Abstract: A system including a rate governor is provided for monitoring and controlling the amount of communications between a remote communication unit (201) and communication server (220). Preferably, as threshold are passed a user is alerted to amounts (time and/or charges) spent or remaining, and once a use limit is reached further communication is restricted. A main rate governor (234) is maintained at the communication server (220), allowing access, control and the like by administrators (260) and the like. A further rate governor (209), responsive to the main rate governor, may also be used at the remote unit (201). By means of the rate governors a method is provided for both limiting user or group data transfer beyond a set amount, as well as providing alerts to users as a limit is approached.

Abstract: A system including a rate governor is provided for monitoring and controlling the amount of communications between a remote communication unit (201) and communication server (220). Preferably, as threshold are passed a user is alerted to amounts (time and/or charges) spent or remaining, and once a use limit is reached further communication is restricted. A main rate governor (234) is maintained at the communication server (220), allowing access, control and the like by administrators (260) and the like. A further rate governor (209), responsive to the main rate governor, may also be used at the remote unit (201). By means of the rate governors a method is provided for both limiting user or group data transfer beyond a set amount, as well as providing alerts to users as a limit is approached.

Abstract: A system including a rate governor is provided for monitoring and controlling the amount of communications between a remote communication unit (201) and communication server (220). Preferably, as threshold are passed a user is alerted to amounts (time and/or charges) spent or remaining, and once a use limit is reached further communication is restricted. A main rate governor (234) is maintained at the communication server (220), allowing access, control and the like by administrators (260) and the like. A further rate governor (209), responsive to the main rate governor, may also be used at the remote unit (201). By means of the rate governors a method is provided for both limiting user or group data transfer beyond a set amount, as well as providing alerts to users as a limit is approached.

Abstract: In a main embodiment, prestage filtering is applied via user-definable filter parameters (e.g., reject, pass, or granularity filters) on data being transferred between a communication unit (201) and communication server (220). For downloading, e.g., email from a host post office (240), a communication server controller (229) preferably either forwards the filter parameters in a query object or message to the post office to apply and return qualified mail (406-414), or the communication server receives all unprocessed mail and applies the filters locally (418-420), only acknowledging as processed that mail which passes the filters. For uploading, e.g., email from a client, a client controller applies an upload prestage filter (432) so as to retain all filter-rejected email, while transmitting email passing the filters (434). Thus, only desired data transfers (i.e., those meeting user defined filters) are communicated over the expense-bearing networks between the remote unit and communication server.

Abstract: In a main embodiment, select and summary (S&S) indices (213, 228) are used to provide user flexibility in reviewing and requesting otherwise filtered data. Both the user's remote unit (201) and communication server (220) maintain S&S indices containing identifying (summary) information about data which has not been fully transferred between the communication server and remote unit. As new data is filtered for transfer (704-706), identifying information is captured (710) for any non-qualifying data by either a host unit or the communication server. This information is stored (714) in the communication server's S&S index, and transferred (718) via update messaging to the remote unit. When reviewing its updates or S&S index, the user may request (722) such of the data that it desires partial or full transfers of for further review. Thus, a cost efficient review mechanism is provided to users for determining whether to transfer data that otherwise fails selected filter parameters.

Abstract: A communication system includes a virtual session manager (225) for establishing and maintaining a sessionless communication path with a user device (201) on the one hand and a session-oriented communication path with a host system (231). The session-oriented connection with the host system permits normal access to, e.g., LAN-based applications, while the virtual session between the virtual session manager and user permits this access to be carried out remotely without the expense of a dedicated/circuit-switched or other session-oriented connection.

Abstract: For optimized reply, when sending a reply (902) in a first embodiment a remote communication unit's controller (206) generates a delta between a preceding message and the reply message, and forms an optimized reply (904) using the delta and an identifier of the preceding message. On receiving the optimized reply, the communication server uses the data unit identifier to retrieve (910) the preceding message from a further server (e.g., the post office mailbox of the user associated with the remote unit), reconstructs (914) the full reply from the retrieved message and the delta, and forwards (916) the full reply to the addressee. When receiving a reply for the remote unit (918), an index is preferably maintained by both units of mail stored at the remote unit. From this index a preceding message forming part of the reply is identified (920). An optimized reply is then similarly formed (922) and sent to the remote unit.