METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN CLIENTS CONNECTED TO THE INTERNET

• US 20110055322A1
• Filed: 02/20/2008
• Published: 03/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nabto APS
• Original Assignee: Nabto APS
• Inventors: Gregersen, Carsten Rhod
• Granted Patent: US 8,972,483 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4535 using an address exchange platform which sets up a session between two nodes, e.g. rendezvous servers, session initiation protocols [SIP] registrars or H.323 gatekeepers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A method and a system (5) for identifying and connecting clients (1a-1d) connected to the same network (2) comprising a control server (6), performing the steps of connecting a first client (1a-1d) running a web browser application (4a-4d) to the control server (6) and registering client specific connection information associated with the first client, receiving from the web browser application (4a-4d) a request for an unique URI defined by the control server (6) and associated with a second client (1a-1d), requesting the control server (6) to mediate a connection to the second client (1a-1d) associated with the unique URI and receiving data from the second client (1a-1d) on the direct connection and forwarding the data to the web browser application (4a-4d) for displaying the received data in a graphical user interface.

Claims

1. A method for identifying and connecting clients connected to the same network comprising a control server, comprising the steps of

connecting a first client running an application to the control server and registering client specific connection information associated with the first client,

receiving from the application a request for an unique URI defined by the control server and associated with a second client,

requesting the control server to mediate a connection to the second client associated with the unique URI,

receiving connection information associated with the second client,

establishing a direct connection to the second client by using the connection information associated with the second client, which connection establishment is mediated by the control server,

receiving data from the second client on the direct connection and forwarding the data to the application for displaying the received data in a graphical user interface.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the application is a web browser application.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the steps are carried out by a plug-in installed in said web browser application.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the method is embedded in an operating system comprising an API adapted to interact with the application.

5. A method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the URI can be resolved using the infrastructure of the domain name system.

6. A method according to any of the previous claims, wherein said first and second client in the step of establishing a direct connection uses TCP or UDP hole punching mediated by said control server to establish a direct connection for communication.

7. A method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the connection information for each client registered with the control server comprises an IP address and a port number.

8. A method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the second client comprises a web server to which incoming requests from the first client are directed.

9. A method according to any of the previous claims, wherein the connection mediation of the control server is distributed to one or multiple levels of clients appointed as client subcontrollers.

10. A method according to claim 2 further comprising the initial step of the web browser application initially receives a web page comprising an embedded web page application and wherein subsequent steps are carried out by the embedded web page application.

11. A method according to any of the previous claims, further comprising the steps of

receiving from the control server information of accessible clients comprising unique URIs associated with the clients connected to the control server,

forwarding said information to the application running on the first client for displaying the information in the graphical user interface.

16. A system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the URI can be resolved using the infrastructure of the domain name system.

17. A system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the direct connection between the first and second clients is established by using TCP or UDP hole punching mediated by the control server.

18. A system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the connection information registered with the control server comprises an IP address and a port number.

19. A system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the second client comprises a web server to which incoming requests from the first client is directed.

20. A system according to any of the previous claims, wherein the connection mediation of the control server is distributed to one or multiple levels of clients appointed as client subcontrollers.

22. A system according to any of the previous claims, wherein at least the first client

receives information of accessible clients from the control server comprising unique URIs associated with the clients connected to the control server,

forwards said information to a web browser application running on the first client for displaying the information in the graphical user interface.

12. A system for identifying and connecting clients connected to the same network comprising a control server, wherein

a first client connects to the control server and registers client specific connection information associated with the first client,

a second client connects to the control server and registers client specific connection information associated with the second client,

the second client is assigned a unique URI,

the control server is requested to mediate a connection to the second client associated with the unique URI requested by an application running on the first client,

the control server forwards connection information associated with the second client to the first client and connection information associated with the first client to the second client,

the control server mediates the establishment of a direct connection between the first client and the second client,

the first client receives data from the second client, which are forwarded to the application and displayed in a graphical user interface.

13. A system according to claim 12, wherein the application is a web browser application.

14. A system according to claim 13, wherein the web browser application comprises a plug-in, which communicates with the control server and the second client.

15. A system according to claim 12, wherein an operating system comprises an API adapted to interact with the application.

21. A system according to claim 12, wherein the first client connects to the system through an embedded web application contained in a web page provided to the first client by a mediator web service of the system.