Wireless network access technologies for retrieving a virtual resource via a plurality of wireless network interfaces

• US 7,702,817 B2
• Filed: 10/28/2003
• Issued: 04/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/28/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rodriguez, Pablo R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): Survillo; Oleg
• Application Number:
  US10/695,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20050090283A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,366 Days
• Field of Search: 709/249, 709/250, 709201-203, 709/217
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/21 in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/04 Network layer protocols, e.g. mobile IP [Internet Protocol]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/00 Network topologies
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/005 Moving wireless networks

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing wireless network access are disclosed. A wireless network access device comprises at least one local communication network interface and a plurality of wireless network interfaces. Requests for resources are received over the local communication network interface, processed by the processor, and distributed among two or more of the plurality of wireless network interfaces. Algorithms for determining a number of wireless network interfaces and for selecting particular wireless network interfaces are disclosed. Received resources may be stored in a cache memory, and may be used to respond to subsequent requests for the same resource.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving a virtual resource from a remote computer via a plurality of wireless network interfaces, comprising:

receiving via a local communications network at a local network interface of a wireless network access device, from a local computing device coupled to the local communications network, an incoming request for the virtual resource, the virtual resource being a web page, wherein the virtual resource comprises a plurality of objects, the plurality of objects being elements of the web page;

determining a number of available wireless network interfaces of the plurality of wireless network interfaces of the wireless network access device, each of the plurality of wireless network interfaces communicatively coupled to a distinct wireless network of a plurality of wireless networks that communicatively couple the wireless network access device to the remote computer;

determining a number of objects in the virtual resource sufficient to retrieve the virtual resource and return it to the local computing device;

assigning by the wireless network access device each object in the virtual resource to at least one of the available wireless network interfaces, at least one object in the virtual resource being assigned to a different available wireless network interface than another object in the virtual resource;

activating the available wireless network interfaces to which objects of the virtual resource have been assigned; and

transmitting from the wireless network access device an outgoing request to the remote computer for each object in the virtual resource, each outgoing request corresponding to the incoming request, wherein each outgoing request is transmitted via the available wireless network interface to which the corresponding object in the virtual resource is assigned, and wherein each object in the virtual resource is downloaded from the remote computer in a conventional manner, responsive to the outgoing requests, to the wireless network access device via the corresponding assigned wireless network interface, the method being performed by a processor of the wireless network access device, wherein the wireless network access device is an individual device that includes the plurality of wireless network interfaces, the local network interface, and the processor, the local network interface distinct from any of the plurality of wireless network interfaces.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a number of available wireless network interfaces comprises monitoring one or more characteristics of each of the plurality of wireless network interfaces.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a number of available wireless network interfaces comprises monitoring one or more characteristics of each of the plurality of wireless network interfaces, wherein a signal characteristic is selected from a group of signal characteristics comprising:

signal-to-noise ratio, available bandwidth, congestion, signal strength, connection cost, and bit error rate.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a number of available wireless network interfaces comprises monitoring one or more characteristics of each of the plurality of wireless network interfaces stored in a data table in memory.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining a number of available wireless network interfaces comprises querying the wireless network interfaces.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining a number of objects in the virtual resource comprises querying the remote computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning comprises assigning an object to two or more of the available wireless network interfaces if the size of the object exceeds a threshold.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning comprises assigning an object to two or more available wireless network interfaces if the size of the object exceeds a threshold, wherein the threshold is a function of the bandwidth of the available wireless network interfaces.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the assigning comprises assigning an object to two or more available wireless network interfaces if the size of the object exceeds a threshold, wherein the threshold is a function of the size of an object relative to the size of other objects in the virtual resource.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising

collating the received objects to construct the virtual resource.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

transmitting the collated virtual resource to the computing device that originated the incoming request.

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

13. An apparatus, comprising:

at least one local communication network interface for receiving a request for a virtual resource, the virtual resource being a web page, wherein the virtual resource comprises a plurality of objects, the plurality of objects being elements of the web page;

a plurality of wireless network interfaces, each of the plurality of wireless network interfaces communicatively coupled to a distinct wireless network of a plurality of wireless networks that communicatively couple the apparatus to a remote computer, the remote computer including the virtual resource;

a memory module; and

a processor executing logic instructions that cause the apparatus to;

determine a number of available wireless network interfaces of the plurality of wireless network interfaces of the apparatus;

determine a number of objects in the virtual resource sufficient to retrieve the virtual resource and return it to the local computing device;

assign each object in the virtual resource to at least one of the available wireless network interfaces, at least one object in the virtual resource being assigned to a different available wireless network interface than another object in the virtual resource; and

transmit an outgoing request to the remote computer for each object in the virtual resource, wherein each outgoing request is transmitted via the available wireless network interface to which the corresponding object in the virtual resource is assigned, each outgoing request corresponding to the incoming request, and wherein each object in the virtual resource is downloaded from the remote computer in a conventional manner, responsive to the outgoing requests, to the apparatus via the corresponding assigned wireless network interface, wherein the apparatus is an individual device that includes the plurality of wireless network interfaces, the local network interface, the memory module, and the processor, the local network interface distinct from any of the plurality of wireless network interfaces.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the at least one local communication network interface comprises a wireless network interface.

15. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor polls the wireless network interfaces to determine characteristics of the communication connections managed by the wireless network interfaces.

16. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor polls the plurality of wireless network interfaces on a periodic basis to determine characteristics of communication connections managed by the plurality of wireless network interfaces.

17. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor polls the plurality of wireless network interfaces in response to a received request to determine characteristics of communication connections managed by the plurality of wireless network interfaces.

18. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor assigns objects to wireless network interfaces according to an algorithm that maximizes bandwidth.

19. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor assigns multiple wireless network interfaces to objects that exceed a size threshold.

20. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor assigns multiple wireless network interfaces to objects that exceed a size threshold that is a function of the available bandwidth on one or more wireless network interfaces.

21. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor assigns multiple wireless network interfaces to objects that exceed a size threshold that is a function of the size of an object relative to other objects in the virtual resource.

22. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to receive requested objects transmitted across at least some of the plurality of wireless networks.

23. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to receive requested objects transmitted across at least some of the plurality of wireless networks, and to transmit received objects over the local communication network interface.