Using a mobile phone to remotely control a computer via an overlay network

• US 20070124406A1
• Filed: 11/30/2005
• Published: 05/31/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Qian, Liu, Yunxin, Zhou, Junfeng
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/209
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances

Abstract

Systems and methods are described for using a mobile phone to remotely control a computing device. In one implementation, a communication channel between the mobile phone and the computing device uses an overlay network, such as an instant messaging (IM) service, to exchange communication data packets. An exemplary system includes a flexible layered architecture—which allows tailoring the system for remote control of various applications using various network configurations. Based on the overlay protocol used, a transport protocol layer can provide helpful application programming interfaces (APIs). On top of the transport protocol layer, a remote control protocol defines a framework for packet exchange of extensible commands, customizable for remote control of diverse applications. Use of paired-key encryption, IM accounts, and buddy lists ensure that communications between mobile phone and remote computer are secure.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

establishing a communication channel between a mobile phone and a computer via an overlay network; and

controlling multiple applications on the computing device via the mobile phone.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein establishing the communication channel includes establishing a transport protocol that uses the overlay network for exchanging data between the mobile phone and the computer.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein establishing the communication channel includes establishing the transport protocol to include Winsock-like application programming interfaces (APIs).

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the overlay network comprises an instant messaging (IM) service and the transport protocol uses IM accounts to identify the mobile phone and the computer.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein establishing the communication channel includes establishing the transport protocol, wherein the transport protocol applies public-private key pairs to ensure a secured communication.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein establishing the communication channel includes establishing a control protocol that interfaces with a transport protocol established to use the overlay network for exchanging data between the mobile phone and the computer, wherein the control protocol specifies a packet format for exchanging extensible commands between the mobile phone and the computer.

7. The method as recited in claim 6, further comprising establishing application managers, each application manager to send application-specific commands from the mobile phone via the control protocol.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein establishing the communication channel between the mobile phone and the computer includes providing for logging on to respective accounts of the overlay network for each of the mobile phone and the computer.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising securing communications on the communication channel by establishing a buddy list of the overlay network, wherein data from a mobile phone account that is not on the buddy list is disregarded.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising securing communications on the communication channel by encrypting data exchanged between the mobile phone and the computer.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the applications on the computer to be controlled by the mobile phone include at least one of a file managing application, an email application, a multimedia recording application, a camera monitoring application, or a document printing application.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein establishing the communication channel includes establishing a physical communication link between the mobile phone and the overlay network using a first communications protocol and establishing a physical communication link between the computer and the overlay network using a second communications protocol.

13. A system, comprising:

a mobile phone capable of communicatively coupling with the Internet;

a computer capable of communicatively coupling with the Internet;

remote interaction engines in the mobile phone and the computer; and

wherein each remote interaction engine possesses a layered architecture for enabling the mobile phone to control applications on the computer via an overlay network communicatively coupled with the Internet.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the layered architecture includes a physical connection layer, an overlay protocol layer, a transport protocol layer, a control protocol layer, and an applications layer.

15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the layered architecture includes a transport protocol layer that is based on an overlay protocol layer and that allows connectivity between the mobile phone and the computer even when network address translation (NAT) and a firewall are present.

16. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the remote interaction engine includes a communications stack, including a physical transport manager, an overlay protocol engine, a transport protocol engine, a remote control protocol engine, an applications adapter, and a security engine.

17. The system as recited in claim 16, wherein the remote control protocol engine includes a set of extensible commands and a packet formatter.

18. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the mobile phone controls applications on the computer using data packets sent via the overlay network, wherein each data packet has at least a command field and a transaction identifier field, the command field to include a command for controlling one of the applications on the computer, and the transaction identifier field to match responses from the computer with commands sent from the mobile phone.

19. A user interface for a mobile phone, comprising:

a menu to display a selectable indicator for each of multiple applications on a remote computer available for remote control by the mobile phone via an overlay network; and

a submenu for each of the multiple applications, each submenu being displayed when the indicator for the corresponding application is selected on the menu, wherein each submenu includes commands that are selectable for remotely controlling the corresponding application on the computer.

20. The user interface for a mobile phone as recited in claim 19, wherein the menu and the submenus provide remote control of one or more applications on the computer, the applications selected from the group of applications consisting of:

a file management application, an email application, a multimedia recording application, a camera monitoring application, and a document printing application.