Case 4:20-cv-00306-SDJ Document 1-3 Filed 04/13/20 Page 1 of 22 PageID #: 43
`I 1111111111111111 11111 1111111111 lllll lllll 111111111111111 111111111111111111
`US008266296B2
`
`c12) United States Patent
`Dowling et al.
`
`(IO) Patent No.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 8,266,296 B2
`*Sep.11,2012
`
`(54) APPLICATION-LAYER EVALUATION OF
`COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED BY A
`MOBILE DEVICE
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors: Eric Morgan Dowling, Richardson, TX
`(US); Mark Nicholas Anastasi,
`Highland Village, TX (US)
`
`(73) Assignee: East Texas Technology Partners, LP,
`Plano, TX (US)
`
`( *) Notice:
`
`Subject to any disclaimer, the term ofthis
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 174 days.
`
`This patent is subject to a terminal dis(cid:173)
`claimer.
`(21) Appl. No.: 12/272,481
`Nov. 17, 2008
`(22) Filed:
`Prior Publication Data
`(65)
`
`Mar. 26, 2009
`US 2009/0083376 Al
`Related U.S. Application Data
`
`(51)
`
`(60) Division of application No. 10/920,817, filed on Aug.
`18, 2004, now abandoned, which is a continuation of
`application No. 10/335,821, filed on Jan. 2, 2003, now
`abandoned, which is a continuation of application No.
`09/167,698, filed on Oct. 7, 1998, now Pat. No.
`6,574,239.
`Int. Cl.
`G06F 15116
`(2006.01)
`(52) U.S. Cl. ........ 709/227; 709/203; 709/217; 709/223;
`709/234
`(58) Field of Classification Search .................. 709/203,
`709/205,223,217,227,234
`See application file for complete search history.
`
`(56)
`
`References Cited
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`4,285,061 A
`8/1981 Ho
`
`4,416,015 A
`4,489,416 A
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`
`11/1983 Gitlin
`12/1984 Stuart
`3/1986 Charalambous et al.
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`
`EP
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`WO
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`"Defendant Dell Inc.' s Answer to Plaintiff's Second Amended Com(cid:173)
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`District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division,
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`"Defendant International Business Machines Corporation's Answer
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`District of Texas Marshall Division, (Mar. 15, 2004), 8 pages.
`
`(Continued)
`Primary Examiner - Ramy M Osman
`ABSTRACT
`(57)
`Apparatus and associated methods are provided which allow
`a remote user to maintain a virtual session with a server. A
`virtual session allows a remote and possibly mobile user to
`maintain a virtual presence in an office environment without
`actually being present. Using the present invention, a remote
`user can access a central application program such as an
`Internet service provider, a database system, an inventory
`system or billing system. Likewise, the remote user can
`receive calls and other forms of communications as though he
`or she were present in an office environment. A virtual session
`does not require a physical connection to be continuously
`present in order to provide a virtual connectivity. This is
`especially important for mobile applications where the
`remote user may incur long distance and/or wireless toll
`charges. Also, methods are presented to allow a remote unit to
`rapidly reconnect in a transparent and seamless way without
`burdening the user with the need to connect and reconnect or
`to upload and download information. Related methods are
`provided to allow the virtual session to be established, oper(cid:173)
`ated and maintained.
`20 Claims, 4 Drawing Sheets
`
`,,
`
`500
`
`ESTABLISH FIRST
`CONNECTION WITH
`REMOTE ENTITY
`
`ESTABLISH SESSION
`WITH REMOTE ENTITY
`
`DROP CURRENT
`CONNECTION
`
`ESTABLISH SECOND
`CONNECTION WITH
`REMOTE ENTITY
`
`520
`COMMUNICATE
`AUTHORIZATION SEQUENCE
`
`525
`RESUME SESSION
`WITH REMOTE ENTl1Y
`
`530
`
`

