Server-based message protocol translation

• US 20060095530A1
• Filed: 12/16/2005
• Published: 05/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Uber Technologies, Inc.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Davis, Joel A., Friedman, Lee G., Daniell, William Todd, Daigle, Brian Keith, Kent, Larry Graham Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,469,301 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/234 for tracking messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion

Abstract

A system and method are presented in which a plurality of transport protocol objects (TPOs) are instantiated at a server. In one embodiment, each of the plurality of TPOs is adapted to provide a translation between a first IM protocol and a different IM protocol.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

a server; and

a plurality of transport protocol objects (TPOs) instantiated at the server, each of the plurality of TPOs adapted to provide a translation between a first instant messaging (IM) protocol and a different IM protocol.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a message router coupled to the TPOs, the message router being adapted to transmit IM messages to an IM user agent using the first IM protocol, the message router further being adapted to receive IM messages from the IM user agent using the first IM protocol.

3. The system of claim 2, further comprising:

a session collection having a plurality of session objects, each of the plurality of session objects having information associated with each of the plurality of TPOs.

4. In a communication system, a method comprising:

instantiating a transport protocol object (TPO) at a server, the TPO adapted to provide a translation between a first instant messaging (IM) protocol and a second IM protocol;

establishing a connection between the TPO and a foreign server, the foreign server adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using the second IM protocol; and

providing a communication pathway between a plurality of IM user agents and the foreign server through the instantiated TPO, the plurality of IM user agents adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using the first IM protocol.

5. In a communication system, a method comprising:

instantiating a plurality of transport protocol objects (TPOs) at a server, each of the plurality of TPOs adapted to provide a translation between a first instant messaging (IM) protocol and a different IM protocol;

establishing a plurality of connections between the plurality of TPOs and a plurality of IM servers, each of the plurality of IM servers adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using one of the different IM protocols; and

providing a communication pathway between a plurality of IM user agents and the plurality of IM servers through the plurality of instantiated TPOs, the plurality of IM user agents adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using the first IM protocol.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the instantiating the plurality of TPOs comprises:

receiving a single login name and password;

correlating the single login name and password to a plurality of login names and passwords, each of the plurality of login names and passwords associated with one of a plurality of IM accounts, each of the plurality of IM accounts on one of a plurality of IM servers, each of the plurality of IM servers adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using a different IM protocol;

retrieving information related to each of the different IM protocols; and

conveying the retrieved information and the plurality of login names and passwords to one of the plurality of IM user agents.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the instantiating the plurality of TPOs further comprises:

receiving the information related to each of the different IM protocols; and

instantiating a plurality of TPOs, each of the plurality of TPOs associated with each of the different IM protocols.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the establishing the plurality of connections between the plurality of TPOs and the plurality of IM servers comprises:

receiving a plurality of login names and passwords, each of the plurality of login names and passwords associated with one of a plurality of IM accounts, each of the plurality of IM accounts located on one of the plurality of IM servers, each of the plurality of IM servers adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using a different IM protocol; and

establishing an IM session at each of the plurality of IM accounts using the received plurality of login names and passwords.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the establishing the IM session comprises:

receiving information from each of the plurality of IM servers; and

generating a session ID associated with each of the plurality of IM servers in response to receiving information.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing session information having the generated session ID.

11. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing the communication pathway comprises:

receiving a message from one of the plurality of IM user agents, the message received using the first IM protocol;

translating the message from the first IM protocol to one of the different IM protocols; and

conveying the translated message to one of the plurality of IM servers, the one of the plurality of IM servers adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using the one of the different IM protocols.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the translating the message from the first IM protocol to one of the different IM protocols comprises:

translating an Extensible Markup Language (XML) structured message into a non-XML-structured message.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the translating the XML-structured message into the non-XML-structured message comprises:

translating XML-structured presence information into non-XML-structured presence information.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the translating the XML-structured message into the non-XML-structured message comprises:

translating an XML-structured text message into non-XML-structured text message.

15. The method of claim 5, wherein the providing the communication pathway comprises:

receiving a message from the one of the plurality of IM servers, the one of the plurality of IM servers adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using one of a plurality of different IM protocols;

translating the message from one of the plurality of different IM protocols to a first IM protocol; and

conveying the translated message to one of the plurality of IM user agents.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the translating the message from one of the plurality of different IM protocols the first IM protocol comprises:

translating a non-Extensible Markup Language (XML) structured message into an XML-structured message.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the translating the non-XML-structured message into the XML-structured message comprises:

translating non-XML-structured presence information into XML-structured presence information.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the translating the non-XML-structured message into the XML-structured message comprises:

translating a non-XML-structured text message into an XML-structured text message.

19. A communication system comprising:

means for instantiating a plurality of transport protocol objects (TPOs) at a server, each of the plurality of TPOs adapted to provide a translation between a first instant messaging (IM) protocol and a different IM protocol;

means for establishing a plurality of connections between the plurality of TPOs and a plurality of IM servers, each of the plurality of IM servers adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using one of the different IM protocols; and

means for providing a communication pathway between a plurality of IM user agents and the plurality of IM servers through the plurality of instantiated TPOs, each of the plurality of IM user agents adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using the first IM protocol.

20. A computer-readable medium comprising:

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to instantiate a plurality of transport protocol objects (TPOs) at a server, each of the plurality of TPOs adapted to provide a translation between a first instant messaging (IM) protocol and a different IM protocol;

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to establish a plurality of connections between the plurality of TPOs and a plurality of IM servers, each of the plurality of IM servers adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using one of the different IM protocols; and

computer-readable code adapted to instruct a programmable device to provide a communication pathway between a plurality of IM user agents and the plurality of IM servers through the plurality of instantiated TPOs, the plurality of IM user agents adapted to transmit and receive IM messages using the first IM protocol.