Communication over selected part of a network

• US 20040264461A1
• Filed: 05/27/2004
• Published: 12/30/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Motorola Mobility LLC (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lach, Hong-Yon, Janneteau, Christophe
• Granted Patent: US 8,599,848 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• 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 of, and apparatus for, communication of datagrams over a network comprising sub-networks (1 to 5) served by respective sub-network servers (7 to 11) from a sender terminal (15), especially a mobile terminal communicating over a wireless link, and a plurality of destination terminals (12 to 19) served by a plurality of said sub-networks (1 to 5), in which the datagrams are routed using destination identifications contained in the datagrams. A sub-network grouping server (20) selects a plurality of the sub-network servers (1,4) and provides communication of datagrams between the sender terminal (15) and destination terminals (12, 13, 16) within the corresponding selected sub-networks (1,4) the selection being made according to criteria, such as geographic position, chosen as a function of information derived from the sender terminal (15) without the individual destination identifications of the destination terminals (12 to 19) being specified by the sender terminal (15).

Claims

1. A method of communication of datagrams over a network comprising sub-networks from a sender terminal to a plurality of destination terminals served by a plurality of said sub-networks, in which the datagrams are routed using destination identifications contained in the datagrams,

characterised in that sub-network servers send messages to respective ones of said sub-networks, and a sub-network grouping server selects a plurality of said sub-network servers and provides communication of regional broadcast datagrams from said sender terminal through said selected sub-network servers to destination terminals within the corresponding selected sub-networks, said regional broadcast datagrams being sent from said sender terminal to said sub-network grouping server by unicast transmission, and said grouping server making the selection of said sub-network servers according to criteria 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.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sub-network servers are directly connected in the respective sub-networks.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least said sender terminal is mobile.

4. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least said sender terminal communicates with said network by wireless communication.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information derived from said sender terminal for selection of said sub-network servers 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.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said information derived from said sender terminal for selection of said sub-network servers is contained in datagrams sent by said sender terminal.

7. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said sub-networks are geographically restricted and said criteria include the geographical positioning of said sub-networks relative to respective geographical regions.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein said information derived from said sender terminal for selection of said sub-network servers includes the identity of a sub-network server serving the communication access point of said sender terminal to said network and said selected sub-networks are chosen in the geographical vicinity of said sub-network server serving the communication access point of said sender terminal.

9. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said datagrams are addressed to all of said destination terminals served by said selected sub-network servers.

10. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said datagrams are routed using an Internet protocol.

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 datagrams being routed using destination identifications contained in the datagrams,

characterised in that said apparatus comprises sub-network servers for sending messages to respective ones of said sub-networks and a sub-network grouping server for selecting a plurality of said sub-network servers and for providing communication of regional broadcast datagrams from said sender terminal to 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 grouping server making the selection of said sub-network servers according to criteria 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-network servers 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-network servers 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 claims 11, wherein said datagrams are addressed to all of said destination terminals served by said selected sub-network servers.

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