Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Distributed data processing – Client/server
Reexamination Certificate
1998-10-01
2001-11-20
Barot, Bharat (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Distributed data processing
Client/server
C709S200000, C709S217000, C709S219000, C709S223000, C709S224000, C709S227000, C709S229000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06321250
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a data communication system, and particularly to a data communication protocol and corresponding computing network.
2. Background of the Relevant Art
Communication over the world wide web (“web”) is limiting in a number of ways. The hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) is an internet protocol which is employed to convey information between a web browser and web server. The HTTP is simplistic in that it is a stateless protocol wherein data is transferred between client and server as a one time event. A non-permanent connection is established in which data is transferred between a server and a browser at the client computer in the form of a request for information by the client or a response thereto provided by the server. Data is provided to a client in response to a client request only in the form of a page of information. Due to this inflexible data communication protocol, data transfer on the web is ill-suited for transactional sequences.
In response, various work-arounds have been developed, such as browser cookies, hidden values and complex common gateway interfaces. However, such work-arounds are quick fixes which do not address a better solution to communicate data across the internet or other computing network.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention overcomes shortcomings in prior data communication systems and techniques, and thereby satisfies a significant need for a simple yet extremely flexible data communication system which provides enhanced data communication features.
According to the present invention, there is provided a data communication system including at least one server and client therefor. Data is transported between the server and client as an object. Unlike data communication on the web, when communication is established between the client and server according to the present invention, a permanent connection is created and maintained. In this way, the present invention is not limited to communicating data as a one time event. Rather, a temporal interface is created for sending objects between the client and server, thus substantially increasing the complexity of data communication between a server and corresponding client.
Accordingly, the object-oriented data transfer feature of the present invention allows for data transfer of objects of virtually any size and type. For instance, in addition to an object comprising data relating to a search query, an object may preferably comprise an entire application including program code and corresponding data. In addition, an object may be a data feed object in which data is provided by the server to a subscriber client on a periodic or continuous basis.
The present invention is suited for data communication between a server and a number of different client types. For instance, the present invention preferably includes one or more gateways for translating any object into a format that is compatible with the particular client. By translating the same database or content feeds to a number of different communication devices, the present invention provides network communication to client devices such as cellular telephones, personal assistant devices or personal computers having both newer and older browser applications, without maintaining duplicative databases.
The object-oriented data transfer feature of the present invention leads to an enhanced mechanism for data transport across a relatively large network having many servers therein. The servers are linked together such that each server has the ability to inform other servers what information and/or services it can provide. Due to the interconnectivity between the servers in the network, clients residing on other servers then can subscribe to these services.
In a first example, a small, local server may provide a data feed object to a larger server which is capable of distributing the data feed object to those servers/clients having subscriptions therefor. In this way, a small machine having little bandwidth is capable of distributing and/or broadcasting information (via a data feed) to a large number of subscribers.
In a second example, a single server may distribute an object to a number of first servers in the network which subscribe to receiving the object, each of which thereupon distributes the same object to a number of second servers in the network which also subscribe to receiving the object. In this way, the present invention provides for the massive distribution and/or broadcast of data.
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ISR for PCT/US 99/22982 Completed Mar. 20, 2000.
Knape Anthony Brian
Melloni Bruno
Barot Bharat
Ericsson Inc.
Jenkens & Gilchrist P.C.
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