Method and apparatus for implementing a mobile server

• US 7,849,224 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2007
• Issued: 12/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations Incorporated (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Alrabady, Ansaf I., Catsburg, Thomas M. P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Flynn; Nathan
• Assistant Examiner(s): KHAN, AFTAB N
• Application Number:
  US11/856,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20090077266A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,177 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227, 709/226, 709/249, 370/310
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 5/008 communicating information to a remotely located station transmission systems for measured values G08C
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Methods and apparatus are provided for transmitting data from remote server device to a computer module in a vehicle. A request for data is transmitted from the computer module over an in-vehicle network to an in-vehicle communications gateway module. The request for data from the computer module is destined for a remote server device. A request for a software component is transmitted from a standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module to the remote server device. The software component comprises a non-standard transfer protocol module. The in-vehicle communications gateway module loads the non-standard transfer protocol module, and the remote server device transmits the requested data to the in-vehicle communications gateway module according to the non-standard transfer protocol. The in-vehicle communications gateway module then transmits the requested data (provided from the remote server device) to the computer module over the in-vehicle network.

Claims

1. A method for transmitting data from remote server device to a computer module in a vehicle, the method comprising:

transmitting a request for data from the computer module over an in-vehicle network to an in-vehicle communications gateway module, wherein the request for data from the computer module is destined for a remote server device;

delaying transmission of the request for data at the in-vehicle communications gateway module until the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of receiving requested data from the remote server device;

transmitting, in accordance with a standard transfer protocol from a standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module in response to the request for data, a request for a software component to the remote server device, wherein the software component comprises the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module that enables the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate the request for data to the remote server device;

sending, in response to the request for the software component, the software component from the remote server device in accordance with the standard transfer protocol to the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module;

closing the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent communication of the requested data to the in-vehicle communications gateway module from the remote server device;

loading the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module at the in-vehicle communications gateway module so that the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of communicating with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol;

after the in-vehicle communications gateway module has loaded the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, transmitting the request for data from the in-vehicle communications gateway module to the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol;

transmitting the requested data from the remote server device to the in-vehicle communications gateway module according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol; and

transmitting the requested data provided from the remote server device, from the in-vehicle communications gateway module, to the computer module over the in-vehicle network.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of closing the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module and a standard port of the remote server device, comprises:

closing the standard port at the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent exchange of information between a browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the requested data from the remote server device to the in vehicle communications gateway module according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, comprises:

transmitting the requested data initially requested by the computer module from the remote server device to the in-vehicle communications gateway module over a non-standard port according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of delaying transmission of the request for data at the in-vehicle communications gateway module until the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of receiving requested data from the remote server device, comprises:

delaying transmission of the request for data at the in-vehicle communications gateway module until a custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module is loaded at the in-vehicle communications gateway module so that the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of receiving requested data from the remote server device to the computer module according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting, in accordance with a standard transfer protocol from a standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module in response to the request for data, a request for a software component to the remote server device, wherein the software component comprises the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module that enables the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate the request for data to the remote server device, comprises:

transmitting, in accordance with a standard transfer protocol from a standard port number 80 of the in-vehicle communications gateway module in response to the request for data, a request for a software component to the remote server device, wherein the software component comprises the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module that enables the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol during subsequent communications that involve sending the request for data from the in-vehicle communications gateway module to the remote server device and sending requested data from the remote server device to the in-vehicle communications gateway module.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of closing the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent communication of the requested data to the in-vehicle communications gateway module from the remote server device, comprises:

closing the standard port number 80 of the in-vehicle communications gateway module and a standard port number 80 of the remote server device so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent communication of the requested data to the in-vehicle communications gateway module from the remote server device.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising:

establishing a connection between the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

8. A method according to claim 7, further comprising:

closing the connection between the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the software component is used to establish the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module for communications between a browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device, and wherein the software component comprises:

an executable program which includes the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol which allows the browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the browser application executes the executable program to enable communication between the browser application and the remote server device in accordance with the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein the software component comprises at least one of:

a compiled program;

a Java applet; and

an active X control.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the requested data provided from the remote server device, from the in-vehicle communications gateway module, to the computer module over the in-vehicle network, comprises:

transmitting the requested data provided from the remote server device, from the in-vehicle communications gateway module, to the computer module over the in-vehicle network only when the requested data transmitted from the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein the requested data is not transmitted using a HTTP-over-TCP-over-IP transfer protocol.

