TRANSPARENT RECONNECTION

• US 20110035793A1
• Filed: 08/16/2010
• Published: 02/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bosco, Eric, Thornberg, Rich, APPELMAN, Barry
• Granted Patent: US 8,719,422 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/145 avoiding end of session, e.g. keep-alive, heartbeats, resumption message or wake-up for inactive or interrupted session
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/146 Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding

Abstract

In the event of an unintentional interruption, a token issued by a host system to a client system is used to reestablish communications without disrupting applications on the client system. If the host system provided an Internet Protocol address to the client system to be used during the interrupted communications session, the host system reserves the communications address during an interruption in communications for a period sufficient to permit reestablishment of communications using the reserved address.

Claims

1-89. -89. (canceled)

90. A method for communicating between a client and an accessible system, the method comprising:

requesting, by the client, a communications session between the client and the accessible system;

receiving, at the client, an accessible-system-designated communications address for accessing the accessible system;

requesting, by the client, a reconnection token from the accessible system;

receiving, at the client, the reconnection token from the accessible system;

detecting an interruption in the communications session;

masking the interruption of the communications session from at least one client application communicating with the accessible system; and

reestablishing, using the accessible-system-designated communications address, the communications session by submitting the reconnection token to the accessible system, wherein the client application communicating with the accessible system does not experience a disruption.

91. The method of claim 90, wherein the client application does not detect that the interruption and the reestablishment of the communications session has occurred.

92. The method of claim 90, wherein the reconnection token has a lifespan determined by the accessible system.

93. The method of claim 90, wherein submitting the reconnection token to the accessible system occurs within a predefined period of time after experiencing the unintended interruption.

94. The method of claim 90, wherein the accessible system requests the reconnection token from the client.

95. The method of claim 90, wherein submitting the reconnection token to the accessible system further comprises:

determining, at the client, whether the reconnection token has been received, and

if the reconnection token has been received, retrieving the reconnection token and sending the reconnection token to the accessible system.

96. The method of claim 95, wherein sending the reconnection token to the accessible system comprises sending the reconnection token and authentication information to the accessible system.

97. The method of claim 90, wherein submitting the reconnection token to the accessible system occurs after the client receives an authentication request from the accessible system.

98. The method of claim 90, wherein the accessible system-designated communications address comprises an Internet Protocol address for accessing the accessible system.

99. The method of claim 90, wherein the accessible-system-designated communications address is unique to the client.

100. A method for communicating between a client and an accessible system, the method comprising:

receiving, at the accessible system, a request from the client for a communications session between the client and the accessible system;

sending to the client, from the accessible system, an accessible-system-designated communications address for accessing the accessible system;

receiving, at the accessible system, a request from the client for a reconnection token;

sending to the client, from the accessible system, the reconnection token;

detecting an interruption in the communications session;

reserving the accessible-system-designated communication address during the period of the interruption;

receiving the reconnection token from the client;

authenticating the reconnection token; and

reestablishing the communications session with the client.

101. The method of claim 100, wherein the accessible system specifies a lifespan for the reconnection token.

102. The method of claim 100, wherein the accessible system specifies a period of time longer than the period of the interruption to reserve the accessible-system-designated communication address.

103. The method of claim 100, wherein authenticating the reconnection token comprises comparing, at the accessible system, the reconnection token with a list of valid tokens.

104. The method of claim 100, wherein authenticating the reconnection token comprises requesting username and password credentials from the client.

105. The method of claim 100, wherein the accessible system-designated communications address comprises an Internet Protocol address for accessing the accessible system.

106. The method of claim 100, wherein the accessible-system-designated communications address is unique to the client.

107. A tangible computer-readable medium having a computer program embodied thereon, the medium comprising:

a code segment for receiving, at an accessible system, a request from a client for a communications session between the client and the accessible system;

a code segment for sending to the client, from the accessible system, an accessible-system-designated communications address for accessing the accessible system;

a code segment for receiving, at the accessible system, a request from the client for a reconnection token;

a code segment for sending to the client, from the accessible system, the reconnection token;

a code segment for detecting an interruption in the communications session;

a code segment for reserving the accessible-system-designated communication address during the period of the interruption;

a code segment for receiving the reconnection token from the client;

a code segment for authenticating the reconnection token; and

a code segment for reestablishing the communications session with the client.

108. The medium of claim 107, further comprising a code segment for specifying a lifespan for the reconnection token.

109. The medium of claim 107, further comprising a code segment for specifying a period of time longer than the period of the interruption to reserve the accessible-system-designated communication address.

110. The medium of claim 107, further comprising a code segment for comparing, at the accessible system, the reconnection token with a list of valid tokens.

111. The medium of claim 107, further comprising a code segment for requesting username and password credentials from the client.