Time-to-disconnect enforcement when communicating with wireless devices that have transient network addresses

• US 20040098487A1
• Filed: 11/19/2002
• Published: 05/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: McNamara, Donald J., Miller, Quentin S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,379,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/28 Timers or timing mechanisms used in protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/38 triggered by timers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A wireless device constructs a message that includes a representation of a time-to-disconnect, and then transmits the message over a carrier network to a receiving computing system. The time-to-disconnect indicates a time beyond which the receiving computing system should not send a response to the message (or any other message) using the temporary network address that was assigned to the wireless device at the time the message was transmitted. The wireless device attempts to stay connected to thereby retain that address until the time-to-disconnect expires. When the response is ready to send back, if the time-to-disconnect has not yet expired, the response is sent to the wireless device using the same network address that the wireless device had at the time the original message was sent. Otherwise, if the time-to-disconnect is exceeded, then the receiving computing system does not attempt transmission of the response using that network address.

Claims

1. In a receiving computing system that is configured to receive a message from a wireless device over a carrier network, a method for enforcing a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device so as to guard against possible misdirection of future messages to the wireless device due to a disassociation of a previous address with the wireless device, the method comprising the following:

an act of receiving a first message from the wireless device over the carrier network, the wireless device having a temporary designated address;

an act of identifying a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device, the time-to-disconnect being a time after which a message should not be dispatched to the wireless device using the temporary designated address;

an act of determining whether or not the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded; and

an act of dispatching a second message to the wireless device using the temporary designated address only if the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded.

2. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of dispatching a second message to the wireless device comprises the following:

an act of dispatching a response to the first message to the wireless device, wherein the second message is the response to the first message.

3. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of dispatching a second message to the wireless device comprises the following:

an act of dispatching a message that is uncorrelated with the first message.

4. A method in accordance with claim 3, wherein the act of identifying a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device comprises the following:

an act of reading data from a third message, the third message being a message received from the wireless device after the first message was received from the wireless device; and

an act of deriving the time-to-disconnect from the read data field.

5. A method in accordance with claim 4, wherein the time-to-disconnect derived from the third message is later than any other time-to-disconnects previously associated with the wireless device.

6. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a first message from the wireless device over the carrier network comprises the following:

an act of receiving a message from the wireless device using a connectionless protocol.

7. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the act of receiving a first message from the wireless device using a connectionless protocol comprises the following:

an act of receiving a message from the wireless device using User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

8. A method in accordance with claim 6, wherein the act of receiving a first message from the wireless device using a connectionless protocol comprises the following:

an act of receiving a message from the wireless device using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

9. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of receiving a first message from the wireless device over the carrier network comprises the following:

an act of receiving a message from the wireless device using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

10. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a time-to-disconnect for the message comprises the following:

an act of reading a time from the first message; and

an act of deriving the time-to-disconnect from the read time.

11. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a time-to-disconnect for the message comprises the following:

an act of reading the time-to-disconnect directly from the first message.

12. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a time-to-disconnect for the message comprises the following:

an act of reading a data field from the first message; and

an act of deriving the time-to-disconnect from the read data field.

13. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of identifying a time-to-disconnect for the message comprises the following:

an act of determining that a default time-to-disconnect applies to the second message; and

an act of applying the default time-to-disconnect as the time-to-disconnect.

14. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of dispatching a second message to the wireless device using the temporary designated address only if the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded comprises the following:

an act of determining that the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded; and

an act of dispatching the second message using the temporary designated address after it has been determined that the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded.

15. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of determining comprises an act of determining that the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded, the method further comprising the following:

an act of receiving a communication from the wireless device indicating that the wireless device has another designated address; and

an act of dispatching the second message using the other designated address.

16. A method in accordance with claim 1, wherein the act of determining comprises an act of determining that the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded, the method further comprising the following:

an act of dispatching the second message using an alternative transport other than the transport used to communicate the first message from the wireless device to the receiving computing system.

