Routing requests for location-to-service translation (LoST) services using proxy server

• US 8,812,728 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2011
• Issued: 08/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bison Patent Licensing, LLC
• Original Assignee: Andrew LLC (CommScope Holding Company, Inc.)
• Inventors: MUHLBAUER, Adam, Winterbottom, Anthony James, THOMSON, Martin Wyville
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne, Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Williams, Clayton R
• Application Number:
  US13/232,292
• Publication Number:
  US 20120066365A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,070 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A method implemented by a proxy server is provided for routing requests for a Location-to-Service Translation (LoST) service without traversing a forest node structure. The method includes receiving a request for the LoST service initiated by a client, the request including a location of a user device and a requested service; identifying an authoritative LoST server configured to service the requested service and bounded by a service boundary that includes the location included in the request; and directly forwarding the request to the identified authoritative LoST server, without routing through any other LoST server.

Claims

1. A method for routing requests from a client for a Location-to-Service Translation (LoST) service, the method comprising:

receiving a request for the LoST service at a proxy server initiated by the client, the request including a location of a user device and a requested service;

identifying at the proxy server an authoritative LoST server configured to service the requested service and bounded by a service boundary that includes the location included in the request;

retrieving an identifier of the identified authoritative LoST server; and

directly forwarding the request for the LoST service from the proxy server to the identified authoritative LoST server using the retrieved identifier, without routing through any other LoST server of a plurality of LoST servers in a forest node structure.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

initially learning service boundaries of the plurality of authoritative LoST servers, including the service boundary of the identified authoritative LoST server, each of the service boundaries indicating a region for which a corresponding authoritative LoST server of the plurality of authoritative LoST servers is responsible.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

modifying the request from the client to replace a client identifier associated with the client with a proxy identifier associated with the proxy server.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the modified request indicates to the authoritative LoST server that the proxy server is the client that initiated the request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a response from the identified authoritative LoST server containing at least one identifier corresponding to the requested LoST service;

directly forwarding the response to the client, without routing through any other LoST server; and

establishing a connection between the user device and the authoritative LoST server using the response.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the modified response indicates to the client that the proxy server is the identified authoritative LoST server that initiated the response.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the at least one identifier comprises at least one of a service contact uniform resource identifier (URI) and a domain name.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the client initiating the request comprises a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) server having established a communication session with the user device.

9. A method for directly routing requests from a client for a Location-to-Service Translation (LoST) service, the method comprising:

receiving a LoST query message initiated by the client at a proxy server, the LoST query message including an identifier of a requested LoST service, a location of a user device requesting the requested LoST service, and a client identifier corresponding to the client;

identifying at the proxy server an authoritative LoST server configured to service the requested LoST service for the location of the user device;

retrieving an identifier of the identified authoritative LoST server;

modifying the LoST query message to replace the client identifier with a proxy identifier corresponding to the proxy server; and

directly forwarding the modified LoST query message from the proxy server to the identified authoritative LoST server using the retrieved identifier without routing through any other LoST server of a plurality of LoST servers in a forest node structure.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

receiving a LoST response message initiated by the identified authoritative LoST server, the LoST response message including a service contract identifier of the requested LoST service, and an authoritative LoST server identifier corresponding to the authoritative LoST server;

modifying the LoST response message to replace the proxy identifier with the client identifier, and to replace the authoritative LoST server identifier with the proxy identifier; and

directly forwarding the modified LoST response message to the client.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

identifying an alternative authoritative LoST server when the identified authoritative LoST server is unable to resolve the LoST query message.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein identifying the alternative authoritative LoST server comprises:

sending the query message to a plurality of alternative authoritative LoST servers;

receiving a successful response from one of the plurality of alternative authoritative LoST servers;

modifying the LoST query message to replace the client identifier with the proxy identifier; and

directly forwarding the modified LoST query message to the one of the plurality of alternative authoritative LoST servers.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

updating route mapping of the proxy server to indicate that the one of the plurality of alternative authoritative LoST servers has a corresponding service boundary that includes the location included in the query message.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the LoST query message further includes an attribute requesting civic location validation, and the LoST response message further includes an indication of which civic fields are valid.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

updating route mapping of the proxy server to include values of the valid civic fields.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the client identifier is included in a forward path element of the LoST query message, and wherein modifying the LoST query message comprises replacing the client identifier in the forward path element with the proxy identifier.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the proxy identifier and the authoritative LoST server identifier are included in a return path element of the LoST response message, and wherein modifying the LoST response message comprises replacing the proxy identifier with the client identifier and replacing the authoritative LoST server identifier with the proxy identifier in the return path element.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing code, executable by a computer processor in a proxy server, for routing requests for a Location-to-Service Translation (LoST) service from a client, the non-transitory computer readable medium comprising:

request code for receiving a request for the LoST service at the proxy server initiated by the client, the request including a location of a user device and a requested service;

identifying code for identifying at the proxy server an authoritative LoST server configured to service the requested service and bounded by a service boundary that includes the location included in the request;

retrieving code for retrieving an identifier of the identified authoritative LoST server; and

routing code for directly forwarding the request for the LoST service from the proxy server to the identified authoritative LoST server using the retrieved identifier, without routing through or querying any other LoST server of a plurality of LoST servers in a forest node structure.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

learning code for initially learning service boundaries of the plurality of authoritative LoST servers, including the service boundary of the identified authoritative LoST server, each of the service boundaries indicating a region for which a corresponding authoritative LoST server of the plurality of authoritative LoST servers is responsible.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

response code for receiving a response from the identified authoritative LoST server containing at least one identifier corresponding to the requested LoST service; and

routing code for directly forwarding the response to the client, without routing through any other LoST server.