Proxy terminal, server apparatus, proxy terminal communication path setting method, and server apparatus communication path setting method

• US 8,179,818 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2006
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Yoshikawa, Takashi, Miyake, Motoharu, Inamura, Hiroshi, Kawahara, Toshirou, Etoh, Minoru
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Dang
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhao, Wei
• Application Number:
  US12/096,654
• Publication Number:
  US 20090285118A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,986 Days
• Field of Search: 370/254, 705/35
• US Class Current: 370/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/14 Charging , metering or billing arrangements for data wireline or wireless communications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• 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 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing

Abstract

In a proxy terminal or server a path setting can be performed by a server apparatus and a path setting that includes, as a relay point, a proxy terminal arbitrarily specified by a user or the proxy terminal located in a local network to which the user belongs, without adding any function to a user terminal. The proxy terminal includes a terminal group information generator unit configured to generate terminal group information that includes a user terminal identifier and a proxy terminal network identifier as a pair, and to transmit, to a server apparatus, the generated terminal group information.

Claims

1. A communication path setting system comprising;

a user terminal having a first level of ability;

a proxy terminal having a second level of ability, which is higher than the first level of ability; and

a server apparatus configured to communicate with the user terminal and the proxy terminal;

wherein

the server apparatus is configured to transmit, to the user terminal, proxy terminal log in contents which include a user terminal identifier of the user terminal and a terminal group information transmission destination network identifier of the server apparatus,

the proxy terminal is configured to acquire a user terminal identifier from the user terminal and generate terminal group information which includes the user terminal identifier and a network identifier of the proxy terminal as a pair,

the proxy terminal is configured to acquire the terminal group information transmission destination network identifier, and specify the server apparatus based on the terminal group information transmission destination network identifier,

the proxy terminal is configured to transmit the terminal group information to the server apparatus specified by the terminal group information transmission destination network identifier,

the server apparatus is configured to set a communication path including the proxy terminal as a relay point, based on the terminal group information received from the proxy terminal, and

the proxy terminal is configured to detect a change in the proxy terminal network identifier included in the terminal group information, to generate new terminal group information, and to transmit the new terminal group information to the server apparatus.

2. The communication path setting system according to claim 1, wherein

the user terminal identifier includes at least an identifier for identifying the user terminal, and an identifier for identifying communication contents between the user terminal and the server apparatus.

3. The communication path setting system according to claim 1, wherein

the proxy terminal is configured to generate charging information which includes at least a proxy terminal identifier and the user terminal identifier when the communication data receiving unit receives the communication data transmitted from the user terminal, and

the proxy terminal is configured to relay, to the server apparatus, the communication data to which the generated charging information is added.

4. The communication path setting system according to claim 1, wherein

the server apparatus is configured to encrypt a contents required to be encrypted, so as to be decrypted by a decryption key, and

the server apparatus is configured to transmit the decryption key to the user terminal via the proxy terminal when communication of the contents required to be encrypted occurs.

5. The communication path setting system according to claim 1, wherein

the server apparatus is configured to set the communication path including the proxy terminal as the relay point when the contents is to be charged.

6. The communication path setting system according to claim 1, wherein

the server apparatus is configured to set the communication path including the proxy terminal as the relaying point, when the contents is required to be encrypted.