Systems and methods for communication protocol mapping

• US 9,042,531 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2014
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Do, Tu Dien, Nayar, Kapil, Liu, Dong
• Primary Examiner(s): Jamal, Alexander
• Application Number:
  US14/264,556
• Publication Number:
  US 20140233714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 392 Days
• Field of Search: 379/100.01, 370/352
• US Class Current: 379/100.01
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/00 Telephonic communication systems specially adapted for combination with other electrical systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/0022 involving facsimile protocols or a combination of facsimile protocols and computer data transmission protocols

Abstract

Provided are systems and methods for communication protocol mapping. A first computing device uses a first communication protocol while a second computing device uses a second communication protocol. In some implementations, the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol are for different service domains. In accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure, a server is configured to map communication between the different service domains. In some implementations, the first communication protocol is a protocol conforming to Representational State Transfer ‘REST’ and the second communication protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol ‘SIP’. In accordance with another embodiment of the disclosure, a server is configured to map communication between the protocol conforming to REST and SIP, regardless of whether different service domains are involved.

Claims

1. A method for execution by a server, the method comprising:

mapping communication from a first communication protocol used by a first computing device to a second communication protocol used by a second computing device;

wherein;

the first communication protocol is for a printer service domain and the second communication protocol is for a telephony signalling service domain; and

mapping the communication comprises mapping communication for the first computing device to electronically print a document onto the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the first communication protocol is a protocol conforming to Representational State Transfer ‘

REST’

for the printer service domain.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the second communication protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol ‘

SIP’

for the telephony signalling service domain.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping communication for the first computing device to electronically print a document onto the second computing device comprises:

mapping communication for the first computing device to transfer a Portable Document Format ‘

PDF’

file or a PostScript ‘

PS’

file onto the second computing device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein mapping communication comprises:

offering a RESTful interface to a printer driver running on the first computing device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein offering the RESTful interface enables one or more of:

discovery of the second computing device;

prompting a user to accept a file transfer;

waiting for a response before proceeding with the file transfer;

canceling the file transfer; and

ending a session when file transfer finishes.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a protocol mapping between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed on a processor of a server implement the method of claim 1.

9. A server comprising:

a processor; and

a protocol mapping function configured for mapping communication from a first communication protocol used by a first computing device to a second communication protocol used by a second computing device;

wherein;

the first communication protocol is for a printer service domain and the second communication protocol is for a telephony signalling service domain; and

mapping the communication comprises mapping communication for the first computing device to electronically print a document onto the second computing device.

10. The server of claim 9, wherein:

the first communication protocol is a protocol conforming to Representational State Transfer ‘

REST’

for the printer service domain.

11. The server of claim 9, wherein:

the second communication protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol ‘

SIP’

for the telephony signalling service domain.

12. The server of claim 9, wherein the protocol mapping function is configured for mapping communication for the first computing device to electronically print a document onto the second computing device by:

mapping communication for the first computing device to transfer a Portable Document Format ‘

PDF’

file or a PostScript ‘

PS’

file onto the second computing device.

13. The server of claim 9, wherein the protocol mapping function is configured for mapping communication by:

offering a RESTful interface to a printer driver running on the first computing device.

14. The server of claim 13, wherein the protocol mapping function is configured for offering the RESTful interface by enabling one or more of:

discovery of the second computing device;

prompting a user to accept a file transfer;

waiting for a response before proceeding with the file transfer;

canceling the file transfer; and

ending a session when file transfer finishes.

15. The server of claim 9, wherein the protocol mapping function is further configured for:

maintaining a protocol mapping between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

16. The server of claim 9, wherein the server is a Mobile Service Delivery Platform ‘

MSDP’

server.

17. A method for execution by a server, the method comprising:

mapping communication from a first communication protocol used by a first computing device to a second communication protocol used by a second computing device;

wherein;

the first communication protocol is a protocol conforming to Representational State Transfer ‘

REST’ and

the second communication protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol ‘

SIP’

; and

mapping the communication comprises mapping communication for the first computing device to electronically print a document onto the second computing device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol used in the mapping are for different service domains.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first communication protocol is for a printer service domain and the second communication protocol is for a telephony signalling service domain.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

maintaining a protocol mapping between the first communication protocol and the second communication protocol.

21. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions that when executed on a processor of a server implement the method of claim 17.

22. A server comprising:

a processor; and

a protocol mapping function configured for mapping communication from a first communication protocol used by a first computing device to a second communication protocol used by a second computing device;

wherein;

the first communication protocol is a protocol conforming to Representational State Transfer ‘

REST’ and

the second communication protocol is a Session Initiation Protocol ‘

SIP’

; and

mapping the communication comprises mapping communication for the first computing device to electronically print a document onto the second computing device.