17. A computer program product of use in a receiving computing system that is configured to receive a message from a wireless device over a carrier network, the computer program product for implementing a method for enforcing a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device so as to guard against possible misdirection of future messages to the wireless device due to a disassociation of a previous address with the wireless device, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a first message from the wireless device over the carrier network, the wireless device having a temporary designated address;

computer-executable instructions for identifying a time-to-discoimect for the wireless device, the time-to-disconnect being a time after which a message should not be dispatched to the wireless device using the temporary designated address;

computer-executable instructions for determining whether or not the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded; and

computer-executable instructions for causing a second message to be dispatched to the wireless device using the temporary designated address only if the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded.

18. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for causing a second message to be dispatched to the wireless device comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing a response to the first message to be dispatched to the wireless device, wherein the second message is the response to the first message.

19. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for causing a second message to be dispatched to the wireless device comprises the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing a message to be dispatched that is uncorrelated with the first message.

20. A computer program product in accordance with claim 19, wherein the computer-executable instructions for identifying a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device comprises the following:

computer-executable instructions for reading data from a third message, the third message being a message received from the wireless device after the first message was received from the wireless device; and

computer-executable instructions for deriving the time-to-disconnect from the read data field.

21. A computer program product in accordance with claim 20, wherein the time-to-disconnect derived from the third message is later than any other time-to-disconnects previously associated with the wireless device.

22. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a first message from the wireless device over the carrier network comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a message from the wireless device using a connectionless protocol.

23. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a first message from the wireless device using a connectionless protocol comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a message from the wireless device using User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

24. A computer program product in accordance with claim 22, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a first message from the wireless device using a connectionless protocol comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a message from the wireless device using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

25. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a first message from the wireless device over the carrier network comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a message from the wireless device using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

26. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for identifying a time-to-disconnect for the message comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing a time to be read from the first message; and

computer-executable instructions for deriving the time-to-disconnect from the read time.

27. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for identifying a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing the time-to-disconnect to be read directly from the first message.

28. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for identifying a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing a data field to be read from the first message; and

computer-executable instructions for deriving the time-to-disconnect from the read data field.

29. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for identifying a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for determining that a default time-to-disconnect applies to the wireless device; and

computer-executable instructions for applying the default time-to-disconnect as the time-to-disconnect.

30. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions for causing a second message to be dispatched to the wireless device only if the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for determining that the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded; and

computer-executable instructions for causing the second message to be dispatched after the computer-executable instructions for determining that the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded have been executed.

31. A computer program product in accordance with claim 30, wherein the computer-executable instructions for determining comprise computer-executable instructions for determining that the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded, the one or more computer-readable media further having thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a communication from the wireless device indicating that the wireless device has another designated address; and

computer-executable instructions for causing the second message to be dispatched to the wireless device using the other designated address.

32. A computer program product in accordance with claim 30, wherein the computer-executable instructions for determining comprise computer-executable instructions for determining that the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded, the one or more computer-readable media further having thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing the second message to be dispatched using an alternative transport other than the transport used to communicate the first message from the wireless device to the receiving computing system.

33. A computer program product in accordance with claim 17, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical media.

34. A computer program product in accordance with claim 33, wherein the physical media is system memory.

35. A computer program product in accordance with claim 33, wherein the physical media is a persistent memory.

36. In a receiving computing system that is configured to receive a message from a wireless device over a carrier network, a method for enforcing a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device so as to guard against possible misdirection of future messages to the wireless device due to a disassociation of a previous address with the wireless device, the method comprising the following:

an act of receiving a first message from the wireless device over the carrier network; and

a step for sending a second message to the wireless device only if the response is dispatched while the wireless device is still prepared to receive the second message.

37. A method in accordance with claim 36, wherein the step for sending a second message to the wireless device only if the response is dispatched while the wireless device is still prepared to receive the second message comprises the following:

an act of identifying a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device, the time-to-disconnect being a time after which the second message should not be dispatched to the wireless device using a temporary designated address assigned to the wireless device at the time the wireless device transmitted the first message;

an act of determining whether or not the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded; and

an act of dispatching the second message to the wireless device using the temporary designated address only if the time-to-disconnect has not been exceeded.

