Adaptable wireless proximity networking

• US 20030208595A1
• Filed: 04/27/2001
• Published: 11/06/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/27/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Left Gate Property Holding, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Left Gate Holdings, Inc.
• Inventors: Ferris, William Joseph, Gouge, David Wayne
• Granted Patent: US 6,931,429 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

System and method for dynamic delivery of services and applications from a server to mobile computing devices in a wireless proximity framework. This wireless proximity framework allows users of mobile computing devices to dynamically access services and applications available in a given geographic area without preinstalling software for each service or application. Further, the wireless proximity framework allows developers to more quickly and easily adapt existing non-wireless services for use by heterogeneous mobile computing devices. Still further, the wireless proximity framework allows for services and applications to be delivered in a customized manner to each mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A system for dynamically delivering service applications to a user of a mobile computing device, comprising:

a proximity networking server (PNS) having an associated proximity zone, the PNS comprising;

an access module for communicating wirelessly within the associated proximity zone,

a registry of one or more service applications, each service application having one or more associated GUI components, wherein the GUI components are configured to be executable on a mobile computing device;

wherein the PNS is configured to expose said one or more service applications to mobile computing devices within the associated proximity zone

a client application executable on a mobile computing device,

wherein the client application is operable to establish a wireless connection between the PNS and the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device is located within the proximity zone,

wherein the client application is configured to retrieve a list of exposed services from the PNS, and

wherein the client application is configured to automatically download and execute the associated GUI component of an exposed service application in response to a request by the user to access said exposed service application, and

wherein the exposed service application is executed on the PNS, but is accessible to the user through the associated GUI component executing on the mobile computing device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless connection utilizes the UPnP protocol.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the associated GUI component allows the user to utilize the exposed service application by using remote procedure calls sent from the client application to the PNS.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the PNS further comprises a translation module for translating RPCs received from the client application into the appropriate format for use by the exposed service application, and to translate results from the exposed service application into an output format readable by the associated client GUI component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein all downloaded GUI components are deleted from the mobile computing device when the mobile computing device leave said associated proximity zone.

6. A method for dynamically providing service applications to mobile computing devices in a proximity networking framework, the proximity networking framework comprising:

a PNS having an associated proximity zone, the PNS operable to establish a wireless data connection with a mobile computing device located within said associated proximity zone, the method comprising the steps of;

registering a service application with the PNS, referred to hereinafter as registered service application, wherein the step of registering the service application with the PNS further comprises;

registering an execution component of a service application with the PNS, the execution component operable to be executed by the PNS to provide the functionality of the service application,

registering at least one associated GUI component of said registered service application with the PNS, the GUI component configured to be executed by a mobile computing device to provide a user interface to the execution component, and

exposing said registered service application to said mobile computing device coming into said associated proximity zone, referred to hereinafter as the exposed service application;

providing to said mobile computing device the UI component of the exposed service application;

executing the execution component of the exposed service application on the server; and

permitting the mobile computing device to utilize the executing exposed service application through the GUI component executing on the MCD.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprises registering an associated access profile of said registered service application with the PNS, and wherein said associated access profile is used to determine whether said registered service application should be exposed to said mobile computing device.

8. The method of claim 6 further comprising retrieving information about MCD or the user of the MCD, referred to hereinafter as retrieved information and using said retrieved information to determine whether said registered service application should be exposed to said mobile computing device.

9. The method of claim 6 further comprising retrieving information about MCD or the user of the MCD, referred to hereinafter as retrieved information and using said retrieved information to customize said exposed service application to said mobile computing device.