Method and apparatus for providing network access over different wireless networks

• US 6,314,108 B1
• Filed: 04/30/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Unwired Planet LLC (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Ramasubramani, Seetharaman, Boyle, Steven S., Fox, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Olms, Douglas
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US09/070,668
• Time in Patent Office: 1,286 Days
• Field of Search: 370/465, 370/466, 370/467, 370/469, 370/471, 370/401, 370/402, 370/389, 370/351, 370/352, 370/353, 370/395, 370/385, 370/387, 710/105, 709/219, 709/230, 709/231, 709/232
• US Class Current: 370/465
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The invention relates to centralized network access for wireless network carriers providing network access to wireless communication devices. The invention provides a network gateway (or proxy server) that provides access to a network of computers to various wireless network carriers having different wireless network characteristics. In one embodiment, the invention uses airlinks (or network drivers) to support the communications between the network gateway and the various wireless network carriers.

Claims

1. A system for delivery of information from a network of computers to wireless communication devices, said system comprising:

a plurality of wireless communication devices, said wireless communication devices including a processing unit and a display screen;

a plurality of wireless network carriers, each of said wireless network carriers providing wireless communication services to said plurality of wireless communication devices, and said plurality of said wireless network carriers using a different combination of network type and transport protocol;

a network of computers, one or more of the computers of said network of computers contains information; and

a multi-network gateway having at least a plurality of airlinks, said multi-network gateway couples said wireless network carriers to said network of computers to facilitate data transfer therebetween, each of the plurality of said wireless network carriers using a particular combination of network type and protocol are coupled to said network of computers by at least one of the airlinks configured for the particular combination of network type and protocol, and each of the airlinks operate to exchange data with certain of said wireless communication devices via said wireless network carriers associated therewith,

wherein said multi-network gateway comprises a pull agent, said pull agent operates to receive a request from a particular one of said wireless communication devices via a particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers for information residing on said network of computers, then operates to formulate a network request for the information using a protocol associated with said network of computers and then sends the network request to said network of computers and awaits a network reply, and once the network reply is received, the network reply is converted to a device reply and then sends the device reply to the particular one of said wireless communication devices via the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers in accordance with a protocol associated with the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said network of computers is the Internet.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said network of computers is an intranet.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said wireless communication devices include one or more mobile phones.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said pull agent comprises at least one of the airlinks for receiving the request from the particular one of said wireless communication devices and for sending the device reply to the particular one of said wireless communication devices via the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers in accordance with the protocol associated with the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein said pull agent comprises a plurality of the airlinks, each of the airlinks being used for one of said plurality of wireless network carriers using the different combination of network type and protocol, and each of said airlinks operate to receive the request from the particular one of said wireless communication devices associated therewith and to send the device reply to the particular one of said wireless communication devices via the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers associated therewith in accordance with the protocol associated with the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers.

7. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein said multi-network gateway further comprises:

a configuration table that stores information associating each of the plurality of said wireless network carriers with one of said airlinks.

8. A system as recited in claim 6, wherein said multi-network gateway further comprises:

a push agent, said push agent operates to receive a notification request from said network of computers to be forwarded to a particular one of said plurality of wireless communication devices via a particular one of said wireless network carriers, then operates to formulate a device notification message, and then sends the device notification message to the particular one of said wireless communication devices via the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers in accordance with a protocol associated with the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers.

9. A system as recited in claim 8, wherein said push agent comprises a plurality of airlinks, each of the airlinks being used for one of said plurality of wireless network carriers using the different combination of network type and protocol, and each of said airlinks operate to send the device notification message to the particular one of said wireless communication devices via the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers associated therewith in accordance with the protocol associated with the particular one of said plurality of wireless network carriers.

10. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein said multi-network gateway further comprises:

a configuration table that stores information associating each of the plurality of said wireless network carriers with one of said airlinks.

11. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein said push agent provides at least one narrowband communication channel between said network of computers and said wireless network carriers, and

wherein said pull agent provides at least one wideband communication channel between said network of computers and said wireless network carriers.

12. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein one of said wireless network carriers is a CDPD type network, and another one of said wireless network carriers is a SMS type network.

13. A gateway between a plurality of wireless network carriers and the Internet, each of the wireless network carriers providing wireless communication services to a plurality of wireless communication devices, said gateway comprising:

a HTTP interface module coupled to the Internet, said HTTP interface module interconnects said gateway with the Internet;

a push agent coupled to said HTTP interface module and including a network driver for each of the wireless network carriers, said push agent operates to receive notification messages for particular ones of the wireless communication devices, and to forward the notification messages to the particular ones of the wireless communication devices by the network driver associated with the wireless network carrier respectively used by the particular ones of the wireless communication devices; and

a pull agent coupled to said HTTP interface module and including a network driver for each of the wireless network carriers, said pull agent operates to receive information requests for information from the Internet from particular ones of the wireless communication devices, to form HTTP requests to request the information from the Internet via said HTTP interface module, to thereafter receive HTTP responses from the Internet containing the information requested, to form information replies for the particular ones of the wireless communication devices based on the HTTP responses, and then to send the information replies to the particular ones of the wireless communication devices th at sent the information requests using the network driver associated with the wireless network carrier respectively used by the particular ones of the wireless communication devices.

