Architecture for client-server communication over a communication link

• US 6,157,941 A
• Filed: 03/18/1998
• Issued: 12/05/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 03/18/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle Corporation
• Inventors: Harrenstien, Kenneth L., Neumann, Larry E., van der Rijn, Daniel, Shafiq, Muhammad, Lambert, Mark L., Verkler, Jay L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/044,643
• Time in Patent Office: 993 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/203, 709/219, 370/401, 370/428, 370/429
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1008 based on parameters of servers, e.g. available memory or workload monitoring of computer activity G06F11/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A client-server architecture for use with mobile clients communicating requests through wireless communications. The requests from the client and the subsequent responses by the server are transferred between the client-server connection through an intermediary agent, which operates asynchronously to the client and to the server.

Claims

1. An architecture for client-server communication over a communication link, the architecture comprising:

a client that generates a plurality of requests for information from a server;

wherein the client includes;

at least one application for representing the client and for generating the plurality of requests when running;

a message interface layer for operating in conjunction with the at least one application as an inter-application communication mechanism for formatting the plurality of requests into messages;

a message manager operable with the at least one application for coordinating transfer of requests between the client and an agent;

the server for providing both requested and unsolicited information for the client;

a gateway coupled through the communication link to the client;

the agent coupled to the gateway and the communication link, wherein the agent for receiving the plurality of requests from the client via the gateway, and further wherein the agent for sending the plurality of requests to the server on behalf of and independent of the client and for receiving the information from the server responsive to the plurality of requests, along with the unsolicited information, wherein the agent for sending the information to the client via the gateway on behalf of and independent of the server, such that the client and the agent operate asynchronously.

2. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein a message manager forwards the plurality of requests from the client to the gateway at any time.

3. The architecture defined in claim 2 wherein the message manager comprises a queue for storing messages prior to sending the messages to the gateway.

4. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the agent continues to operate on behalf of the client while the client is disconnected from the agent.

5. The architecture defined in claim 4 wherein the agent stores information to be forwarded to the client when the client is not available to the agent.

6. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the message manager comprises communications drivers and a plurality of communications hardware.

7. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the message interface layer comprises OLE 2.0.

8. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the message interface layer comprises an object-level interprogram interface.

9. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the message manager comprises a queue to store requests to be sent to the server while the client not communicating with the agent.

10. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the agent sends at least one of the plurality of requests to the server while no longer communicating with the client.

11. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of requests is communicated as at least one self-described object.

12. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the agent comprises:

a plurality of handlers, each of the plurality of handlers that perform at least one transaction in response to the plurality of request; and

an event manager that transfers each of the plurality of requests to the plurality of handlers.

13. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the agent accepts unsolicited information from the server on behalf of the client and forwards the unsolicited information to the client.

14. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein a message manager comprises a selection mechanism that allows a user to select a type of the communication link independent of at least one application programming running on the client.

15. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the gateway maintains a registry of agents and clients and provides system information in response to requests by the client and the agent.

16. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein a message manager allocates buffer memory as messages are received by linking segments of memory that are a predetermined size to a buffer size necessary to store the messages.

17. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the gateway performs automatic load balancing.

18. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the gateway performs service-based routing.

19. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the gateway identifies the client after the client changes locations on the communication link by rebinding the address of the client.

20. The architecture defined in claim 1 wherein the gateway queues messages designated for the client or the agent when unavailable.

21. The client computer system defined in claim 1 wherein the message interface layer comprises OLE.

22. An architecture for client-server communication over a communication link, the architecture comprising:

a client that generates a plurality of requests for information from a server;

the client includes;

at least one application for representing the client and for generating the plurality of requests when running;

a message interface laver for operating in conjunction with the at least one application as an inter-application communication mechanism for formatting the plurality of requests into messages;

a message manager for operating with the at least one application for coordinating transfer of requests between the client and an agent;

the agent adapted for functioning with a gateway that performs load balancing, the agent being coupled to the client and the communication link, wherein the agent for receiving the plurality of requests from the client via the gateway, wherein the agent for sending the plurality of requests to the server on behalf of and independent of the client and for receiving information from the server responsive to the plurality of requests, where upon, when a connection is made between the gateway and the client, the gatway for establishing communications between the agent and the client; and

further wherein the agent for sending the information to the client via the gateway on behalf of and independent of the server, such that the client and the agent operate asynchronously.

23. An architecture for client-server communication over a communication link, the architecture comprising:

a gateway coupled through the communication link to a client;

an agent coupled to the gateway and the communication link, wherein the agent for receiving the plurality of requests from the client via the gateway,

wherein at least one application for representing the client and for generating the plurality of requests when running;

a message interface layer for operating in conjunction with the at least one application as an inter-application communication mechanism for formatting the plurality of requests into messages;

a message manager for operating with the at least one application for coordinating transfer of requests between the client and the agent;

wherein the agent for sending the plurality of requests to the server on behalf of and independent of the client and for receiving information from the server responsive to the plurality of requests, wherein when a connection is made between the gateway and the client, the gateway for establishing communications between the agent and the client; and

further wherein the agent for sending the information to the client via the gateway on behalf of and independent of the server, such that the client and the agent operate asynchronously.