Wireless internet gateway

• US 20070202897A1
• Filed: 02/01/2007
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Artax LLC (IPValuation Partners, LLC)
• Original Assignee: TeleCommunication Systems Inc (Comtech Telecommunications Corporation)
• Inventors: Smith, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,773 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/105 Multiple levels of security
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 15/61 based on the service used
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/088 using filters or firewalls
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/16 Gateway arrangements

Abstract

A wireless Internet gateway which bridges the gap between the Internet and wireless devices, e.g., via a short message service center (SMSC). The disclosed wireless Internet gateway provides a portal to SMPP, HTTP, TNPP, or other protocol messages using Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) techniques. Application servers (e.g., in communication with the Internet or an Intranet) insert RMI objects containing messages in a message queue handler of the wireless Internet gateway. The RMI objects are queued and passed either directly to a destination delivery handler (e.g., SMPP, SMTP, HTTP or TNPP protocol handler), or passed through a generic destination interface to provide an additional layer of abstraction to simplify development of the support of other destination protocols. An SMTP handler may be integrated into the wireless Internet gateway to provide direct communication of SMTP protocol messages (i.e., e-mail) to the message queue. An SMPP link proxy module may be implemented to provide direct access between a local application server and the destination delivery handler. The SMPP link proxy module is particularly useful in the direction from the wireless network to the application server. From the generic destination interface the messages are packaged into relevant messages of the particular destination protocol (e.g., SMPP), and transmitted to the relevant network element (e.g., to an SMSC). The disclosed wireless Internet gateway is flexible in that it is easily developed to support any input protocol (using RMI techniques with a relevant application server providing the particular input protocol), and any output protocol developed to package messages from RMI message objects passed to a generic destination interface into the particular output protocol.

Claims

1. A wireless Internet gateway, comprising:

a Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) handler;

a destination handler; and

a message handler between said RMI handler and said destination handler;

wherein RMI objects are inserted in said message handler by an application server in communication with said RMI handler.

2. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, wherein:

said destination handler utilizes SMPP protocols.

3. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, wherein:

said destination handler utilizes HTTP protocols.

4. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, wherein:

said destination handler utilizes TNPP protocols.

5. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, further comprising:

an SMPP link proxy module providing direct communication between an application server and said destination handler.

6. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, further comprising:

a message queue;

wherein messages contained in RMI objects in said message handler are queued for transmission to a destination in said message queue.

7. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, further comprising:

a generic destination interface between said message queue and said destination handler.

8. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, further comprising:

a chat server in communication with said RMI handler.

9. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, further comprising:

an e-mail server in communication with said RMI handler.

10. The wireless Internet gateway according to claim 1, further comprising:

an SMTP handler in communication with said handler.

11. A wireless Internet gateway, comprising:

a Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI) handler;

an SMPP delivery handler; and

a message handler between said RMI handler and said SMPP delivery handler;

wherein RMI objects are inserted in said message handler by an application server in communication with said RMI handler, directed to said SMPP delivery handler for delivery to a wireless device using SMPP protocols.

12. A method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet, comprising:

accepting an RMI object from an application server in communication with the Internet;

extracting a short message from said RMI object; and

passing said short message to a destination handler for transmission to said wireless network.

13. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 12, further comprising:

monitoring short messages relating to a particular destination subscriber for billing purposes based on a number of short messages communicated with said destination subscriber.

14. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, wherein said step of passing comprises:

passing said short message to a generic protocol destination interface; and

passing said short message from said generic protocol destination to said destination handler.

15. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, further comprising:

adding a parameter to said short message in a wireless Internet gateway.

16. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, wherein said added parameter comprises:

a message priority level.

17. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, wherein said added parameter comprises:

a callback number.

18. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, wherein said added parameter comprises:

a validity time.

19. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, wherein said added parameter comprises:

a delivery receipt request.

20. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, further comprising:

logging details about said short message in a messages database.

21. The method of providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 13, further comprising:

storing contents of said short message in a message cache.

22. Apparatus for providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet, comprising:

means for accepting an RMI object from an application server in communication with the Internet;

means for extracting a short message from said RMI object; and

means for passing said short message to a destination handler for transmission to said wireless network.

23. The apparatus for providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 22, wherein said means for passing comprises:

means for passing said short message to a generic protocol destination interface; and

means for passing said short message from said generic protocol destination to said destination handler.

24. The apparatus for providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for logging details about said short message in a messages database.

25. The apparatus for providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for storing contents of said short message in a message cache.

26. The apparatus for providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for receiving an e-mail message from an SMTP handler; and

means for passing said e-mail message to said destination handler for transmission to said wireless network.

27. The apparatus for providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 22, further comprising:

means for adding a parameter to said short message in a wireless Internet gateway.

28. The apparatus for providing communications between a wireless network and the Internet according to claim 22, wherein said means for adding a parameter adds at least one of:

a message priority level;

a callback number;

a validity time; and

a delivery receipt request.

29. A method of providing an encrypted license to a system user, comprising:

establishing at least one adjustable parameter having a maximum range for said system;

encrypting a license file with an enablement of said adjustable parameter; and

limiting a range of said adjustable parameter using said encrypted license file, within said maximum range based on a level of use granted to said system user.

30. The method of providing an encrypted license to a system user according to claim 29, wherein:

said system is a wireless Internet gateway.

31. Apparatus for providing an encrypted license to a system user, comprising:

means for establishing at least one adjustable parameter having a maximum range for said system;

means for encrypting a license file with an enablement of said adjustable parameter; and

means for limiting a range of said adjustable parameter using said encrypted license file, within said maximum range based on a level of use granted to said system user.

32. The apparatus for providing an encrypted license to a system user according to claim 31, wherein:

said system is a wireless Internet gateway.