Multi-client support

• US 20050198302A1
• Filed: 12/29/2003
• Published: 09/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Favero, Mark Gerald, Ewanchuk, Brian Joseph, Johnson, James Stuart
• Application Number:
  US10/748,769
• Publication Number:
  US 20050198302A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/00 Affiliation to network, e.g. registration; Terminating affiliation with the network, e.g. de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup

Abstract

A connection manager manages a connection while plural applications issue connection requests and disconnection requests. In one such example, a data structure maintains a record of applications requesting a connection, and removes applications requesting disconnections. While at least one application remains in the record, the connection manager maintains the connection upon a disconnection request. In another example, a connection manager removes a terminated process from the record.

Claims

1. In a device including plural applications requesting remote resources, a method of managing overlapping connection sessions created to support access to remote resources by said plural applications, the method comprising:

receiving a connection request comprising a process identification and saving the process identification in a data structure;

establishing a connection upon receiving a connection request when no connection exists;

receiving a disconnection request comprising a process identification and removing the disconnecting process identification from the data structure; and

terminating the connection upon receiving a disconnection request when no process identifications remain in the data structure after removing the disconnecting process identification.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising:

saving a time that a connection request was received;

after a threshold period after the time, removing a process identification from the data structure if a process associated with the process identification has terminated; and

terminating the connection when no process identifications remain in the data structure after removing the identification of the terminated process.

3. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is a computer and the connection is a dial-up connection.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the device is a wireless device and the connection is a wireless connection.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the wireless device is a telephone.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein the wireless device is a hand held computer.

7. A computerized method comprising:

receiving a request for a connection to a remote resource;

saving in a data structure, an identifier of the request for a connection;

upon receiving a request for connection, creating the connection when the connection is not already established;

receiving a request for a disconnection from a remote resource;

deleting from the data structure, an identifier of the request for the disconnection;

disconnecting the connection upon a disconnection request when the deleted identifier is the last identifier of a request for a connection in the data structure.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

removing an identifier of a request for a connection from the data structure after a period of time after the request is made if a process associated with the identifier has terminated.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein a request for a connection originates from an application and the remote resource is a web server.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the connection is a dial-up connection between a modem and an Internet service provider.

11. The method of claim 7 wherein the method is running on a wireless device with plural applications sending the connection requests and communicating with remote resources over the connection.

12. A computer system comprising:

a processor coupled to memory and a hardware device for communicating with remote resources;

software in memory and comprising;

an operating service for receiving system service requests via an application services interface;

plural applications requesting remote services from the operating service via the application services interface;

a connection manager for establishing via the hardware device a connection shared by plural applications communicating with remote resources over the connection and for maintaining the connection when an application requests a disconnection while another application is still using the connection.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the connection manager disconnects the connection when a last application using the connection calls disconnect.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the connection manager maintains a list of applications that have requested the connection.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the connection manager disconnects the connection when an application requests a disconnect and no other application is on the list.

16. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the system is a personal computer.

17. The computer system of claim 12 wherein the connection is wireless.

18. A computer-readable medium comprising executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

creating a connection when a process request communicating with remote resources requiring the connection;

storing identifiers of processes requesting communicating with remote resources via the connection;

removing an identifier of a process from the stored identifiers when the process requests a disconnection;

maintaining the connection when a process requests a disconnection when stored identifiers indicate another process is communicating with remote resources via the connection; and

disconnecting the connection when a process requests a disconnection when stored identifiers indicate no other process is communicating with remote resources via the connection.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising executable instructions for removing an identifier of a process from the stored identifiers when the process has terminated.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18 further comprising executable instructions for periodically removing identifiers of processes from the stored identifiers when the processes have terminated without requesting a disconnect.