Gateway device for machine-to-machine communication with dual cellular interfaces

• US 10,194,340 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2017
• Issued: 01/29/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Systech Corporation
• Original Assignee: Systech Corporation
• Inventors: Rucker, Jeff, Armerding, Donald G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Chi Ho A
• Application Number:
  US15/627,206
• Publication Number:
  US 20170295506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 589 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/306 Route determination based on the nature of the carried application
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/04 Arrangements for maintaining operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/15 Setup of multiple wireless link connections
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

Gateway devices can use dual cellular interfaces to provide reliable communications for client machines. A gateway device can use one of the dual cellular interfaces as a primary interface and the other as a hot backup interface. The backup interface remains connected to a cellular network while communications are routed on the primary interface. Accordingly, the gateway device can rapidly switch communications between from the primary interface to the backup interface. Applications, for example, for ATM payment processing, vending machine telemetry, point of sale payment processing, kiosk internet connectivity, remote monitoring and control, mobile or electronic health, and remote information displays, may run on the gateway devices, on servers, on user devices, or a combination of these devices.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first network interface configured to communicate with a first network;

a second network interface configured to communicate with a second network;

at least one local communication interface configured to communicate with one or more client devices; and

one or more processors coupled to the first network interface, the second network interface, and the at least one local communication interface, the one or more processors configured to operate the first network interface as a primary interface and the second network interface as a hot backup interface to route communication with one or more client devices, the one or more processors being further configured to;

route communication with the one or more client devices over the primary interface while maintaining the hot backup interface actively connected to its respective network,

determine to switch communication with the one or more client devices from the primary interface, and

after determining to switch communication with the one or more client devices from the primary interface, route communication with the one or more client devices over the hot backup interface.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to select to operate the first network interface as the primary interface and to select to operate the second network interface as the hot backup interface.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the first network comprises a first cellular communication network, the first network interface is coupled to a first subscriber identification module (SIM) card and the first network interface is configured to communicate with the first cellular network using the first SIM card; and

the second network comprises a second cellular communication network, the second network interface is coupled to a second SIM card and the second network interface is configured to communicate with the second cellular communication network using the second SIM card.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to:

after routing communication with the one or more client devices over the hot backup interface, monitor communication on the primary interface and the hot backup interface;

determine to switch communication with the one or more client devices to the primary interface; and

after determining to switch communication with the one or more client devices to the primary interface, route communication with the one or more client machines over the primary interface.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to determine to switch communication with the one or more client devices from the primary interface based on weighted results of a plurality of connection tests with both the first network and the second network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to monitor communication on the primary interface by counting receive and transmit packets on the primary interface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to monitor communication on the primary interface by pinging a domain name server on the primary interface when the count of transmit packets is much greater than the count of receive packets.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to:

monitor communication on the primary interface and the hot backup interface; and

determine to switch communication with the one or more client devices from the primary interface to the hot backup interface and from the hot backup interface to the primary interface based on relative performance of the primary interface and the hot backup interface.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to determine to switch communication with the one or more client devices from the primary interface based at least in part on failure of pinging the domain name server on the primary interface.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to monitor communication on the primary interface by monitoring attempted connections to one or more external servers.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to perform at least one of:

monitor attempted connections to one or more external servers by monitoring transmission control protocol handshakes; and

monitor attempted connections to one or more internet protocol addresses of the one or more external servers.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein at least one of the one or more processors is further configured to determine to switch communication with the one or more client devices from the primary interface based at least in part on failure of attempted connections to the one or more external servers.

13. A method of providing machine-to-machine communications for a client machine to communicate with a first network via a first communication interface and to communicate with a second network via a second communication interface, wherein the first communication interface is a primary interface and the second communication interface is a backup interface, the method comprising:

communicatively coupling at least one processor to the first communication interface, the second communication interface and the client machine;

routing communication with the client machine over the first network via the primary interface while maintaining the backup interface actively connected to the second network;

determining to switch communication with the client machine from the primary interface; and

after determining to switch communication with the client machine from the primary interface, routing communication with the client machine over the backup interface.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

storing instructions on a non-transitory computer readable medium to cause the at least one processor to perform at least one of;

routing communication with the client machine over the first network via the primary interface while maintaining the backup interface actively connected to the second network;

monitoring communication on the primary interface;

based on the monitored communication, determining to switch communication with the client machine from the primary interface; and

after determining to switch communication with the client machine from the primary interface, routing communication with the client machine over the backup interface.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining to switch communication with the client machine from the primary interface based on weighted results of a plurality of connection tests with both the first network and the second network.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising monitoring communication on the primary interface by counting receive and transmit packets on the primary interface.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

monitoring communication on the primary interface and the backup interface; and

determining to switch communication with the client machine from the primary interface to the backup interface and from the backup interface to the primary interface based on relative performance of the primary interface and the backup interface.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising monitoring the communications on at least one of the primary interface and the backup interface periodically and a monitor period for the periodic monitoring is configurable.

19. The device of claim 13, wherein the first communication interface is coupled to a first subscriber identification module (SIM) and the second communication interface is coupled to a second subscriber identification module (SIM).

20. An apparatus, comprising:

a first network interface configured to communicate with a first network;

a second network interface configured to communicate with a second network;

at least one local communication interface configured to communicate with one or more client machines; and

one or more processor coupled to the first network interface, the second network interface, and the at least one local communication interface, the processor arranged for operating one of the first network interface or the second network interface as a primary interface and the other one of the first network interface or the second network interface as a hot backup interface to route communications with one or more client machines,

wherein the apparatus is located in an automatic teller machine and the communications with the one or more client machines include automatic teller machine transactions.