Application messaging system with flexible message header structure

• US 20050254493A1
• Filed: 07/22/2005
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: BEA Systems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Wells, John R., Felts, Stephen, Chang, Shean-Guang
• Granted Patent: US 8,018,946 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The Flexible Message Header (FMH) is a typed modular message structure comprising one or more Typed Container Modules (TCM)—stateful message modules with a compact header (Typed Container Header, TCH), a user definable payload (Typed Container Body, TCB), and a set of payload-specific callback to handle the lifecycle of the module at the different state such as creation, preparation, manipulation, resizing, transferring, and deletion. A single message comprises a small header with various numbers of TCMs. The integrity of the entire message is not affected by dynamically modifying, adding or removing TCM from the message. Major message content change can be achieved by either adding a TCM or swapping the TCM with different TCM. Minor message content change can be achieved by either modifying or expanding the TCM directly within the message. New features can be supported by adding new TCM and new code to process the new TCM.

Claims

1. A method for messaging between applications in a distributed application system, comprising the steps of:

generating a message at a first application, together with a message header information and a body information;

creating a flexible message header, including placing portions of the message header information and the body information into a plurality of typed container modules;

sending some or all of the plurality of typed container modules to a second application; and

reconstructing the message at the second application using some or all of the typed container modules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein all of the typed container modules are sent from the first application to the second application.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein only a portion of the typed container modules are sent from the first application to the second application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein all of the typed container modules received at the second application are used to reconstruct the message

5. The method of claim 1, wherein only a portion of the typed container modules received at the second application are used to reconstruct the message.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein each typed contained module has a type associated therewith, and wherein the second application selects some of the typed container modules according to their type.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises sending the typed container modules via an intermediate application, and wherein the intermediate application selects some of the plurality of typed container modules for forwarding to the second application, and does not forward the remaining typed container modules.

8. The method of claim 1, including in the step of creating, attaching to each typed container module an attachment unit that contains pointers linking that typed container module to the flexible message header and to each successive typed container module in the plurality of typed container modules.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the message includes a user data portion, and wherein the method includes placing the user data portion into a user data module and linking the user data module directly to the flexible message header.

10. A system for messaging between distributed applications, comprising:

a first application that generates a message, together with a message header information and a body information;

a function for creating a flexible message header, including segmenting the message header information and the body information into a plurality of typed container modules;

a function for sending the typed container modules to a second application; and

a second application that selects some of the typed container modules and using them to reconstruct the message.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein all of the typed container modules are sent from the first application to the second application.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein only a portion of the typed container modules are sent from the first application to the second application.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein all of the typed container modules received at the second application are used to reconstruct the message

14. The system of claim 10, wherein only a portion of the typed container modules received at the second application are used to reconstruct the message.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein each typed contained module has a type associated therewith, and wherein the second application selects some of the typed container modules according to their type.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the system further comprises an intermediate application, and wherein the intermediate application selects some of the plurality of typed container modules for forwarding to the second application, and does not forward the remaining typed container modules.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the function for creating includes a function for attaching to each typed container module an attachment unit that contains pointers linking that typed container module to the flexible message header and to each successive typed container module in the plurality of typed container modules.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the message includes a user data portion, and wherein the function for creating includes a function for placing the user data portion into a user data module and linking the user data module directly to the flexible message header.

19. A computer readable medium including instructions stored therein which when executed by a computer causes the computer to perform the steps of:

generating a message at a first application, together with a message header information and a body information;

creating a flexible message header, including placing portions of the message header information and the body information into a plurality of typed container modules;

sending some or all of the plurality of typed container modules to a second application; and

reconstructing the message at the second application using some or all of the typed container modules.