System and method for provisioning universal stateless digital and computing services

• US 7,363,363 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2002
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 05/17/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Simtone Corporation
• Original Assignee: XDS, Inc.
• Inventors: Curtis, Matthew J., Dube, Gerard E., Northcutt, Duane, Dal Canto, Mario
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn, Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US10/328,660
• Publication Number:
  US 20030217166A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,947 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/200, 379/201.04
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• 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

Abstract

A service provisioning system and method for providing remote access to digital services over a communications network, comprising a plurality of client devices connected to the communications network for requesting digital services from a plurality of service centers and presenting output from the digital services. The network operation center connected to the communications network authenticates client devices and users, manages sessions, and processes requests for digital services. A connector associated with each service center establishes a session with a client device specified by the network operation center and encapsulates the native protocols of the digital services within a remote interactive protocol. The remote interactive protocol includes information for generating a human-perceptible presentation on the client device, to provide a remote access to the digital services without modifying the hardware and software infrastructure of the service centers.

Claims

1. A service provisioning system for providing remote access to digital services over a communication network, comprising:

a plurality of client devices connected to said communications network for requesting digital services by users and presenting output from said digital services to said user;

a plurality of service centers for providing said digital services, each of said digital services generating content to be presented by said client devices to said user, the plurality of service centers respectively receiving commands input to said client devices by said users; and

a network operation center connected to said communications network for receiving requests for the digital services provided by the plurality of service centers, the network operation center configured to authenticate a client device and/or user requesting a digital service, the network operation center notifying a service center configured to provide the digital service after the client device and/or user has been authenticated, and providing the service center with a network address of the client device on the communication network,

wherein each of the plurality of service centers include at least one connector to initiate a network connection between the respective service center and an authenticated client device at the network address provided to the service center by the network operation center, the at least one connector adapted to transfer the content generated by the digital service to the authenticated client device and to transfer the commands from the client device to the respective service center over the established network connection to provide a remote access to the requested digital service.

2. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the digital services generate data in a respective native protocol, and wherein the at least one connector converts native protocols of requested ones of said digital services to rendering commands for generating a human-perceptible presentation on said respective ones of said client devices, said rendering commands for generating a human-perceptible presentation including commands to display screen image data by said client devices representative of the data generated by the respective digital service.

3. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the digital services generate data in a respective native protocol, and wherein the at least one connector converts native protocols of requested ones of said digital services to rendering commands for generating a human-perceptible presentation on said respective ones of said client devices, said information for generating a human-perceptible presentation including commands to display bit-mapped image data on said client devices representative of the data generated by the respective digital service.

4. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of client devices are stateless.

5. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the at least one connector associated with each of said service centers is capable of transforming data generated by the respective service center into a remote interactive protocol having rendering commands that display a virtual representation of the data on respective ones of said client devices to ensure that said data is not transmitted outside of the respective service center, thereby providing a secure remote access to digital services.

6. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein said network operation center comprises an authentication service module for authenticating said users and said client devices, establishing and managing an authentication connection between an authenticated client device and said network operation center.

7. The service provisioning system of claim 6, wherein said authentication service module further comprises a token-based security system for distributing keys and generating session keys using smart cards.

11. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein each of said client devices comprises a peripheral device selected from the group consisting of:

a display device, an input device, an audio device, a video device, and a universal serial bus device.

12. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein the digital services generate content in a respective native protocol, and wherein the at least one connector encapsulates said native protocols of requested ones of said digital services within a remote interactive protocol, said remote interactive protocol including information for generating a human-perceptible presentation on said respective ones of said client devices, and wherein said client devices are non-compliant client devices that do not support said remote interactive protocol.

13. The service provisioning system of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of proxy devices, each proxy device associated with one of said non-compliant client devices and operable to convert a protocol of said non-compliant device to said remote interactive protocol.

14. The service provisioning system of claim 1, wherein said services comprise a service selected from the group consisting of:

video conference, IP telephony, voice messaging, digital music, digital movie, e-commerce, and computing services.

8. A service provisioning system for providing remote access to digital services over a communication network, comprising:

a plurality of client devices connected to said communications network for requesting digital services by users and presenting output from said digital services to said user;

a plurality of service centers for providing said digital services, each of said digital services including a respective native protocol for communicating information to be presented by said client devices to said user and receiving commands input to said client devices by said users;

a network operation center connected to said communications network for processing requests for digital services received from said client devices, the network operation center including an authentication service module for authenticating said users and said client devices, establishing and managing an authentication connection between an authenticated client device and said network operation center, the network operating center further comprising a Meta-Desktop service module for generating a client-specific customized Meta-Desktop displaying digital services available to authenticated ones of said users and said client devices, and receiving a request for a selected digital service from authenticated ones of said client devices; and

at least one connector associated with each of said service centers for establishing a connection with respective ones of said client devices specified by said network operation center and encapsulating said native protocols of requested ones of said digital services within a remote interactive protocol, said remote interactive protocol including information for generating a human-perceptible presentation on said respective ones of said client devices, to provide a remote access to said digital services.

9. The service provisioning system of claim 8, wherein said Meta-Desktop service module is operable to generate said specific customized Meta-Desktop based on profile information of said authenticated client device and/or associated user.

10. The service provisioning system of claim 8, wherein said network operation center determines a service center capable of providing said selected digital service and provides said serving service center with a location of the authenticated client device on the communications network to establish said connection with said authenticated client device.