URL based communication protocol from a client computer to a network device
First Claim
1. A method of signaling in a computer network, comprising:
- receiving, by a network device, a message transmitted by a client computer to a server, said message containing a Universal Resource Locator (URL), said URL having a particular reserved port designation;
detecting the particular reserved port designation by the network device;
in response to the detecting, intercepting the message at the network device, and not re-transmitting the message to the server or another device;
reading a command from the message, the command stored as a portion of the URL in the message, the command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client computer and the server; and
executing, in response to said reading, the command by said network device.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A method of signaling in a computer network uses interception by a network device of a message transmitted by a client computer to a server. The message contains a Universal Resource Locator (URL), the URL having a reserved port designation. The network device parses the URL and intercepts the message in response to finding the reserved port designation in the URL. The network device executes a command, where the command is carried in a field of the intercepted message. The client computer receives the URL having the reserved port designation in a HTML file transmitted to the client computer by the server. The message containing the URL is transmitted by the client computer in response to a user requesting a resource displayed in a web page displayed by the client computer. A second web page is transmitted to the client computer by a server receiving a request for services, and the URL containing the port designation is written into the second web page so that the URL is executed automatically as the second web page is received by the client'"'"'s browser. The method transmits a redirect message by the network device to the client computer, the redirect message redirecting to an address of a web page without the reserved port designation in the URL to carry information to the server.
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Citations
42 Claims
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1. A method of signaling in a computer network, comprising:
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receiving, by a network device, a message transmitted by a client computer to a server, said message containing a Universal Resource Locator (URL), said URL having a particular reserved port designation; detecting the particular reserved port designation by the network device; in response to the detecting, intercepting the message at the network device, and not re-transmitting the message to the server or another device; reading a command from the message, the command stored as a portion of the URL in the message, the command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client computer and the server; and executing, in response to said reading, the command by said network device. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of signaling a network device in a computer network, the network device located between a client computer and a server in the computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
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receiving by the network device a message transmitted by the client, the message en route to the server, the message containing a Universal Resource Locator (URL) field; detecting, by the network device, a specific port number stored in a first portion of the URL field; in response to detecting the specific port number, interpreting a second portion of said URL field that is provided to store a path on the server and a query string for the server as a command to the network device rather than as a path and a query string; and executing the command by the network device, the command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client and the server. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A network device for use in a computer network, the network device comprising:
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a network circuit configured to receive a message transmitted by a client, the message en route to a server; a packet classification unit configured to parse a Universal Resource Locator (URL) field in the message and to detect a specific port number stored in a first portion of the URL field and to, in response to the specific port number, forward the message to a processor; and the processor configured to interpret a second portion of said URL field that is provided to store a path on the server and a query string for the server as a command to the network device rather than as a path and a query string , and to execute the command, the command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client and the server. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28)
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29. An apparatus for signaling in a computer network, comprising:
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a network device configured to intercept and not re-transmit a message transmitted by a client computer to a server or another device if said message contains a Universal Resource Locator (URL) having a particular reserved port designation, said network device further configured to parse said message to determine if said particular reserved port designation is present; and a processor in said network device configured to execute a command in response to the message, said command carried in a portion of the URL in said message, said command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client computer and the server. - View Dependent Claims (30, 31, 32, 33)
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34. A method comprising:
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receiving, at a network device located between a client computer and a server in a computer network, an Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) REQUEST message transmitted by the client computer, the message en route to the server, the message containing a Universal Resource Locator (URL) field including an address of the server and a specific port number; detecting the specific port number stored in the URL field of the HTTP REQUEST message, and in response thereto, intercepting the HTTP REQUEST message to prevent the HTTP REQUEST message from reaching the server, and establishing a connection to the client computer from the network device; receiving, at the network device, a HTTP GET message transmitted by the client computer, the message en route to the server, the message containing a URL field including an address of the server and the specific port number; detecting the specific port number stored in the URL field of the HTTP GET mesas sage, and in response thereto, intercepting the HTTP GET message to prevent the HTTP GET message from reaching the server, and interpreting a <
path>
?<
searchpart>
portion of the URL field of the HTTP GET message as a command to the network device rather than as a path on the server or a query string for the server, wherein the command specifies a characteristic of a connection between the client computer and the server;executing the command. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38)
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39. A method of signaling in a computer network, comprising:
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intercepting by a network device a message transmitted by a client computer to a server and not re-transmitting the message to the server or another device, said message containing a Universal Resource Locator (URL), said URL having a reserved port designation; executing, in response to said reserved port designation, a command by said network device, said command carried in said message, said command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client computer and the server; displaying a web page by said client computer, said web page received from a previously contacted computer; requesting a resource displayed by said web page by a user of said client computer; transmitting by said client computer, in response to said requesting step, a REQUEST message to a second server; and transmitting by said second server, in response to receipt of said REQUEST message, a second web page containing said URL having a reserved port designation in a command which automatically transmits a message to said URL as said second web page is being executed by a browser program on said client computer.
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40. A method of signaling in a computer network, comprising:
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transmitting by a client computer a message to a server, said message containing a Universal Resource Locator (URL), said URL having a particular reserved port designation; intercepting, in response to said particular reserved port designation, said message by a network device and not re-transmitting the message to the server or another device; reading a command from the message by the network device, the command stored as a portion of the URL in the message, the command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client computer and the server; and executing, in response to said particular reserved port designation, the command by said network device.
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41. A method of signaling in a computer network, comprising:
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receiving by a client computer a Universal Resource Locator (URL) having a particular reserved port designation in a file transmitted to said client computer by a server; displaying said file as a web page by said client computer; transmitting a message containing said URL by said client computer in response to a user requesting a resource displayed in said web page, said message transmitted to said server; intercepting, in response to said particular reserved port designation in said URL in said message, said message by a network device, and not re-transmitting said message to said server or another device; and executing, in response to said particular reserved port designation, a command by said network device, said command carried in said message as a portion of the URL of the message, said command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client is computer and the server.
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42. An apparatus for signaling in a computer network, comprising:
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means for intercepting and not re-transmitting to another device a message transmitted by a client computer to a server, said message containing a Universal Resource Locator (URL), said URL having a particular reserved port designation, said means for intercepting including means for parsing said message to determine if said particular reserved port designation is present; and means, responsive to the means for intercepting said message, for executing a command, said command carried in a portion of the URL in said message, said command specifying a characteristic of a connection between the client computer and the server.
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Specification