Communications control for extending the period over which a terminal is able to have an open connection with a host accessible via a packet data network
First Claim
1. A method comprising:
- outputting in a packet data network a first data packet from a network party towards a terminal;
associating the first data packet with a time-to-live (TTL) adjusted to enable the first data packet to reach one or more intervening network entities but not to enable the first data packet to reach the terminal, in order to maintain traffic through the one or more intervening network entities to postpone expiry of a connection between the terminal and the network party in the one or more intervening network entities; and
determining the number of hops remaining on the route of the first data packet to the terminal and the time-to-live associated with the first data packet is adjusted so that the time-to-live is set to be smaller than the determined number of hops.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A client and a host communicate in a packet data network including a plurality of routing nodes such as routers and firewalls. The host is configured to provide the client with a session and to detect the accessibility of the client by repeatedly sending keep-alive messages to the client. In order to reduce the traffic actually arriving at the client, at least some of the keep-alive message are adjusted such that their routing towards the client will be stopped before the client by storing in a Time-To-Live field specified in the Internet Protocol a value of maximum routing hops defined to correspond with the last routing node before the client on a route from the host to the client. The adaptation of the keep-alive message can also be configured to allow some keep-alive message to reach the client to occasionally test the communication path between the client and server.
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Citations
28 Claims
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1. A method comprising:
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outputting in a packet data network a first data packet from a network party towards a terminal; associating the first data packet with a time-to-live (TTL) adjusted to enable the first data packet to reach one or more intervening network entities but not to enable the first data packet to reach the terminal, in order to maintain traffic through the one or more intervening network entities to postpone expiry of a connection between the terminal and the network party in the one or more intervening network entities; and determining the number of hops remaining on the route of the first data packet to the terminal and the time-to-live associated with the first data packet is adjusted so that the time-to-live is set to be smaller than the determined number of hops. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An apparatus, comprising:
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a processor; memory including computer program code; the memory and the computer program code configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus at least to perform; inputting a first data packet traveling in a packet data network from a network party towards a terminal, which packet data network comprises one or more intervening network entities on a route between the network party and the terminal; associating the first data packet with a time-to-live adjusted to enable the first data packet to reach the one or more intervening network entities but not to enable the first data packet to reach the terminal, in order to maintain traffic through the one or more intervening network entities in order to postpone expiry of a connection between the terminal and the network party in the one or more intervening network entities; and determining the number of hops remaining on the route of the first data packet to the terminal; and
adjusting the time-to-live associated with the first data packet so that the time-to-live is set to be smaller than the determined number of hops. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26)
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27. A computer readable medium having stored therein a computer program comprising computer executable program code configured to control an intermediate network element, comprising:
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computer executable program code configured to cause the intermediate network element to input a first data packet traveling in a packet data network from a network party towards a terminal, which packet data network comprises one or more intervening network entities on a route between the network party and the terminal; computer executable program code configured to cause the intermediate network element to associate the first data packet with a time-to-live adjusted to enable the first data packet to reach the one or more intervening network entities but not to enable the first data packet to reach the terminal, in order to maintain traffic through the one or more intervening network entities in order to postpone expiry of a connection between the terminal and the network party in the one or more intervening network entities, and computer executable program code configured to determine the number of hops remaining on the route of the first data packet to the terminal; and
to adjust the time-to-live associated with the first data packet so that the time-to-live is set to be smaller than the determined number of hops.
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28. An apparatus, comprising:
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means for inputting a first data packet traveling in a packet data network from a network party towards a terminal, which packet data network comprises one or more intervening network entities on a route between the network party and the terminal; means for associating the first data packet with a time-to-live adjusted to enable the first data packet to reach the one or more intervening network entities but not to enable the first data packet to reach the terminal, in order to maintain traffic through the one or more intervening network entities in order to postpone expiry of a connection between the terminal and the network party in the one or more intervening network entities, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine the number of hops remaining on the route of the first data packet to the terminal; and
to adjust the time-to-live associated with the first data packet so that the time-to-live is set to be smaller than the determined number of hops.
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Specification