System and method for machines to communicate over the internet

• US 10,164,857 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2013
• Issued: 12/25/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eric P. Vance
• Original Assignee: Eric P. Vance
• Inventors: Vance, Eric P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shaw, Robert A
• Application Number:
  US14/080,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20150134726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system comprising a plurality of client machines in communication with a server machine over the internet. Each client machine comprises a Client Software Module. The Client Software Module comprises code to send an ABC Request comprising an ICMP Echo type, an unique identifier, and a timeout period T1. The server machine comprises a Server Software Module and an Unique Identifier Database. The Server Software Module comprises first code to receive the ABC Request from the client machine and second code to determine if the unique identifier is in the Database. The Server Software Module comprises third code to hold the ABC Request if the unique identifier is not in the Database. The Server Software Module comprises fourth code to create a an ABC Reply if the unique identifier is in the Database and fifth code to send the ABC Reply to the client machine.

Claims

1. A system for communication over the internet comprising:

a client machine in communication with the internet;

a server machine in communication with the internet;

said client machine comprising a central processing unit, a storage device, and a Client Software Module stored on said storage device and executed on said central processing unit;

said Client Software Module comprising a first set of code adapted to create an ABC Request;

said ABC Request comprising an ICMP Echo Request type, a code having a unique value within the range of 1 to 255, an unique identifier and a time out period T1;

said Client Software Module comprising a second set of code adapted to send said ABC Request to said server machine;

said server machine comprising a central processing unit, a storage device, a Server Software Module stored on said storage device and executed on said central processing unit, and an Unique Identifier Database;

said Server Software Module comprising a first set of code adapted to receive said ABC Request from said client machine;

said Server Software Module comprising a second set of code adapted to determine whether said unique identifier of said ABC Request is in said Unique Identifier Database;

said Server Software Module comprising a third set of code adapted to hold said ABC Request a hold time period T2 if said unique identifier is not in said Unique Identifier Database;

said Server Software Module comprising a fourth set of code adapted to create an ABC Reply for said client machine after an unique identifier is added to said Unique Identifier Data Base that matches said unique identifier of said ABC Request before the expiration of hold time period T2;

said ABC Reply comprising an ICMP Echo Reply type and a code equal to said unique value of said code of said ABC Request, and a command for said client machine; and

said Server Software Module comprising a fifth set of code adapted to send said ABC Reply with said command to said client machine;

said Server Software Module comprising a sixth set of code adapted to determine whether said time out period T1 of said ABC Request has expired;

said Server Software Module comprising a seventh set of code adapted to drop said ABC Request if said time out period T1 has expired; and

said Client Software Module of said client machine comprising a third set of code adapted to receive said ABC Reply from said server machine and execute said command and a fourth set of code adapted to send a new ABC Request if said ABC reply is not received from said server machine.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said Server Software Module comprises an eighth set of code adapted to receive and store an unique identifier in said Unique Identifier Database.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said Server Software Module comprises a ninth set of code adapted to create said ABC Reply.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein said Server Software Module comprises an tenth set of code adapted to delete said unique identifier from said Unique Identifier Database after said ABC Reply is sent to said client machine.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein said time out period T1 of said ABC Request is three minutes and said hold time period T2 of said Server Software Module is thirty seconds.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said Unique Identifier Database is stored on said storage device of said server machine.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said Server Software Module is stored on said storage device of said server machine and said Client Software Module is stored on said storage device of said client machine.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said command comprises a command for said client machine to open a communication port with said server machine.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said unique identifier of said ABC Request comprises a MAC address corresponding to said client machine.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein said unique value of said code of said ABC Request is 88.

10. A method for one or more client machines to communicate with a server machine over the internet, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing an Unique Identifier Data Base accessible by the server machine;

(b) creating an ABC Request comprising an ICMP Echo Request type, a code having an unique value in the range of 1 to 255, an unique identifier, and a time out period T1 on the client machine;

(c) sending the ABC Request to the server machine;

(d) receiving by the server machine of the ABC Request from the client machine;

(e) determining by the server machine whether the unique identifier of the ABC Request is in the Unique Identifier Data Base;

(f) holding by the server machine of the ABC Request a period of time T2 if the unique identifier of the client machine is not in the Unique Identifier Data Base;

(g) creating by the server machine an ABC Reply for said client machine after an unique identifier is added to said Unique Identifier Data Base that matches said unique identifier of said ABC Request before the expiration of hold time period T2;

said ABC Reply comprising an ICMP Echo Reply type and a code equal to said unique value of said code of said ABC Request, and a command for said client machine;

(h) sending by the server machine of the ABC Reply to the client machine;

(i) execution by the client machine of the command of the ABC Reply if received from the server machine;

(j) determining whether the time out period T1 of the ABC Request has expired; and

(k) dropping the ABC Request if the time out period T1 of the ABC Request has expired; and

(l) sending a new ABC Request to the server machine if the ABC Reply is not received from said server.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising the step of storing an unique identifier in the Unique Identifier Database identical to the unique identifier of the ABC Request.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of deleting the unique identifier from the Unique Identifier Database after the ABC Reply is sent to the client machine.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein said value of said code of said ABC Reply is 88.