System, apparatus, and method for accessing mobile servers

• US 20080010676A1
• Filed: 01/03/2005
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/03/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Wikman, Johan, Jalava, Teemu, Dosa Racz, Ferenc
• Granted Patent: US 7,523,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/011
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes

Abstract

A mobile terminal operating within a firewall protected mobile domain provides mobile server functionality to requesting entities outside of the protected domain. Links to content contained within, or proximately coupled to, the mobile server are located via registry entries. Internet Protocol (IP) address queries associated with the firewall protected mobile server result in the return of the IP address of a socket gateway. The socket gateway acts as a trusted interface to both the mobile server'"'"'s domain as well as the requesting entities'"'"' domain. The socket gateway intercedes as a relay to setup, maintain, and tear down the communication session between the mobile server and the requesting entity.

Claims

1. An information system comprising:

a network entity operating within a first mobile network and adapted to provide data requests to a second mobile network;

a first firewall coupled to the second mobile network and adapted to screen the data requests received from the network entity;

a mobile server operating within the second mobile network and adapted to provide data in response to the data requests; and

a socket gateway coupled between the network entity and the first firewall and adapted to facilitate access to the mobile server from the network entity, wherein the data requests are converted into a format that is transparent to the first firewall.

2. The information system according to claim 1, further comprising a Domain Name Server (DNS) adapted to provide an address of the socket gateway in response to requests for an address of the requested data.

3. The information system according to claim 1, further comprising a second firewall coupled to the first mobile network.

4. The information system according to claim 3, wherein the socket gateway is adapted to operate as a trusted entity between the first and second firewalls.

5. The information system according to claim 1, wherein the format conversion includes one of a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), or Short Messaging Service (SMS) conversion.

6. A mobile terminal capable of being wirelessly coupled to a firewall protected network, the mobile terminal comprising:

a memory capable of storing at least a protocol interface;

a processor coupled to the memory and configured by the protocol interface to respond to format converted content requests, the format converted content requests being transparent to the firewall protected network and generated by a socket gateway operating outside of the firewall protected network; and

a transceiver configured to facilitate a content exchange with the socket gateway in response to the format converted content requests.

7. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the protocol module includes a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) module.

8. The mobile terminal according to claim 6, wherein the memory is further capable of storing a socket gateway interface.

9. The mobile terminal according to claim 8, wherein the socket gateway interface is adapted to communicate with the socket gateway to conduct the content exchange.

10. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a mobile terminal for facilitating data transfer to network elements operating outside of a firewall protected mobile network by performing steps comprising:

receiving a connection request in a first format from a trusted entity operating outside of the firewall protected mobile network, the connection request being converted from a second format to be transparent to the firewall protected mobile network;

establishing the connection with the trusted entity in response to the connection request; and

transferring data to the network elements, wherein the data intended for the network elements is addressed to the trusted entity.

11. A method of providing data from a mobile server to network elements operating outside of a firewall protected mobile domain, comprising:

requesting addresses corresponding to links associated with data controlled by the mobile server;

converting the requested addresses to an address of a trusted entity operating outside of the firewall protected mobile domain;

transmitting requests for data to the trusted entity using the converted addresses; and

converting the requests for data into a format that is transparent to the firewall protected mobile domain.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein requesting addresses comprises contacting a Domain Name Server (DNS).

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein converting the requests comprises receiving the requests in a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein converting the requests further comprises translating the HTTP requests into one of Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), or Short Messaging Service (SMS) requests.

15. The method according to claim 11, further comprising transmitting data to the network elements in response to the requests for data.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the transmitted data is relayed from the mobile server to the network elements via the trusted entity.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the transmitted data is formatted in a HyperText Transfer Protocol (HTTP).

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the transmitted data is formatted in a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the transmitted data is derived from within the mobile server.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the transmitted data is derived from a proximity connection to the mobile server.

21. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a socket gateway for facilitating data transfer between network elements of a first firewall protected domain and a mobile server of a second firewall protected domain by performing steps comprising:

receiving data requests of a first protocol type from the network elements;

converting the data requests to a second protocol type that is transparent to the second firewall protected domain;

transmitting the converted data requests to the mobile server; and

receiving data from the mobile server in response to the converted data requests.

22. The computer-readable medium of claim 21 having instructions to perform steps further comprising relaying the received data to the network elements.

23. A socket gateway within a network used to facilitate an exchange of data between two firewall protected networks, comprising:

means for receiving data requests of a first protocol type from network elements in a first firewall protected network;

means for converting the data requests to a second protocol type that is transparent to a second firewall protected network;

means for transmitting the converted data requests to a mobile server operating within the second firewall protected network;

means for receiving data from the mobile server in response to the converted data requests; and

means for relaying the received data to the network elements.