Cross-Application Interconnection for Instant Messaging via Protocol Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing instant messaging applications require both terminals to use the same application for communication, limiting convenience and flexibility in inter-device communication.
Innovation Solution
A method for cross-application interconnection between different devices, allowing communication between terminals using different instant messaging applications by initiating communication behaviors such as video calls, voice calls, or messaging through a communication system with servers supporting different communication protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If both terminals use the same instant messaging application for communication, then communication reliability is improved, but adaptability and versatility deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a server as an intermediary component that mediates between different instant messaging applications. The server receives communication requests from one application, converts them to the protocol language of the target application, and forwards them accordingly. This mediator enables cross-application communication while maintaining reliable message delivery, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements protocol conversion as a parameter change mechanism. The system can transform communication parameters (protocol formats, data structures, signaling methods) from one application's language to another's. By dynamically adjusting these parameters through conversion, the system achieves both reliable communication within each application and adaptability across different applications.
2Adaptability or versatility
If different instant messaging applications are used on different terminals, then adaptability is improved, but communication compatibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The server acts as a universal intermediary that understands multiple application protocols simultaneously. It receives messages in the protocol of the first application, translates them to the protocol language of the second application, and ensures proper delivery. This mediator maintains communication compatibility across heterogeneous applications without requiring the applications themselves to modify their core functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system achieves universality by implementing a multi-functional server that can handle multiple instant messaging application protocols. The server performs multiple functions: receiving messages from various applications, converting between different protocol formats, and delivering messages to the appropriate target application. This universal approach enables adaptability while maintaining compatibility.
3Adaptability or versatility
If protocol conversion is implemented between different instant messaging applications, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent relocates the complex protocol conversion functionality to a dedicated server intermediary, separating it from the client terminals. The terminals only need to implement their native application protocols, while the server handles the complexity of converting between different protocols. This division of labor reduces the complexity burden on individual devices while maintaining system-wide adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The server creates virtual copies or instances of different application protocols in its processing layers. Instead of requiring each terminal to understand all protocols, the server maintains protocol-specific processing layers that can be activated as needed. This copying approach allows the system to support multiple applications without distributing complexity to all devices.
Data Source
AI summary
In an embodiment a method includes displaying, by a first terminal of a communication system, a first interface of a first instant messaging application, wherein the first interface comprises a second user, the second user being a user registered with a second instant messaging application on a second terminal of the communication system, and wherein the first instant messaging application and the second instant messaging application are different applications, initiating, by the first instant messaging application, a first communication to the second user in response to a first operation in the first interface, wherein the first communication comprises a video call, a voice call, or a message, and displaying, by the second terminal, a second interface of the second instant messaging application, wherein the first communication from a first user is displayed in the second interface, and wherein the first user is a user registered with the first instant messaging application on the first terminal.