System and process using simplex and duplex communication protocols

• US 20060056320A1
• Filed: 08/26/2004
• Published: 03/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Gatts, Todd D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,630,330 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/276
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

The invention is directed to a method of and apparatus for initiating a duplex communication in response to a received simplex communication. In one embodiment of a method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication a simplex message is received; a duplex communication protocol is transmitted in response; and a duplex communication is initiated based on the response. In another embodiment of a method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication, a simplex message from a sender is received that includes the sender'"'"'s simplex ID. A duplex communication protocol associated with the sender'"'"'s simplex ID is sought, and a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is initiated when the protocol is received.

Claims

1. A method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication, the method comprising:

receiving a simplex message;

transmitting a duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message; and

initiating a duplex communication based on the response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplex message is received from a recipient of a prior simplex message sent by a sender and the duplex communication protocol is the sender'"'"'s duplex communication protocol.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplex message is received from a sender and the duplex communication protocol belongs to a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein transmitting a duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message further comprises:

inserting the duplex communication protocol into a header of a packet; and

inserting machine-executable instructions into a body of the packet that when executed by a processor associated with the sender cause the processor to automatically dial the duplex communication protocol.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the simplex message is received from a sender and the simplex message contains a simplex ID of the sender.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

accessing a database having stored therein at least a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

comparing the simplex ID of the sender to the plurality of simplex IDs until a match occurs; and

retrieving the duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the step of transmitting a duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message is performed by a network server.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the database is remote from a memory of a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the database is stored in a memory of a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

10. A method of converting a simplex communication to a duplex communication, the method comprising:

receiving a simplex message from a sender that includes a simplex ID;

seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID; and

initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID further comprises:

accessing a database having stored therein a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

comparing the simplex ID of the sender to the plurality of stored simplex IDs until a match occurs; and

retrieving the duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the database is remote from a memory of a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the step of seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID of the sender and the step of initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol are each performed by a network server.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID of the sender is performed by a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is performed by a communicator used by a recipient of the sender'"'"'s simplex message.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the database is stored within a memory of a communicator.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the sender'"'"'s simplex ID further comprises transmitting a duplex communication addressed to the sender'"'"'s simplex ID.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein seeking a duplex communication protocol associated with the simplex ID of the sender further comprises:

accessing a database having stored therein a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

comparing the simplex ID of the sender to the plurality of stored simplex IDs until a match occurs;

retrieving the duplex communication protocol associated with the matched simplex ID.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is performed by a network server.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the step of initiating a duplex communication based on the duplex communication protocol is performed by a communicator used by a recipient of the simplex message.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied in the medium, the computer program product includes at least one component to:

receive a simplex message from a sender that includes the sender'"'"'s simplex ID;

seek a duplex communication protocol of the sender by querying a database having stored therein a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols;

compare the simplex ID of the sender with the plurality of stored simplex IDs until a match occurs; and

initiate a duplex communication based on the match.

22. A communicator for converting a simplex communication into a duplex communication, the communicator comprising:

a simplex transceiver and a duplex transceiver both coupled to a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory for storing computer-readable instructions, the computer-readable instructions to cause a processor to;

receive a simplex message;

transmit a duplex communication protocol in response to the simplex message; and

initiate a duplex communication based on the response.

23. The comparator of claim 22, further comprising a comparator to compare a simplex ID received in the simplex message with contents of a database having stored therein a plurality of matched pairs of simplex IDs and associated duplex communication protocols.

24. The comparator of claim 22, wherein the communicator is one of a cell phone, a handheld personal computer, or a personal digital assistant.

25. The communicator of claim 22, further comprising a coding module to uniquely code a simplex message transmitted from the communicator as a request for the duplex communication protocol, wherein the duplex communication protocol is uniquely associated with another communicator.

26. The communicator of claim 22, further comprising a command interface to receive a command from a user of the communicator to initiate a duplex communication with a sender of the simplex message.