Web Services Over MAPI Mail Transport

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current Web Service binding mechanisms, particularly HTTP, face limitations such as difficulty in supporting asynchronous and offline communications, requiring additional infrastructure, and lacking connectionless capabilities, which hinder efficient message exchange in distributed systems.

Innovation Solution

Utilizing a MAPI compliant mail application to enable Web Services over a mail transport, allowing for offline message processing and extended service request processing times without additional infrastructure, by generating and sending Web Service messages and NPDL data structures through a mail message transport.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If HTTP is used as the primary transport for Web Services, then ubiquitous connectivity and standard protocol support are improved, but asynchronous and offline communications become difficult, requiring additional infrastructure and creating resource waste through polling

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveasynchronous communication capabilityVSAvoidinfrastructure requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces a mail server as an intermediary component that receives, stores, and forwards Web Service messages. This mediator enables asynchronous communication by allowing messages to be queued and delivered when recipients are available, eliminating the need for continuous polling while using existing mail infrastructure rather than creating new complex systems

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates copies of Web Service messages in the form of email messages with standardized subject lines and bodies. These message copies are stored in mail queues and can be retrieved and processed at convenient times, enabling offline communication without requiring the original system to remain active or continuously poll for responses

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Duration of action of moving object

If HTTP connection-based protocol is used, then request-response style transactions are supported, but long running transactions require constant polling which wastes system resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice request processing timeVSAvoidsystem resource consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

Duration of action of moving objectVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary actions by sending the Web Service message and storing it in the mail queue immediately, without requiring the recipient to be available. The message remains in the queue until the recipient is ready to process it, eliminating the need for continuous polling and allowing long processing durations without resource waste

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces continuous polling with periodic or event-driven retrieval of messages from the mail queue. Instead of constantly checking for responses, the system periodically retrieves messages when needed or waits for mail delivery events, significantly reducing system resource consumption during long-running transactions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

3Adaptability or versatility

If HTTP requires additional infrastructure for hosting Web Services, then Web Service capabilities are extended, but management and security issues increase

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveWeb Service hosting capabilityVSAvoidmanagement complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent leverages the universality of existing mail applications and mail servers that are already deployed in most organizations. By making Web Services work over existing mail infrastructure rather than requiring dedicated Web server infrastructure, the system gains broad compatibility while simplifying deployment and management using familiar tools and protocols

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS7600048B2Web services processing using MAPI compliant mail applications

Publication Date: 2009.10.06 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC

AI summary

The present invention provides Web Services over a mail transport. In particular, the present invention sends Web Service messages using MAPI (Messaging Application Program Interface) mail applications in order to support offline communications and extended processing time of service requests without creating additional infrastructure for such message exchanges. A custom layer transport is configured to: identify that a Web Service message is to be sent across a mail transport; use the MAPI application to generate a mail message; and include the Web Service message and other identifiers within the mail message. The message is then sent to the outgoing mailbox of the MAPI application for subsequent delivery to an endpoint. Upon receiving the mail message, the endpoint can extract the Web Service message and process it accordingly. Other example embodiments also provide for requesting NPDL (Network Protocol Description Language) data structures (e.g., WSDL documents) by a similar process.