System and method for communicating data

• US 20010040897A1
• Filed: 07/16/2001
• Published: 11/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Falk Integrated Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Falk Integrated Technologies, Inc.
• Inventors: Hamlin, James K.
• Granted Patent: US 6,940,870 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for communicating data between a source application process and one or more destination application processes. This system and method perform conversion and routing functions which require only a single conversion of all outbound transmissions regardless of the variety of destinations, and only a single conversion of all inbound transmissions regardless of the variety of sources. The functions also enable changes, additions, and deletions of sources and destinations of transmissions to be made without modification of a source or destination application process and without taking a source or destination application process off-line. The functions further enable this system and method to be implemented in virtually any enterprise architecture without requiring that each processing system of the architecture be custom built. These conversion and routing functions are performed by first receiving data to be transmitted in a source format from a source application. This data are then converted from the source format to a standard format. Next, one or more destinations are identified in a database using a transaction type corresponding to the data and/or the address of the source application. After identifying the one or more destinations, a copy of the data is transmitted to each and the data are then converted from the standard format to a destination format. Lastly, this Converted data are passed to the destination process.

Claims

1. A method of communicating data of a known data type from a source process to a destination process, the method comprising:

receiving said data in a source format from said source process;

converting said data from said source format to a standard format;

determining a destination address based upon at least one of said known data type and a source address that is associated with said source process;

transmitting said data in said standard format with said destination address;

receiving said data transmitted in said standard format at said destination address;

converting said data in said standard format to a destination format; and

transmitting said data in said destination format to said destination process.

2. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising:

when said data transmitted in said destination format is received at said destination process, generating an acknowledgment of receipt of said data; and

notifying a user of an error upon an occurrence of at least one of a specified number of other transmission attempts and an absence of said acknowledgment of receipt within a given time period.

3. The method of

claim 1

, wherein each of said source format, said standard format, and said destination format are different.

4. The method of

claim 1

, wherein:

said source format and said destination format are identical; and

said source format and said destination format are different from said standard format.

5. The method of

claim 1

, further comprising, prior to said receiving of said data in said source format, defining at least one of said known data type, said source address, said source format, said standard format, said destination format, and a relationship between said destination address and said at least one of said known data type and said source address.

6. The method of

claim 5

, wherein said defining comprises accepting user input that defines said known data type of said data.

8. The method of

claim 5

, wherein said defining comprises accepting user input that defines said source format of said data.

9. The method of

claim 5

, wherein said defining comprises accepting user input that defines said standard format of said data.

10. The method of

claim 5

, wherein said defining comprises accepting user input that defines said destination format of said data.

11. The method of

claim 5

, wherein said defining comprises accepting user input that defines said relationship between said destination address and said at least one of said known data type and said source address.

12. The method of

claim 5

wherein:

said determining uses said relationship in determining said destination address; and

said relationship relates said destination address to both said known data type and said source address.

13. The method of

claim 5

, wherein:

said determining uses said relationship in determining said destination address; and

said relationship relates said destination address to said source address without relating said destination address to said known data type.

14. The method of

claim 5

, wherein:

said determining uses said relationship in determining said destination address; and

said relationship relates said destination address to said known data type without relating said destination address to said source address.

15. The method of

claim 1

, wherein said converting of said data from said standard format to said destination format comprises selecting said destination format from a plurality of available destination formats based upon said known data type of said data.

16. The method of

claim 1

, wherein said converting of said data from said standard format to said destination format comprises selecting said destination format from a plurality of available destination formats based upon said destination address transmitted with said data in said standard format.

7. The method of cage 5, wherein said defining comprises accepting user input that defines said source address of said source process.

17. A system for communicating data of a known data type from a source process to a destination process, the system comprising:

a source receiver that receives said data in a source format from said source process;

a source translator that converts said data from said source format to a standard format;

an addressing mechanism that determines a destination address based upon at least one of said known data type and a source address that is associated with said source process;

a source transmitter that transmits said data in said standard format with said destination address;

a destination receiver that receives said data transmitted in said standard format at said destination address;

a destination translator that converts said data in said standard format to a destination format; and

a destination transmitter that transmits said data in said destination format to said destination process.

18. The system of

claim 17

, further comprising:

an acknowledgment generator that generates an acknowledgment of receipt of said data when said data transmitted by said destination transmitter is received at said destination process; and

a notifies that notifies a user of an error upon an occurrence of at least one of a specified number of other transmission attempts and an absence of said acknowledgment of receipt within a given time period.

19. The system of

claim 17

, wherein each of said source format, said standard format, and said destination format are different.

20. The system of

claim 17

, wherein:

said source format and said destination format are identical; and

said source format and said destination format are different from said standard format.

21. The system of

claim 17

, further comprising a system manager that, prior to said data in said source format being received by said source receiver, defines at least one of said known data type, said source address, said standard format, said destination format, and a relationship between said destination address and said at least one of said known data type and said source address.

22. The system of

claim 21

, wherein said system manager accepts user input that defines said known data type of said data.

23. The system of

claim 21

, wherein said system manager accepts user input that defines said source address of said source process.

24. The system of

claim 21

, wherein said system manager accepts user input that defines said source format of said data.

25. The system of

claim 21

, wherein said system manager accepts user input that defines said standard format of said data.

26. The system of

claim 21

. wherein said system manager accepts user input that defines said destination format of said data.

27. The system of

claim 21

, wherein said system manager accepts user input that defines said relationship between said destination address and said at least one of said known data type and said source address.

28. The system of

claim 21

, wherein:

said addressing mechanism uses said relationship in determining said destination address; and

said relationship relates said destination address to both said known data type and said source address.

29. The system of

claim 21

, wherein:

said addressing mechanism uses said relationship in determining said destination address; and

said relationship relates said destination address to said source address without relating said destination address to said known data type.

30. The system of

claim 21

, wherein:

said addressing mechanism uses said relationship in determining said destination address; and

said relationship relates said destination address to said known data type without relating said destination address to said source address.

31. The system of

claim 17

, wherein said destination translator comprises a selecting mechanism that selects said destination format from a plurality of available destination formats based upon said known data type of said data.

32. The system of

claim 17

, wherein said destination translator comprises a selecting mechanism that selects said destination format from a plurality of available destination formats based upon said destination address transmitted with said data in said standard format.