14. A gateway as recited in claim 13, wherein said gateway further comprises:

a configuration table, said configuration table containing information associating the wireless communication devices to the network drivers in said push agent and said pull agent.

15. A method for exchanging data between the Internet and wireless communication devices through a network gateway having a plurality of network drivers for use with different carrier networks that use different network types and protocols, said method comprising:

(a) identifying an incoming request for data from the Internet from a first wireless communication device of a plurality of wireless communication devices, the incoming request being via a first carrier network of a plurality of carrier networks of different network types which use different protocols, the first carrier network having a first network type and using a first protocol;

(b) associating the incoming request for data with a first network driver within the network gateway that is configured to receive requests for data from the first carrier network in accordance with the first network type and the first protocol, the first network driver being one of the plurality of network drivers;

(c) receiving the incoming request for data at the first network driver;

(d) forming an HTTP request for data based on the received request for data; and

(e) forwarding the HTTP request for data to the Internet,

wherein said associating (b) comprises;

(b1) receiving a source identifier from the incoming request for data, the source identifier uniquely identifies the first wireless communication device; and

(b2) determining the first network driver from a plurality of network drivers based on the source identifier.

16. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said determining (b2) operates to retrieve the identity of the first network driver from an account information table based on the source identifier.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the source identifier is a source address.

18. A method as recited in claim 15, wherein said method comprises:

(f) receiving a HTTP response from the Internet, the HTTP response containing the data requested by the HTTP request;

(g) formulating a reply to the first wireless communication device based on the HTTP response;

(h) forwarding the reply to the first network driver; and

(i) sending the reply to the first wireless communication device using the first network driver, the first network driver being configured to send data to the first wireless communication device from the first network driver via the first carrier network in accordance with the first network type and the first protocol.

19. A method for providing data from a wired network to wireless communication devices through a network gateway, said method comprising:

(a) receiving a notification from the wired network that is to be directed to a first wireless communication device of a plurality of wireless communication devices via a first carrier network of a plurality of carrier networks of different network types which use different protocols, the first carrier network having a first network type and using a first protocol;

(b) formulating a notification message to inform the first wireless communication device of the notification;

(c) determining a first network driver within the network gateway that is associated with the first wireless communication device from a plurality of network drivers within the network gateway, the first network driver being configured to send notification messages to the first wireless communication device via the first carrier network in accordance with the first network type and the first protocol; and

(d) sending the notification message to the first wireless communication device using the first network driver.

20. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the wired network is the Internet, and the notification is created by an application coupled to the Internet.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the notification message includes a target address, and wherein the notification message is directed to the target address by the first network driver via the first carrier network, thereby directing the notification message to the first wireless communication device.

22. A computer readable medium containing program code for interactive data exchange between a wired network and wireless communication devices, said computer readable medium comprising:

first program code for identifying an incoming request for data from the wired network from a first wireless communication device of a plurality of wireless communication devices, the incoming request being via a first carrier network of a plurality of carrier networks of different network types which use different protocols, the first carrier network having a first network type and using a first protocol;

second program code for associating the incoming request for data with a first network driver configured to receive requests for data from the first carrier network in accordance with the first network type and the first protocol;

third program code for receiving the incoming request for data at the first network driver;

fourth program code for forming a wired network request for data based on the received request for data; and

fifth program code for forwarding the wired network request for data to the wired network.

23. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 22, wherein said second program code comprises:

program code for receiving a source identifier from the incoming request for data, the source identifier uniquely identifies the first wireless communication device; and

program code for determining the first network driver from a plurality of network drivers based on the source identifier.

24. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 22, wherein said computer readable medium comprises:

sixth program code for receiving a wired network response from the wired network, the wired network response containing the data requested by the wired network request;

seventh program code for formulating a reply to the first wireless communication device based on the wired network response;

eighth program code for forwarding the reply to the first network driver; and

ninth program code for sending the reply to the first wireless communication device using the first network driver, the first network driver being configured to send data to the first wireless communication device from the first network driver via the first carrier network in accordance with the first network type and the first protocol.

25. A computer readable medium containing program code for providing data from a wired network to wireless communication devices, said computer readable medium comprising:

program code for receiving a notification from the wired network that is to be directed to a first wireless communication device of a plurality of wireless communication devices via a first carrier network of a plurality of carrier networks of different network types which use different protocols, the first carrier network having a first network type and using a first protocol;

program code for formulating a notification message to inform the first wireless communication device of the notification;

program code for determining a first network driver associated with the first wireless communication device from a plurality of network drivers, the first network driver being configured to send notification messages to the first wireless communication device via the first carrier network in accordance with the first network type and the first protocol; and

program code for sending the notification message to the first wireless communication device using the first network driver.

26. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the wired network is the Internet, and the notification is created by an application coupled to the Internet.

27. A computer readable medium as recited in claim 25, wherein the notification message includes a target address, and wherein the notification message is directed to the target address by the first network driver via the first carrier network, thereby directing the notification message to the first wireless communication device.