Method using an assigned dynamic IP address and automatically restoring the static IP address

• US 6,466,981 B1
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 10/15/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Levy, Steven B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Luu, Le Hien
• Assistant Examiner(s): Prieto, Beatriz
• Application Number:
  US09/108,026
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/218, 709/219, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/217, 709/223, 709/225, 709/227, 709/228, 709/237, 709/240, 709/245, 709/250, 705/40, 370/401
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5084 Providing for device mobility network addressing or numbering for mobility support in wireless networks H04W8/26; mobile IP H04W80/04
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The invention is a technology that provides a computer user with a connection to a communications server when they connect their computer to an access port. The technology automatically configures the computer for communication with the server and then restores the initial computer configuration after the session. In one example of the invention, the user simply connects their laptop computer to an Ethernet port in a hotel room and powers-up the computer. The laptop computer executes a small access software application that directs the laptop computer to process a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that is broadcast over the Ethernet network by an access server. The access software application directs the computer to execute a web browser using the URL. The web browser directs the computer to retrieve and display a web page represented by the URL from a communications server. The web page contains basic service information. After the user responds to the web page, the communications server directs the communications system to provide the user with a high-speed connection to the Internet. The user can browse the World-Wide Web, access e-mail or exchange files with their corporate network over the high-speed Internet connection. The high-speed Internet connection speeds up the data transfer, conserves telephone system capacity, and avoids costly long-distance charges.

Claims

1. A method employed by a computer for establishing communications with a communications server, the method comprising:

receiving an address broadcast from an access server over a network, wherein the address is for the communications server;

processing the address in response to executing an access software application;

executing a communications software application using the address;

communicating with the communications server at the address in response to executing the communications software application;

receiving a new proxy address from the access server over the network;

storing an original proxy address existing prior to receiving the new proxy address;

executing the communications software application using the new proxy address;

communicating with the Internet using the new proxy address; and

restoring the original proxy address subsequent to communicating with the Internet using the new proxy address.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing the access software application in response to starting the computer.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising executing the communications software application in response to receiving the address.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising restoring the original proxy address after the computer is powered-down and re-started.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the communications server is a web server, the address is a universal resource locator, and the communications software application is a web browser.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer is a portable computer.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the computer is a television set-top box.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the communications server is a web server, the address is a universal resource locator, and the communications software application is a web browser.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising

receiving another uniform resource locator from the access server, wherein the other uniform resource locator is for another web page in the web server;

processing the other uniform resource locator;

executing the web browser using the other uniform resource locator;

transferring the other uniform resource locator to the web server in response to executing the web browser; and

receiving another web page from the web server in response to transferring the other uniform resource locator to the web server.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

executing the web browser using an Internet address;

transferring the Internet address to the web server in response to executing the web browser; and

receiving the web page from the web server in response to transferring the Internet address to the web server.

11. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

executing the web browser using a media access control address;

transferring the media access control address to the web server in response to executing the web browser; and

receiving the web page from the web server in response to transferring the media access control address to the web server.

12. A method employed by a computer for establishing communications with a computer and a communications server, comprising:

receiving an address broadcast from an access server over a network, wherein the address is for the communications server;

processing the address in response to executing an access software application;

executing a communications software application using the address;

communicating with the communications server at the address in response to executing the communications software application;

receiving a new proxy address from the access server over the network;

storing a static Internet address for the communications software application which static Internet address existed prior to receiving the new proxy address;

executing the communications software application using the new proxy address;

communicating with the Internet using the new proxy address; and

restoring the static Internet address subsequent to communicating with the Internet using the new proxy address.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising restoring the static Internet address to the communications software application after the computer is powered-down and re-started.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the communications server is a web server, the address is a universal resource locator, and the communications software application is a web browser.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the communications server is a web server, the address is a universal resource locator, and the communications software application is a web browser.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising executing the access software application in response to starting the computer.

17. The method of claim 12 further comprising executing the communications software application in response to receiving the address.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the computer is a portable computer.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the computer is a television set-top box.

20. A method for establishing communications between a computer and a web server, comprising:

broadasting an uniform resource locator from an access server over a network, wherein the uniform resource locator corresponds to a web page in the web server;

receiving at the web server the uniform resource locator and an Internet address for the computer;

transferring a query containing the Internet address for the computer from the web server to an application server;

in the application server, identifying status information for the Internet address in response to the query;

transferring a response from the application server to the web server containing the status information;

in the web server, generating the web page in response to the status information, and

transferring the web page to the computer.

21. A method comprising:

broadcasting an uniform resource locator from an access server over a network, wherein the uniform resource locator corresponds to a web page in the web server;

receiving at the web server the uniform resource locator and a media access control address;

transferring a query containing the media access control address for the computer from the web server to an application server;

in the application server, identifying status information for the media access control address in response to the query;

transferring a response from the application server to the web server containing the status information;

in the web server, generating the web page in response to the status information; and

transferring the web page to the computer.

22. A product that stores computer-executable instructions for directing a computer to access a server when the computer is connected to a network and executes the instructions, the product comprising:

interface instruction that are operational, when executed, to direct the computer to process a broadcast from the network, wherein the broadcast includes an address for the server;

processing instructions that are operational, when executed, to direct the computer to

communicate with the server at the address in the broadcast,

process a new proxy address after communicating with the server,

store an original proxy address for the computer,

communicate using the new proxy address, and

restore the original proxy address after communicating using the new proxy address; and

;

a software storage medium for storing the interface instructions and the processing instructions.

23. The product of claim 22 wherein the processing instructions are further operational, when executed, to direct the computer to communicate with the server using an Internet address for the computer.

24. The product of claim 22 wherein the processing instructions are further operational, when executed, to direct the computer to communicate with the server using a media access control address for the computer.

25. The product of claim 22, wherein the proxy address is restored after the computer is powered-down and re-started.

28. The product of claim 22 wherein the interface instructions are further operational, when executed, to direct the computer to process another address from the network and to communicate using the other address.

26. A product that stores computer-executable instructions for directing a computer to access a server when the computer is connected to a network and executes the instructions, the product comprising:

interface instructions that are operational, when executed, to direct the computer to process a broadcast from the network, wherein the broadcast includes an address for the server;

processing instructions that are operational, when executed, to direct the computer to

communicate with the server at the address in the broadcast,

process a new proxy address after communicating with the server,

store a static Internet address for the computer,

communicate using the new proxy address, and

restore the static Internet address after communicating using the new proxy address; and

a software storage medium for storing the interface instructions and the processing instructions.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the static Internet address is restored after the computer is powered-down and re-started.