14. A vehicle, comprising:

a computer module designed to generate a request for data from a remote server device;

an in-vehicle network; and

an in-vehicle communications gateway module designed to receive the request for data from the computer module over the in-vehicle network, to delay transmission of the request for data at the in-vehicle communications gateway module until the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of receiving requested data from the remote server device, and in response to the request for data, to transmit, from a standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module in accordance with a standard transfer protocol, a request for a software component to the remote server device, wherein the software component comprises a custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module that enables the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate the request for data to the remote server device,

wherein the in-vehicle communications gateway module is further designed to receive the software component from the remote server device at the standard port, to close the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent communication of the requested data to the in-vehicle communications gateway module from the remote server device, to load the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module so that the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of communicating with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, and after the in-vehicle communications gateway module has loaded the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, to transmit the request for data to the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, and to receive the requested data from the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, and

wherein the in-vehicle communications gateway module is further designed to exchange the requested data provided from the remote server device with the computer module over the in-vehicle network.

15. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the in-vehicle communications gateway module is further designed to close the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module before exchanging the data with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent exchange of information between the remote server device and a browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module.

16. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the in-vehicle communications gateway module is further designed to establish a connection to the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

17. A vehicle according to claim 16, wherein the in-vehicle communications gateway module is further designed to close the connection between the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device after exchanging the data with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

18. A vehicle according to claim 14, wherein the software component is used to establish the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module for communications between a browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device, and wherein the software component comprises:

an executable program which includes the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module which allows the browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

19. A vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the browser application executes the executable program to enable communication between the browser application and the remote server device in accordance with the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

20. A vehicle according to claim 18, wherein the software component comprises at least one of:

a compiled program;

a Java applet; and

an active X control.

21. An in-vehicle communications gateway module, comprising:

a receiver designed to receive, over an in-vehicle network, a request for data generated by a computer module, wherein the data is to be provided from a remote server device;

a memory designed to store the request for data at the in-vehicle communications gateway module until the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of receiving requested data from the remote server device;

a transmitter designed to transmit, in accordance with a standard transfer protocol from a standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module in response to the request for data, a request for a software component to the remote server device, wherein the software component comprises the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module that enables the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate the request for data to the remote server device;

wherein the receiver is designed to receive the software component from the remote server device at the standard port ;

a processor designed to close the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module before transmitting the request for data to the remote server device so that standard internet protocols are the standard transfer protocol is not used during the subsequent exchange of the requested data between the remote server device and a browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module;

load the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module so that the in-vehicle communications gateway module is capable of communicating with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol;

establish a connection to the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol; and

wherein the transmitter is further designed to transmit the request for data from the in-vehicle communications gateway module to the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, and wherein the receiver is designed to receive, after the in-vehicle communications gateway module has loaded the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, the requested data from the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

22. An in-vehicle communications gateway module according to claim 21, wherein the processor of the in-vehicle communications gateway module is further designed to:

exchange the requested data provided from the remote server device with the computer module over the in-vehicle network.

23. An in-vehicle communications gateway module according to claim 21, wherein the software component is used to establish the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module for communications between a browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module and the remote server device, and wherein the software component comprises:

an executable program which includes the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol module which allows the browser application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate with the remote server device according to the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol, wherein the browser application executes the executable program to enable communication between the browser application hosted at the remote client device and the server application hosted at the in-vehicle communications gateway module in accordance with the custom-designed non-standard transfer protocol.

24. A method comprising:

delaying, at an in-vehicle communications gateway module, transmission of a request for data from a computer module in a vehicle;

transmitting, from a standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module in response to the request for data, a request for a non-standard transfer protocol module;

receiving, from a remote server device via the standard port of the in-vehicle communications gateway module, the non-standard transfer protocol module, and then closing the standard port so that the standard transfer protocol is not used for the subsequent communication of requested data from the remote server device, wherein the non-standard transfer protocol allows the in-vehicle communications gateway module to communicate the request for data to the remote server device; and

after loading the non-standard transfer protocol at the in-vehicle communications gateway module, transmitting the request for data from the in-vehicle communications gateway module to the remote server device according to the non-standard transfer protocol.