`

`Case 4:20-cv-00306-SDJ Document 1-3 Filed 04/13/20 Page 2 of 22 PageID #: 44
`
`US 8,266,296 B2
`Page 2
`
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`10/2001 Hall, Jr. et al.
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`5/2002 Potvin
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`
`709/227
`
`709/208
`
`370/401
`
`709/234
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`
`717/178
`
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`
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`
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`
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`6/2004 Holur eta!.
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`
`709/227
`
`379/93.25
`
`713/201
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`"Answer of Defendant Toshiba America, Inc. to Plaintiffs Second
`Amended Complaint," Civil Action No. 2-03CV-465-TJW, in the
`United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Marshall
`Division, (Mar. 15, 2004), 5 pages.
`"Gateway, Inc.'s Original Answer and Counterclaim," Civil Action
`No. 2-03CV-465-TJW, in the United States District Court for the
`Eastern DistrictofTexas Marshall Division, (Mar. 18, 2004), 8 pages.
`"Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Original Answer and Counterclaim," Civil
`Action No. 2-03CV-465-TJW, in the United States District Court for
`the Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division, (Mar. 18, 2004), 8
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`the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas,
`(Mar. 17, 2004), 6 pages.
`"Plaintiff Agere Systems Inc.'s First Amended Complaint," Civil
`Action No. 2-04CV-108, in the United States District Court for the
`Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division, (May 11, 2004), 29
`pages. (including Appendix A).
`"Plaintiff East Texas Technology Partners' Answer and Counterclaim
`to Intervenor Conextant's Complaint," Civil Action No. 2-03-CV-
`465-TJW, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District
`of Texas Marshall Division, (Apr. 21, 2004), 10 pages.
`"Emachines, Inc.' s Original Answer and Counterclaim," Civil Action
`No. 2-03-CV-465-TJW, in the United States District Court for the
`Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division, (Apr. 22, 2004), 8 pages.
`"Answer of Defendant in Intervention Conexant Systems, Inc. to
`Plaintiff East Texas Technology Partners' Counterclaim," Civil
`Action No. 2-03-CV-465-TJW, in the United States District Court for
`the Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division, (May 12, 2004), 6
`pages.
`"Conexant Systems, Inc.'s Motion to Intervene," Civil Action No.
`2-03-CV-465-TJW, in the United States District Court for the Eastern
`District of Texas Marshall Division, (Mar. 10, 2004), 27 pages
`(including Exhibits A & B).
`"Answer of Defendant Acer America Corp. to Plaintiff's Second
`Amended Complaint," Civil Action No. 2-03-CV-465-(Ward), in the
`United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Marshall
`Division, (Mar. 29, 2004), 8 pages.
`WAP Architecture Version Apr. 30, 1998, "Wireless Application Pro-
`tocol Architecture Specification", Wireless Application Protocol
`Forum, Ltd., (Apr. 30, 1998), pp. 1-20.
`WAP WTA Draft Version Apr. 30, 1998, "Wireless Application Pro-
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`cation Protocol Forum, Ltd., (Apr. 30, 1998), pp. 1-31.
`"Defendant's Supplemental Preliminary Invalidity Contentions",
`Civil Action No. 2-03CV-465-TJW in the United States District court
`for the Eastern District of Texas Marshall Division, 73 pages.
`Warrier, Padmanand, "Universal DSL Deployment ofG.Lite", Texas
`Instruments Application Report SPAA007 A, (Sep. 1998), 33 pages.
`"239 Invalidity Chart for G.Lite Standard", no date, 26 pages.
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`pages.
`Wireless Application Protocol, Wireless Session Protocol, Draft ver-
`sion Apr. 30, 1998, copyright Wireless Application Protocol Forum,
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`Office Action in U.S. Appl. No. 12/194,311 Oct. 6, 2011, 21 pages.
`
`* cited by examiner
`
`

`

`Case 4:20-cv-00306-SDJ Document 1-3 Filed 04/13/20 Page 3 of 22 PageID #: 45
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep. 11,2012
`
`Sheet 1 of 4
`
`US 8,266,296 B2
`
`105
`
`120
`
`CPU
`
`CONTROL
`PROGRAM
`MODULE
`
`130
`
`DISPLAY
`MONITOR
`
`140
`
`MASS
`STORAGE
`
`110
`
`MEMORY
`
`115
`
`100
`✓
`
`126
`
`COMMUNICATION
`MODULE
`
`}_r127
`
`UNIVERSAL
`1/0
`MODULE
`
`POWER
`MODULE
`
`125
`
`135
`
`0
`0
`0
`
`}'-138
`
`145
`
`FIG. 1
`
`150'\.._
`
`151
`
`APPLICATION
`SESSIONS
`
`184
`___ _! ___
`
`APPLICATION
`SESSIONS
`
`154
`
`REMOTE UNIT
`VIRTUAL SESSION
`
`182
`___ _! ___ VIRTUAL SESSION
`SERVER
`
`158
`
`TRANSPORT
`
`-------
`
`TRANSPORT
`
`FIG. 1A
`
`164
`
`170
`
`176
`
`NETWORK
`
`-------
`
`NETWORK
`
`LINK
`
`LINK
`
`PHYSICAL
`
`PHYSICAL
`
`180
`
`152
`
`156
`
`160
`
`166
`
`172
`
`178
`
`

