information, and

wherein the intermediate server is designed to store in its memory chronology of different initial requests transmitted by the mobile terminal so that one and the same text message can be associated with different relay requests according to the point in time at which the initial requests are transmitted by the mobile terminal.

2. The network of claim 1, wherein:

the first initial request is in the target format, and

the intermediate server is designed to transmit the first relay request to the identified source server in source formats compatible with the identified source server.

3. The network of claim 1, wherein:

the first initial request is in the target format,

the source servers are designed to process directly the first initial request in the target format transmitted by the mobile terminal, and

the intermediate server is designed to intercept the first initial request and to redirect the first initial request as such to the identified source server.

4. The network of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal integrates a computer application for instant messaging, the target format being a format used for instant messaging, all the information and requests exchanged between the mobile terminal and the intermediate server going only through one information channel used for instant messaging.

5. The network of claim 4, wherein all the information and requests exchanged between the mobile terminal and the intermediate server are in HTML format.

6. The network of claim 4, wherein:

the first initial request is in the target format;

the intermediate server is designed to transmit the first relay request in source formats compatible with the identified source server; and

the mobile terminal is designed to display on its screen a set of initial requests as contacts in a list of instant messaging contacts.

7. The network of claim 4, wherein:

the first initial request is in the target format,

the source servers are designed to process directly the first initial request in the target format transmitted by the mobile terminal,

the intermediate server is designed to intercept the first initial request and to redirect the first initial request as such to the source servers; and

the mobile terminal is designed to display on its screen a set of initial requests as contacts in a list of instant messaging contacts.

8. The network of claim 1, wherein the intermediate server is designed to transmit to the mobile terminal, at the same time as the requested information, a list of initial requests which is designed to be displayed in the form of text messages on the screen of the mobile terminal.

9. The network of claim 1, wherein:

the mobile terminal is designed to transmit an initial presence request to the intermediate server, the initial presence request containing identification information of the user of the terminal, and

the intermediate server is designed to analyze the identification information of the user and, after verification, to authorize the connection to the mobile terminal and to allocate a memory space in which it will store a copy of the information and requests that will circulate.

10. The network of claim 1, wherein:

the intermediate server is designed to transmit relay presence requests to the source servers, the relay presence requests being in a source format associated with the source servers and containing identification information of the user of the mobile terminal, and

the source servers are designed to analyze the identification information of the user and, after verification, to authorize the connection to the intermediate server.

11. The network of claim 10, wherein:

the mobile terminal is designed to transmit an initial presence request to the intermediate server, the initial presence request containing identification information of the user of the terminal,

the intermediate server is designed to analyze the identification information of the user and, after verification, to authorize the connection to the mobile terminal and to allocate a memory space in which it will store a copy of the information and requests that will;

circulate, and

the relay presence requests transmitted by the intermediate server are similar to the initial presence request transmitted by the terminal so that the intermediate server is perceived by the source servers as being the mobile terminal.

12. A mobile terminal equipped with the screen and integrating a computer application for instant messaging, this terminal being designed to exchange information with a plurality of source servers in the communication network of claim 1, wherein the mobile terminal is designed to display requests on its screen as contacts in its list of instant messaging contacts, the requests being associated with predefined text messages.

13. The network of claim 1, wherein the intermediate server is designed to:

analyze a second initial request sent by the mobile terminal at a second time, the second initial request including the first message;

determine a second relay request from the memory zone in response to the second initial request and the second time, the second relay request being different from the first relay request; and

transmit the second relay request to one of the source servers.

14. A method comprising:

at a mobile terminal, receiving information in a target format;

delivering information from source servers in source formats;

connecting the mobile terminal to an intermediate server that is independent of the source servers;

intercepting, at the intermediate server, information from the source servers that is destined for the mobile terminal;

transmitting information in the source format from the source server to the intermediate server;

in the intermediate server, converting the information received in the source format to the target format;

transmitting the information in the target format from the intermediate server to the mobile terminal;

from the mobile terminal, transmitting a first initial request to the intermediate server at a first time, the first initial request being in the target format and including a first message;

in a memory zone of the intermediate server, storing a mapping from the first message to different relay requests according to times at which the first message is received;

in the intermediate server, analyzing the first initial request received and identifying the source server in which the requested information is available;

in the intermediate server, determining a first relay request from the memory zone in response to the first initial request and the first time;

from the intermediate server, transmitting the first relay request to the identified source server in order to receive the requested information, the relay request being transmitted in a source format compatible with the identified source server, wherein the initial requests displayed on a screen of the mobile terminal are associated with predefined text messages;

in the intermediate server, associating the predefined text messages with the relay requests designed to be transmitted to the source servers in order to receive the requested information; and

storing chronology of different initial requests transmitted by the mobile terminal in a memory in the intermediate server so that one and the same text message can be associated with different relay requests according to the point in time at which the initial requests are transmitted by the mobile terminal.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein:

the first initial request is in the target format, and

the first relay request is transmitted in a source format compatible with the identified source server.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the first initial request is in the target format, the method further comprising:

in the source server, directly processing the first initial request in the target format transmitted by the mobile terminal, and

at the intermediate server, intercepting the first initial request and redirecting the first initial request as such to the source server.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the mobile terminal integrates a computer application for instant messaging, the target format being a format used for instant messaging, all the information and requests exchanged between the mobile terminal and the intermediate server passing only through one information channel used for instant messaging.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein all the information and requests exchanged between the mobile terminal and the intermediate server are in HTML format.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein:

the first initial request is in the target format;

the first relay request is transmitted in a source format compatible with the identified source server; and

the method further comprises displaying initial requests on the screen of the mobile terminal as contacts in a list of instant messaging contacts.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the transmission of an initial request is carried out by inputting a predefined text message associated with the request in the text writing zone of the mobile terminal, the method further comprising transmitting the text message to the intermediate server.

21. The method of claim 17 wherein the first initial request is in the target format, the method further comprising:

in the source server, directly processing the first initial request in the target format transmitted by the mobile terminal;

in the intermediate server intercepting the first initial request and redirecting the first initial request as such to the source server; and

displaying a set of initial requests on the screen of the mobile terminal as contacts in a list of instant messaging contacts.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting, from the intermediate server to the mobile terminal, at the same time as the requested information, a list of initial requests which is designed to be displayed in the form of text messages on the screen of the mobile terminal.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

when the user of the mobile terminal wishes to connect to the intermediate server, transmitting beforehand an initial presence request from the mobile terminal to the intermediate server, the initial presence request containing identification information of the user of the terminal,

in the intermediate server, analyzing the identification information of the user and, after verification, authorizing the connection to the mobile terminal and allocating a memory space in which a copy of the information and requests that will circulate will be stored.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in order to establish a connection between the intermediate server and a source server, the transmitting beforehand a relay presence request from the intermediate server to the source server, the relay presence request being in a source format associated with the source server and containing identification information of the user of the mobile terminal,

in the source server, analyzing the identification information of the user and, after verification, authorizing the connection to the intermediate server.

25. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

in the intermediate server, analyzing a second initial request sent by the mobile terminal at a second time, the second initial request including the first message;

in the intermediate server, determining a second relay request from the memory zone in response to the second initial request and the second time, the second relay request being different from the first relay request; and

from the intermediate server, transmitting the second relay request to one of the source servers.