Communications system for supporting inter-dependent data messages

• US 6,687,700 B1
• Filed: 11/09/2000
• Issued: 02/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture LLP (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Krahn, Richard R., Cornelius, Shawn S., Kostakis, Stamatios, Su, Eric C., Klug, Matthew C., Sweeney, Michael S., Huffman, Arnold Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Choules, Jack M.
• Application Number:
  US09/709,980
• Time in Patent Office: 1,181 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 709/217
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A communication system and method for supporting the communication of inter-dependent data messages includes determining if a later data message represents an inter-dependent message affiliated with an earlier data message. The communication system and method determines whether a condition associated with the earlier inter-dependent data message is fulfilled. If the condition is fulfilled, communication system executes a command associated with the fulfilled condition and the later inter-dependent data message.

Claims

1. A method of managing communications of a data message, the method comprising the steps of:

assigning a dependency characteristic to a corresponding message type for at least one earlier transmitted data message of a group;

determining if a communication disruption has occurred for the at least one earlier transmitted data message in the group; and

executing a handling command for the group if the disruption occurred, the handling command consistent with the dependency characteristic assigned to the at least one earlier transmitted data message; and

transmitting a later data message of the group based on the handling command associated with the corresponding message type.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigning step comprises assigning a soft interdependency between data messages of the group, the soft interdependency blocking a transmission of at least one of the data messages in the group.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigning step comprises assigning a hard interdependency between data messages of the group, the hard interdependency permitting the transmission of multiple data messages in the group.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing step comprises transmitting a the later data message of the group following the at least one earlier transmitted data message.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing step comprises transmitting a the later data message and deleting the at least one earlier data message of the group.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing step comprises transmitting both the at least one earlier data message and a the later data message of the group.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the executing step comprises transmitting the at least one earlier transmitted data message prior to the later data message of the group in sequential order.

8. A system of managing communications of a data message, the system comprising the steps of:

a message-dependency manager for assigning a dependency characteristic to a corresponding message type for the at least one earlier transmitted data message of a group;

a disruption detector for determining if a communication disruption has occurred for the at least one earlier transmitted data message in the group;

a transaction manager for executing a handling command for the group if the disruption occurred, the handling command consistent with the dependency characteristic assigned to the at least one earlier transmitted data message; and

wherein the transaction manager is operable to transmit the later data message of the group based on the handling command associated with the corresponding message type in a message-dependency database.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the message-dependency manager assigns a soft interdependency between data messages of the group, the soft interdependency including preventing a transmission of at least one of the data messages in the group.

10. The system according to claim 8 wherein the message-dependency manager assigns a bard interdependency between data messages of the group, the hard interdependency including permitting the transmission of multiple data messages in the group.

11. The system according to claim 8 further comprising:

a transmitter coupled to the transaction manager, the transmitter including an encryption module for encrypting a data message; and

a receiver for receiving an encrypt data message from the transmitter, the receiver including a decryption module for decrypting the encrypted data message.

12. The system according to claim 8 further comprising:

a security database associated with the transaction manager;

a security manager for retrieving a submittal log-in identifier and a corresponding submittal password from the security database; and

a transmitter for transmitting the submittal log-in identifier and the submittal password.

13. The system according to claim 12 further including:

a receiver for receiving the submittal log-in identifier and the submittal password from the transmitter;

an authentication module associated with the receiver for accessing a reference password and a reference log-in identifier for comparison to the tendered submittal log-in identifier and the corresponding submittal password to establish a communications chamel between the transmitter and the receiver.

14. A system of managing communications of a data message, the system comprising the steps of;

a message-dependency manager for assigning a dependency characteristic to a corresponding message type for the at least one earlier transmitted data message of a group;

a disruption detector for determining if a communication disruption has occurred for the at least one earlier transmitted data message in the group;

a transaction manager for executing a handling command for the group if the disruption occurred, the handling command consistent with the dependency characteristic assigned to the at least one earlier transmitted data message; and

wherein the transaction manager is operable to transmit a later data message of the group and to delete the at least one earlier data message in the group based on the handling command associated with a corresponding message type of a message-dependency database.

15. A system of managing communications of a data message, the system comprising the steps of:

a message-dependency manager for assigning a dependency characteristic to a corresponding message type for the at least one earlier transmitted data message of a group;

a disruption detector for determining if a communication disruption has occurred for the at least one earlier transmitted data message in the group;

a transaction manager for executing a handling command for the group if the disruption occurred, the handling command consistent with the dependency characteristic assigned to the at least one earlier transmitted data message; and

wherein the transaction manager is operable to transmit a later data message of the group and to transmit the at least one earlier data message in the group based on the handling command associated with a corresponding message type of the in a message-dependency database.

16. A system of managing communications of a data message, the system comprising the steps of:

a message-dependency manager for assigning a dependency characteristic to a corresponding message type for the at least one earlier transmitted data message of a group;

a disruption detector for determining if a communication disruption has occurred for the at least one earlier transmitted data message in the group;

a transaction manager for executing a handling command for the group if the disruption occurred, the handling command consistent with the dependency characteristic assigned to the at least one earlier transmitted data message; and

wherein the transaction manager is operable to transmit the at least one earlier data message prior to a later data message of the group in sequential order based on the handling command associated with a corresponding message type in message-dependency database.

17. A method for supporting the communication of inter-dependent data messages via a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if at least two data messages are inter-dependent;

organizing the at least two data messages into a group if they are determined to be interdependent; and

deleting at least one earlier message in the group if a sequence of the data messages in the group does not support contextual understanding of a latest data message in the group.

18. The method according to claim 17 further comprising the steps of:

sending the latest data message remaining in the group to a destination communication system.

19. A method for supporting the communication of inter-dependent data messages via a communications network, the method comprising the steps of:

determining if at least two data messages are inter-dependent;

organizing the at least two data messages into a group if they are determined to be inter-dependent; and

sending the group of data messages to a destination communication system in a sequence from an earliest data message to a latest data message in the group wherein the sending step is executed if a sequence of the data messages provide a context for comprehension of the latest data message.