MOBILE-DEVICE BASED PROXY FOR BROWSER-ORIGINATED PROCEDURES

• US 20150078263A1
• Filed: 06/12/2014
• Published: 03/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Mandyam, Giridhar, Mahendran, Arungundram Chandrasekaran, Leung, Nikolai, Towle, Thomas
• Granted Patent: US 9,516,575 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/329
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2514 between local and global IP addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2575 using address mapping retrieval, e.g. simple traversal of user datagram protocol through session traversal utilities for NAT [STUN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2589 over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/65 Network streaming protocols, e.g. real-time transport protocol [RTP] or real-time control protocol [RTCP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/06 based on characteristics of available antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/28 for reactive routing

Abstract

An example method of facilitating communication between a mobile device positioned within an internal network and a target peer includes intercepting, at a proxy executing on a mobile device, a communication to initiate a real-time communication connection with a target peer. The mobile device is coupled to a cellular network, and the internal network is separated from one or more external networks by network address translation (NAT). The example method also includes determining whether the target peer is reachable via the cellular network. The example method further includes when it is determined that the target peer is reachable via the cellular network, sending over the cellular network to the target peer a request to communicate in a first protocol.

Claims

1. A method of facilitating communication between a mobile device positioned within an internal network and a target peer, the internal network being separated from one or more external networks by network address translation (NAT), the method comprising:

intercepting, at a proxy executing on a mobile device, a communication to initiate a real-time communication connection with a target peer, the mobile device being coupled to a cellular network;

determining whether the target peer is reachable via the cellular network; and

when it is determined that the target peer is reachable via the cellular network, sending over the cellular network to the target peer a request to communicate in a first protocol.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication is sent from a client application executing on the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the client application is a browser.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving one or more calls in a second protocol from the client application to send to the target peer, the second protocol being different from the first protocol; and

discarding one or more of the received calls.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or personal digital assistant.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that the target peer is not reachable on the cellular network, sending a request to communicate with the target peer in a second protocol different from the first protocol, the second protocol being a protocol exchange between two target peers to determine whether a target peer of the two target peers is behind a network address translation (NAT).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the second protocol includes discovering one or more paths from the mobile device to the target peer and assigning a priority to the one or more paths relative to each other.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the second protocol includes sending a communication in accordance with a third protocol to discover a representation of the mobile device'"'"'s external Internet Protocol (IP) addresses.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the third protocol is STUN.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the second protocol includes sending a communication in accordance with a third protocol to establish a permanent connection between the two target peers.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the third protocol is TURN.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein it is determined that the target peer is reachable via the cellular network, the method further comprising:

determining a rate of keep-alive messages being sent to the target peer; and

modulating the rate of keep-alive messages being sent to the target peer, wherein the modulating includes intercepting keep-alive messages and discarding one or more of the intercepted keep-alive messages.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

when it is determined that the target peer is not reachable on the cellular network, sending to the target peer a request to communicate using Interactive Communication Establishment (ICE).

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a communication requesting whether a proxy resides on the mobile device; and

sending a communication indicating that the proxy resides on the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy is assigned a pre-specified IP address.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the proxy is assigned an IP address that is reserved for use on the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the cellular network is an LTE network.

18. A system for facilitating communication between a mobile device positioned within an internal network and a target peer, the internal network being separated from one or more external networks by network address translation (NAT), the system comprising:

an intercept module executable on a mobile device, wherein the intercept module intercepts a communication to initiate a real-time communication connection with a target peer, wherein the mobile device is coupled to a cellular network; and

a communication module executable on the mobile device, wherein the communication module determines whether the target peer is reachable via the cellular network, and when it is determined that the target peer is reachable via the cellular the communication module network sends over the cellular network to the target peer a request to communicate in a first protocol.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the communication is sent from a client application executing on the mobile device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the intercept module receives one or more calls in a second protocol from the client application to send to the target peer and discards one or more of the received calls, wherein the second protocol is different from the first protocol.

21. The system of claim 18, wherein the mobile device is a smartphone, tablet, laptop, or personal digital assistant.

22. The system of claim 18, wherein when it is determined that the target peer is not reachable on the cellular network, the intercept module sends a request to communicate with the target peer in a second protocol different from the first protocol, wherein the second protocol is a protocol exchange between two target peers to determine whether a target peer of the two target peers is behind a network address translation (NAT).

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the intercept module discovers one or more paths from the mobile device to the target peer and assigns a priority to the one or more paths relative to each other.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the intercept module sends a communication in accordance with a third protocol to establish a permanent connection between the two target peers.

25. The system of claim 18, wherein when it is determined that the target peer is reachable via the cellular network, the intercept module determines a rate of keep-alive messages being sent to the target peer and modulates the rate of keep-alive messages being sent to the target peer, wherein the intercept module intercepts keep-alive messages and discards.one or more of the intercepted keep-alive messages.

26. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable instructions for performing operations, comprising:

intercepting, at a proxy executing on a mobile device, a communication to initiate a real-time communication connection with a target peer, the mobile device being coupled to a cellular network;

determining whether the target peer is reachable via the cellular network; and

when it is determined that the target peer is reachable via the cellular network, sending over the cellular network to the target peer a request to communicate in a first protocol.

27. An apparatus for facilitating communication between a mobile device positioned within an internal network and a target peer, the internal network being separated from one or more external networks by network address translation (NAT), the apparatus comprising:

means for intercepting a communication from an originating peer at a mobile device to initiate a real-time communication connection with a target peer, the mobile device being coupled to a cellular network;

means for determining whether the target peer is reachable via the cellular network; and

means for when it is determined that the target peer is reachable via the cellular network, sending over the cellular network to the target peer a request to communicate in a first protocol.