Selecting communication link between client and server

• US 6,584,506 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1999
• Issued: 06/24/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Rovi Technologies Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebTV Networks Inc. (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Goldman, Phillip Y., Perlman, Stephen G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bunjob
• Application Number:
  US09/392,001
• Time in Patent Office: 1,385 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/231, 709/241, 379/114, 379/115, 348/1-3, 348/7, 348/12-13
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/401 wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/57 Arrangements for indicating or recording the number of the calling subscriber at the called subscriber's set at the operator set in a manual exchange H04M5/20
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/06 Simultaneous speech and data transmission, e.g. telegraphic transmission over the same conductors
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/064 Data transmission during pauses in telephone conversation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8044 Least cost routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/8055 Selecting cheaper transport technology for a given service
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/42 Least cost routing, i.e. provision for selecting the lowest cost tariff
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/745 Least cost routing, e.g. Automatic or manual, call by call or by preselection
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2215/7464 Select transport technology for a given service, e.g. use for data connection WLAN rather than GSM/UMTS/GPRS or use company's communication network rather than a public network
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/22 Automatic class or number identification arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42042 Notifying the called party of information on the calling party details within substation equipment H04M1/57, signalling details H04Q3/72
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/428 Arrangements for placing incoming calls on hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4281 when the called subscriber is connected to a data network using his telephone line, e.g. dial-up connection, Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4288 Notifying a called subscriber of an incoming call during an ongoing call, e.g. Call Waiting
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/436 Arrangements for screening incoming calls , i.e. evaluating the characteristics of a call before deciding whether to answer it based on the calling party profile H04M3/42059; based on location H04M3/42348; based on presence H04M3/42365; diversion H04M3/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4931 : Directory assistance systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 : for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/46 : Embedding additional information in the video signal during the compression process H04N19/517, H04N19/68, H04N19/70 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42676 : for modulating an analogue carrier signal to encode digital information or demodulating it to decode digital information, e.g. ADSL or cable modem
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4332 : by placing content in organized collections, e.g. local EPG data repository interfaces, Database management systems or updating for information retrieval G06F16/23; details of retrieval of video data and associated meta data in video database G06F16/739
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 : Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4782 : Web browsing , e.g. WebTV
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4786 : e-mailing message switching systems, e.g. electronic mail systems H04L51/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4882 : for displaying messages, e.g. warnings, reminders arrangements for providing short real-time information to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1895
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 : involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6137 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6187 : involving transmission via a telephone network, e.g. POTS
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/637 : Control signals issued by the client directed to the server or network components
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 : Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 3/72 : Finding out and indicating number of calling subscriber

Abstract

A client is coupled to a modem pool and a server by a communication link in a wide area network. The client allows a user to browse the World Wide Web in response to user inputs entered at the client device. The communication link to the client is shared by a telephone circuit at the client end of the link. A disruption in communication with the server may occur due to a Call Waiting signal caused by an incoming telephone call, or due to another user picking up a telephone extension associated with the client. In response to such a disruption, the client saves the browsing status after which communication with the server is terminated. When the telephone line is once again available for connecting to the server, the client uses the browsing information saved to reconnect to the Web page that was displayed by the client at the time of the disruption.

Claims

1. In a first processing system capable of communicating with a second processing system over a communication link, the communication link including a telephone line connected to the first processing system, a method comprising:

an act of detecting a disruption in data communication over the communication link;

an act of disconnecting the communication link in response to detecting the disruption;

prior to disconnecting the communication link, an act of saving browsing status information describing a browsing status between the first and second processing systems at the time of the disruption;

an act of reconnecting the communication link after the act of disconnecting; and

an act of resuming the browsing status over the communication link between the first and second processing systems that existed at the time of detecting the disruption, with the saved browsing status information, and without input from a user.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of detecting a disruption comprises the following:

the act of detecting a Call Waiting signal on the telephone line.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the of resuming a browsing status comprises the following:

the act of resuming display of a Web page that was being displayed at the first processing system at the time of detecting the disruption.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the following:

the act of determining whether a ring signal has been received over the telephone line at the first processing system during a predetermined time period after the act of disconnecting.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the following:

if the act of determining has determined that no ring signal has been received over the telephone line, the act of determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the act of determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook comprise the following:

the act of impedance testing the telephone line.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the act of reconnecting is performed after the act of determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook has determined that all the telephone extensions are on hook.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act of detecting a disruption comprises the following:

the act of detecting that a telephone extension associated with the first processing system is off hook.

9. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts recited in claim 1.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the act of detecting a disruption are for performing the following:

the act of detecting a Call Waiting signal on the telephone line.

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the act of resuming a browsing status are for performing the following:

the act of resuming display of a Web page that was being displayed at the first processing system at the time of detecting the disruption.

12. The computer-readable medium according to claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for performing the following:

the act of determining whether a ring signal has been received over the telephone line at the first processing system during a predetermined time period after the act of disconnecting.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein the computer-executable instructions are further for performing the following:

if the computer-executable instructions for performing the act of determining have determined that no ring signal has been received over the telephone line, the act of determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook.

14. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the act of determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook comprise computer-executable instructions for performing the following:

the act of impedance testing the telephone line.

15. The computer-readable medium according to claim 13, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the act of reconnecting perform the act of reconnecting after the computer-executable instructions for performing the act of determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook have determined that all the telephone extensions are on hook.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer-executable instructions for performing the act of detecting a disruption comprise computer-executable instructions for performing the following:

the act of detecting that a telephone extension associated with the first processing system is off hook.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the first processing system has access to a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts recited in claim 1.

26. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the acts recited in claim 16.

18. In a first processing system capable of communicating with a second processing system over a communication link, the communication link including a telephone line connected to the first processing system, a method comprising:

the act of the first processing system detecting a disruption in data communication over the telephone line of the communication link;

the act of the first processing system saving information describing a browsing status at the time of the disruption to a memory accessible by the first processing system;

the act of disconnecting the communication link after the act of the first processing system saving information;

the act of the first and second processing systems reconnecting the communication link after the step of disconnecting; and

the act of resuming the browsing status based on the information saved in the act of saving.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the act of the first processing system detecting a disruption comprises the following:

the act of the first processing system detecting a Call Waiting signal on the telephone line.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the act of the first processing system saving information describing a browsing status comprises the following:

the act of the first processing system saving information including information that is necessary to exactly identify a Web site that was being browsed at the time of the disruption.

21. The method according to claim 18, further comprising the following:

the act of the first processing system determining whether a ring signal has been received over the telephone line at the first processing system during a predetermined time period after the act of disconnecting.

22. The method according to claim 21, further comprising the following:

if the first processing system has determined that no ring signal has been received over the telephone line, the act of the first processing system determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the act of the first processing system determining whether all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook comprise the following:

the act of the first processing system impedance testing the telephone line.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the act of the first and second processing systems reconnecting is performed after the first processing system has determined that all telephone extensions associated with the first processing system are on hook.

25. The method according to claim 18, wherein the act of the first processing system detecting a disruption comprises the following:

the act of the first processing system detecting that a telephone extension associated with the first processing system is off hook.