Wireless network gateway and method for providing same

• US 6,249,516 B1
• Filed: 01/27/2000
• Issued: 06/19/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IP Co., LLC (Ideahub, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Communique Wireless, LLC
• Inventors: Brownrigg, Edwin B., Wilson, Thomas W.
• Primary Examiner(s): VU, HUY DUY
• Application Number:
  US09/492,930
• Time in Patent Office: 509 Days
• Field of Search: 370/338, 370/349, 370/352, 370/353, 370/354, 370/355, 370/356, 370/400, 370/401, 370/466, 370/467, 370/328, 370/351, 370/241, 455/11.1
• US Class Current: 370/338
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/122 by minimising distances, e.g. by selecting a route with minimum of number of hops
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/248 Connectivity information update
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/34 Modification of an existing route

Abstract

A wireless network system includes a server having a server controller and a server radio modem, and a number of clients each including a client controller and a client radio modem. The server controller implements a server process that includes the receipt and the transmission of data packets via the radio modem. The client controllers of each of the clients implements a client process that includes the receipt and transmission of data packets via the client radio modem. The client process of each of the clients initiates, selects, and maintains a radio transmission path to the server that is either a direct path to the server, or is an indirect path or “link” to the server through at least one of the remainder of the clients. A method for providing wireless network communication includes providing a server implementing a server process including receiving data packets via a radio modem, sending data packets via the server radio modem, communicating with the network, and performing housekeeping functions, and further includes providing a number of clients, each implementing a client process sending and receiving data packets via a client radio modem, maintaining a send/receive data buffer, and selecting a radio transmission path to the server. The radio transmission path or “link” is either a direct path to the server, or an indirect path to the server through at least one of the remainder of the clients. The process preferably optimizes the link to minimize the number of “hops” to the server.

Claims

1. A server providing a gateway between two networks, where at least one of the two networks is a wireless network, said server comprising:

a radio modem capable of communicating with a first network that operates, at least in part, by wireless communication;

a network interface capable of communicating with a second network; and

a digital controller coupled to said radio modem and to said network interface, said digital controller communicating with said first network via said radio modem and communicating with said second network via said network interface, said digital controller passing data packets received from said first network that are destined for said second network to said second network, and passing data packets received from said second network that are destined for said first network to said first network, said digital controller maintaining a map of data packet transmission paths of a plurality of clients of said first network, where a transmission path of a client of said first network to said server can be through one or more of other clients of said first network;

wherein said digital controller changes the transmission paths of clients to optimize the transmission paths including changing the transmission path from the client to the gateway so that the path to the gateway is chosen from the group consisting essentially of the path to the gateway through the least possible number of additional clients, the path to the gateway through the most robust additional clients, the path to the gateway through the clients with the least amount of traffic, and the path to the gateway through the fastest clients.

2. A server as recited in claim 1, wherein the second network is a TCP/IP protocol network.

3. A server as recited in claim 1, wherein the network interface is a router.

4. A server as recited in claim 1, wherein the digital controller translates data packets received from the second network and destined for the first network into a format used by the first network, and the digital controller translates data packets received from the first network and destined for the second network into a format used by the second network.

5. A server as recited in claim 2:

wherein the digital controller receives data packets from the TCP/IP protocol network destined for a client of the first network, adds a header that includes an address of the client of the first network and a data transmission path to the client of the first network, adds a indicator of the type of data associated with the packet, and transmits the packet via the radio modem with the header and the indicator; and

wherein the digital controller receives data packets from the first network destined for the TCP/IP protocol network, converts the data packets into TCP/IP format, and sends the TCP/IP format data packet to an IP address on the TCP/IP protocol network.

6. A server providing a gateway between a wireless network and a second network comprising:

means for receiving a data packet from a client of said wireless network, means for converting said data packet to a format used in said second network, and means for sending said data packet to a proper location on said second network; and

means for receiving a data packet from said second network, means for converting said data packet to a format used in said wireless network, and means for transmitting said data packet with said header to a client of said wireless network; and

means for changing the transmission paths of clients to optimize the transmission paths includes changing the transmission path from the client to the gateway so that the path to the gateway is chosen from the group consisting essentially of the path to the gateway through the least possible number of additional clients, the path to the gateway through the most robust additional clients, the path to the gateway through the clients with the least amount of traffic, and the path to the gateway through the fastest clients.

7. A server as recited in claim 6:

wherein the second network is a TCP/IP protocol network;

wherein the means for converting the data packet to a format used in a second network is a means for converting the data packet to a TCP/IP format if it is destined for an IP address on a TCP/IP protocol network;

wherein the means for sending the data packet to a proper location on the second network is a means for sending the TCP/IP format data packet to the IP address on the TCP/IP protocol network; and

wherein the means for receiving a data packet from the second network is a means for receiving a data packet from the TCP/IP protocol network.

