Transaction processing system and method

A method for establishing a protocol in a transaction processing system having a host computer, to which are connected one or more user terminals, said method comprising:

• inquiring of an application, in said transaction processing system, the attributes of a transaction comprising a message to be sent from one or more of the user terminals to one or more applications executing in the host computer during a communication session between the host computer and the user terminal;
• and
• specifying, based on said received transaction attributes, for each one of a plurality of transactions independently of a predefined communication protocol, a transaction protocol comprising a synchronization paradigm and a flow control;
• whereby said transaction protocol is dynamically bound to the transaction and the transaction protocol processing is unbound after said transaction ends.

In a transaction processing system having a host computer:

• transport means the receiving a plurality of transactions, each having protocol-specifying transaction attribute, from one or more transaction processing system users communicating with the host computer and for sending a plurality of transaction responses to one or more of the system users;
• process means for receiving the transactions from the transport means and determining a transaction protocol for each received transaction, in accordance with the transaction attributes received with each respective transaction, each transaction protocol including a plurality of protocol data fields specifying a synchronization paradigm and transaction flow control, and for determining a user destination for each transaction output;
• and
• presentation means for associating the determined synchronization paradigm and transaction flow with each received transaction to permit a transaction to be directed to an application connected to the presentation means in the synchronization paradigm specified and for ending the association after a transaction response has been returned to the process means.

A transaction processing system adapted for use with a computer system having user terminals linked to a host computer supporting an information management system that receives transaction from the user terminals, communicates with applications being executed in the host computer, and provides transaction responses to the user terminals, the transaction processing system comprising:

• transport means for receiving a plurality of transactions from the system user terminals and providing the transactions to the host computer, and for sending a plurality of transaction responses from the host computer to one or more of the user terminals;
• process means for determining a transaction protocol for each received transaction according to transaction attributes of each respective received transaction, each transaction protocol including a plurality of protocol data fields specifying a synchronization paradigm and transaction flow control, and for determining a destination user terminal for each transaction output;
• coupling means for receiving a plurality of transactions from the user terminals and providing the plurality of transactions to the process means in a full duplex mode;
• and
• presentation means for associating the determined synchronization and transaction flow with each received transaction to permit a transaction to be directed to an application connected to the presentation means and for ending the association after a transaction response has been returned to the process means.