System and method for reducing network traffic between two computing devices

A method of reducing the size of a communication originated on a first computer for transmission to a second computer, the communication identifying an object on the second computer and including one or more descriptors corresponding to properties of the object, the method comprising:

• examining a value of a first data field of a communication from a first computer to a second computer, wherein a first data type describes said value;
• determining whether said value can be described by a second data type;
• replacing said first data type with said second data type;
• examining a first sequence of computer readable symbols in a second data field of said communication;
• searching a first memory for said first sequence of computer readable symbols, wherein said first memory is configured to store one or more sequences of computer readable symbols and wherein an identifier is associated with each of said one or more sequences of computer readable symbols;
• and
• if said first memory includes said first sequence of computer readable symbols, replacing said first sequence of computer readable symbols with said identifier.

A method of transmitting a delta message from a first computing device to a second computing device in place of an original message, comprising:

• identifying an original message on a first computing device for transmission to a second computing device, wherein said original message pertains to an object on the second computing device and includes a first set of descriptors corresponding to a first set of properties of said object and wherein each descriptor in said first set of descriptors includes a property identifier;
• selecting a previous message transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device, wherein said previous message pertains to said object and includes a second set of descriptors corresponding to a second set of properties of said object and wherein each descriptor in said second set of descriptors includes a property identifier;
• creating a delta message in which to describe said original message in relation to said previous message;
• selecting a first descriptor of said original message;
• determining whether a first property identifier of said first descriptor matches a second property identifier of a second descriptor of said previous message;
• if said first property identifier matches said second property identifier, determining whether a data value in said first descriptor matches a data value in said second descriptor;
• adding said first descriptor to said delta message;
• and
• transmitting said delta message, in place of said original message, from the first computing device to the second computing device.

A computer readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of reducing the size of a message generated by a first computer for a second computer, the method comprising:

• comparing the message at the first computer to one or more messages previously transmitted to the second computer;
• generating a delta message to describe a difference between said message and one of said previous messages;
• examining, in one of said message and said delta message, a value and a first data type associated with said value;
• replacing said first data type with a second data type requiring less storage space for said value;
• comparing a character string in one of said message and said delta message with a set of character strings stored in a first memory of the first computer;
• and
• replacing said character string with an identifier of said character string if said character string matches one of said character strings in said set of character strings.

An application server in a network environment, comprising:

• a delta message module configured to generate a delta message to describe a new message for a client on the basis of a first previous message transmitted to the client;
• a compaction module configured to change a data type associated with a value stored in one of said new message and said delta message from a first type requiring a first amount of storage space to a second type requiring less than said first amount of storage space;
• a data memory configured to store one or more data values previously sent from the application server to the client;
• and
• a data replacement module configured to replace a series of computer readable symbols in one of said new message and said delta message with an identifier, wherein said identifier represents a storage location in said data memory of said series of computer readable symbols.

A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of reducing the size of a communication originated on a first computer for transmission to a second computer, the communication identifying an object on the second computer and including one or more descriptors corresponding to properties of the object, the method comprising:

• examining a value of a first data field of a communication from a first computer to a second computer, wherein a first data type describes said value;
• determining whether said value can be described by a second data type;
• replacing said first data type with said second data type;
• examining a first sequence of computer readable symbols in a second data field of said communication;
• searching a first memory for said first sequence of computer readable symbols, wherein said first memory is configured to store one or more sequences of computer readable symbols and wherein an identifier is associated with each of said one or more sequences of computer readable symbols;
• and
• if said first memory includes said first sequence of computer readable symbols, replacing said first sequence of computer readable symbols with said identifier.

A computer readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method of transmitting a delta message from a first computing device to a second computing device in place of an original message, the method comprising:

• identifying an original message on a first computing device for transmission to a second computing device, wherein said original message pertains to an object on the second computing device and includes a first set of descriptors corresponding to a first set of properties of said object and wherein each descriptor in said first set of descriptors includes a property identifier;
• selecting a previous message transmitted from the first computing device to the second computing device, wherein said previous message pertains to said object and includes a second set of descriptors corresponding to a second set of properties of said object and wherein each descriptor in said second set of descriptors includes a property identifier;
• creating a delta message in which to describe said original message in relation to said previous message;
• selecting a first descriptor of said original message;
• determining whether a first property identifier of said first descriptor matches a second property identifier of a second descriptor of said previous message;
• if said first property identifier matches said second property identifier, determining whether a data value in said first descriptor matches a data value in said second descriptor;
• adding said first descriptor to said delta message;
• and
• transmitting said delta message, in place of said original message, from the first computing device to the second computing device.