Systems and methods for communicating messages

• US 7,660,873 B2
• Filed: 08/16/2004
• Issued: 02/09/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UTC Fire & Security Americas Corporation, Inc. (Carrier Global Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Fisher, Gerald B., Nesse, Theodore Arthur, Neckaraje, Sunil Kumar, Murthy, Perali Venkata Seshu Sathyanarayana
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US10/918,912
• Publication Number:
  US 20060037069A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,003 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/230, 709/213, 709/217, 709/232, 709/204, 709/225, 709/226, 709/245, 707/1, 707/10, 707/205, 707/3
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]

Abstract

A system for communicating messages is described. The system includes a server and a gateway. The gateway sends a first message to the server. The first message queries the server to determine whether the server is ready to communicate with the gateway.

Claims

1. A system for communicating messages, said system comprising:

a server in direct communication with a database; and

a gateway that sends a message frame comprising a first portion, a second portion, and a first set of identifiers of said gateway to said server via a network, the first portion converted by applying a first protocol and the second portion converted by applying a second protocol that is different from the first protocol, the second portion embedding a first message, wherein the first message queries said server to determine whether said server is ready to send at least one of a command and data from said database to said gateway, and wherein said server responds to the first message based on whether there is a presence of the at least one of a command and data stored at said database designated to be sent to said gateway, said database storing a second set of identifiers, wherein said server compares the first set of identifiers with the second set of identifiers, if the first set of identifiers do not match the second set of identifiers based on the comparing, the server compares a third set of identifiers of said gateway with the second set of identifiers.

2. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first portion is represented in a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) format, and the second portion is represented in a format other than the HTTP format.

3. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first message includes a message placed within a web page.

4. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the message frame includes identifiers of said gateway;

and a wide area network (WAN), wherein said server receives the message frame via said WAN and validates the identifiers.

5. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said server determines whether a format of the message frame is valid and sends a second message to said gateway if said server determines that the format is invalid, and the second message requests said gateway to re-send the message frame.

6. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a database coupled to said server and including a flag, wherein said server determines whether the flag equals one of a first value and second value and sends a second message to said gateway if the flag equals the first value, and the second message represents that said server is ready to communicate with said gateway.

7. A system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a database coupled to said server and including a flag, wherein said server determines whether the flag equals one of a first value and second value and sends a second message to said gateway if the flag equals to the second value, and the second message represents that said server is not ready to communicate with said gateway.

8. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein the first message is sent periodically from said gateway to said server.

9. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said server determines if the first message is sent to said server within a time period and generates an error message if said server determines that said gateway did not send the first message within the time period.

10. A system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said gateway is coupled to at least one of a security system, a heating system, a cooling system, and a lighting system.

11. A system for communicating messages, said system comprising:

a server in communication with a database; and

a gateway that sends a message frame to said server, wherein the message frame includes a first portion, a second portion, and a first set of identifiers of said gateway to said server via a network, the first portion converted by applying a first protocol and the second portion of the message frame converted by applying a second protocol that is different from the first protocol, the first portion identifies said gateway that sent the message frame to said server, the second portion queries said server to determine whether said server is ready to send at least one of a command and data from said database to said gateway, and wherein said server responds to a query based on whether there is a presence of the at least one of a command and data stored at said database designated to be sent to said gateway, said database storing a second set of identifiers, wherein said server compares the first set of identifiers with the second set of identifiers, if the first set of identifiers do not match the second set of identifiers based on the comparing, the server compares a third set of identifiers of said gateway with the second set of identifiers.

12. A system for communicating messages in accordance with claim 11, wherein the first protocol is a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP).

13. A system for communicating messages in accordance with claim 11 further comprising a wide area network (WAN), wherein said server receives the message frame via said WAN and validates identifiers of said gateway included within the message frame.

14. A method for communicating messages, said method comprising:

coupling a gateway to a server via a network;

coupling the server to a database;

sending by the gateway a message frame including a first portion, a second portion, and a first set of identifiers of the gateway to the server via a network, the first portion converted by applying a first protocol and the second portion converted by applying a second protocol that is different from the first protocol, the second portion embedding a first message; and

querying the server with the first message to determine whether the server is ready to send at least one of a command and data from the database to the gateway, wherein the server responds to the first message based on whether there is a presence of the at least one of a command and data stored at the database designated to be sent to the gateway, the database storing a second set of identifiers, wherein the server compares the first set of identifiers with the second set of identifiers, if the first set of identifiers do not match the second set of identifiers based on the comparing, the server compares a third set of identifiers of the gateway with the second set of identifiers.

15. A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising:

embedding, within the message frame, a message that queries the server, wherein the message queries whether the server is ready to communicate with the gateway;

representing the first portion in a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) format; and

representing the second portion in a format other than the HTTP format.

16. A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising:

embedding, within the message frame, a message that queries the server, wherein the message queries whether the server is ready to communicate with the gateway, the second portion includes the message;

representing the first portion represented in a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) format; and

representing the second portion represented in a format other than the HTTP format.

17. A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising:

embedding, within a web page, a message that queries the server, wherein the message queries whether the server is ready to communicate with the gateway.

18. A method in accordance with claim 14 further comprising:

embedding, within the message frame, a message that queries the server, wherein the message queries whether the server is ready to communicate with the gateway, and the message frame includes identifiers of the gateway;

receiving the message frame from the gateway; and

validating a format of the message frame.