Patent ID: 6336135
Filing Date: 2002-01-01
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
A data communications server system for a communications network, wherein the server system has facilities for supporting synchronous communication between the server system and a client system of the network and wherein the server system also has facilities for supporting asynchronous communication with programs on the server system or on another system of the network, said server system including:means, responsive to a ret from said client system within a synchronous communication session between the client system and the server system, for sending a request to a program on the server system or on another system of the network as an asynchronous communication; means for starting a timer in response to said request from the client system; means, responsive to receipt of a reply to said asynchronous communication, for associating said reply with said request form the client system to enable a reply to be sent to the client system; means, responsive to the program's reply to the asynchronous communication including session state information which enables serialization of interactions, for including session state information with said reply sent to the client; means for sending the reply to the client system, wherein the reply includes a session identifier and session state information which enables serialization of interactions; means for generating a preliminary reply before receipt of a reply to said asynchronous communication, said preliminary reply including a session identifier assigned by the server system; and means for sending said preliminary reply to said client system within said synchronous communication session if a preset time period expires before a reply to said asynchronous request is received by the server system.