End to end network communication

• US 6,885,660 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avago Technologies International Sales Pte Limited (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: LEAD IP Systems, Ltd. (Zisapel Family)
• Inventors: Inbar, Shiomo, Oron, Avi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, BRIAN D
• Application Number:
  US10/075,256
• Publication Number:
  US 20020150110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,166 Days
• Field of Search: 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/389, 370/392, 370/395.52, 370/395.53, 370/400, 370/401, 370/469, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/203, 709/236, 709/245
• US Class Current: 370/352
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4511 using domain name system [DNS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system manageable for peer to peer communication between subscribers, the system comprising: a) a subscriber end digital communication management device for managing digital communications with remote subscribers, the device comprising: an internal interface for interfacing with at least one subscriber electronic device, an IP address manager for formulating a request for an IP address corresponding to a user defined remote subscriber, submitting said request and recording a response thereto, and a packet addresser, associated with said IP address manager, for addressing data packets to said user defined remote subscriber using an IP address taken from said recorded response, and b) an Internet connection management device for receiving and processing said request, said device comprising: a database for storing user identification names of said subscribers in a first field and respective assigned user IP addresses in a second field, a database manager for determining assigned user IP addresses of ones of said subscribers currently connected and dynamically updating said second field therewith, and a request manager for receiving external requests specifying at least one user identification request, interrogating said database and responding with respective IP addresses, thereby to provide peer to peer connections between said subscribers and end to end transaction data for billing.

Claims

1. Internet connection management unit for facilitating end to end Internet connections between subscribers, said unit comprising:

a database for storing user identification names of said subscribers in a first field and respective assigned user IP addresses in a second field,

a database manager for determining assigned user if addresses of ones of said subscribers currently connected and dynamically updating said second field therewith,

an interface for receiving external requests specifying at least one user identification request from a subscriber hub interfacing with at least one subscriber electronic device, and

a request manager for receiving said external requests specifying at least one user identification request from said interface, interrogating said database and responding with respective IP addresses.

2. The unit of claim 1, being operable to connect to said subscribers via wireless data links.

3. The unit of claim 1, further comprising a security layer.

4. The unit of claim 3, wherein said security layer comprises a firewall.

5. The unit of claim 3, wherein said security layer comprises connection authentication functionality.

6. The unit of claim 3, wherein said security layer comprises encryption functionality.

7. The unit of claim 3, further comprising connection monitoring functionality for monitoring said subscriber end to end connection.

8. The unit of claim 7, said functionality for monitoring being associated with functionality for providing billing records.

9. The unit of claim 1, further comprising pushing functionality for sending data to a group or to all of said subscribers.

10. A system for peer to peer communication between subscribers, the system comprising:

a) a subscriber end digital communication management device for managing communications between subscriber devices and remote subscribers, the communication management device comprising;

an internal local area network (LAN) interface for interfacing with at least one subscriber electronic device over a LAN,

an IP address manager for formulating a request for an IP address corresponding to a user defined remote subscriber, submitting said request and recording a response thereto, and

a packet addresser, associated with said IP address manager, for addressing data packets to said user defined remote subscriber using an IP address taken from said recorded response, and

b) an Internet connection management device for receiving and processing said request, said connection management device comprising;

a database for storing user identification names of said subscribers in a first field and respective assigned user IP addresses in a second field,

a database manager for determining assigned user IP addresses of ones of said subscribers currently connected and dynamically updating said second field therewith, and

a request manager for receiving external requests specifying at least one user identification request, interrogating said database and responding with respective IP addresses,

thereby to provide peer to peer connections between said subscribers.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising c) a billing mechanism for accumulating a transaction log at the subscriber end and retrieving data of said log to the Internet connection management device.