Location-aware service proxies in a short-range wireless environment

• US 7,224,979 B2
• Filed: 05/03/2001
• Issued: 05/29/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Reefedge Networks LLC (IPNav)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Singhal, Sandeep K., Neves, Richard K., Sanders, Darren M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anderson; Matthew
• Assistant Examiner(s): DAO, MINH D
• Application Number:
  US09/848,441
• Publication Number:
  US 20020164952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/456.1, 455/456.3, 455/456.5, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/414.1, 455/414.2, 455/435.1, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/456.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/04 using association of physical positions and logical data in a dedicated environment, e.g. buildings or vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/33 for indoor environments, e.g. buildings
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/10 Small scale networks; Flat hierarchical networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A system and a method for delivering location sensitive services within a short-range wireless environment. Service proxies are employed to customize queried information and make services available according to user identity and location.

Claims

1. A system for delivering location-based services to mobile clients in a building structure using short-range wireless technology, comprising:

a plurality of short range wireless access points adapted to communicate with mobile clients;

a location registry for tracking a location of each mobile client; and

one or more location-aware service proxies adapted to receive from a mobile client a request for a location-based service and to deliver a response thereto, the response comprising location-based information provided in view of the requesting client'"'"'s location as tracked in the location registry;

wherein at least one of the location-aware service proxies is configured to;

receive a DNS request specifying a host name from a mobile client,

determine if the requested host name corresponds to a location-based service, and

responsive to a determination that the requested host name corresponds to a location-based service, return an IP address of a host of the requested host name located within the same building structure as the mobile client based on the client'"'"'s location.

2. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a module for providing communication between the location registry and each of the access points.

3. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one active client list maintained by a wireless access point and containing Medium Access Control (MAC) address for a client that is visible to the wireless access point.

4. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless access points are adapted to detect an identity of a system user.

5. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless access points are adapted to detect one or more mobile client characteristics.

6. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the location registry is configured to:

receive notification information from the wireless access points; and

maintain a list of wireless access points associated with each of the mobile clients, responsive to received notification information.

7. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more location-aware service proxies comprises at least one of:

an HTTP proxy, a WSP proxy, a DNS proxy, a message proxy and a directory proxy.

8. A system as recited in claim 7 wherein the message proxy includes means for filtering a list of current messages requested from a message server based upon a requesting client'"'"'s location.

9. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising a protocol proxy, the protocol proxy annotating content received from a particular service proxy.

10. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the location registry further comprises a query interface with which the protocol proxy can obtain location information about a mobile client.

11. A system as recited in claim 9, wherein the protocol proxy annotates the content with available services.

12. A system as recited in claim 11, wherein the available services result from a location-based filtering of an available services list.

13. A system as recited in claim 1, further comprising at least one active client list, wherein the at least one active client list is maintained by an adapter coupled to a wireless access point and containing a Medium Access Control (MAC) address for a client that is visible to the wireless access point.

14. A system as recited in claim 1 wherein each location-aware service proxy is adapted to intercept requests of a particular type.

15. A system as recited in claim 14, wherein each location-aware service proxy is further adapted to determine, from the location registry, the location of a particular client from which a particular request is intercepted.

16. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the determined location comprises a list of each of the access points with which the particular client is currently associated.

17. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the determined location comprises geographic coordinates of each of the access points with which the particular client is currently associated.

18. A system as recited in claim 15, wherein the determined location comprises a building and room number of each of the access points with which the particular client is currently associated.

19. A system as recited in claim 1, wherein each location-aware service proxy is further adapted for contacting a third-party information source to obtain information for generating the location-based information.

20. A method for delivering location-based services to a plurality of mobile clients within a building structure using short-range wireless technology, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of requests for services from mobile clients; and

providing location-aware services to the mobile clients from a plurality of location-aware service proxies, responsive to the plurality of requests;

wherein at least one of the location-aware service proxies is adapted to perform the steps of;

receiving a DNS request specifying a host name from a mobile client,

determining that the requested host name corresponds to a location-based service, and

determining an IP address of a host of the requested host name located within the same building structure as the mobile client based on the client'"'"'s location and in response to the determination that the requested host name corresponds to a location-based service.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

establishing a plurality of short-range wireless access points adapted to communicate with the mobile clients; and

providing a notification to a location registry upon detecting a mobile client on an access point.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of transmitting a reverse registration notification from the wireless access point to the location registry upon detecting a mobile client departure from the wireless access point.

23. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of transmitting register notifications from a wireless access point to the location registry at timed intervals, wherein the register notifications include a list of all mobile clients actively communicating with the wireless access point, and the location registry defines a mobile client address as unregistered when the client is not included on the active mobile client list.

24. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of maintaining an active client list associated with each access point, each active client list including MAC addresses corresponding to clients on the active client list.

25. A method as recited in claim 24, further comprising the step of adding a MAC address of a mobile client upon detection of network traffic from the mobile client.

26. A method as recited in claim 24, further comprising the step of deleting a MAC address of a mobile client upon failure to detect client traffic therewith within a predetermined time period.

27. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of transmitting notification information from the wireless access points to the location registry, the location registry maintaining a list of current access points associated with each of the mobile clients.

28. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of enhancing the functionality of an access point to identify a system user or a mobile client characteristic.

29. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of adding an access point ID to the location registry for a particular client ID upon receiving a registry notification.

30. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising the step of removing an access point ID from the location registry for a particular client ID upon receiving a reverse registry notification.

31. A method as recited in claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

monitoring requests made by the mobile clients; and

determining the quantity of time lapsed between requests of the mobile clients.

32. A method as recited in claim 31, further comprising the step of defining a mobile client departure from a wireless access point based upon said a determined time lapse.

33. A method as recited in claim 20, further comprising the step of generating responses incorporating location-based information via the location-aware service proxies.

34. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the location-aware service proxy further comprises a message proxy, and wherein the method further comprises the step of filtering a list of current messages received from a message server, based upon a client location via the message proxy.

35. A method as recited in claim 20, wherein the location-aware service proxy further comprises a protocol proxy adapted to annotate messages received from the location-aware service proxy.

36. A method as recited in claim 35, wherein at least one of the available services annotations further comprises a link to one of the available services.