38. In a wireless device that is configured to send a message to a receiving computing system over a carrier network, a method for enforcing a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device so as to guard against possible misdirection of future messages to the wireless device due to a disassociation of a previous address with the wireless device, the method comprising the following:

an act of constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect, the time-to-disconnect being a time after which a response to the message should not be dispatched to the wireless device using the temporary designated address;

an act of establishing a connection to the carrier network;

an act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system over the carrier network;

an act of maintaining the connection from at least the time the message was dispatched to the receiving computing system at least until the time-to-disconnect;

an act of determining that the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded; and

an act of disestablishing the connection after it has been determined that the time-tow disconnect has been exceeded regardless of whether a response was received during the act of maintaining the connection.

39. A method in accordance with claim 38, wherein the act of disestablishing the connection is performed also after it has been determined that the time-to-disconnect has not been extended.

40. A method in accordance with claim 38, wherein the act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system over the carrier network comprises the following:

an act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system using a connectionless protocol.

41. A method in accordance with claim 40, wherein the act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system using a connectionless protocol comprises the following:

an act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system using User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

42. A method in accordance with claim 40, wherein the act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system using a connectionless protocol comprises the following:

an act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system using Wireless w Application Protocol (WAP).

43. A method in accordance with claim 38, wherein the act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system over the carrier network comprises the following:

an act of dispatching the message to the receiving computing system using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

44. A method in accordance with claim 38, wherein the act of constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect comprises the following:

an act of constructing a message that includes the time-to-disconnect.

45. A method in accordance with claim 38, wherein the act of constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect comprises the following:

an act of constructing a message that includes a time from which the time-to-disconnect may be derived.

46. A method in accordance with claim 38, wherein the act of constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect comprises the following:

an act of constructing a message that includes a data field from which the time-to-disconnect may be derived.

47. A method in accordance with claim 38, further comprising the following:

H<

D an act of receiving a response to the message during the time that the connection is maintained.

48. A computer program product for use in a wireless device that is configured to send a message to a receiving computing system over a over a carrier network, the computer program product for implementing a method for enforcing a time-to-disconnect for the wireless device so as to guard against possible misdirection of future messages to the wireless device due to a disassociation of a previous address with the wireless device, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect, the time-to-disconnect being a time after which a response to the message should not be dispatched to the wireless device using a temporary designated address that is assigned to the wireless device;

computer-executable instructions for causing a connection to be established to the carrier network;

computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system over the carrier network;

computer-executable instructions for causing the connection to be maintained from at least the time the message was dispatched to the receiving computing system at least until the time-to-disconnect;

computer-executable instructions for determining that the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded; and

computer-executable instructions for causing the connection to be disestablished after it has been determined that the time-to-disconnect has been exceeded regardless of whether a response was received during the act of maintaining the connection.

49. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the computer-executable instructions for disestablishing the connection is performed also after it has been determined that the time-to-disconnect has not been extended.

50. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system over the carrier network comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system using a connectionless protocol.

51. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system using a connectionless protocol comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system using User Datagram Protocol (UDP).

52. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system using a connectionless protocol comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system using Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).

53. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system over the carrier network comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for causing the message to be dispatched to the receiving computing system using Transmission Control Protocol (TCP).

54. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the computer-executable instructions for constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for constructing a message that includes the time-to-disconnect.

55. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the computer-executable instructions for constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for constructing a message that includes a time from which the time-to-disconnect may be derived.

56. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the computer-executable instructions for constructing a message that includes a data field that at least indirectly represents a time-to-disconnect comprise the following:

computer-executable instructions for constructing a message that includes a data field from which the time-to-disconnect may be derived.

57. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the one or more computer-readable media further have thereon the following:

computer-executable instructions for detecting receipt of a response to the message during the time that the connection is maintained.

58. A computer program product in accordance with claim 48, wherein the one or more computer-readable media are physical media.

59. A computer program product in accordance with claim 58, wherein the physical media is system memory.

60. A computer program product in accordance with claim 58, wherein the physical media is a persistent memory.

61. One or more computer-readable media having thereon a data structure that represents a message, the data structure comprising the following:

a content field that identifies content of the message;

an identification of a temporary network address assigned to a wireless device; and

a time-to-disconnect field that indicates a time that the wireless device plans to disconnect from a carrier network and thereby lost the temporary network address.