Network access nodes

• US 20100290337A1
• Filed: 09/15/2009
• Published: 11/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Skype Limited (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Wurm, Karlheinz, Suvi, Mikael, Kaal, Madis
• Granted Patent: US 8,130,635 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/142 Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/08 Access security

Abstract

A communication system, method and program, the system comprising: one or more wireless access nodes of a first communication service provider and at least one server associated with a second communication service provider, interconnected via a packet-based network; and a wireless user terminal operable to establish a session with one of the wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, the wireless user terminal is installed with an application of the second communication service provider. The application is configured so as to: in event of failure to establish a session via one of the wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, store information regarding the failed session at the wireless user terminal; and in event of subsequent access to the packet-based network, transmit the information regarding the failed session to the server associated with the second communication service provider over the packet-based network.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

one or more wireless access nodes of a first communication service provider and at least one server associated with a second communication service provider, interconnected via a packet-based network; and

a wireless user terminal operable to establish a session with one of the wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, the wireless user terminal comprising a processor and a storage medium installed with an application of the second communication service provider, wherein said application is configured so as when executed on the processor to;

in event of failure to establish a session via one of the wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, store information regarding the failed session at the wireless user terminal; and

in event of subsequent access to the packet-based network, transmit said information regarding the failed session to the server associated with the second communication service provider over the packet-based network.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the server is arranged so as to enable a property of the communication system to be modified based on said information received at the server.

3. The communication system of claim 1, comprising a plurality of said access nodes.

4. The communication system of claim 3, wherein said server of the second communication service provider is arranged to record an availability status for each of said wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, the availability status indicating whether the respective access node is available to the client for setting up the communication connection.

5. The communication system of claims 2, 3 and 4 wherein said server is arranged to modify the status of the access node to indicate it is not available based on said information received at the server.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein an access page is made available to the user terminal from a server which is accessible even if access to packet-based network is not available.

7. The communication system of claims 2 and 6, wherein the server is arranged to modify the access page based on said information received at the server.

8. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the server is arranged to modify message routing information used by the access node to establish the session, based on said information received at the server.

9. The communication system of claim 2, wherein the server is arranged to modify, based on said information received at the server, a format of at least one of a username and password in a message sent from the access node requesting establishment of the session.

10. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the server is arranged to communicate information about the failure to an operator of the access node based on said information received at the server.

11. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the user terminal is arranged to initiate establishment of said session with the access node using a tunnelling protocol for bypassing restrictions of the access node.

12. The communication system of claim 11, wherein the failure is due to failure of the access node to recognise the tunnelling protocol.

13. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the failure is due to failure of the access node to respond with an expected response message according to a login protocol for establishing the session with the access node.

14. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the failure is due to failure of the server to respond or access node to relay an expected security token.

15. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said wireless access nodes are WLAN access nodes.

16. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said packet-based network is the Internet.

17. The communication system of claim 1, wherein the communication system is a peer-to-peer communication system.

18. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said application of the second communication service provider is a communication-related application for use in setting-up a communication connection with another user equipment over the packet-based network.

19. The communication system of claim 18, wherein the communication connection is a bidirectional communication connection.

20. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said application comprises a communication client of the second communication service provider, wherein the communication client is configured so as when executed on the processor to use said session to set up a communication connection with another user equipment over the packet-based network.

21. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said application comprises an access-manager of the second communication service provider, wherein the access manager is configured so as when executed on the processor to enable a client application of a third communication service provider to use said session to set up a communication connection.

22. A method for use in a communication system comprising one or more wireless access nodes of a first communication service provider and at least one server associated with a second communication service provider, interconnected via a packet-based network, wherein the method comprises:

attempting to establish a session between a wireless user terminal and one of the wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, the wireless user terminal being installed with an application of the second communication service provider; and

following failure to establish the session between the wireless user terminal and the wireless access node of the first communication service provider, and in event of subsequent access to the packet-based network by the wireless user terminal, receiving information regarding the failed session at said server over the packet-based network, the information having been stored at the wireless user terminal by said application in response to said failure.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising modifying a property of the communication system based on said information received at the server.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein said modification comprises recording an availability status for each of said wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, the availability status indicating whether the respective access node is available to the client for setting up the communication connection.

25. The method of claims 23 and 24 wherein said modification comprises modifying the status of the access node to indicate it is not available based on said information received at the server.

26. The method of claim 22, comprising making an access page available to the user terminal from a server accessible even if access to packet-based network is not available.

27. The method of claims 23 and 26, wherein said modification comprises modifying the access page based on said information received at the server.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein said modification comprises modifying message routing information used by the access node to establish the session, based on said information received at the server.

29. The method of claim 23, wherein said modification comprises modifying, based on said information received at the server, a format of at least one of a username and password in a message sent from the access node requesting establishment of the session.

30. The method of claims 22, comprising communicating information about the failure from said server to an operator of the access node based on said information received at the server.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the failure is due to failure of the access node to recognise a tunnelling protocol used by the wireless user terminal o initiate establishment of said session with the access node.

32. The method of claim 22, wherein the failure is due to failure of the access node to respond with an expected response message according to a login protocol for establishing the session with the access node.

33. The method of claim 22, wherein the failure is due to failure of the server to respond or access node to relay an expected security token.

39. The method of claim 22, wherein said wireless access nodes are WLAN access nodes.

40. The method of claim 22, wherein said packet-based network is the Internet.

41. The method of claim 22, wherein the communication system is a peer-to-peer communication system.

42. The method of claim 22, wherein said application of the second communication service provider is a communication-related application for use in setting-up a communication connection with another user equipment over the packet-based network.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein said communication connection is a bidirectional communication connection.

44. The method of claim 22, wherein said application comprises a communication client of the second communication service provider, wherein the communication client is configured so as when executed on the processor to use said session to set up a communication connection with another user equipment over the packet-based network.

45. The method of claim 22, wherein said application comprises an access-manager of the second communication service provider, wherein the access manager is configured so as when executed on the processor to enable a client application of a third communication service provider to use said session to set up a communication connection.

34. A method for use in a communication system comprising one or more wireless access nodes of a first communication service provider and at least one server associated with a second communication service provider, interconnected via a packet-based network, wherein the method comprises:

operating a wireless user terminal to attempt to establish a session with one of the wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider, the wireless user terminal comprising a processor and a storage medium installed with an application of the second communication service provider;

in event of failure to establish said session, using said application to store information regarding the failed session at the wireless user terminal; and

in event of subsequent access to the packet-based network, using said application to transmit said information regarding the failed session to the server associated with the second communication service provider over the packet-based network.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the attempt to establish said session with the access node is by use of a tunnelling protocol for bypassing restrictions of the access node.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the failure is due to failure of the access node to recognise the tunnelling protocol.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein the failure is due to failure of the access node to respond with an expected response message according to a login protocol for establishing the session with the access node.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein the failure is due to failure of the server to respond or access node to relay an expected security token.

46. A computer program product for use in relation to a communication system comprising one or more wireless access nodes of a first communication service provider and at least one server associated with a second communication service provider, interconnected via a packet-based network, wherein the program comprises code embodied on a computer-readable medium and configured so as when executed on a wireless user terminal to perform the steps of:

operating the wireless user terminal to attempt to establish a session with one of the wireless access nodes of the first communication service provider;

in event of failure to establish said session, store information regarding the failed session at the wireless user terminal; and

in event of subsequent access to the packet-based network, transmit said information regarding the failed session to the server associated with the second communication service provider over the packet-based network.