Preserving socket connections over a wireless network

• US 7,664,067 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2005
• Issued: 02/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Pointer, Robey
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid; Lester
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lim; Steven
• Application Number:
  US11/305,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20090103515A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,524 Days
• Field of Search: 370216-228, 370/328, 455/63.1, 455/8
• US Class Current: 370/328
• 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 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method for maintaining a socket connection over a wireless network. For example, one embodiment of the invention is a wireless data processing device for emulating a socket connection comprising: a wireless radio for establishing a wireless communication channel with a wireless service provider over a wireless network; a network protocol stack including at least one layer configured to establish a socket connection with a remote server over the wireless network, the network protocol stack further including an application layer for executing applications capable of transmitting and receiving data over the socket connection; and a resumable socket module configured to emulate an open socket connection transparently to applications within the application layer, even when the wireless communication channel is temporarily lost, the resumable socket module counting a number of bytes transmitted or to be transmitted to the remote server and maintaining a buffer containing the bytes transmitted or to be transmitted.

Claims

1. A wireless device comprising:

a network protocol stack including at least one layer configured to establish an open socket connection with a remote server via a wireless communication channel established over a wireless network, the network protocol stack including an application layer operable to execute one or more applications configured to transmit and receive data over the open socket connection; and

a device resumable socket module configured to;

emulate the open socket connection to the one or more applications when connectivity of the wireless communication channel is lost, the open socket connection emulated via a virtual socket connection between the device resumable socket module and a service resumable socket module, the device resumable socket module including a device byte counter configured to track device transmitted data bytes to the remote server and track device received data bytes from the remote server, the service resumable socket module including a service byte counter configured to track server transmitted data bytes to the wireless device and track server received data bytes from the wireless device; and

synchronize with the service resumable socket module to resume the open socket connection when the connectivity of the wireless communication channel is reestablished, the device resumable socket module and the service resumable socket module synchronized based at least in part on;

retransmission of the device data bytes to the remote server, the device data bytes being stored in a buffer and selected for the retransmission based on the device byte counter tracking the device transmitted data bytes to the remote server, and based on the service byte counter tracking the server received data bytes from the wireless device; and

reception of the server data bytes from the remote server, the server data bytes being stored in a remote buffer and transmitted to the wireless device based on the service byte counter tracking the server transmitted data bytes to the wireless device, and based on the device byte counter tracking the device received data bytes from the remote server.

2. A wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the device resumable socket module is further configured to identify a last server transmitted data byte received by the wireless device and a last device transmitted data byte transmitted to the remote server.

3. A wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the service resumable socket module is further configured to identify a last device transmitted data byte received by the remote server and a last server transmitted data byte transmitted to the wireless device.

4. A wireless device as recited in claim 1, wherein the open socket connection is closed by the service following a period of time after the wireless communication channel is lost.

5. A wireless device as recited in claim 4, wherein the device resumable socket module is further configured to determine if the open socket connection was closed while the wireless communication channel was lost.

6. A computer implemented method comprising:

establishing a wireless communication channel with a wireless device over a wireless network;

establishing an open socket connection with a remote server over a data network on behalf of the wireless device responsive to a request to communicate with the remote server from the wireless device;

emulating the open socket connection when connectivity of the wireless communication channel is lost, the open socket connection emulated via a virtual socket connection between a device resumable socket module and a service resumable socket module, the device resumable socket module including a device byte counter configured to track device transmitted data bytes to the remote server and track device received data bytes from the remote server, the service resumable socket module including a service byte counter configured to track server transmitted data bytes to the wireless device and track server received data bytes from the wireless device; and

synchronizing with the device resumable socket module on the wireless device to resume the open socket connection when connectivity of the wireless communication channel is reestablished, the service resumable socket module and the device resumable socket module synchronized based at least in part on;

retransmission of the server data bytes to the wireless device, the server data bytes being stored in a buffer and selected for the retransmission based on the service byte counter tracking the server transmitted data bytes to the wireless device, and based on the device byte counter tracking the device received data bytes from the remote server; and

reception of the device data bytes from the wireless device, the device data bytes being stored in a device buffer and transmitted based on the device byte counter tracking the device transmitted data bytes to the remote server, and based on the service byte counter tracking the server received data bytes from the wireless device.

7. A computer implemented method as recited in claim 6, further comprising:

identifying a last server transmitted data byte received by the wireless device and a last device transmitted data byte transmitted to the remote server; and

identifying a last device transmitted data byte received by the remote server and a last server transmitted data byte transmitted to the wireless device.

8. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising instructions that are executable to implement a device resumable socket module that is configured to:

count a number of bytes transmitted to a remote server via an open socket connection established with the remote server over a wireless communication channel to identify a last byte transmitted to the remote server;

emulate the open socket connection to one or more applications of an application layer in a network protocol stack when connectivity of the wireless communication channel is lost, the open socket connection emulated via a virtual socket connection between the device resumable socket module and a service resumable socket module, the device resumable socket module including a device byte counter configured to track device transmitted data bytes to the remote server and track device received data bytes from the remote server, the service resumable socket module including a service byte counter configured to track server transmitted data bytes to the wireless device and track server received data bytes from the wireless device; and

synchronize with the service resumable socket module to resume the open socket connection when the connectivity of the wireless communication channel is reestablished, the device resumable socket module and the service resumable socket module synchronized based at least in part on;

retransmission of the device data bytes to the remote server, the device data bytes being stored in a buffer and selected for the retransmission based on the device byte counter tracking the device transmitted data bytes to the remote server, and based on the service byte counter tracking the server received data bytes from the wireless device; and

reception of the server data bytes from the remote server, the server data bytes being stored in a remote buffer and transmitted to the wireless device based on the service byte counter tracking the server transmitted data bytes to the wireless device, and based on the device byte counter tracking the device received data bytes from the remote server.

9. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the device resumable socket module is further configured to identify a last server transmitted data byte received by the wireless device and a last device transmitted data byte transmitted to the remote server.

10. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the service resumable socket module is further configured to identify a last device transmitted data byte received by the remote server and a last server transmitted data byte transmitted to the wireless device.

11. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 8, wherein the open socket module is closed by the service following a period of time after the wireless communication channel is lost.

12. One or more computer readable storage media as recited in claim 11, wherein the device resumable socket module is further configured to determine if the open socket connection was closed while the wireless communication channel was lost.