User based communication mode selection on a device capable of carrying out network communications

• US 7,761,607 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hassan, Amer, Bahl, Pradeep
• Primary Examiner(s): Srivastava; Vivek
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu; Lin
• Application Number:
  US10/831,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20050238046A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,279 Days
• Field of Search: 709/250, 709220-222, 709227-229, 715733-739, 715/744
• US Class Current: 709/250
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

An application program is disclosed for execution on a computing device capable of supporting network communications via multiple differing communication modes. The application includes a set of user interface elements facilitating easy user selection of one of a set of communication modes supported by the computing device. Thereafter, the selected communication mode is utilized to support communications for the application. The application program also includes an interface to a transport layer component. The interface initiates binding a network interface to an endpoint opened by the application in accordance with the designation of the communication mode. Furthermore, the interface passes transmission requests to the interface identifying the endpoint. Therefore the interface facilitates forcing use of the designated network interface to complete the transmission requests of the application.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with computer-readable instructions executable upon a computing device capable of supporting network communications via multiple differing communication modes, comprising an application program comprising:

a set of user interface elements facilitating designating a communication mode through which communications originating from the application program pass; and

an interface to a transport layer component for;

initiating binding a network interface to an endpoint opened by the application program in accordance with the designation of the communication mode, the binding being accomplished using a strong host model, the strong host model forcing the transport layer to route transmission requests through the network interface; and

passing transmission requests to the network interface identifying the endpoint and thereby forcing use of the network interface to complete the transmission requests,

wherein binding the network interface using the strong host model comprises restricting communications with the endpoint to only be routed through the transport layer and the network interface for a designated period,

wherein the endpoint corresponds to a connection established on behalf of the application program and identifies communications associated with the connection,

wherein initiating binding comprises creating a routing table entry, corresponding to the connection, identifying the endpoint and a network address corresponding to the network interface, and

wherein passing transmission requests to the network interface identifying the endpoint comprises;

receiving, by the transport layer component, a transmission request from the application program identifying the endpoint;

determining, by referencing the routing table entry, the network interface corresponding to the network address bound to the endpoint; and

passing the transmission request onto the network interface in accordance with the determining.

2. The application program of claim 1 wherein the application program supports email functionality.

3. The application program of claim 1 wherein the application program supports browser functionality.

4. The application program of claim 1 wherein the designated period persists for a transaction.

5. The application program of claim 1 wherein the designated period persists for a session.

6. The application program of claim 1 wherein the designated period persists for a duration of an instance of the application program.

7. The application program of claim 1 wherein the designation persists until a new designated period is provided.

8. The application program of claim 1 wherein the set of user interface elements comprise icons corresponding to types of network interfaces, the icons being color-coded to indicate the designation of the communication mode.

9. The application program of claim 8 wherein the icons present a characteristic, to a user, of the corresponding network interfaces.

10. The application program of claim 1 wherein the set of user interface elements comprise menus.

11. The application program of claim 1 wherein the set of user interface elements comprise list boxes.

12. The application program of claim 1 wherein the set of user interface elements comprise icons corresponding to particular communication modes.

13. A method for establishing a network connection through an application user interface presented by an application program executing upon a computing device capable of supporting network communications via multiple differing communication modes, the method comprising:

presenting, via the user interface, a set of user interface elements facilitating a designation of a communication mode through which communications originating from the application program pass, the presenting comprising selecting a visual appearance of at least one icon to indicate the designation of the communication mode, the visual appearance being associated with a color;

registering the designation of the communication mode;

with a transport layer, opening an endpoint corresponding to a connection established on behalf of the application program, wherein the endpoint identifies communications associated with the connection;

initiating binding the endpoint opened by the application program to a network address corresponding to a network interface of the computing device in accordance with the designation of the communication mode, the endpoint identifying transmission requests from the application program as originating from the application program;

with the transport layer, receiving transmission requests identifying the endpoint; and

with the transport layer, passing the transmission requests identifying the endpoint to the network interface and thereby forcing use of the network interface to complete the transmission requests,

wherein binding the endpoint comprises restricting, for a designated period, the transport layer to route the transmission requests identifying the endpoint only through the network interface and the network address bound to the endpoint,

wherein binding the endpoint comprises creating a routing table entry, corresponding to the connection, identifying the endpoint and the network address corresponding to the network interface,

wherein passing the transmission requests comprises;

receiving a packet from the application program identifying the endpoint;

determining, by referencing the routing table entry, the network interface corresponding to the network address bound to the endpoint; and

passing the packets onto the network interface in accordance with the determining.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the application program supports email functionality.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the application program supports browser functionality.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the designated period persists for a transaction.

17. The method of claim 13 wherein the designated period persists for a session.

18. The method of claim 13 wherein the designated period persists for a duration of an instance of the application program.

19. The method of claim 13 wherein the designated period persists until a new designation is provided.

20. The method of claim 13 wherein the at least one icon has a color corresponding to a type of network interface.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the at least one icon presents a characteristic, to a user, of the corresponding network interfaces.

22. The method of claim 13 wherein the set of user interface elements comprise menus.

23. The method of claim 13 wherein the set of user interface elements comprise list boxes.

24. The method of claim 13 wherein the set of user interface elements comprise the at least one icon corresponding to particular communication modes.

25. A computer-readable storage medium including computer-executable instructions for establishing network connections through a management unit user interface executing upon a computing device capable of supporting network communications via multiple differing communication modes, the computer-executable instructions facilitating performing the steps of:

presenting, via the user interface, a plurality of host models for communicating with a first endpoint opened by a first application, the first endpoint corresponding to a connection established on behalf of the first application, wherein the first endpoint identifies communications associated with the connection;

selecting a strong host model from the plurality of host models;

presenting, via the user interface, a first set of user interface elements corresponding to application programs executable on the computing device;

presenting, via the user interface, a second set of user interface elements facilitating a first designation of a communication mode through which communications originating for a first connection from the first application of the application programs pass;

registering the first designation of the communication mode;

initiating binding a first network address corresponding to a first network interface to the first endpoint opened by the first application in accordance with the first designation of the communication mode, the first endpoint identifying transmission requests from the first application as originating from the first application, wherein the binding comprises creating a routing table entry, corresponding to the connection, identifying the first endpoint and the fist network address corresponding to the first network interface;

passing the transmission requests via a transport layer to the first network interface identifying the first endpoint, wherein binding the first network address to the first endpoint conforms with the strong host model, the strong host model restricting the transport layer to route the transmission requests only through the first network interface and the first network address bound to the first endpoint for a designated period, the designated period persisting for at least one of a transaction, a session, and an instance of the first application; and

initiating binding a second endpoint to a second network address corresponding to a second network interface, different from the first network interface, in accordance with a second designation of the communication mode for a second connection from the first application,

wherein passing the transmission requests comprises;

receiving a packet from the application program identifying the endpoint;

determining, by referencing the routing table entry, the network interface corresponding to the network address bound to the endpoint; and

passing the packets onto the network interface in accordance with the determining.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the first application supports email functionality.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the first application supports browser functionality.

28. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the designated period persists for a transaction.

29. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the designated period persists for a session.

30. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the designated period persists for a duration of an instance of the first application.

31. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the designation persists until a new designated period is provided.

32. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the second set of user interface elements comprise icons corresponding to types of network interfaces, the icons being color-coded to indicate the designation of the communication mode.

33. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 32 wherein the icons present a characteristic, to a user, of the corresponding network interfaces.

34. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the second set of user interface elements comprise menus.

35. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the second set of user interface elements comprise list boxes.

36. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 25 wherein the second set of user interface elements comprise icons corresponding to particular communication modes.