Patent EP0600235B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
EP0600235B1
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EP
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Cooperative processing interface and communication broker for heterogeneous computing environments
Assignee: Software GmbH
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Filing: 1993-10-29
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Granted: 1998-02-18
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Expires: 2013-10-29
Abstract
Abstract An object interface is disclosed that supports three modes of inter-object communication -- message processing (store and forward), conversational communication, and remote procedure call. A service broker manages service requests from, and responsive services provided by, a plurality of clients and servers, respectively, which may reside on different hardware platforms and operating systems and may be connected to computer networks having different network architectures and associated communications protocols. The broker manages the service offerings from servers and service requests from clients, and clients and servers communicate and exchange information with one another via the broker. The service broker includes different application programming interfaces for allowing participants to access the functionality of the service broker. <IMAGE>
Inventors
- 👤 Peter Page
- 👤 Ruediger Warns
- 👤 Terence Graham Kennedy
- 👤 Omid Ejtemai-Jandahi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-09 12:36
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F9/00; G06F9/06; G06F9/46; G06F9/54; G06F9/546; G06F9/547; H; H04; H04L; H04L9/00; H04L9/40; H04L67/00; H04L67/01; H04L67/133; H04L69/00; H04L69/08; H04L69/24; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S707/00; Y10S707/99941; Y10S707/99944; Y10S707/99945; Y10S707/99948
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 25
Claim 1
Independent Claim
176 words
A communication system for managing communication of messages among a
plurality of participants in a computing environment, the participants including a server (10a-10d)
residing on a first computer, and a client (12a-12d) residing on a second computer, the first and second
computers being heterogeneous, the client and server sending messages to each other, the
messages including a request from the client for a service, and the server providing a
service, the participants being connected by a physical network (52) with a network protocol, said
system comprising: a service broker (14), which is adapted to receive the service request from the client and to
determine if the service provided by the server matches the service request, and, if so, to
communicate the service request to the server, the system being characterised by
a protocol independent communications transport layer, said transport layer having a
low level application programming interface LAPI and being adapted to accept messages from the
participants via the LAPI and said transport layer being adapted to communicate with the physical network
via the network protocol.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
27 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said service broker includes means for storing
and forwarding the messages to provide asynchronous communication between the client and
the server.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
47 words
The system of claim 2 wherein said store and forward means includes a
message queue maintained by said service broker, said message queue storing the messages
and associating with each message the identity of the participant to which the message is to
be communicated by said broker.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said service broker includes means for
conducting a conversational communication session between the client and the server, said
conversational communication session comprising a plurality of messages from the client to
the server, including the service request, and a corresponding plurality of responsive
messages from the server to the client.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the computing environment includes a second
client and wherein said conversational communication means includes means for enabling the
server to conduct concurrently a plurality of conversational communication sessions with the
client and the second client.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
34 words
The system of claim 4 wherein said service broker includes means for
monitoring a conversational communication session and terminating the session upon the
passage of a predetermined time without message activity by the participants.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
43 words
The system of claim 4 wherein the computing environment further includes a
second server and wherein said conversational communication session means includes means
for enabling the client to conduct concurrently a plurality of conversational communication
sessions with the server and the second server.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 7 wherein said concurrent session means comprises
means for uniquely identifying each communication session with a session identification, and
a message queue for storing messages to be communicated between the participants, each
message in said message queue having associated therewith the session identification of the
communication session to which it pertains.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
41 words
The system of claim 1 wherein said service broker includes means for
establishing a reliable communication session that can be recovered without loss of any
messages upon interruption caused by termination of the client or server or of said service
broker.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
82 words
The system of claim 9 wherein said reliable communication means comprises
means for uniquely identifying each communication session with a session identification, and
a message queue for storing messages to be communicated between the participants, each
message in said message queue having associated therewith the session identification of the
communication session to which it pertains, each message in said message queue being stored
on a reliable medium until communicated by said service broker to the participant to which
the message is addressed.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
31 words
The system of claim 1 wherein the service request is in a higher-level format
than the LAPI and further including means for converting the higher-level format service
request to the LAPI.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
The system of claim 11 wherein said higher-level format is a parameter string
format.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
112 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising a communication data structure
