Asynchronous real-time retrieval of data

Abstract

A data retrieval system includes a gateway server and an access client. The gateway server is communicatively connected to the access client through a network. The gateway server provides a presentation service (PS) and a real-time service (RTS), which cooperate with the access client to retrieve data from a data store and then provide the retrieved data to a user's remote communication device. More particularly, when a user wishes to retrieve data from the data store or to send data to the data store, the user establishes a communication connection between his or her remote communication device and the gateway server, and then requests the desired data from the gateway server. In response, the gateway server sends a command to the access client, instructing it to retrieve the requested data. The access client retrieves the requested data from the data store, and returns the retrieved data to the gateway server. The gateway server then relays the requested information back to the user's remote communication device.

1 . A gateway server, comprising:
 receiving means for receiving data requests from a plurality of remote communication devices, the data requests requesting to send data to or receive data from a storing means for storing data, such data requests corresponding to users of the plurality of remote communication devices which originate the data requests therefrom; and   exchanging means for exchanging the data requests from the receiving means to an access client associated with the storing means,   wherein the receiving means establishes a communication instance for conveying data between a requesting remote communication device and the exchanging means, and associates the communication instance established for an initial data request of the requesting remote communication device with subsequent data requests from the same requesting remote communication device; and   the receiving means utilizes device characteristics corresponding to the requesting remote communication device to determine a threshold time to return a reply to a data request to the requesting remote communication device.