SYSTEM AND METHOD OF MANAGING INFORMATION DISTRIBUTION TO MOBILE STATIONS

• US 20100030887A1
• Filed: 02/15/2008
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Barry Gilhuly, Gary Mousseau
• Inventors: Mousseau, Gary P., Gilhuly, Barry J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,900 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• 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 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/12 Inter-network notification
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/12 Setup of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/22 Manipulation of transport tunnels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation

Abstract

A system and method for distributing information from a host service in communication with, a computer network to a mobile station in communication with a wireless network is provided. A data item associated with the mobile station is received at the host service. The host service then determines whether a network resource of the wireless network is currently associated with the mobile station. If the network resource of the wireless network is not currently associated with the mobile station, then the host service transmits a resource request message to the mobile station to instruct the mobile station to acquire the network resource. Subsequently to acquiring the network resource, the host service is then able to transmit the data item to the mobile station using the network resource.

Claims

1. (canceled)

2. A method of distributing information from a host service in communication with a computer network to a mobile station in communication with a wireless network, comprising:

receiving at the host service a data item associated with the mobile station;

determining at the host service whether a network resource of the wireless network is currently associated with the mobile station;

if the network resource of the wireless network is not currently associated with the mobile station, then transmitting a resource request message from the host service to the mobile station to instruct the mobile station to acquire the network resource; and

transmitting the data item to the mobile station using the network resource;

wherein the network resource is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting a resource request message from the host service to the mobile station to instruct the mobile station to acquire the network resource comprises:

transmitting a first instruction to cause the mobile station to acquire the network resource; and

transmitting a second instruction to cause the mobile station to transmit a confirmation message to the host service upon acquiring the network resource.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the confirmation message transmitted by the mobile station to the host service includes identifying information regarding the network resource.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of transmitting a resource request message from the host service to the mobile station to instruct the mobile station to acquire the network resource comprises:

transmitting an instruction to cause the mobile station to acquire the network resource; and

transmitting data indicating whether the mobile station is required to transmit to the host service a confirmation message that the mobile station has acquired the network resource.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the data indicating whether the mobile station is required to transmit to the host service a confirmation message that the mobile station has acquired the network resource further indicates whether the mobile station is required to transmit to the host service identifying information regarding the network resource.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the resource request message is an SMS message transmitted from the host service to the mobile station over a wireless voice network.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the resource request message includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the host service.

9. The method of claim 2, wherein information contained in the resource request message is displayed on the mobile station along with a user interface operable to provide an option regarding whether the mobile station should acquire the network resource as instructed in the resource request message.

10. A system for distributing information to a wireless mobile station over a wireless network, comprising:

a host service in communication with a computer network that receives a data item associated with the wireless mobile station and determines whether a network resource of the wireless network is associated with the wireless mobile station, wherein if the host service determines that the network resource is not associated with the mobile station, then transmiting a resource request message to the wireless mobile station to instruct the wireless mobile station to acquire the network resource;

wherein the host service transmits the data item to the wireless mobile station using the network resource; and

wherein the network resource is a Packet Data Protocol (PDP) context.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising transmitting a first instruction from the hose service to cause the wireless mobile station to acquire the network resource and transmiting a second instruction to cause the wireless mobile station to transmit a confirmation message to the host service upon acquiring the network resource.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the confirmation message transmitted by the wireless mobile station to the host service includes identifying information regarding the network resource.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising transmitting an instruction from the host service to cause the wireless mobile station to acquire the network resource and to transmit data indicating whether the wireless mobile station is required to transmit a confirmation message that the wireless mobile station has acquired the network resource to the host service.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the data indicating whether the wireless mobile station is required to transmit to the host service a confirmation message that the wireless mobile station has acquired the network resource further indicates whether the wireless mobile station is required to transmit to the host service identifying information regarding the network resource.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the resource request message is an SMS message transmitted from the host service to the wireless mobile station over a wireless voice network.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein the resource request message includes a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) associated with the host service.

17. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a user interface of the wireless mobile station configured to;

display information from the resource request message; and

provide an option regarding whether the wireless mobile station should acquire the network resource as instructed in the resource request message.

18. A method of distributing information from a host service in communication with a computer network to a mobile station in communication with a wireless network, comprising:

receiving at the host service a data item associated with the mobile station;

determining at the host service whether a network resource of the wireless network is currently associated with the mobile station;

if the network resource is not currently associated with the mobile station, then transmitting an out-of-band message to the mobile station indicating that the data item is awaiting delivery to the mobile station;

receiving an HTTP request addressed to a URL associated with the host service, the HTTP request generated at the mobile station after requesting allocation of the network resource in response to the out-of-band message; and

transmitting an HTTP response that includes the data item to the mobile station.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the wireless network does not support tunneling of IP packets from the Internet to the mobile station.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the out-of-band message is an SMS message.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the network resource is an IP address.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the out-of-band message includes the URL associated with the host service.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the URL associated with the host service is stored in a memory of the mobile station.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the HTTP request is associated with the mobile station through the use of an HTTP-based cookie to ensure that the mobile station is receiving data.

25. A method of managing at a network resource monitor distribution of information from a host system to mobile stations in a wireless network, comprising:

receiving a communication at the network resource monitor;

determining whether the communication is a registration request from the host system;

if the communication is a registration request, then registering the host system with the network resource monitor, receiving information from the host system about mobile stations associated therewith, and storing the information about mobile stations associated with the host system at the network resource monitor;

if the communication is not a registration request, then determining whether the communication is a host system association update;

if the communication is a host system association update, then the network resource monitor updating information stored at the network resource monitor regarding mobile stations associated with the host system;

if the communication is not a host system association update, then determining whether the communication is a mobile station resource allocation update; and

if the communication is a mobile station resource allocation update, then the network resource monitor determining whether the host system is associated with the mobile station, and notifying the host system about the resource allocation update to the mobile.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein communication between the network resource monitor and the host system takes place over a dedicated point-to-point link.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein communication between the network resource monitor and the host system takes place over a virtual private network (VPN) connection through the Internet.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein the mobile station becomes associated with the host system when the mobile station mates with a serial port on a network owned by the host system and exchanges private key information.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein the mobile station becomes associated with the host system when the mobile station logs into a secure website and registers with the host system.

30. The method of claim 25, wherein the network resource monitor monitors network resources controlled by a dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) server.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the network resource monitor monitors network resources via a TCP/IP splitter.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the network resource monitor monitors network resources via network router commands that cause TCP/IP traffic to be mirrored on two ports.