including a participant control block PCB for the client and a PCB for the server, each of
said client PCB and said server PCB including information identifying the respective
participant, and a service control block SCB for the service offered by the server, said SCB
including information identifying the offered service and being linked to said server PCB,
wherein the service request identifies the service requested and said service broker
determines whether the service request matches the service offered by the server by
determining if the service identified in the service request is the same as that identified in
said SCB.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
54 words
The system of claim 13 further comprising a set of user functions, said user
functions including a REGISTER function, said REGISTER function including the identity of
the server and the identity of the offered service, said service broker creating said SCB in
response to receiving a message including said REGISTER function from the server.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
62 words
The system of claim 13 wherein said service broker establishes a
communication session between the client and the server in response to the service request
and associates therewith a unique session identification, and wherein said communication data
structure further includes a communication control block CCB linked to said client PCB,
said server PCB, said SCB, and said CCB including said session identification.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
37 words
The system of claim 1 further comprising a set of user functions, said user
functions including a SEND function, the client making the service request by sending a
message to said service broker including said SEND function.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
19 words
The system of claim 16 wherein said SEND function has a WAIT parameter
and a communication identification CONVID parameter.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
51 words
The system of claim 17 wherein said service broker initiates a conversational
communication session when the client sends a message to said service broker including said
SEND function and setting said CONVID parameter to a first value, said service broker
assigning a unique communication session identification to said conversational communication
session.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
49 words
The system of claim 18 wherein said service broker conveys said
communication session identification to the client and the client identifies a further message
relating to said communication session by including in said further message said SEND
function with said CONVID parameter set to equal said communication session identification.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
46 words
The system of claim 17 wherein said service broker initiates a non-conversational
communication session when the client sends a message to said service broker
including said SEND function and setting said CONVID parameter to a second value and sets
said WAIT parameter to a first value.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
55 words
The system of claim 17 wherein said service broker conveys a message from
the client to the server without establishing a communication session when the client sends
said message to said service broker including said SEND function and setting said CONVID
parameter to a second value and sets said WAIT parameter to a second value.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
28 words
The system of claim 16 further comprising a communication data structure
including a message queue to store the service request and other messages for communication
to the participants.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
157 words
The system of claim 22 wherein said set of user functions further includes a
REGISTER function, said REGISTER function including the identity of the server and the
identity of the offered service, said communication data structure further including a
participant control block PCB for the client and a PCB for the server, each of said client
PCB and said server PCB including information identifying the respective participant, and a
service control block SCB for the service offered by the server, said SCB including
information identifying the offered service and being linked to said server PCB, said service
broker creating said SCB in response to receiving a message including said REGISTER
function from the server, wherein the service request identifies the service requested and said
service broker determines whether the service request matches the service offered by the
server by determining if the service identified in the service request is the same as that
identified in said SCB.
Claim 24
Independent Claim
171 words
A method for managing communication among participants in a computing
environment, the participants including a server residing on a first computer and a client
residing on a second computer, the first and second computers being heterogeneous, the
client and server sending messages to each other, the messages including a request from the
client for a service, and the server providing a service, the participants being connected by a
physical network with a network protocol, said method comprising the steps of: placing a service broker in communication with the participants; communicating the service request from the client to said service broker; said service broker determining whether the requested service is provided by the
server and, if so; said service broker communicating the service request from said service broker to the
server, characterised by
disposing between the participants and the physical network a protocol independent
communications transport layer having a lower level application interface LAPI accepting messages from the participants via the LAPI, and
communicating with the physical network via the network protocol.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
107 words
The method of claim 24 further comprising the step of creating a
communication data structure, said data structure including a participant control block PCB
for the client and a PCB for the server, said client PCB and said server PCB including
information identifying the respective participants, and a service control block SCB for the
service offered by the server, said SCB including information identifying the offered service
and being linked to said server PCB, wherein the service request identifies the service
requested, said determining step comprising said service broker determining if the service
identified in the service request is the same as that identified in said SCB.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
No citation records indexed.
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