8. A server as recited in claim 6, wherein the means for converting the data packet to a format used in the wireless network includes means for adding a header to the packet including a reverse link and a data packet type if the data packet is destined for a client of the wireless network, the reverse link being one of a direct link to the client and an indirect link to the client through one or more other clients of the wireless network, and means for transmitting the data packet with the header to a client of the wireless network.

9. A server as recited in claim 7, wherein the means for converting the data packet to a format used in the wireless network includes means for adding a header to the packet including a reverse link and a data packet type if the data packet is destined for a client of the wireless network, the reverse link being one of a direct link to the client and an indirect link to the client through one or more other clients of the wireless network, and means for transmitting the data packet with the header to a client of the wireless network.

10. A method providing a gateway between a wireless network and a second network comprising:

receiving a data packet from a client of said wireless network, converting said data packet to a proper format for said second network, and sending said data packet to said second network; and

receiving a data packet from said second network, adding a header to said packet including a reverse link and a data packet type if said data packet is destined for a client of said wireless network, said reverse link being one of a direct link to said client and an indirect link to said client through one or more other clients of said network, and transmitting said data packet with said header; and

changing the transmission paths of clients to optimize the transmission paths including changing the transmission path from the client to the gateway so that the path to the gateway is chosen from the group consisting essentially of the path to the gateway through the least possible number of additional clients, the path to the gateway through the most robust additional clients, the path to the gateway through the clients with the least amount of traffic, and the path to the gateway through the fastest clients.

11. A method as recited in claim 10:

wherein the second network is a TCP/IP protocol network;

wherein the data packet received from a client of a wireless network is converted to a TCP/IP format if it is destined for an IP address on a TCP/IP protocol network, and the TCP/IP format data packet is sent to the IP address on the TCP/IP protocol network; and

wherein the data packet received from the second network is received from the TCP/IP protocol network.

12. A method as recited in claim 10 wherein converting the data packet to a proper format for the second network includes removing the header from the packet, including the reverse link and data packet type.

13. A method as recited in claim 10 further comprising maintaining a map of data packet transmission paths of a plurality of clients of the wireless network, where a transmission path of a client of the wireless network to the server can be through one or more other clients of the first network.

14. A method as recited in claim 13, further comprising dynamically updating the map of data packet transmission paths to optimize the data packet transmission paths of the clients.

15. A gateway between at least two networks, where at least one of the two networks is a wireless network, the gateway comprising:

a first interface capable of communicating with a first network that operates, at least in part, by wireless communication, and includes at least one client;

a second interface capable of communicating with a second network; and

a digital controller coupled to the first interface and the second interface, the digital controller capable of communicating with the first network via the first interface and communicating with the second network via the second interface, the digital controller maintaining a map of transmission paths of the first network, where the transmission path of a client to the gateway can be directly from the client to the gateway or indirectly to the gateway through one or more of other clients of the first network, the digital controller sending the map of transmission paths to any client that requests the map, the digital controller dynamically updating the map of transmission paths, adding and removing clients and changing the transmission paths of clients to optimize the transmission paths;

wherein said digital controller changes the transmission paths of clients to optimize the transmission paths including changing the transmission path from the client to the gateway so that the path to the gateway is chosen from the group consisting essentially of the path to the gateway through the least possible number of additional clients, the path to the gateway through the most robust additional clients, the path to the gateway through the clients with the least amount of traffic, and the path to the gateway through the fastest clients.

16. The gateway of claim 15:

wherein when the gateway receives information from the first network that is destined for the second network, the gateway translates the information received from the first network into a format used in the second network if necessary, and sends the information from the first network destined for the second network to the second network; and

wherein when the gateway receives information from the second network that is destined for the first network, the gateway translates the information received from the second network into a format used in the first network if necessary, and sends the information from the second network destined for the first network to the first network.

17. The gateway of claim 16, wherein translating the information received from the second network into a format used in the first network includes adding a header that includes an address of a destination client of the first network and the transmission path to the destination client of the first network.

18. The gateway of claim 16, wherein the second network is a TCP/IP protocol network, and the information received from the first network, the information sent to the first network, the information sent to the second network, and the information received from the second network are in the form of data packets.

19. The gateway of claim 15, wherein changing the transmission paths of clients to optimize the transmission paths includes adding a new client of the first network to the map as the new client becomes active, removing a client of the first network from the map if the client becomes inactive.