Apparatus, method and system for an object exchange bridge

• US 20030002504A1
• Filed: 06/29/2001
• Published: 01/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Forstadius, Antti
• Granted Patent: US 7,339,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/392
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/35 involving non-standard use of addresses for implementing network functionalities, e.g. coding subscription information within the address or functional addressing, i.e. assigning an address to a function
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

An apparatus, method and system to route object exchanges beyond clients and object exchange (OBEX) servers in close proximity with one another. The present disclosure further provides the ability to route OBEX communications across a communications network such as the Internet. The present disclosure also teaches that a bridge device may support both short range RF communications, such as Bluetooth, and TCP/IP communications. The present disclosure tracks and enables OBEX enabled clients to send and receive information far outside their immediate wireless transmission range to remote servers.

Claims

1. A method of wireless communication between an OBEX client and OBEX server over a communications network, comprising:

receiving the OBEX encoded communications at a radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge from an OBEX client;

determining a destination IP address to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

sending the received OBEX encoded communications from the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge to an OBEX server at the determined destination IP address via IP.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge is Bluetooth enabled.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving OBEX encoded data responses from the OBEX server via IP; and

routing the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client.

4. A system for wireless communication between an OBEX client and OBEX server over a communications network, comprising:

means to receive the OBEX encoded communications at a radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge from an OBEX client;

means to determine a destination IP address to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

means to send the received OBEX encoded communications from the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge to an OBEX server at the determined destination IP address via IP.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge is Bluetooth enabled.

6. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

means to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the OBEX server via IP; and

means to route the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client.

7. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium, the program, comprising:

a module to receive the OBEX encoded communications at a radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge from an OBEX client;

a module to determine a destination IP address to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

a module to send the received OBEX encoded communications from the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge to an OBEX server at the determined destination IP address via IP.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge is Bluetooth enabled.

9. The medium of claim 7, further comprising:

a module to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the OBEX server via IP; and

a module to route the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client.

10. An OBEX bridge apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, communicatively connected to the processor;

a program, stored in the memory, including,

a module to receive the OBEX encoded communications at a radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge from an OBEX client;

a module to determine a destination IP address to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

a module to send the received OBEX encoded communications from the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge to an OBEX server at the determined destination IP address via IP.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the radio frequency enabled OBEX bridge is Bluetooth enabled.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:

a module to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the OBEX server via IP; and

a module to route the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving OBEX encoded data responses from the remote server through the TCP/IP channel; and

routing the OBEX encoded data responses to the baseband channel referring to the IP address.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

means to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the remote server through the TCP/IP channel; and

means to route the OBEX encoded data responses to the baseband channel referring to the IP address.

18. The medium of claim 17, further comprising:

a module to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the remote server through the TCP/IP channel; and

a module to route the OBEX encoded data responses to the baseband channel referring to the IP address.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a module to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the remote server through the TCP/IP channel; and

a module to route the OBEX encoded data responses to the baseband channel referring to the IP address.

13. A method of wireless communication between an OBEX client and OBEX server over a communications network, comprising:

obtaining OBEX encoded communications;

establishing a baseband communication channel using a Bluetooth GOEP profile between the OBEX client and a Bluetooth enabled OBEX bridge;

encapsulating the OBEX encoded communications into baseband communications;

providing the baseband encapsulated communications to the OBEX bridge;

assigning an internal IP address within the OBEX bridge;

binding the IP address to the baseband communication channel;

establishing a TCP/IP communication channel between the OBEX bridge and a remote OBEX server; and

routing the OBEX encoded data from the baseband channel to the TCP/IP channel.

15. A system for wireless communication between an OBEX client and OBEX server over a communications network, comprising:

means to obtain OBEX encoded communications;

means to establish a baseband communication channel using a Bluetooth GOEP profile between the OBEX client and a Bluetooth enabled OBEX bridge;

means to encapsulate the OBEX encoded communications into baseband communications;

means to provide the baseband encapsulated communications to the OBEX bridge;

means to assign an internal IP address within the OBEX bridge;

means to bind the IP address to the baseband communication channel;

means to establish a TCP/IP communication channel between the OBEX bridge and a remote OBEX server; and

means to route the OBEX encoded data from the baseband channel to the TCP/IP channel.

17. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium, the program, comprising:

a module to obtain OBEX encoded communications;

a module to establish a baseband communication channel using a Bluetooth GOEP profile between the OBEX client and a Bluetooth enabled OBEX bridge;

a module to encapsulate the OBEX encoded communications into baseband communications;

a module to provide the baseband encapsulated communications to the OBEX bridge;

a module to assign an internal IP address within the OBEX bridge;

a module to bind the IP address to the baseband communication channel;

a module to establish a TCP/IP communication channel between the OBEX bridge and a remote OBEX server; and

a module to route the OBEX encoded data from the baseband channel to the TCP/IP channel.

19. An OBEX bridge apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, communicatively connected to the processor;

a program, stored in the memory, including,

a module to obtain OBEX encoded communications;

a module to establish a baseband communication channel using a Bluetooth GOEP profile between the OBEX client and a Bluetooth enabled OBEX bridge;

a module to encapsulate the OBEX encoded communications into baseband communications;

a module to provide the baseband encapsulated communications to the OBEX bridge;

a module to assign an internal IP address within the OBEX bridge;

a module to bind the IP address to the baseband communication channel;

a module to establish a TCP/IP communication channel between the OBEX bridge and a remote OBEX server; and

a module to route the OBEX encoded data from the baseband channel to the TCP/IP channel.

