Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput – Computer-to-computer protocol implementing – Computer-to-computer data framing
Reexamination Certificate
1998-12-16
2001-11-06
Vu, Viet D. (Department: 2154)
Electrical computers and digital processing systems: multicomput
Computer-to-computer protocol implementing
Computer-to-computer data framing
C709S217000, C709S241000, C709S241000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06314468
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of telecommunications and more specifically to a method, system and computer program product for managing transmission of electronic data between two network entities. The present invention relates more specifically to a method, system and computer program product for managing transmission of electronic data between network entities of trading partners using Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“TCP/IP”) and Secure Sockets Layer, Version 3 (“SSL3”). More specifically, the present invention relates to a method, system and computer program product for managing transmission of data formatted compatible with Electronic Data Interchange (“EDI”) in transactions using TCP/IP and SSL3 between network entities.
2. Discussion of the Background
Without limiting the invention, its background is described in connection with transmission of Electronic Data Interchange (“EDI”) data between network entities of trading partners in the telecommunications industry. Normally, the trading partners are a Competitive Local Exchange Company (“CLEC”) and an Incumbent Local Exchange Company (“ILEC”).
The Telecommunications Industry Forum (“TCIF”) primarily develops technology specific implementation guidelines for use within the telecommunications industry to realize a variety of intercommunication services, for example, A TCIF Guideline for Electronic Data Interchange, and TCIF-98-009, Generic Implementation Guidelines for Connectivity, which are incorporated herein by reference.
The International Telecommunication Union (“ITU”) is a treaty based organization operating under the auspices of UNICEF (a branch of the United Nations). The ITU's primary mission is to study, promote, initiate and design global telecommunication services and technology to improve the quality of life for all of the world's inhabitants. During the World Telecommunication Service Conference (“WTSC”) of 1991, it was reorganized into three sectors: the Technology sector (“ITU-T”), Radio sector (“ITU-R”) and the Telecom Service Bureau sector (“ITU-TSB”) to handle administrative and publication matters. In the context of this GIG, technology specified n the following ITU and International Organization for Standardization (“ISO”)IEC common text publications are incorporated herein by reference:
Rec. X.509 (1993)|ISO/IEC 9495-8:1995
, Information Technology
-
Open Systems Interconnection
-
The Directory: Authentication framework
(
for Digital Certificates and Signatures and the requirement to use Distinguished Encoding Rules
);
Rec. X.680 (1994)|ISO/IEC 8824-1:1995
, Information Technology
-
Abstract Syntax Notation One
(ASN.1):
Information object specification
(for ASN.1 grammar used in the IA specification); and
Rec. X.690 (1994)|ISO/IEC 8825-1:1995
, Information Technology
-
ASN
.1
encoding rules: Specification of basic Encoding Rules
(
BER
),
Canonical Encoding Rules
(
CER
)
and Distinguished Encoding Rules
(
DER
).
RSA Laboratories, a division of RSA Data Security, Inc. has published PKCS #7
, Public-Key Cryptography Standards #
7
—Cryptographic Message Syntax
, which is incorporated herein by reference.
Historically, network entities have communicated with each other in a variety of settings.
FIG. 1
is a block diagram of a point-to-point network configuration. A network node A
10
is directly connected to a network node B
16
, which is directly connected to a network node C
12
and a network node D
14
. Generally, messages from node A
10
to node C
12
are transmitted from node A
10
to node B
16
and are then transmitted to node C
12
. A point-to-point configuration is a communications link in which dedicated links exist between individual origins and destinations, as opposed to a point-to-multipoint, in which the same signal goes to many destinations (such as a cable TV system), or a switched configuration, in which the signal moves from the original to a switch that routes the signal to one of several possible destinations.
FIG. 2
is a block diagram of a Value Added Network (“VAN”)
28
, having network node A
20
, network node B
22
, network node C
24
and network node D
26
connected to the network. Generally, in order for network node A
20
to transmit a message to network node B
22
, node A
20
sends a message to the VAN
28
which encodes the message in a standard format for transmission to a server which communicates the message in a proper format for receipt by network node B
22
. A VAN is a communications network that offers additional services, such as message routing, resource management, and conversion facilities, for computers communicating at different speeds or using different protocols.
In the past, in order to transmit American Standard Code for Information Interchange (“ASCII”) data over a point-to-point network as illustrated in
FIG. 1
described above, a connection (e.g., a modem-to-modem connection) has been established, the data has been transmitted, and the connection has been terminated (e.g., via a modem-to-modem disconnect) in order to communicate the end of transmission of the message.
Connecting via a dial-up modem involves a connection similar to a user dialing a telephone. For example, after dial-up by a sender modem, a telephone company sends a ring signal. A modem detects the ring signal and starts transmitting a signal to establish a connection by setting up a carrier frequency and modulation. The recipient modem signals a computer, through a wire lead connecting the modem to the computer, that the modem has detected a ring signal. The computer has software routines which accept this information and issue commands to turn on a terminal ready lead. The connection is then established for transmission of data.
Receiving modems “listen” for carrier signals on predetermined frequencies. When a receiving modem detects a carrier, which is a transmitted voltage, the receiving modem sends a carrier detect signal to its attached computer, software routines in the computer recognize that a connection has been established. A receiving modem translates a received stream of data from a modulated frequency signal into a stream of digital bits to be transmitted to the attached computer. The computer then typically stores received bits one by one in a register until, for example, eight bits, or a byte, have been received. The byte thus received is then processed as a received byte of information. The process continues until a disconnect signal is received.
Telephone carriers have voice channels devoted to voice data and signaling channels for data which is not voice grade. Telephony standards establish a path over which these types of data are transmitted to a receiver, giving a user a “physical connection,” or an established path over telephone lines, which is used to transmit a stream of data in this setting to an intended recipient. When a sender has completed transmission of a message, the sender disconnects, very similarly to hanging up a telephone. The sender turns off the data terminal lead, dropping the carrier signal. The recipient then detects the lack of carrier signal being received and issues a signal such as “carrier lost” to disconnect from the telephone line. Each modem may then reset for its next connection.
In this environment, a recipient has had no way to know how much data was being transmitted until the connection was terminated. Therefore, once a sender initiated a connection and began transmission of a message, the receiver simply accepted transmission until a disconnect was received. The receiver could then interpret the stream as received to be the entire message. If a sender desired to transmit secure data by means of encryption, the sender and receiver typically had to agree to an encryption technique. The sender could then encrypt the sensitive portion of the message to be transmitted, and send it as an attachment to a non-secure message. Again, the receiver only recognized that the complete mess
Anderson Lee E.
Murphy John M.
MCI Worldcom, Inc.
Vu Viet D.
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