Symbiotic client and server for embedded network system

Abstract

A protocol with matching protocol creation and parsing engines on both the client and server facilitates the automatic transfer of data and commands in an autonomous fashion. This protocol and its corresponding engines make up a new services layer software stack that is above the existing application layer in the network stack. The protocol is based on standard HTTP over TCP/IP as the applications, transport, and Internet layers, but adds a means to frame commands and data to allow for any operation to be performed over a single service layer. Protocol creation and parsing engines reside on all clients and the server. The server-side protocol engine runs as a common gateway interface binary within a standard web server. The client-side protocol engine has the communication layer of a standard web browser, but replaces the user interface layers with an API to automate the passing of commands and data to the server protocol engine. The server is then able to execute upon client requests or pass requests back to a specific client.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A computer system for networking non-network functionality using a symbiotic computer protocol, the symbiotic computer protocol residing on a server computer communicatively coupled with a client computer via a network, and the computer system being configured to:
 receive a prompt from the client computer, the prompt including (1) client identification information, and (2) a request for information, wherein the information comprises (i) commands, (ii) data, or (iii) a combination thereof, wherein at least a portion of said information is incapable of being natively transmitted to the client computer;   convert the information, using the symbiotic computer protocol, into a single predetermined format, defining converted information, capable of being read by both the client computer and the server computer, wherein the symbiotic computer protocol is embedded within an existing protocol; and   transmit the converted information to the client computer via the network, wherein the computer system uses the client identification information to determine whether the client computer is a correct destination to which the converted information is to be transmitted.   
     
     
         2 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the single predetermined format comprises a command field, a client identification field, a packet size field, a data packet field, and a footer field. 
     
     
         3 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the symbiotic computer protocol is configured to operate within the network in a service layer that resides on top of a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) layer. 
     
     
         4 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the symbiotic computer protocol uses a network application residing in a HTTP layer to send (i) a command that is not part of an existing HTTP protocol, and (ii) a device client identifier, wherein the command that is not part of an existing HTTP protocol is sent without requiring XML formats. 
     
     
         5 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein a client pages the server computer at known page intervals to determine whether a command is desired by the server computer. 
     
     
         6 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the client computer is further configured to page the server computer at known page intervals to determine whether a command is desired by the server computer. 
     
     
         7 . The computer system of  claim 6 , wherein the client computer performs either of the following: (i) exits a page request loop if there is no command, until a next page interval; or (ii) sends an acknowledgement in response to a command sent to the client computer by the server computer. 
     
     
         8 . The computer system of  claim 1 , wherein the client computer comprises a corresponding computer protocol configured to transmit the prompt to the server computer and to enable all transmitted commands and data to be received via the network and to convert each of the commands and data received via the network from the single predetermined format into a respective original format. 
     
     
         9 . A method for networking non-network functionality using a symbiotic computer protocol that is embedded within an existing protocol within a computer system, the method comprising the steps of:
 receiving a prompt from a client computer, the prompt including (1) client identification information, and (2) a request for information, wherein the information comprises (i) commands, (ii) data, or (iii) a combination thereof, wherein at least a portion of said information is incapable of being natively transmitted to the client computer;   converting the information, using the symbiotic computer protocol, into a single predetermined format, defining converted information, capable of being read by both the client computer and a server computer, wherein the symbiotic computer protocol is embedded within an existing protocol; and   transmitting the converted information to the client computer via a network, wherein the computer system uses the client identification information to determine whether the client computer is a correct destination to which the converted information is to be transmitted.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the single predetermined format comprises a command field, a client identification field, a packet size field, a data packet field, and a footer field. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the server computer is configured to execute the method within the network in a service layer that resides on top of a Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) layer. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the server computer is configured to execute the method by using a network application residing in a HTTP layer to send (i) a command that is not part of an existing HTTP protocol, and (ii) a device client identifier, wherein the command that is not part of an existing HTTP protocol is sent without requiring XML formats. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the client computer is configured to transmit the prompt to the server computer and to enable all transmitted commands and data to be received via the network and to convert each of the commands and data received via the network from the single predetermined format into a respective original format. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising the step of paging the server computer at known page intervals to determine whether a command is desired by the server computer, wherein the client computer performs either of the following: (i) exits a page request loop if there is no command, until a next page interval; or (ii) sends an acknowledgement in response to a command sent to the client computer by the server. 
     
     
         15 . A computer system for facilitating host/client communications between a host computer and a client computer through an existing computer protocol via a services layer of a network, wherein the host/client communications are not native to the existing computer protocol and are not translated into the existing computer protocol, wherein the computer system comprises:
 a transmitter configured to transmit, via the services layer of the network, the host/client communications to (1) the host computer, or (2) the client computer;   a receiver configured to receive the host/client communications from (1) the host computer, or (2) the client computer;   a storage device configured to store the host/client communications;   a symbiotic computer protocol embedded within the existing computer protocol, wherein the symbiotic computer protocol is configured (1) to enable transmission of host/client communications between the host computer and the client computer that are incapable of being natively transmitted, and (2) to use client identification information in the host/client communications to determine that the client computer is a correct destination to transmit, or receive, the host/client communications; and   a converter configured to convert the host/client communications to, or from, the symbiotic computer protocol.   
     
     
         16 . The computer system of  claim 15 , comprising plural converters configured to convert the host/client communications, wherein at least one converter is provided at each of (1) the client computer, and (2) the host computer. 
     
     
         17 . The computer system of  claim 16 , wherein the plural converters comprise creation and parsing engines in the symbiotic computer protocol running on both the host computer and the client computer. 
     
     
         18 . The computer system of  claim 15 , wherein the host/client communications comprise (i) commands, (ii) data, (iii) prompts, or (iv) a combination thereof. 
     
     
         19 . The computer system of  claim 18 , wherein the symbiotic computer protocol enables the computer system to: (1) convert the information, using the symbiotic computer protocol, into a single predetermined format, defining converted information, capable of being read by both the client computer and the host computer; and (2) transmit the converted information to the client computer via the network, wherein the computer system uses the client identification information to determine whether the client computer is the correct destination to which the converted information is to be transmitted.