System and method for accessing a device having an assigned network address

• US 8,924,556 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Hershko, Yuval Corey, Strauss, Nir
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Hee Soo
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIU, HO T
• Application Number:
  US13/415,581
• Publication Number:
  US 20130067084A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/65 Telephone numbers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/106 across networks, e.g. mapping telephone numbers to data network addresses
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2589 over a relay server, e.g. traversal using relay for network address translation [TURN]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/5076 Update or notification mechanisms, e.g. DynDNS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams

Abstract

A communications system includes a mobile computing device having a dynamic address and mobile web server software. A network web server has a portal web page at which a web client can reliably and consistently establish an internet connection. In response to receiving a request from the web client to access the mobile computing device, the network web server re-routes the web client from a static address of the network web server to the assigned address of the mobile computing device. The mobile computing device repeatedly registers the current version of its address with the network web server. The mobile computing device, network web server and web client are commercially available, off-the-shelf components that require only targeted configuration changes to perform the disclosed re-routing operations.

Claims

1. A method of accessing a device having an assigned address, comprising:

storing the assigned address in a memory location;

receiving at a portal web page a request to access the device, wherein the request to access the device is based on authorization data received from a user at the portal web page;

said request comprising a device identifier, received via the portal web page, that uniquely identifies the device; and

in response to said request to access the device, identifying the device'"'"'s stored address based on said device identifier, and re-routing a sender of said request from said portal to said stored address.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

said assigned address comprises a dynamically assigned address; and

receiving and storing in said memory location an updated dynamically assigned address.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said device identifier comprises a telephone number, a Mobile ID Number, an International Mobile Subscriber Identity or an International Mobile Equipment Identity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein:

said portal comprises a web server having a static address; and

said web server comprises a commercially available, off-the-shelf and substantially non-proprietary web server.

5. The method of claim 2 wherein:

said device comprises a mobile device having web server software; and

said re-routing leads to a client-server session between said sender and said device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said re-routing comprises the use of:

three-digit HTTP status codes in the series of status codes starting with the numeral 3;

web browser client-side scripting;

an HTML Frame and specifying a frame source to be a new page;

an HTTP “

refresh”

header;

or

an HTML meta tag for refresh.

7. A method comprising:

receiving at a device an assigned address that identifies a virtual location of said device on a network;

transmitting said received assigned address to a portal that receives a request to access said device from a web client, wherein the request to access the device is based on authorization data received from a user at a portal web page;

said request comprising a device identifier, received via the portal web page, that uniquely identifies said device; and

delivering data from said device to said web client over a communication link established by said portal re-routing said web client from said portal to said device based on said assigned address.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

said assigned address comprises a dynamically assigned address; and

transmitting to said portal an updated assigned address in response to it changing.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein:

said device comprises a mobile device having web server software; and

said re-routing leads to a client-server session between said web client and said device.

10. An apparatus for routing to a device, the apparatus comprising:

a server that receives an address assigned to the device and stores said assigned address in a memory location;

said server including a portal web page that receives requests to access the device, said requests being based on authorization data received from a user at the portal web page;

said requests comprising a device identifier, received via the portal web page, that uniquely identifies the device; and

said server in response to said request to access the device, identifying the device'"'"'s stored address based on said device identifier, and re-routing a sender of said request from said portal web page to said stored assigned address.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:

said assigned address comprises a dynamically assigned address; and

said server receives and stores in said memory location an updated assigned address.

12. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein said portal web page has a static address.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:

the device comprises a mobile device having web server software; and

said re-routing leads to a client server session between said sender and said device.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein:

said server comprises an off-the-shelf, commercially available and substantially non-proprietary web server having web server software; and

said off-the-shelf web server software is configured to identify the device'"'"'s stored address based on said device identifier, and re-route a sender of said request from said portal web page to said stored assigned address.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a device that receives an assigned address identifying a virtual location of said device on a network;

said device comprising off-the-shelf, commercially available and substantially non-proprietary mobile web server software configured to transmit said assigned address to a portal having a web page that receives requests to access said device from a web client, said requests to access said device being based on authorization data received from a user at the web page;

said requests comprising a device identifier, received via the web page, that uniquely identifies said device; and

said off-the-shelf mobile web server software further configured to deliver data from said device to said web client over a communication link established by said portal re-routing said web client from said portal web page to said device based on said assigned address.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said off-the-shelf mobile web server software is further configured to transmit to said portal an update of said assigned address in response to said assigned address changing.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein said off-the-shelf mobile web server software is further configured to:

associate said device identifier with said assigned address; and

transmit said device identifier and said assigned address to said portal.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein said communication link comprises a client-server session.