TWO-TIER ARCHITECTURE FOR REMOTE ACCESS SERVICE

• US 20080313305A1
• Filed: 06/10/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UX Ltd.
• Original Assignee: UX Ltd.
• Inventors: Long, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,949,369 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

Remote access service is provided between two or more computers on a network to facilitate a variety of activities, including desktop sharing, web-meetings, and web-conferences. A first computer sends its connection information to a server. The server stores the connection information for the first computer. A second computer may make a request to the server to remotely access the first computer. The server sends to the second computer the connection information it has stored for the first computer. The second computer uses the connection information for the first computer to send to the first computer connection information for the second computer via direct network connection. From this point on, the first computer and the second computer exchange data for remote access via a direct network connection, independently of the server.

Claims

1. In a server for facilitating remote access between one or more first computers and one or more second computers coupled to a network, a computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving from one of the first computers first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers;

storing in the server the first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers;

receiving a request from one of the second computers to establish remote access to said one of the first computers; and

sending to said one of the second computers the stored first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers, said one of the second computers directly connecting to said one of the first computers identified by the first connection information and sending second connection information corresponding to said one of the second computers directly to said one of the first computers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said one of the second computers exchanges data with said one of the first computers via a direct network connection using the first connection information and second connection information, respectively.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first connection information and the second connection information are IP (Internet Protocol) addresses corresponding to said one of the first computers and said one of the second computers, respectively.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a request from one of the second computers to establish remote access to said one of the first computers comprises:

hosting a website displaying the first computers; and

receiving from one of the second computers a selection of said one of the first computers for remote access.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers is a publicly accessible IP (Internet Protocol) address corresponding to a repeater to which said one of the first computers is communicatively coupled.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

assigning a unique identifier to said one of the first computers; and

sending to said one of the second computers the unique identifier, said one of the second computers directly connecting to the repeater identified by the first connection information and sending the unique identifier assigned to said one of the first computers directly to the repeater.

7. A computer readable medium storing computer instructions for facilitating remote access between one or more first computers and one or more second computers coupled to a network, the instructions when executed by a processor on a server causing the processor to:

receive from one of the first computers first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers;

store in the server the first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers;

receive a request from one of the second computers to establish remote access to said one of the first computers; and

send to said one of the second computers the stored first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers, said one of the second computers directly connecting to said one of the first computers identified by the first connection information and sending second connection information corresponding to said one of the second computers directly to said one of the first computers.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein said one of the second computers exchanges data with said one of the first computers via a direct network connection using the first connection information and second connection information, respectively.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first connection information and the second connection information are IP (Internet Protocol) addresses corresponding to said one of the first computers and said one of the second computers, respectively.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein receiving a request from one of the second computers to establish remote access to said one of the first computers comprises:

hosting a website displaying the first computers; and

receiving from one of the second computers a selection of said one of the first computers for remote access.

11. The computer readable medium of claim 7, wherein the first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers is a publicly accessible IP (Internet Protocol) address corresponding to a repeater to which said one of the first computers is communicatively coupled.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, the instructions further causing the processor to:

assign a unique identifier to said one of the first computers; and

send to said one of the second computers the unique identifier, said one of the second computers directly connecting to the repeater identified by the first connection information and sending the unique identifier assigned to said one of the first computers directly to the repeater.

13. A computer readable medium storing computer instructions for facilitating remote access between one or more first computers and one or more second computers coupled to a network, the instructions when executed by a processor on one of the second computers configured to cause the processor to:

receive from a server first connection information corresponding to one of the first computers;

store the first connection information;

establish a direct connection with said one of the first computers identified by the first connection information; and

send second connection information corresponding to said one of the second computers directly to said one of the first computers.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause said one of the second computers to exchange data with said one of the first computers via a direct network connection using the first connection information and second connection information, respectively.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first connection information and the second connection information are IP (Internet Protocol) addresses corresponding to said one of the first computers and said one of the second computers, respectively.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13, wherein the first connection information corresponding to said one of the first computers is a publicly accessible IP (Internet Protocol) address corresponding to a repeater to which said one of the first computers is communicatively coupled.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 16, wherein the instructions are further configured to cause said one of the second computers to exchange data with the repeater via a direct network connection using the first connection information and second connection information, respectively.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, the instructions further causing the processor to:

receive from the server a unique identifier assigned by the server to said one of the first computers; and

send the unique identifier assigned to said one of the first computers directly to the repeater.