Proxy operations on client devices

• US 7,743,113 B2
• Filed: 10/02/2006
• Issued: 06/22/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TiVo Corporation (Adeia Inc.)
• Original Assignee: MobiTV Incorporated (Adeia Inc.)
• Inventors: Stiers, Todd, Lowell, David, Roseborough, James
• Primary Examiner(s): EL CHANTI, HUSSEIN A
• Application Number:
  US11/542,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20080082545A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,359 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709213-217, 709/227, 709/238
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A client device is configurable to operate as a proxy for server operations. In particular examples, a back-end server performs transactions with a target server such as a vending server by using the client device as a proxy to allow transactions through the client device. The client device obtains from a back-end server logic information for communicating with the target server. The client device need not be configured with logic information to locate and communicate with any particular target entity.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving logic information from a back-end server at a client device, the client device running an application supported by the back-end server to perform proxy operations for the back-end server, the logic information associated with a request to a target server, the logic information comprising a directive and error-handling information for the client device;

generating a request at the client device comprising a command to the target server based on the logic information, wherein the command is generated based on the directive;

transmitting the request from the client device to the target server;

receiving a response from the target server, the response corresponding to the request to the target server; and

forwarding the response received from the target server to the back-end server based on the logic information received from the back-end server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the response from the target server is parsed at the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a plain request.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a secure request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a cell phone with a registered electronic identifier in the cellular network and the target server is a cellular network billing server accessible to the cell phone based on verification of the registered electronic identifier and for providing subscription information to the cell phone and allowing the cell phone to subscribe and unsubscribe to services provided by the cellular network.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating an incorrect request and providing an error to the back-end server prior to receiving logic information from the back-end server.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is a subscription request.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client device is a mobile device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile device is operable to play a broadcast media stream.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the target server is only accessible to the back-end server through the client device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving a response from the target server is performed over a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the response received from the target server comprises subscription information corresponding to the client device and wherein the subscription information is used by the back-end server to retrieve information for display on the client device.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the logic information further comprises protocol information for determining a format of the response.

14. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing a new address of the target server to the back-end server and including the new address into the logic information.

15. The method of claim 1 further comprising attempting to initiate communication by the client device with the target server and requesting the logic information from the back-end server by the client device after the attempt to initiate communication by the client device with the target server fails.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the back-end server comprises error-handling logic for dynamically computing the logic information that allows the cell phone to communicate with the target server.

17. An apparatus comprising:

an output interface configured to send logic information to a client device comprising a directive and error handling information for the client device, the client device running an application supported by the apparatus to perform proxy operation for the apparatus, the logic information associated with a request comprising a command generated based on the directive to a target server generated by the client device;

an input interface configured to receive a response from the client device, the response including information the client device received from the target server based on the logic information received from the apparatus.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, information received by the client device from the target server is parsed at the client device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a processor operable to further interpret the response.

20. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the request by the client device to the target server is a plain request.

21. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the request by the client device to the target server is a secure request.

22. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the target server is a vending server.

23. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the logic information is sent to the client device after the client device initiates an incorrect request to the target server.

24. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the request is a subscription request.

25. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the client device is a mobile device operable to play a broadcast media stream.

26. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the client device is a mobile device operable to play a broadcast media stream.

27. A device, comprising:

means for receiving logic information from a back-end server at a client device, the client device running an application supported by the back-end server to perform proxy operations for the back-end server, the logic information associated with a request to a target server, the logic information comprising a directive and error-handling information for the client device;

means for generating a request at the client device comprising a command to the target server based on the logic information, wherein the command is generated based on the directive;

means for transmitting the request from the client device to the target server;

means for receiving a response from the target server, the response corresponding to the request to the target server; and

means for forwarding the response received from the target server to the back-end server based on the logic information received from the back-end server.