Methods and apparatus for interfacing a computer or small network to a wide area network such as the internet
First Claim
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1. A method for communicating data between a first computer and a second computer, the method comprising:
- accepting a first data packet from the first computer;
modifying a source field in the first data packet;
transmitting the modified first data packet to the second computer;
accepting a second data packet from the second computer, said second data packet being an HTTP request;
searching a table for a record correlating data in the source field of the first packet and in the destination field of the second packet;
if said searching is unsuccessful, examining the second data packet for a Uniform Resource Locator or Uniform Resourse Name to identify a destination of the second data packet;
modifying a destination field in the second data packet, where the destination field identifies the first computer; and
transmitting the modified second data packet to the first computer.
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Abstract
Methods and apparatus are provided for coupling a single computer, or small network of computers, and associated peripheral devices, to a wide area network, such as the Internet. The apparatus enables the devices to share a one or more IP addresses. The apparatus further enables remote access to the associated peripheral devices.
175 Citations
22 Claims
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1. A method for communicating data between a first computer and a second computer, the method comprising:
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accepting a first data packet from the first computer; modifying a source field in the first data packet; transmitting the modified first data packet to the second computer; accepting a second data packet from the second computer, said second data packet being an HTTP request; searching a table for a record correlating data in the source field of the first packet and in the destination field of the second packet; if said searching is unsuccessful, examining the second data packet for a Uniform Resource Locator or Uniform Resourse Name to identify a destination of the second data packet; modifying a destination field in the second data packet, where the destination field identifies the first computer; and transmitting the modified second data packet to the first computer. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. Apparatus for communicating data from a first computer to a second computer, the apparatus comprising:
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a gateway computer having a first interface for communicating with the first computer and a second interface for communicating with the second computer; and a processor programmed to accept a first data packet from the first computer via the first interface, modify a source field in the first data packet to form a modified first data packed, and then transmit the modified first data packet to the second computer via the second interface; said processor is programmed to accept a second data packet from the second computer via the second interface, said second data packet being an HTTP request, modify a destination field in the second data packet to form a modified second data packet, the modified second data packet identifying the first computer, and then transmit the modified second data packet to the first computer via the first interface; said processor is programmed to search a table for a record correlating data in the source field of the first packet and in the destination field of the second packet, and to examine the second data packet for a Uniform Resource Locator or Uniform Recourse Name to identify a destination of the second data packet if said search is unsuccessful. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A gateway for communicating data between a first computer and a second computer, comprising:
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first interface for communicating with the first computer; a second interface for communicating with the second computer; and a circuit to accept a first data packet from the first computer via the first interface, modify a source field in the first data packet to form a modified first data packed, and then transmit the modified first data packet to the second computer via the second interface; said circuit to accept a second data packet from the second computer via the second interface, said second data packet being an HTTP request, modify a destination field in the second data packet to form a modified second data packet, the modified second data packet identifying the first computer, and then transmit the modified second data packet to the first computer via the first interface; said circuit to search a table for a record correlating data in the source field of the first packet and in the destination field of the second packet, and to examine the second data packet for a Uniform Resource Locator or Uniform Recourse Name to identify a destination of the second data packet if said search is unsuccessful.
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Specification