Patent ID: 7747694

Claim:
A method of performing the asynchronous delivery of messages from a server to a client, wherein the server receives said messages for the client from a message source, and the server and client communicate over a packet network using HTTP protocol, comprising: establishing a TCP connection between the client and server; sending a group of GET requests in advance from the client to the server in a pipelined manner over the TCP connection; storing at least one said GET request at the server to maintain message delivery credits at the server; and when the server receives a said message for the client from said message source, forwarding said message to said client as a reply to a stored said GET message; sending further GET requests to the server in response to receipt of messages from the server to replenish delivery credits maintained at the server; assigning a unique message identifier to each message contained in a GET reply sent to the client; and returning the unique message identifier of a particular message received in a GET reply to the server in the further GET request sent to the server to replenish the delivery credits in response to the receipt of said particular GET message.