On-demand network connection

• US 8,856,348 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2009
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Piccinini, Sandro, Pichetti, Luigi, Secchi, Marco, Sidoti, Stefano
• Primary Examiner(s): Gorney, Boris
• Application Number:
  US12/348,347
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174816A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,101 Days
• Field of Search: 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2859 Point-to-point connection between the data network and the subscribers encapsulation H04L12/4633; virtual LANs H04L12/4641; routing of packets H04L45/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2896 Distributed processing, e.g. on line cards

Abstract

An on-demand network connection for a remote user is provided. Responsive to a failure to receive an electronic communication via an established network connection, a remote user device receives a connection request that indicates that the on-demand network connection is to be established. Responsive to receiving the connection request, the on-demand network connection is established from the remote user device to a network. Then, the electronic communication is received on the remote user device via the on-demand network connection.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for establishing an on-demand network connection for a remote user, the method comprising:

responsive to a contacting user device being unable to send an electronic communication to a remote user device directly over a network, receiving, by an instrumented server, a notification from the contacting user device to have the remote user device establish the on-demand network connection to the network in order to send the electronic communication;

responsive to receiving the notification, determining, by the instrumented server, whether the remote user device is reachable on-demand;

responsive to the remote user device being reachable on-demand, determining, by the instrumented server, whether the electronic communication from the contacting user device meets a set of requirements for establishing the on-demand-network; and

responsive to the notification meeting the set of requirements, sending, by the instrumented server, a connection request to the remote user device indicating that the on-demand network connection to the network is to be established, wherein, upon

receiving the connection request, the remote user device establishes the on-demand network connection from the remote user device to the network and receives the electronic communication via the on-demand network connection to the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-demand network connection is established automatically by the remote user device in response to receiving the connection request.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the on-demand network connection is established after the remote user device displays the notification to a remote user that indicates that the on-demand network connection needs to be established and the remote user acknowledges the notification.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection request is received directly by the remote user device that is capable of establishing the on-demand network connection.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection request is received by a relay device that is not capable of establishing the on-demand network connection and wherein the relay device forwards the connection request to the remote user device that is capable of establishing the on-demand network connection.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection request is received in response to a remote user of the remote user device providing an indication that the remote user is reachable on-demand.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of requirements are set by a remote user of the remote user device and wherein the set of requirements comprise at least one of:

the electronic communication originating from a list of contacting users, the electronic communication meets a predetermined level of urgency, the electronic communication is received within a predetermined time period, or the electronic communication includes a file with a pre-identified name.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining, by the remote user device, whether the on-demand network connection to the network has been idle for a predetermined amount of time; and

responsive to the on-demand network connection being idle for the predetermined amount of time, closing, by the remote user device, the on-demand network connection to the network.

9. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable medium having a computer readable program recorded thereon, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

responsive to a contacting user device being unable to send an electronic communication to a remote user device directly over a network, receiving a notification to have the remote user device establish the on-demand network connection to the network in order to send the electronic communication;

responsive to receiving the notification, determine whether the remote user device is reachable on-demand;

responsive to the remote user device being reachable on-demand, determine whether the electronic communication from the contacting user device meets a set of requirements for establishing the on-demand-network; and

responsive to the notification meeting the set of requirements, send a connection request to the remote user device indicating that the on-demand network connection to the network is to be established, wherein, upon

receiving the connection request, the remote device establishes the on-demand network connection from the remote user device to the network and receives the electronic communication on the remote user device via the on-demand network connection to the network.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the on-demand network connection is established either automatically by the remote user device in response to receiving the connection request or after the remote user device displays the notification to a remote user that indicates that the on-demand network connection needs to be established and the remote user acknowledges the notification.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the connection request is received directly by the remote user device that is capable of establishing the on-demand network connection.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the connection request is received by a relay device that is not capable of establishing the on-demand network connection and wherein the relay device forwards the connection request to the remote user device that is capable of establishing the on-demand network connection.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the connection request is received in response to a remote user of the remote user device providing an indication that the remote user is reachable on-demand, wherein the set of requirements are set by a remote user of the remote user device, and wherein the set of requirements comprise at least one of:

the electronic communication originating from a list of contacting users, the electronic communication meets a predetermined level of urgency, the electronic communication is received within a predetermined time period, or the electronic communication includes a file with a pre-identified name.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the computer readable program further causes the computing device to:

determine whether the on-demand network connection to the network has been idle for a predetermined amount of time; and

responsive to the on-demand network connection being idle for the predetermined amount of time, close the on-demand network connection to the network.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

responsive to a contacting user device being unable to send an electronic communication to a remote user device directly over a network, receiving a notification to have the remote user device establish the on-demand network connection to the network in order to send the electronic communication;

responsive to receiving the notification, determine whether the remote user device is reachable on-demand;

responsive to the remote user device being reachable on-demand, determine whether the electronic communication from the contacting user device meets a set of requirements for establishing the on-demand-network; and

responsive to the notification meeting the set of requirements, send a connection request to the remote user device indicating that the on-demand network connection to the network is to be established, wherein, upon

receiving the connection request, the remote device establishes the on-demand network connection from the remote user device to the network and receives the electronic communication on the remote user device via the on-demand network connection to the network.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the on-demand network connection is established either automatically by the remote user device in response to receiving the connection request or after the remote user device displays the notification to a remote user that indicates that the on-demand network connection needs to be established and the remote user acknowledges the notification.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the connection request is received directly by the remote user device that is capable of establishing the on-demand network connection.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the connection request is received by a relay device that is not capable of establishing the on-demand network connection and wherein the relay device forwards the connection request to the remote user device that is capable of establishing the on-demand network connection.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the connection request is received in response to a remote user of the remote user device providing an indication that the remote user is reachable on-demand, wherein the set of requirements are set by a remote user of the remote user device, and wherein the set of requirements comprise at least one of:

the electronic communication originating from a list of contacting users, the electronic communication meets a predetermined level of urgency, the electronic communication is received within a predetermined time period, or the electronic communication includes a file with a pre-identified name.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether the on-demand network connection to the network has been idle for a predetermined amount of time; and

responsive to the on-demand network connection being idle for the predetermined amount of time, close the on-demand network connection to the network.