Method for using electronic mail for exchanging data between computer systems
AssigneeHewlett-Packard Company
InventorRobert S. Daniel
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A TCPEmail system that builds an additional TCP/IP protocol layer on top of an electronic mail system. An application program uses TCPEmail in the conventional manner of using TCP/IP. The application program calls TCPEmail and passes the data to be sent. TCPEmail breaks the data into packets, converts them into ASCII format, and sends the packets as a conventional electronic mail messages. When an electronic mail message is received the data in the mail message is converted into a binary data packet, combined with other packets, and sent to the application.
Claims15
A method for exchanging data records using a TCP/IP protocol between a first process in a first computer and a second process in a second computer, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving a send data record from the first process;
- (b) subdividing the send data record into one or more send data packets within a TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- (c) enclosing each send data packet from step (b) into an electronic mail message within an IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- (d) sending the electronic mail message from the first computer to the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;
- (e) receiving the electronic mail message in the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;
- (f) removing the data from the electronic mail message to form a receive data packet within the IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- (g) combining the receive data packet from one or more electronic mail messages into a receive data record within the TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- and
- (h) sending the receive data record to the second process.
A method for exchanging data records using a TCP/IP protocol between a first process in a first computer and a second process in a second computer, said method comprising the steps of:
- (a) receiving a send data record from the first process;
- (b) subdividing the send data record into at least one send data packet within a TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- (c) converting data of each send data packet from step (b) from a binary format into an ASCII format;
- (d) enclosing each converted send data packet from step (c) into an electronic mail message within an IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- (e) sending the electronic mail message from the first computer to the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;
- (f) receiving the electronic mail message in the second computer using conventional electronic mail functions;
- (g) removing the data from the electronic mail message;
- (h) converting the data removed in step (g) from an ASCII format to a binary format to form a receive data packet within the IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- (i) combining the receive data packet from one or more electronic mail messages into a receive data record within the TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- and
- (j) sending the receive data record to the second process.
A system for exchanging data records using a TCP/IP protocol between a first process in a first computer and a second process in a second computer, said method comprising:
- means for receiving a send data record from the first process;
- means for subdividing the send data record into one or more send data packets within a TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- means for enclosing each send data packet into an electronic mail message within an IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- means for sending the electronic mail message from the first computer to the second computer using conventional electronic mail means;
- means for receiving the electronic mail message in the second computer using conventional electronic mail means;
- means for removing the data from the electronic mail message to form a receive data packet within the IP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- means for combining the receive data packet from one or more electronic mail messages into a receive data record within the TCP portion of the TCP/IP protocol;
- and
- means for sending the receive data record to the second process.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.