21. A method of creating a data structure binding an IP address to an RFCOMM communication channel, comprising:

creating a client baseband handle referring to a memory space in an OBEX bridge'"'"'s memory for incoming baseband communications;

creating an internal IP address within an OBEX bridge allowing for communications to flow to and from a communications network through the IP address;

creating an entry in the memory to store the client baseband handle data type;

creating an entry in the memory to store the IP address data type;

binding the client baseband handle data type with its respective IP address data type.

22. A system for creating a data structure binding an IP address to an RFCOMM communication channel, comprising:

means to create a client baseband handle referring to a memory space in an OBEX bridge'"'"'s memory for incoming baseband communications;

means to create an internal IP address within an OBEX bridge allowing for communications to flow to and from a communications network through the IP address;

means to create an entry in the memory to store the client baseband handle data type;

means to create an entry in the memory to store the IP address data type;

means to bind the client baseband handle data type with its respective IP address data type.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

receiving OBEX encoded data responses from the selected OBEX server via IP;

routing the OBEX encoded data response at the OBEX bridge using said association;

transmitting the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client via the short range radio link.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the short range radio link is a Bluetooth link

23. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium, the program, comprising:

a module to create a client baseband handle referring to a memory space in an OBEX bridge'"'"'s memory for incoming baseband communications;

a module to create an internal IP address within an OBEX bridge allowing for communications to flow to and from a communications network through the IP address;

a module to create an entry in the memory to store the client baseband handle data type;

a module to create an entry in the memory to store the IP address data type;

a module to bind the client baseband handle data type with its respective IP address data type.

24. An OBEX bridge apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, communicatively connected to the processor;

a program, stored in the memory, including,

a module to create a client baseband handle referring to a memory space in an OBEX bridge'"'"'s memory for incoming baseband communications;

a module to create an internal IP address within an OBEX bridge allowing for communications to flow to and from a communications network through the IP address;

a module to create an entry in the memory to store the client baseband handle data type;

a module to create an entry in the memory to store the IP address data type;

a module to bind the client baseband handle data type with its respective IP address data type.

25. A memory for access by a program module to be executed on a processor, comprising:

a data structure stored in the memory, the data structure, including,

a client baseband handle data type;

an IP address data type;

a binding associative reference between the client baseband handle data type and the IP address data type.

26. A memory for access by a program module to be executed on a processor, comprising:

a data structure stored in the memory, the data structure, including,

an IP packet, the packet including,

an origination IP address data type, wherein the origination address is an internally created IP address generated by an OBEX bridge;

a destination IP address data type, wherein the destination IP address is determined by the OBEX bridge.

27. A method of wireless communication between an OBEX client and an OBEX server over a communications network, comprising:

receiving at an OBEX bridge OBEX encoded communications transmitted from the OBEX client via a short range radio link;

allocating an internal address to the OBEX client at the OBEX bridge;

associating the OBEX client with the allocated internal address at the OBEX bridge;

selecting a certain OBEX server at the OBEX bridge to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

determining a destination IP address of the selected OBEX server;

sending the received OBEX encoded communications from the OBEX bridge to the selected OBEX server via IP.

30. A system for wireless communication between an OBEX client and an OBEX server over a communications network, comprising:

means to receive at an OBEX bridge OBEX encoded communications transmitted from the OBEX client via short range radio link;

means to allocate an internal address to the OBEX client at the OBEX bridge;

means to associate the OBEX client with the allocated internal address at the OBEX bridge;

means to select a certain OBEX server at the OBEX bridge to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

means to determine a destination IP address of the selected OBEX server;

means to send the received OBEX encoded communications from the OBEX bridge to the selected OBEX server via IP.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

means to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the selected OBEX server via IP;

means to rout the OBEX encoded data response at the OBEX bridge using said association;

means to transmit the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client via short range radio link.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the short range radio link is a Bluetooth link.

33. A computer program stored on a computer readable medium, the program, comprising:

a module to receive at an OBEX bridge OBEX encoded communications transmitted from the OBEX client via short range radio link;

a module to allocate an internal address to the OBEX client at the OBEX bridge;

a module to associate the OBEX client with the allocated internal address at the OBEX bridge;

a module to select a certain OBEX server at the OBEX bridge to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

a module to determine a destination IP address of the selected OBEX server;

a module to send the received OBEX encoded communications from the OBEX bridge to the selected OBEX server via IP.

34. The medium of claim 33, further comprising:

a module to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the selected OBEX server via IP;

a module to rout the OBEX encoded data response at the OBEX bridge using said association;

a module to transmit the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client via short range radio link.

35. The medium of claim 33, wherein the short range radio link is a Bluetooth link.

37. The apparatus of claim 36, further comprising:

a module to receive OBEX encoded data responses from the selected OBEX server via IP;

a module to rout the OBEX encoded data response at the OBEX bridge using said association;

a module to transmit the OBEX encoded data responses to the OBEX client via short range radio link.

38. The apparatus of claim 36, wherein the short range radio link is a Bluetooth link.

36. An OBEX bridge apparatus, comprising:

a processor;

a memory, communicatively connected to the processor;

a program, stored in the memory, including,

a module to receive at an OBEX bridge OBEX encoded communications transmitted from the OBEX client via short range radio link;

a module to allocate an internal address to the OBEX client at the OBEX bridge;

a module to associate the OBEX client with the allocated internal address at the OBEX bridge;

a module to select a certain OBEX server at the OBEX bridge to send the received OBEX encoded communications;

a module to determine a destination IP address of the selected OBEX server;

a module to send the received OBEX encoded communications from the OBEX bridge to the selected OBEX server via IP.