Method and apparatus for communicating between communication devices

• US 9,537,903 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2013
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Mobility II LLC (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Maria, Arturo, Routt, Thomas J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Joshi, Suraj
• Application Number:
  US14/066,406
• Publication Number:
  US 20150120841A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,162 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1016 IP multimedia subsystem [IMS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/104 in the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1083 In-session procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, receiving from a web real-time communications gateway a first request for communication services from a network resource, where the network resource does not utilize a web real-time communications protocol and where the first request is compliant with a markup language that differs from the web real-time communications protocol, directing the network resource to provide the communication services identified in the first request, receiving a first message from the web real-time communications gateway, where the first message is compliant with the markup language, translating the first message to a first updated message conforming to a protocol used by the network resource, where protocol differs from the markup language used for communicating with the web real-time communications gateway, and transmitting the updated first message to the network resource facilitating the communication services identified in the first request. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a web real-time communications gateway comprising a processor, a first request from a mobile communication device, wherein the first request identifies communication services of a network resource being requested by the mobile communication device, wherein the network resource does not utilize a web real-time communications protocol used by the web real-time communications gateway, wherein the first request is compliant with the web real-time communications protocol;

generating, by the web real-time communications gateway, a second request, wherein the second request conforms to a markup language that differs from the web real-time communications protocol, wherein the web real-time communications gateway generates messages conforming to the markup language to communicate with a service translation gateway, wherein the service translation gateway enables the web real-time communications gateway to interface to a plurality of network resources that do not conform to the web real-time communications protocol, wherein the plurality of network resources includes the network resource identified in the first request;

transmitting, by the web real-time communications gateway, the second request to the service translation gateway to cause the service translation gateway to facilitate the communication services of the network resource identified in the first request;

receiving, by the web real-time communications gateway, a first message from the mobile communication device, wherein the first message is compliant with the web real-time communications protocol used by the web real-time communications gateway;

translating, by the web real-time communications gateway, the first message to a first updated message conforming to the markup language used by the service translation gateway, wherein the web real-time communications gateway comprises a first application programming interface and a second application programming interface, wherein the first application programming interface provides a system-independent structured programming interface, wherein the second application programming interface provides an environment-dependent structured programming interface, and wherein the first updated message is translated using a plurality of system independent syntactic tag elements; and

transmitting, by the web real-time communications gateway, the updated first message to the service translation gateway for delivery to the network resource facilitating the communication services identified in the first request.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the web real-time communications gateway, a second updated message from the service translation gateway, wherein the second updated message is compliant with the markup language, and wherein the second updated message is generated by the service translation gateway responsive to translating a second message provided to the service translation gateway by the network resource while the network resource facilitates the communication services identified in the first request.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising translating, by the web real-time communications gateway, the second updated message to a third message compliant with the web real-time communications protocol for delivery to the mobile communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the first message is directed to a second communication device by way of the web real-time communications gateway, the service translation gateway, and the network resource facilitating the communication services identified in the first request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a protocol used for communications between the service translation gateway and the network resource differs from the markup language used between the web real-time communications gateway and the service translation gateway.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource comprises a short message service server that does not utilize the web real-time communications protocol.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the network resource comprises a multimedia messaging service server that does not utilize the web real-time communications protocol.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the web real-time communication protocol is promulgated by in whole or in part by a world wide web consortium, an internet engineering task force group, or a combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first application programming interface comprises a high-level application programming interface, and wherein the second application programming interface comprises a low-level application programming interface.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the high-level application programming interface is utilized to improve a performance of communications between the web real-time communications gateway and the service translation gateway.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the low-level application programming interface is utilized to improve a performance of computing resources used by the web real-time communications gateway or the service translation gateway.

12. A machine-readable storage medium, comprising instructions, wherein execution of the instructions by a processing system including a processor, causes the processing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a first request from a communication device requesting communication services from a network resource that does not utilize a web real-time communications protocol, wherein the first request is compliant with the web real-time communications protocol;

generating a second request comprising a markup language that differs from the web real-time communications protocol, wherein the markup language is used for communicating with a service translation gateway that interfaces to a plurality of network resources that do not utilize the web real-time communications protocol, wherein the plurality of network resources includes the network resource identified in the first request, wherein the processing system comprises a first application programming interface and a second application programming interface, wherein the first application programming interface provides a system-independent structured programming interface, and wherein the second application programming interface provides an environment-dependent structured programming interface;

transmitting the second request to the service translation gateway to facilitate the communication services of the network resource identified in the first request;

receiving a first message from the communication device, wherein the first message is compliant with the web real-time communications protocol;

translating the first message to a first updated message conforming to the markup language used by the service translation gateway, wherein the first updated message is translated using a plurality of syntactic tag elements associated with the second application programming interface; and

transmitting the updated first message to the service translation gateway for delivery to the network resource facilitating the communication services identified in the first request.

13. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise receiving a second updated message from the service translation gateway, wherein the second updated message is compliant with the markup language, and wherein the second updated message is generated by the service translation gateway responsive to translating a second message provided to the service translation gateway by the network resource.

14. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise translating the second updated message to a third message compliant with the web real-time communications protocol for delivery to the communication device.

15. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a portion of the first message is directed to a second communication device by way of the service translation gateway and the network resource facilitating the communication services identified in the first request.

16. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein a protocol used for communications between the service translation gateway and the network resource differs from the markup language.

17. The machine-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the network resource comprises a short message service server or a multimedia messaging service server that does not utilize the web real-time communications protocol, and wherein the web real-time communication protocol is promulgated by in whole or in part by a world wide web consortium, an internet engineering task force group, or a combination thereof.

18. A service translation gateway, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a processing system including processor coupled to the memory, wherein execution of the instructions by the processing system, causes the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving from a web real-time communications gateway a first request for communication services from a network resource, wherein the communication services are requested by a communication device communicatively coupled to the web real-time communications gateway, wherein the network resource does not utilize a web real-time communications protocol used by the web real-time communications gateway, wherein the first request is compliant with a markup language that differs from the web real-time communications protocol, wherein the service translation gateway comprises a first application programming interface and a second application programming interface, wherein the first application programming interface provides a system-independent structured programming interface, and wherein the second application programming interface provides an environment-dependent structured programming interface;

directing the network resource to provide the communication services identified in the first request;

receiving a first message from the web real-time communications gateway, wherein the first message is compliant with the markup language;

registering and caching a plurality of syntactic tags associated with the second application programming interface;

translating the first message to a first updated message conforming to a protocol used by the network resource, wherein protocol differs from the markup language used for communicating with the web real-time communications gateway, wherein the first updated message is translated using a plurality of syntactic tag elements; and

transmitting the updated first message to the network resource facilitating the communication services identified in the first request.

19. The service translation gateway of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a second message from the network resource, wherein the second message is compliant with the protocol used by the network resource;

translating the second message to an updated second message conforming to the markup language; and

transmitting the updated second message to the web real-time communications gateway for delivery to the communication device after the web real-time communications gateway translates the updated second message to a third message compliant with the web real-time communications protocol.

20. The service translation gateway of claim 18, wherein a portion of the first message is directed to a second communication device by way of the network resource.