Communication over selected part of a network

• US 8,599,848 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Issued: 12/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Janneteau, Christophe, Lach, Hong-Yon
• Primary Examiner(s): Shah, Chirag
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kang, Suk Jin
• Application Number:
  US10/497,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20040264461A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,003 Days
• Field of Search: 370/390
• US Class Current: 370/390
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1836 with heterogeneous network architecture
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method for communicating regional broadcast datagrams over a network in which the regional broadcast datagrams are routed using destination identifications wherein a sender terminal sends regional broadcast datagrams to a sub-network grouping server that selects a plurality of sub-network servers according to criteria defined by the sender terminal and chosen as a function of information derived from the sender terminal without the individual destination identifications of the destination terminals being specified by the sender terminal, and wherein the sub-network grouping server provides regional broadcast datagrams to the selected sub-network servers, which subsequently provide the regional broadcast datagrams to a plurality of destination terminals.

Claims

1. A method in a sub-network grouping server, the method comprising:

receiving at the sub-network grouping server regional broadcast datagrams from a sender terminal for forwarding to a plurality of destination terminals served by a plurality of sub-networks;

selecting, by the sub-network grouping server, a plurality of sub-networks according to criteria defined by said sender terminal and chosen as a function of information derived from said sender terminal without the individual destination identifications of said destination terminals being specified by said sender terminal;

providing, via the sub-network grouping server, communication of regional broadcast datagrams from said sender terminal to a plurality of servers corresponding to said selected sub-networks for forwarding of said regional broadcast datagrams, from said plurality of servers, to a plurality of destination terminals within the corresponding selected sub-networks.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said each of said plurality of servers is directly connected to a corresponding one of said selected sub-networks.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, receiving said regional broadcast datagrams from said sender terminal wirelessly.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, determining, at the sub-network grouping server, correspondence between said criteria and destination identifications of said sub-networks based upon correspondence data stored at said sub-network grouping server.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, deriving said information from said sender terminal for selection of said sub-networks from broadcast datagrams sent by said sender terminal.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, geographically restricting said sub-networks selected by the sub-network grouping server based on criteria that includes the geographical positioning of said sub-networks relative to respective geographical regions.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, selecting, by the sub-network grouping server, said selected sub-networks in a geographical vicinity of a sub-network server serving a communication access point of said sender terminal.

8. A method as claimed in claim 1, addressing said datagrams to all of said destination terminals served by said selected sub-networks.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, routing said datagrams using an Internet protocol.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, providing regional broadcast datagrams to the plurality of destination terminals via multicast or broadcast transmission.

11. Apparatus for communication of datagrams over a network that comprises sub-networks from a sender terminal to a plurality of destination terminals served by a plurality of said sub-networks, the apparatus comprises:

sub-network servers for sending messages to respective ones of said sub-networks, and

a sub-network grouping server for selecting one or more of said sub-networks and for providing communication of regional broadcast datagrams from said sender terminal to corresponding sub-network servers for said selected sub-networks, the selected sub-network being arranged to send the regional broadcast datagrams to a plurality of destination terminals within the corresponding selected sub-networks,

said regional broadcast datagrams being received from said sender terminal at said sub-network grouping server by unicast transmission, and said sub-network grouping server making the selection of said sub-networks according to criteria defined by the sender terminal and chosen as a function of information derived from said sender terminal without the individual destination identifications of said destination terminals being specified by said sender terminal.

12. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said information derived from said sender terminal for selection of said sub-networks relates to criteria for selection of said sub-networks and said sub-network grouping server stores correspondence data indicative of the correspondence between said criteria and the destination identifications of said sub-networks.

13. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said sub-networks are geographically restricted and said criteria include the geographical positioning of said sub-networks relative to respective geographical regions.

14. Apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein said information derived from said sender terminal for selection of said sub-networks includes the identity of a sub-network server serving the communication access point of said sender terminal to said network and said sub-network grouping server is arranged to select sub-networks in the geographical vicinity of said sub-network server serving the communication access point of said sender terminal.

15. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said datagrams are addressed to all of said destination terminals served by said selected sub-networks.

16. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein said datagrams are routed using an Internet protocol.

17. Apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein each of the selected sub-networks are arranged to send the regional broadcast datagrams to the plurality of destination terminals via multicast or broadcast transmission.

18. An apparatus for communicating a regional broadcast datagram in a communications network, the apparatus comprising:

a transceiver;

a controller communicably coupled to the transceiver,

the controller configured to cause the transceiver to receive a regional broadcast datagram from a sender terminal;

the controller is configured to select a sub-network server, of a corresponding sub-network serving a destination terminal, according to criteria defined by the sender terminal without individual destination identification information of the destination terminal being specified by the sender terminal;

the controller is configured to cause the transceiver to communicate the regional broadcast datagram to the selected sub-network server for forwarding to the destination terminal via the sub-network.

19. The apparatus of claim 18,

the controller configured to cause the transceiver to receive a plurality of regional broadcast datagram from the sender terminal;

the controller is configured to select a plurality of sub-network servers, of corresponding sub-networks serving a plurality of destination terminals, according to criteria defined by the sender terminal without individual destination identification information of the destination terminals being specified by the sender terminal;

the controller is configured to cause the transceiver to communicate the regional broadcast datagram to the selected sub-network servers for forwarding to the destination terminals via the sub-networks.