Wireless service point networks

• US 20040215687A1
• Filed: 04/28/2003
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FireTide Incorporated (UNICOM Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Landmark Networks, Inc. (UNICOM Global, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nassi, Isaac Robert, Cornejo, David Neil, Rosenthal, Lawrence Alan, Klemba, Keith Stuart
• Granted Patent: US 7,305,459 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/200
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/30 for proactive routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

System, apparatus, and methods are disclosed wherewith a group of independent wireless routing devices known as Service Points work cooperatively to form an ad hoc mesh communication network. The resulting Service Point Network is used to provide reliable address-directed communication services between devices attached by conventional means (wired or wireless) to respective Service Ports on any of the Service Points. Attached Utilizing Devices are not considered a part of the Service Point Network and need not contain any custom software or hardware related to the operations of the Service Point Network. Consequently, the networking technology used to form the Service Point Network is independent of the technology used for connecting devices to Service Points. Services for Utilizing Devices include both point-to-point as well as point-to-multi-point communication. To protect the security of network communications and the integrity of the network, the Service Points are assigned internal IP addresses and unique identifiers that need not be disclosed to the Utilizing Devices. The unique identifiers in turn are used to derive public and private encryption key pairs for each Service Point.

Claims

1. A method of accessing resources via a wireless communication network, comprising:

providing an ad hoc wireless SPN comprising a plurality of Service Points;

connecting each of a plurality of Utilizing Devices, not part of the SPN, to a corresponding one or more of the Service Points; and

providing a first of the Utilizing Devices access to a second of the Utilizing Devices by transmitting a communication through the SPN from the Service Point connected with the first Utilizing Device to the Service Point connected with the second Utilizing Device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the SPN carries Internet Protocol traffic.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the Service Points of the SPN communicate with each other using an ad hoc mesh network protocol.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the Service Points of the SPN communicate with each other using an on-demand routing algorithm.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the Service Points of the SPN communicate with each other using a proactive routing algorithm.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the Service Points of the SPN communicate with each other using a network protocol supporting one or more of the following types of routing:

{unicast, multi-cast, and broadcast}.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said ad hoc SPN is ad hoc with respect to the number of the Service Points.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said ad hoc SPN is ad hoc with respect to the location of the Service Points.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said ad hoc SPN is ad hoc with respect to an environment surrounding the Service Points.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said ad hoc SPN is ad hoc with respect to said connection of Utilizing Devices to the Service Points.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the Service Points are embodied in physically mobile nodes.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the Utilizing Devices are connected to the corresponding Service Points by a wired connection.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the Utilizing Devices are connected to the corresponding Service Points by a wireless connection.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the Service Points is connected to a plurality of the Utilizing Devices.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the Service Points is integrated with the corresponding connected one of the Utilizing Devices such that they share one or more common components.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the integrated Utilizing Device is a wireless Access Point.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the Service Points is configured to serve in multiple topological roles.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said multiple topological roles include one or more of the following:

{leaf node and trunk node}.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the wireless SPN further includes providing at least one private sub-net comprising a selected subset of the Service Points, each of the selected Service Points being configured to only forward communications traffic that is either to or from other ones of the selected Service Points.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the wireless SPN further includes automatically reorganizing the SPN into one or more sub-nets.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said automatic reorganization into sub-nets is based at least partly upon one or more of the following factors:

{routing, routing management, security management, frequency, authentication, density, identification, age, technologies}.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first Utilizing Device with access to the second Utilizing Device is performed without revealing to the first Utilizing Device individual address information regarding the Service Point connected to the second Utilizing Device.

23. The method of claim 22, further including:

specifying, by the first Utilizing Device, a destination address of the second Utilizing Device; and

automatically mapping, by one or more of the Service Points, said destination address to a terminal identifier for the corresponding Service Point connected to the second Utilizing Device.

24. The method of claim 23, further including mapping the terminal identifier to an SPN address of the corresponding Service Point, and dynamically remapping the identifier to reflect any change of said SPN address in the course of said communication being transmitted through the SPN.

25. The method of claim 1, wherein the Utilizing Devices connected to the Service Points provide a set of resources including one or more of the following resources:

{applications, printing, network gateway, DHCP, SMTP, vending/e-commerce, audio, imaging, lighting, utility, appliances, travel, communications, telematics, and emergency/safety}.

26. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first Utilizing Device with access to the second Utilizing Device includes selecting the second utilizing Device by one or more of the Service Points in part based on a topological relation between the Service Point connected to the first Utilizing Device and the Service Point connected to the second Utilizing Device.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein providing the first Utilizing Device with access to the second Utilizing Device includes selecting the second utilizing Device by one or more of the Service Points in part based on the location of the Service Point connected to the second Utilizing Device.

28. A system for accessing resources via a wireless communication network, comprising:

a self-configuring wireless SPN, comprising a plurality of Service Points; and

a plurality of Utilizing Devices, not part of the SPN, each connected to a corresponding one or more of the Service Points,

wherein the SPN if configured to allow the Utilizing Devices to access each other via communication through the SPN between the Service Points.

29. A wireless SPN comprising a plurality of Service Points, each of the Service Points comprising:

a Networking Port, configured to wirelessly route multi-hop traffic to the other Service Points of the SPN; and

a Service Port, being configured to communicate with one or more Utilizing Devices,

whereby a Utilizing Device in communication with a first one of the Service Ports can access, via the SPN, a different Utilizing Device in communication with a different one of the Service Ports, without configuring the Utilizing Devices to communicate with the Networking Ports of the Service Points.

30. The network of claim 29, wherein the Service Ports are configured such that the Utilizing Devices address all of the Service Ports of the network using a single common IP address.

31. The network of claim 29, wherein one or more of the Service Points comprises a plurality of Networking Ports.

32. The network of claim 29, wherein one or more of the Service Points comprises a plurality of Service Ports.