Portable thin client for the enterprise workspace

• US 20050102377A1
• Filed: 11/10/2003
• Published: 05/12/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: King, James E., Roles, Karen E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,685,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system and method is provided for designing (or re-architecting) a personal digital assistant (PDA) as a portable thin client of a network. The portable thin client is a small, stateless, “plug and work” computer whose main function is to process all input and output for the user, as well as to manage communication with at least one server. All other computational tasks (or services) for the user of the PDA are performed on the server which is shared amongst a community of thin clients. As a result of re-architecting the PDA as a portable thin client, there is no need to download application(s) and operating system(s) running the application(s) to the PDA because the server—through the network—provides these services. In addition, no data is lost when a PDA is faulty or has to be changed. Moreover, in one embodiment, the portable thin client (or thin client PDA) includes smart card capabilities so that an enterprise (or business organization) can pool its PDAs with the users of the PDA on a need-to-use basis.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system for providing user sessions to wireless clients, the system comprising:

a wireless network;

a wireless client providing an interface for a user to access a user session;

a wireless server coupled to said wireless client via said wireless network;

a wired network; and

a plurality of wired servers coupled to said wireless server via said wired network, said plurality of wired servers providing said user session for said user through said wired network and maintaining said user session on said plurality of wired servers;

wherein said user session provides a computational power and a state maintenance for said user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless client is a stateless computer.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said stateless computer comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA).

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of wired servers actively maintain said user session for said user when said user is disconnected from said wireless client.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising:

a second wireless client providing a second interface for said user to access said user session; and

an identifier used by said user at said second wireless client, said identifier identifying said user such that said user session for said user is directed from said plurality of wireless servers through said wired network, said wireless server and said wireless network to said second wireless client.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless client comprises a first display screen and said second wireless client comprises a second display screen.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein said first display screen is larger than said second display screen.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein said plurality of servers comprise an application writer and wherein said application writer implements a first graphic user interface (GUI) for said first display screen and a second GUI for said second display screen.

9. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless client comprises a first input device and said second wireless client comprises a second input device.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless client is larger and heavier than said second wireless client.

11. The system of claim 5, wherein said wireless client is larger and heavier than a palm-sized computer and wherein said second wireless client is a palm-sized computer.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an identifier used by said user at said wireless client, said identifier identifying said user such that said session for said user is directed from said plurality of wireless servers through said wired network, said wireless server and said wireless network to said wireless client.

13. The system of claim 6, wherein said identifier comprises a smart card.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of wired servers continue to run said user session for said user when said user is disconnected from said wireless client.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said user session is provided from said plurality of wired servers to said wireless server over said wired network via a wired protocol and wherein said user session is provided from said wireless server to said wireless client over said wireless network via a wireless protocol.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein said plurality of wired servers process said session of said user without needing to be aware of said wireless client.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said wireless client comprises a display driver, wherein at least one of said plurality of wired servers and wireless server comprises a corresponding virtual machine of said display driver, and wherein said virtual machine is used to provide a display data of said user session running on said plurality of wired servers to said display driver.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein said wireless client is a hardware provisioned only to provide the input and output needed for supporting said user session on said wireless client and wherein said wireless client communicates over said wireless network in a highly deterministic communication bandwidth.

19. A method for providing user sessions to wireless clients, the method comprising:

providing a plurality of wired servers;

coupling said plurality of wired servers to an wired network;

coupling a wireless server to said wired network;

coupling said wireless sever to a wireless network;

coupling a wireless client to said wireless network;

initiating a user session by a user on said wireless client;

providing said user session from said plurality of wired severs through said wired network, said wireless sever and said wireless network; and

maintaining said session for said user even when said user is disconnected from said wireless client.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said step of providing said user session from said plurality of wire servers comprises:

processing a computational need of said user; and

maintaining a state of said computation need for said user.

21. A method for using a wireless client to receive a user session, the method comprising:

inputting a user identifier (ID) into a wireless client;

configuring an Internet Protocol (IP) address for said wireless client;

connecting said wireless client with a server via a wireless client;

reporting a display capability of said wireless client to said server;

reporting said user ID to said server;

responding by said server of said reported display capability and said reported user ID with an initial display data generated at said server for said user ID;

displaying said initial display data for said user ID on said wireless client;

processing a user session at said server for said user ID; and

displaying said user session for said user ID on said wireless client;

wherein said wireless client can be shared by a plurality of different user IDs.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

disconnecting said wireless client with said server; and

maintaining said user session at said server.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of maintaining said user session comprises maintaining a state of said user session for said user at said server.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein said step of disconnecting said wireless client includes shutting down said wireless client.

25. The method of claim 21, wherein said step of inputting said user identifier (ID) into said wireless client comprises inserting a smart card into a smart card reader of said wireless client.

26. The method of claim 25, further comprising:

removing said smart card from said reader of said wireless client;

disconnecting said wireless client with said server; and

maintaining said user session at said server.