Method and apparatus for communication between application programs

• US 8,555,293 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2008
• Issued: 10/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Nishimaki, Akemi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Andy
• Application Number:
  US12/054,275
• Publication Number:
  US 20090031322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,024 Days
• Field of Search: 719/313, 709/227
• US Class Current: 719/313
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/606 by securing the transmission between two devices or processes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

A communication apparatus includes a reception unit configured to receive a transmission message to be transmitted from a first application to a second application, a determination unit configured to determine whether the second application is present in the same area as the first application, an encoding unit configured to encode the transmission message if the second application is determined to be in an area different from the first application, and a transmission unit configured to transmit the transmission message from the first application to the second application, wherein an encoded transmission message is transmitted if the second application is determined to be present in an area different from the first application, and an un-encoded transmission message is transmitted if the second application is determined to be present in the same area as the first application.

Claims

1. A method for communicating, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission message to be transmitted from a first application to a second application;

searching for the second application in the same area that the first application is present;

transmitting the transmission message as it is from the first application to the second application if the second application has been found in the same area as the first application;

searching for the second application in an area different from the area of the first application if the second application has not been found in the same area as the first application;

encoding the transmission message if the second application has been found in the area different from the area of the first application; and

transmitting the encoded transmission message from the first application to the second application if the second application has been found in the area different from the area of the first application.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the same area and the different area includes an apparatus.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the same area and the different area includes a network domain.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the encoding includes encryption.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the encoding includes compression.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, when the second application has been found in the area different from the area of the first application, transmitting the transmission message as it is to the second application if a type of the transmission message is not included in a predetermined encoding target.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising encoding and transmitting the transmission message using a communication middleware.

8. A computer-readable storage medium storing a computer-executable program, the computer-executable program causing a computer to execute a method for communicating, the method comprising:

receiving a transmission message to be transmitted from a first application to a second application;

searching for the second application in the same area that the first application is present;

transmitting the transmission message as it is from the first application to the second application if the second application has been found in the same area as the first application;

searching for the second application in an area different from the area of the first application if the second application has not been found in the same area as the first application;

encoding the transmission message if the second application has been found in the area different from the area of the first application; and

transmitting the encoded transmission message from the first application to the second application if the second application has been found in the area different from the area of the first application.

9. A communication system implemented by a computer system, comprising:

a reception unit configured to receive a transmission message to be transmitted from a first application to a second application;

a first search unit configured to search for the second application in the same area as the first application is present;

a first transmission unit configured to transmit the transmission message as it is from the first application to the second application if the second application has been found in the same area as the first application;

a second search unit configured to search for the second application in an area different from the area of the first application if the second application has not been found in the same area as the first application;

an encoding unit configured to encode the transmission message if the second application has been found in the area different from the area of the first application; and

a second transmission unit configured to transmit the encoded transmission message from the first application to the second application if the second application has been found in the area different from the area of the first application.