Patent ID: 8001189
Filing Date: 2011-08-16
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for routing an electronic message from a sender to a receiver, comprising: generating, by an application-layer program executing on a computing device having a processor and a memory, an electronic message including a header portion and a data portion, said header portion comprising a requested, complete forward message path to be taken by the message from a sender to a receiver, the forward message path being specified by the application-layer program and including one or more application-layer intermediaries; and sending the message to a first application-layer intermediary of the forward message path for processing by the first application-layer intermediary and subsequent delivery to one of a second application-layer intermediary when present in the forward message path or to the receiver when no second application-layer intermediary is present in the forward message path, the message being sent to the first intermediary bound to a first underlying protocol and the subsequent delivery by the first intermediary employing a second underlying protocol that is different than the first protocol.