Application-based protocol and proxy selection by a mobile device in a multi-protocol network environment

• US 20050228870A1
• Filed: 11/11/2002
• Published: 10/13/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: King, Peter C., Choudhary, Nitu, de Boor, Adam R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,277,915 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/465 Distributed object oriented systems remote method invocation [RMI] G06F9/548
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/547 Remote procedure calls [RPC]; Web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

In a mobile device operating on a wireless network, one of multiple selectable proxies and its corresponding protocol stack are selected, to proxy a request and response, based on the application making the request. Connection information for each available proxy is stored in a configuration store. The application requests a Net Proxy object for the particular proxy and protocol stack to be used. The Net Proxy object contains a subset of the stored connection information specific to the particular proxy. An HttpAction object is then created for the request, and the Net Proxy object is linked to the HttpAction object. The HttpAction object is provided to a request manager, which dispatches the request to an appropriate protocol stack, based on the content of the net Proxy object linked to the HttpAction object, which causing the request to be sent to the selected proxy.

Claims

1. A method of operating a mobile device on a wireless network, the method comprising:

executing an application in the mobile device; and

selecting a proxy, based on a need of the application, from among a plurality of proxies selectable by the mobile device, to proxy a communication between the mobile device and a processing system that is remote from the mobile device.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said selecting a proxy comprises selecting one of a plurality of selectable protocol stacks for communication between the mobile device and the proxy.

3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein said selecting is done by the application.

4. A method as recited in claim 3, further comprising:

executing a second application in the mobile device; and

the second application selecting another proxy of the plurality of selectable proxies, based on a need of the second application.

5. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the plurality of selectable protocol stacks includes an HTTP stack and a WSP stack.

6. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the plurality of proxies includes a first proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via HTTP and a second proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via WSP.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said selecting a proxy comprises selecting a proxy to meet a particular protocol requirement of the application.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said selecting a proxy comprises selecting a proxy for a particular type of network access required by the application.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said selecting a proxy comprises selecting a proxy for a particular network domain.

10. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising creating a proxy object based on said need of the application, the proxy object containing connection information for the selected proxy.

11. A method as recited in claim 10, further comprising:

linking the proxy object to an action object; and

processing the action object by dispatching an access request to one of a plurality of selectable protocol stacks according to the proxy object, to access the selected proxy.

12. A method of operating a mobile device on a wireless network, the method comprising:

storing connection information for a plurality of proxies selectable by the mobile device, each of the proxies to provide mobile devices with access to a wireline data network;

executing an application in the mobile device;

instantiating a proxy object of a class determined based on a need of the application to access the wireline data network, the proxy object containing a subset of the stored connection information specific to a particular one of the proxies that is appropriate for said need;

linking the proxy object to an action object;

placing the action object into a queue to be processed; and

processing the action object by dispatching an access request to one of a plurality of selectable protocol stacks according to content of the proxy object, said one of the protocol stacks causing the access request to be sent to said particular one of the proxies.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said instantiating the proxy object is caused by the application.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the plurality of selectable protocol stacks includes an HTTP stack and a WSP stack.

15. A method as recited in claim 14, wherein the plurality of proxies includes a first proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via HTTP and a second proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via WSP.

16. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the particular one of the proxies is selected to meet a particular protocol requirement of the application.

17. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the particular one of the proxies is selected to provide a particular type of network access required by the application.

18. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein the particular one of the proxies is selected as a proxy for a particular network domain.

19. A mobile device to operate on a wireless network, the mobile device comprising:

means for executing an application; and

means for selecting a proxy, based on a need of the application, from among a plurality of proxies selectable by the mobile device, to provide the mobile device with access to a wireline data network.

20. A mobile device configured to operate on a wireless network, the mobile device comprising:

a processor;

a communication device coupled to the processor to communicate over the wireless network; and

a storage facility to store connection information for a plurality of proxies selectable by the mobile device, each of the proxies to proxy communications between one or more mobile devices and one or more servers, the storage facility further to store an application for execution in the mobile device, and further to store instructions which when executed by the processor cause the processor to perform a process comprising,

in response to the application having a need to access a resource on a wireline data network, identifying a particular one of the proxies that is appropriate for said need,

accessing stored connection information for the particular one of the proxies, and

using the accessed connection information to send a request to an appropriate one of a plurality of selectable protocol stacks, for transmission to the particular one of the proxies.

21. A mobile device as recited in claim 20, wherein said accessing stored connection information for the particular one of the proxies comprises selecting one of a plurality of selectable protocol stacks for communication between the mobile device and the proxy.

22. A mobile device as recited in claim 21, wherein the plurality of selectable protocol stacks includes an HTTP stack and a WSP stack.

23. A mobile device as recited in claim 22, wherein the plurality of proxies includes a first proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via HTTP and a second proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via WSP.

24. A mobile device as recited in claim 20, wherein said identifying a particular one of the proxies is done by the application.

25. A mobile device as recited in claim 24, wherein said identifying a particular one of the proxies comprises identifying a proxy to meet a particular protocol requirement of the application.

26. A mobile device as recited in claim 24, wherein said identifying a particular one of the proxies comprises identifying a proxy for a particular type of network access required by the application.

27. A mobile device as recited in claim 24, wherein said identifying a particular one of the proxies comprises identifying a proxy for a particular network domain.

28. A mobile device as recited in claim 20, further comprising creating a proxy object from a class selected based on said need of the application, the proxy object containing connection information for the selected proxy.

29. A mobile device as recited in claim 28, wherein said using the accessed connection information to send a request comprises:

linking the proxy object to an action object; and

processing the action object by dispatching an access request to one of a plurality of selectable protocol stacks according to the proxy object, to access the selected proxy.

33. A mobile device as recited in claim 20, wherein the particular one of the proxies is selected to meet a particular protocol requirement of the application.

34. A mobile device as recited in claim 20, wherein the particular one of the proxies is selected to provide a particular type of network access required by the application.

35. A mobile device as recited in claim 20, wherein the particular one of the proxies is selected as a proxy for a particular network domain.

30. A mobile device configured to operate on a wireless network, the mobile device comprising:

a configuration store containing connection information for a plurality of proxies selectable by the mobile device to provide the mobile device with access to a wireline data network;

an application to execute in the mobile device, such that when the application has a need to access the wireline data network, the application causes a proxy object to be instantiated from a class selected according to said need, the proxy object containing connection information, from the configuration store, specific to a particular one of the proxies that is appropriate for said need; and

a request manager to receive an action object linked to the proxy object, and to use the proxy object linked to the action object to send an access request to one of a plurality of selectable protocol stacks, said one of the protocol stacks corresponding to said particular one of the proxies.

31. A mobile device as recited in claim 30, wherein the plurality of selectable protocol stacks includes an HTTP stack and a WSP stack.

32. A mobile device as recited in claim 31, wherein the plurality of proxies includes a first proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via HTTP and a second proxy configured to communicate with the mobile device via WSP.