Remote proxy server agent

• US 8,812,666 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2002
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Da Capital Fund LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Kikinis, Dan
• Primary Examiner(s): SHAW, PELING ANDREW
• Application Number:
  US10/037,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103851A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,612 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/225, 709/249, 709217-219
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A software system for enabling remote data access to and task execution on a data processing system through a proxy server has an instance of the software residing on the data processing system for receiving and analyzing requests and performing according to request directive, and an instance of the software residing on the proxy server for identifying and authenticating a user and for redirecting requests to the data processing system. The system is characterized in that a user connects to a network accessible to the data processing system and initiates a request for services, wherein the request is after authentication of the user, redirected from the proxy server to the data processing system for task execution and possible return of results according to the contents of the request.

Claims

1. A system for enabling remote access to applications residing on a processing system comprising:

a firewall system interposed between a first system and a second system, wherein the first system comprises;

a user device connected to a gateway via a first network, wherein the user device comprises a client; and

a gateway connected to an insecure side of the firewall via a second network, wherein the gateway comprises an instance of a remote gateway agent,

wherein the second system comprises;

a processing system connected to a secure side of the firewall, wherein the processing system comprises an instance of a remote proxy agent and at least one application,

wherein the remote gateway agent is configured for;

receiving at the remote gateway agent a client registration request from the remote proxy agent, wherein the client registration request creates a client-to-server connection through the firewall between the remote proxy agent and the remote gateway agent;

receiving a request from the user device for a task to be performed by the at least one application residing on the processing system; and

forwarding the task request to the remote proxy agent residing on the processing system via the remote gateway agent, and

wherein the remote proxy agent comprises an interface to the at least one application and is configured for;

sending the client registration request to the remote gateway agent;

receiving and analyzing the task request from the remote gateway agent;

selecting and executing the at least one application via the interface to process the request; and

sending a result from the remote proxy agent to the remote gateway agent via the client-to-server connection through the firewall.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the processing system is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a multipurpose printing center, and a computer-connected peripheral.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one application is selected from the group consisting of an e-mail application, a word processing application, a facsimile application, a telephony application, and an operating system component application.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the request is selected from the group consisting of searching a directory, opening a target file, accessing an e-mail application, sending a fax, reading a document over a dialed telephone connection, powering on a device connected to the one or more data processing computers, and powering off the device connected to the one or more data processing computers.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote gateway agent is further configured for determining whether the user device is entitled to direct the request to the processing system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first network is a wireless network and the user device is a wireless device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the second network is the Internet.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the request specifies a serial execution of serial tasks and return of results.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein a plurality of requests is sent to the one or more data processing computers in an un-interrupted data session.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote gateway agent is further configured for receiving the result, and sending at least part of the result to the user device via the first network.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the gateway server instance is further configured for transcoding the result for viewing by the user device prior to sending the result to the user device.

12. A method for enabling remote data access to applications residing on a processing system comprising:

configuring a remote proxy agent on the processing system;

configuring a remote gateway agent on a gateway;

interposing a firewall between the processing system and the gateway, wherein the processing system resides on the secure side of the firewall and the gateway resides on the insecure side of the firewall;

receiving at the remote gateway agent a client registration request from a remote proxy agent, wherein the client registration request creates a client-to-server connection through the firewall;

registering the remote proxy agent with the remote gateway agent;

configuring an interface between the remote proxy agent and the at least one application residing on the processing system;

receiving at the remote gateway agent a request for access to the processing system from a user device via a first network;

forwarding the request for access to the processing system;

receiving and analyzing the request from the remote gateway agent at the remote proxy agent;

executing the selected application via the interface to process the request; and

sending a result from the remote proxy agent to the remote gateway agent via the client-to-server connection through the firewall.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the processing system is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a multipurpose printing center, and a computer-connected peripheral.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one application is selected from the group consisting of an e-mail application, a word processing application, a facsimile application, a telephony application, and an operating system component application.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the request is selected from the group consisting of searching a directory, opening a target file, accessing an e-mail application, sending a fax, reading a document over a dialed telephone connection, powering on a device connected to the one or more data processing computers, and powering off the device connected to the one or more data processing computers.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising determining at the remote gateway agent whether the user device is entitled to direct the request to the processing system.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the first network is a wireless network and the user device is a wireless device.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the second network is the Internet.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the request specifies a serial execution of serial tasks and return of results.

20. The method of claim 12, wherein a plurality of requests is sent to the one or more data processing computers in an un-interrupted data session.

21. The method of claim 12 further comprising receiving the result at the remote gateway agent and sending at least part of the result to the user device via the first network.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising transcoding the result for viewing by the user device prior to sending the result to the user device.

23. A remote proxy agent residing in a processing system for enabling remote data access applications comprising:

a registration processor comprising instructions for sending a registration request to a remote gateway agent residing on a gateway via a first network, wherein the client registration request creates a client-to-server connection through a firewall interposed between the remote proxy agent and the remote gateway agent and wherein the gateway is accessible to a user device via a second network;

a request analyzer configured for receiving, parsing and verifying a task request forwarded by the remote gateway agent from the user device;

a request processor configured for processing the task request for task-performance instructions;

an application program interface configured for sending the task-performance instruction to at least one application residing on the processing system; and

a results processor configured for sending a result from the software application to the remote gateway agent for forwarding to the user device.

24. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein the processing system is selected from the group consisting of a personal computer, a multipurpose printing center, and a computer-connected peripheral.

25. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein the at least one application is selected from the group consisting of an e-mail application, a word processing application, a facsimile application, a telephony application, and an operating system component application.

26. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein the request is selected from the group consisting of searching a directory, opening a target file, accessing an e-mail application, sending a fax, reading a document over a dialed telephone connection, powering on a device connected to the one or more data processing computers, and powering off the device connected to the one or more data processing computers.

27. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein the remote gateway agent is further configured for determining whether the user device is entitled to direct the request to the processing system.

28. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein the second network is a wireless network and the user device is a wireless device.

29. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein the first network is the Internet.

30. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein the request specifies a serial execution of serial tasks and return of results.

31. The remote proxy agent of claim 23, wherein a plurality of requests is sent to the one or more data processing computers in an un-interrupted data session.

32. The remote proxy agents of claim 23, wherein the remote gateway agent is configured for receiving the result, and sending at least part of the result to the user device via the second network.

33. The remote proxy agent of claim 32, wherein the gateway server instance is further configured for transcoding the result for viewing by the user device prior to sending the result to the user device.