System and method for triggering actions at a host computer by telephone

• US 6,425,000 B1
• Filed: 01/26/1998
• Issued: 07/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/30/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Spycurity LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: Softell
• Inventors: Carmello, Salvatore, Vesel, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Wiley, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Philip B.
• Application Number:
  US09/013,337
• Time in Patent Office: 1,639 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/226, 709/227, 709/228, 709/217, 709/219, 709/224, 379/102.02, 370/281, 370/352, 370/401, 370/349, 713/310
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/12 Arrangements for remote connection or disconnection of substations or of equipment thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/007 with remote control systems remote control in general G08C
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/50 in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Abstract

A system and method for remotely triggering a predetermined program at a host computer system using a telephone ring signal is disclosed. The host computer system includes a ring detection and triggering circuit, a control monitor program, and at least one activation script, wherein the activation script could be a series of commands which create a connection between the host system and the Internet. A ring signal on a phone line connected to the host system is detected by the ring detection circuitry, and subsequently a trigger signal is generated by a trigger circuit which is detected by the control monitor program running on the host system. The control monitor program responds to the trigger signal and executes the activation script, thereby causing a connection to be established between the host system and the Internet. Other features, such as multiple activation scripts, remote user authentication, and feedback validation tones are also disclosed. Further disclosed is a method of operating an ISP server computer for detecting whether a connection is being requested of a customer'"'"'s host computer system, of determining whether the host computer system is presently connected to the Internet, and if the host system is not connected, of dialing a phone number which triggers an activation program stored at the host system, thereby causing the host system to connect to the Internet so that it can be accessed.

Claims

1. A system for connecting a plurality of remote computers to a data network, wherein the plurality of remote computers are disconnected from the data network, comprising:

a database for storing information regarding the plurality of remote computers, the information including, for each of the plurality of remote computers, a routing address associated with the data network, and a telecommunications address associated with a telecommunications network;

an access detector module coupled to the data network for detecting routing addresses embedded in data packets being transmitted over the data network;

a database decision module coupled to the database and the access detector module for comparing the detected routing addresses from the access detector module with the routing addresses stored in the database to determine if the data network is attempting to route data packets to one of the disconnected remote computers; and

a dialer module coupled to the database decision module for transmitting an activation signal to at least one of the disconnected remote computers using the stored telecommunications address for the remote computer if the database decision module determines that the data network is attempting to route data packets to the at least one disconnected remote computer;

wherein the activation signal causes the at least one disconnected remote computer to execute an activation script that causes the remote computer to create a connection to the data network so that the data packets can be routed to the remote computer.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of telecommunication modems coupled to the dialer module, wherein the dialer module can transmit a plurality of activation signals using the plurality of telecommunication modems.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the information stored in the database also includes information that indicates whether an activation signal has been transmitted to a remote computer.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the routing information is either an IP address associated with the remote computer, or an E-mail address associated with a user of the remote computer.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the system is implemented at an Internet Service Provider host server.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the data network is the Internet.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the plurality of remote computers are operated by customers of the Internet Service Provider, and wherein the routing addresses detected by the access detector module correspond to a pool of routing address associated with the Internet Service Provider.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the activation signal is a telephone number associated with a phone line coupled to the at least one disconnected remote computer.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an activation signal detection and trigger circuit coupled to each of the plurality of remote computers, wherein the activation signal detection and trigger circuit detects the activation signal transmitted from the system via the telecommunications network and generates a trigger signal to the remote computer.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the activation script at the remote computer detects the trigger signal and executes a plurality of commands that create a connection to the data network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the connection to the data network is established between the remote computer and an Internet Service Provider.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the database, the access detector module, the data base decision module and the dialer module are located at the Internet Service Provider.

13. A method of transmitting data from a first computer system to a second computer system through a data network, comprising the steps of:

transmitting data from the first computer system to the data network, wherein the data is addressed using a network address associated with the second computer system;

detecting the data transmitted from the first computer system at a host system coupled to the data network, wherein the second computer system is associated with the host system;

the host system determining whether the second computer system is connected to the data network;

if the second computer system is not connected to the data network, then transmitting an activation signal from the host system to the second computer system, wherein the activation signal causes the second computer system to connect to the data network; and

receiving the data from the first computer system at the second computer system.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

after the activation signal is transmitted from the host system to the second computer system, determining whether the second computer system is connected to the data network;

if the second computer system is not connected to the data network, the retransmitting the activation signal from the host system to the second computer system until the second computer system is connected to the data network.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the determining steps include the step of executing a PING command at the host system in order to determine whether the second computer system is connected to the data network.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the data network is the Internet.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the host system is an Internet Service Provider.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the network address is an IP address.

20. The method of claim 13, further comprising the steps of:

providing an activation device at the second computer system, wherein the activation device detects the activation signal transmitted from the host system and causes the second computer system to execute a script of commands that cause the second computer system to connect to the data network.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the network address is an email address of the second computer system.

19. The method of 13, wherein the activation signal is a telephone ring signal.