System and method for providing seamless roaming

• US 7,564,799 B2
• Filed: 10/05/2004
• Issued: 07/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Intermec IP Corporation (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Holland, Joshua Harold, Greve, Douglas Martin, Putnam, Joe Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): Ngo; Ricky
• Assistant Examiner(s): Yuen; Kan
• Application Number:
  US10/959,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20050238047A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,750 Days
• Field of Search: 370/229, 370/230, 370/235, 370/238, 370/241, 370/248, 370/249, 370/252, 370/254, 370/328, 370/338, 370/412
• US Class Current: 370/252
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/18 Self-organising networks, e.g. ad-hoc networks or sensor networks

Abstract

A communication system is provided in which a client device can communicate with a server via any one of plural communication networks, such as a WWAN, a WLAN, a wired LAN, a personal area network (e.g., Bluetooth), and any other networking architecture. More specifically, the communication client comprises a connection manager that is adapted to determine availability of each the plural communication networks to communicate data between the client and the server, select one of the communication networks from the available ones of the plural communication networks in accordance with predetermined preferences, and establish a connection with the selected one of the communication networks. The client may further comprise a client application. The connection manager provides a notification message to the client application upon establishment of the communication link. The client application then communicates data to and from the server via the selected one of the communication networks. In an alternative embodiment of the invention, the communication system further includes an intelligent queuing system, comprising a client-side queue on the communication client and a server-side queue on the server. The connection manager is further adapted to determine cost associated with communicating the data on available ones of the plural communication networks and provide that information to the client-side queue. The client-side queue determines whether to communicate the data via the selected one of the communication networks based in part on the determined cost.

Claims

1. A communication system for use with plural communication networks, the communication system comprising:

a server;

at least one portable communication client adapted to communicate with said server via said communication networks, said communication client comprising a client queue, a client application and a connection manager, said connection manager being adapted to;

determine availability of each of said plural communication networks to communicate data between said communication client and said server;

select one of said communication networks from available ones of said plural communication networks in accordance with predetermined preferences, wherein said predetermined preferences further comprise power usage data associated with each of said plural communication networks, said connection manager excluding certain ones of said plural communication networks from consideration during low power conditions of said communication client based on said power usage data;

establish a connection with said selected one of said communication networks, wherein said data is temporarily stored in said client queue and a Time-to-Life variable is assigned to said data when none of said communication networks are available to communicate said data between said communication client and said server; and

provide a message to said client application upon establishment of said connection with said selected one of said communication network;

wherein said data is placed in said queue prior to being communicated to said server.

2. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said client application establishes a communication link with said server via said selected one of said communication networks.

3. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined preferences further comprise a desired preference order among said plural communication networks.

4. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said connection manager is further adapted to determine cost associated with communicating said data on said available ones of said plural communication networks, and informs said client queue of said determined cost.

5. The communication system of claim 4, wherein said client queue determines whether to communicate said data based in part on consideration of said determined cost.

6. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said server further comprises a server queue in communication with said client queue via said communication link.

7. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said communication client further comprises plural network adapters associated with respective ones of said plural communication networks, and wherein said connection manager determines availability of said communication networks by periodically powering on said network adapters to poll said communication networks.

8. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said client queue is adapted to delete said TTL assigned data when said TTL variable has expired.

9. The communication system of claim 8, wherein said client queue is further adapted to:

send said queued data to said server via said selected one of said communication networks if said TTL variable has not expired; and

remove said data from said client queue after said data has been sent to said server.

10. The communication system of claim 1, wherein said plural communication networks comprise at least one of a wired local area network (LAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), and a wireless wide area network (WWAN).

11. In a communication system including a server and a plurality of communication networks, at least one communication client adapted to communicate with said server via said communication networks, the at least one communication client having a client queue, a client application and a connection manager, said connection manager being adapted to perform the functions of:

determining availability of each of said plural communication networks to communicate data between said communication client and said server;

determining cost associated with communicating said data on said available ones of said plural communication networks;

informing said client queue of said determined cost;

selecting one of said communication networks from available ones of said plural communication networks in accordance with predetermined preferences, wherein said predetermined preferences comprise at least power usage data associated with each of said plural communication networks, said connection manager excluding certain ones of said plural communication networks from consideration during low rower conditions of said communication client based on said power usage data;

establishing a connection with said selected one of said communication networks, wherein said data is temporarily stored in said client queue and a Time-to-Life variable is assigned to said data when none of said communication networks are available to communicate said data between said communication client and said server; and

provide a message to said client application upon establishment of said communication link;

wherein said client application establishes a communication link with said server via said selected one said communication networks and said client queue determines whether to communicate said data based in part on consideration of said determined cost.

12. The communication client of claim 11, wherein said predetermined preferences further comprise a desired preference order among said plural communication networks.

13. The communication client of claim 11, further comprising plural network adapters associated with respective ones of said plural communication networks, and wherein said connection manager determines availability of said communication networks by periodically powering on said network adapters to poll said communication networks.

14. The communication client of claim 11, wherein said client queue is further adapted to delete said TTL assigned data when said TTL variable has expired.

15. The communication client of claim 14, wherein said client queue is further adapted to:

send said queued data to said server via said selected one of said communication networks if said TTL variable has not expired; and

remove said data from said client queue after said data has been sent to said server.