Method and apparatus for providing in-band client telemetry data

• US 8,335,821 B2
• Filed: 05/17/2010
• Issued: 12/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Change Healthcare Holdings, LLC (UnitedHealth Group Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Mckesson Financial Holdings Limited (McKesson Corp.)
• Inventors: Bocirnea, Radu Catalin
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad, Abdullahi
• Application Number:
  US12/781,371
• Publication Number:
  US 20110282930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 946 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709206-207
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/125 involving control of end-device applications over a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2209/75 by polling or interrogating the sub-stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 9/00 Arrangements in telecontrol or telemetry systems for selectively calling a substation from a main station, in which substation desired apparatus is selected for applying a control signal thereto or for obtaining measured values therefrom

Abstract

A method for providing in-band client telemetry data may include receiving a message, from a first application, intended to be communicated to a second application via a network, the message being otherwise unrelated to client telemetry data. The method may further include inserting client telemetry data collected at a client device executing the first application into a portion of the message and providing for communication of the message to a server device executing the second application. A corresponding computer program product and apparatus are also provided.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving a communication from a server device executing a second application, the communication being otherwise unrelated to client telemetry data, but into which a management command was inserted at the server device, wherein (a) the management command defines an activity with respect to reporting of client telemetry data based on which an inserting operation is to be performed, and (b) the management command is extracted from the communication;

receiving a message, from a first application, intended to be communicated to the second application via a network, the message being otherwise unrelated to client telemetry data;

inserting client telemetry data collected at a client device executing the first application into a portion of the message, wherein inserting the client telemetry data comprises inserting an indication into the message to indicate a presence of the client telemetry data; and

providing for communication of the message to the server device executing the second application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein inserting the client telemetry data comprises inserting an indication into the message to indicate a location of the client telemetry data.

3. An apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to:

receive a communication, from a server device executing a second application, the communication being otherwise unrelated to client telemetry data, but into which a management command was inserted at the server device, wherein (a) the management command defines an activity with respect to reporting of client telemetry data based on which an inserting operation is to be performed, and (b) the management command is extracted from the communication;

receive a message, from a first application, intended to be communicated to the second application via a network, the message being otherwise unrelated to client telemetry data;

insert client telemetry data collected at the apparatus executing the first application into a portion of the message, wherein inserting the client telemetry data comprises inserting an indication into the message to indicate a presence of the client telemetry data; and

provide for communication of the message to the server device executing the second application.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to insert the client telemetry data by inserting an indication into the message to indicate a location of the client telemetry data.

5. A method comprising:

inserting a management command into a communication intended to be communicated from a second application executing on a server device to a first application executing on a client device, the management command defining an activity with respect to reporting of client telemetry data by the client device;

receiving a message from the client device, the message including client telemetry data inserted into a portion of the message at the client device according to the management command, the message being intended to be communicated from the first application of the client device to the second application via a network in association with inter-application communication that is otherwise unrelated to client telemetry data;

extracting client telemetry data from the message, wherein extracting client telemetry data comprises extracting the client telemetry data based on receipt of an indication in the message indicating a presence of the client telemetry data in the message; and

enabling reception of the message by the second application with the client telemetry data removed.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein extracting client telemetry data comprises extracting the client telemetry data based on receipt of an indication in the message, the indication indicating a location of the client telemetry data.

7. An apparatus comprising processing circuitry configured to:

insert a management command into a communication intended to be communicated from a second application executing on the apparatus to a first application executing on a client device, the management command defining an activity with respect to reporting of client telemetry data by the client device;

receive a message from the client device, the message including client telemetry data inserted into a portion of the message at the client device according to the management command, the message being intended to be communicated from the first application of the client device to the second application via a network in association with inter-application communication that is otherwise unrelated to client telemetry data;

extract client telemetry data from the message, wherein extracting client telemetry data comprises extracting the client telemetry data based on receipt of an indication in the message indicating a presence of the client telemetry data in the message; and

enable reception of the message by the second application with the client telemetry data removed.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to extract client telemetry data by extracting the client telemetry data based on receipt of an indication in the message, the indication indicating a location of the client telemetry data.