Patent ID: 7849219

Claim:
A communication system for connecting in real-time, the system comprising: an Internet-based network interface; a server coupled with the Internet-based network interface; a plurality of backend systems separate from and coupled with the server, each of the plurality of backend systems having an associated backend communications protocol and requiring an associated backend data format; a router configured in the server for receiving a job having a front-end data format and a front-end communications protocol from the Internet-based network interface, wherein said router selects one or more backend systems from said plurality of backend systems as a function of attributes of said job for delivery of said job to said one or more backend systems; a plurality of service agents configured in the server, each of the plurality of service agents being associated with a respective one of the plurality of backend systems, each of said plurality of service agents being configured (1) to translate said job received from said router from said front-end data format to the associated backend data format of the respective one of the plurality of back-end systems, (2) to translate said job from said front-end communications protocol to the associated backend communications protocol of the respective one of the plurality of back-end systems, (3) to communicate said job to the associated one of the plurality of backend systems, (4) to receive a response to said job from the associated one of the plurality of backend systems, (5) to translate said response from the associated backend communications protocol to said front-end communications protocol, (6) to translate said response to said job from the associated backend data format to said front-end data format, and (7) to communicate a translated response to said Internet-based network interface, wherein the translated response is communicated through the server to the Internet-based network interface; a helper object configured in the server and separate from the plurality of service agents and in communication with said plurality of service agents said helper object being operatively configured to assist said plurality of service agents in translating to and from the associated backend communications protocol; and a merger object configured in the server and operatively configured to receive said translated response from said plurality of service agents, to merge a first translated response from a first of said one or more backend systems with a second translated response from a second of said one or more backend systems into a combined response prior to communicating said first translated response and said second translated response to said Internet-based network interface, and to communicate said combined response to said Internet-based network interface.