Method and apparatus for requesting and retrieving information from a source computer using terrestrial and satellite interfaces

• US 6,016,388 A
• Filed: 05/06/1998
• Issued: 01/18/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation (Rtx Corporation)
• Inventors: Dillon, Douglas M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Daniel H.
• Application Number:
  US09/072,992
• Time in Patent Office: 622 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.31, 395/705, 395/200.33, 395/200.79, 395/800.03, 395/800.06, 395/563, 395/200.54, 395/200.69, 395/3, 395/187.01, 395/200.32 , 395/200.72, 395/200.66, 395/200.61, 395/200.68, 395/200.63, 711/202, 379/106.01, 379/361, 379/67, 455/420.62, 455/38.1, 370/404, 370/406, 370/316, 370/320, 370/472, 370/401, 370/426, 370/255, 370/422, 364/DIG. 1, 364/DIG. 2, 358/407
• US Class Current: 709/242
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18582 Arrangements for data linking, i.e. for data framing, for error recovery, for multiple access
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18584 Arrangements for data networking, i.e. for data packet routing, for congestion control data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18591 Arrangements for interconnecting multiple systems data switching networks H04L12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2856 Access arrangements, e.g. Internet access asynchronous transfer mode networks H04L12/5601; broadband local area networks H04L12/2801; optical access or distribution networks H04Q11/0067; access to open networks H04L12/5691; digital subscriber line end-user equipment and bit-level processing of data on a PSTN-based network H04M11/00; home network gateways H04L12/2834; wireless access networks H04W
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2898 Subscriber equipments DSL modems H04M11/062; cable modems H04L12/2801
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2212/00 Encapsulation of packets
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/745 Reaction in network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/803 Application aware
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/824 Applicable to portable or mobile terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/825 Involving tunnels, e.g. MPLS
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/829 Topology based
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/10 of different types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/163 In-band adaptation of TCP data exchange; In-band control procedures
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/168 : specially adapted for link layer protocols, e.g. asynchronous transfer mode [ATM], synchronous optical network [SONET] or point-to-point protocol [PPP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols

Abstract

A system in which a personal computer sends messages into a network such as a TCP/IP network using a conventional dial-up link and downloads data from the TCP/IP network using a high-speed one-way satellite link. A preferred embodiment uses a conventional SLIP provider to connect to the TCP/IP network and uses a commercial software TCP/IP package that has a standard driver interface. A spoofing protocol compensates for the long propagation delays inherent to satellite communication.

Claims

1. A device for use with an apparatus comprising (a) a port for connecting the apparatus to the internet via a modem and an internet service provider, wherein the apparatus has an IP address which is associated with connection to the internet via the port, (b) an interface for connecting the apparatus to a link having a higher speed than the modem, wherein the apparatus has another IP address which is associated with the interface, and (c) means for generating a request from the apparatus to a destination apparatus on the internet, the request comprising an IP packet wherein the source IP address is the IP address associated with the interface and the destination IP address is the IP address of the destination apparatus on the internet, said device comprising:

a driver for encapsulating the IP packet of the request in an encapsulating IP packet wherein the source IP address is the IP address associated with connection to the internet via the port and the destination address is the IP address of a gateway apparatus which is coupled with both the internet and the link, and for transmitting the encapsulating IP packet to the gateway apparatus by way of the port and the internet service provider, wherein the gateway apparatus unencapsulates the IP packet of the request from the encapsulating IP packet and transmits the IP packet of the request to the destination apparatus on the internet which replies to the IP address associated with the interface via the gateway apparatus and the link.

2. A device according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus communicates with the internet service provider via the port and the modem using SLIP or PPP.

3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said driver receives the request in the form of an Ethernet packet.

4. A device according to claim 3, wherein said driver comprises means for extracting the IP packet of the request from the Ethernet packet.

5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said driver comprises means for identifying itself as an Ethernet device.

6. A device according to claim 1, wherein said driver processes packets from the interface using a TCP/IP maximum transmission unit that is larger than that used by said driver to send packets to the internet service provider via the port.

7. A device according to claim 1, wherein the port is a serial port.

8. A device according to claim 1, wherein the request comprises a request selected from the group consisting of an FTP request, an internet browser request, and an internet news request.

9. A device according to claim 1, wherein when the destination apparatus on the internet replies to the IP address associated with the interface via the gateway apparatus and the link, the gateway apparatus responds to an address resolution protocol request for the IP address of the interface and forwards reply packets from the destination apparatus to the interface of the apparatus via the link.

10. A device according to claim 1, wherein the interface is coupled to a satellite receiver.

11. A device according to claim 1, wherein the IP address associated with connection to the internet via the port is assigned by the internet service provider.

12. A device according to claim 1, wherein said apparatus further comprises scanning means for scanning packets received from the interface to identify packets addressed to the IP address associated with the interface.

13. A device according to claim 12, wherein the scanning means passes the identified packets to said driver.

14. A device according to claim 1, wherein said driver encapsulates the IP packet of the request into the data area of the encapsulating IP packet.

15. A device according to claim 1, wherein the IP addresses of the gateway apparatus and the destination apparatus are different IP addresses.

16. A method for use with an apparatus comprising (a) a port for connecting the apparatus to the internet via a modem and an internet service provider, wherein the apparatus has an IP address which is associated with connection to the internet via the port, and (b) an interface for connecting the apparatus to a link having a higher speed than the modem, wherein the apparatus has another IP address which is associated with the interface, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the apparatus to be transmitted to a destination apparatus on the internet, the request comprising an IP packet wherein the source IP address is the IP address associated with the interface and the destination IP address is the IP address of the destination apparatus on the internet; and

encapsulating the IP packet of the request in an encapsulating IP packet wherein the source IP address is the IP address associated with connection to the internet via the port and the destination address is the IP address of a gateway apparatus which is coupled with both the internet and the link, and transmitting the encapsulating IP packet to the gateway apparatus by way of the port and the internet service provider, wherein the gateway apparatus encapsulates the IP packet of the request from the encapsulating IP packet and transmits the IP packet of the request to the destination apparatus on the internet which replies to the IP address associated with the interface via the gateway apparatus and the link.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the apparatus communicates with the internet service provider via the port and the modem using SLIP or PPP.

18. A method according to claim 16, further comprising the step of extracting the IP packet of the request from an Ethernet packet.

19. A method according to claim 16, wherein the request comprises a request selected from the group consisting of an FTP request, an internet browser request, and an internet news request.

20. A medium for storing a computer-executable program for use with an apparatus, the apparatus comprising (a) a port for connecting the apparatus to the internet via a modem and an internet service provider, wherein the apparatus has an IP address which is associated with connection to the internet via the port, and (b) an interface for connecting the apparatus to a link having a higher speed than the modem, wherein the apparatus has another IP address which is associated with the interface, the computer-executable program effecting a process comprising the steps of:

receiving a request from the apparatus to be transmitted to a destination apparatus on the internet, the request comprising an IP packet wherein the source IP address is the IP address associated with the interface and the destination IP address is the IP address of the destination apparatus on the internet; and

encapsulating the IP packet of the request in an encapsulating IP packet wherein the source IP address is the IP address associated with connection to the internet via the port and the destination address is the IP address of a gateway apparatus which is coupled with both the internet and the link, and transmitting the encapsulating IP packet to the gateway apparatus by way of the port and the internet service provider, wherein the gateway apparatus unencapsulates the IP packet of the request from the encapsulating IP packet and transmits the IP packet of the request to the destination apparatus on the internet which replies to the IP address associated with the interface via the gateway apparatus and the link.