`

`Case 4:20-cv-00306-SDJ Document 1-3 Filed 04/13/20 Page 4 of 22 PageID #: 46
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep.11,2012
`
`Sheet 2 of 4
`
`US 8,266,296 B2
`
`20~
`
`100
`
`REMOTE
`UNIT
`
`207
`)--
`
`208
`
`210
`
`COMMUNICATION
`INTERFACE
`
`TABLE
`STRUCTURE
`
`225
`
`VIRTUAL
`SESSION
`SERVER
`
`215
`
`FIG. 2
`
`212
`
`COMMUNICATION
`SERVER
`
`APPLICATION
`PROGRAM
`
`220
`
`300
`\
`
`305
`
`320
`
`325
`
`330
`
`INTERFACE SCREENS BASED WORKFLOW PROCESSING
`
`PREDICTION
`315
`ESTABLISH CONNECTION
`IN BACKGROUND
`
`EXCHANGE
`AUTHENTICATION DATA
`
`PREDICTION
`
`318
`
`TERMINATE
`CONNECTION
`
`335
`
`ESTABLISH/REACTIVATE
`SESSION
`
`317
`
`310
`
`FIG. 3
`
`

`

`Case 4:20-cv-00306-SDJ Document 1-3 Filed 04/13/20 Page 5 of 22 PageID #: 47
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep.11,2012
`
`Sheet 3 of 4
`
`US 8,266,296 B2
`
`400
`~
`
`405
`
`410
`
`415
`
`420
`
`425
`
`430
`
`435
`
`RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS
`REQUEST FROM
`USER PROGRAM
`
`INITIATE CONNECTION
`
`AUTHORIZATION
`CONFIRMATION
`
`INITIAL DATA
`COMMUNICATION
`
`INITIAL DATA DISPLAY
`
`LINE-RATE NEGOTIATION
`IN THE BACKGROUND
`
`SUBSEQUENT
`HIGH-SPEED TRANSFER
`FIG. 4
`
`500
`~
`
`ESTABLISH FIRST
`CONNECTION WITH
`REMOTE ENTITY
`
`ESTABLISH SESSION
`WITH REMOTE ENTllY
`
`DROP CURRENT
`CONNECTION
`
`ESTABLISH SECOND
`CONNECTION WITH
`REMOTE ENTITY
`
`520
`COMMUNICATE
`AUTHORIZATION SEQUENCE
`
`525
`RESUME SESSION
`WITH REMOTE ENTllY
`
`FIG. 5
`
`505
`
`510
`
`515
`
`540
`
`MAINTAIN
`VIRTUAL
`SESSION
`
`530
`
`

`

`Case 4:20-cv-00306-SDJ Document 1-3 Filed 04/13/20 Page 6 of 22 PageID #: 48
`
`U.S. Patent
`
`Sep.11,2012
`
`Sheet 4 of 4
`
`US 8,266,296 B2
`
`600
`~
`
`605
`
`ESTABLISH COMMUNICATION
`WITH REMOTE UNIT
`
`700
`✓
`
`705
`
`ESTABLISH AND
`AUTHENTICATE
`SESSION
`
`610
`
`615
`
`620
`
`625
`
`630
`
`635
`
`640
`
`ACCEPT AUTHORIZATION
`PARAMETERS
`
`ESTABLISH APPLICATION
`SESSION FOR
`REMOTE UNIT
`
`PROVIDE ENTRY
`IN TABLE STRUCTURE
`
`DISCONNECT FROM
`REMOTE UNIT
`
`650
`
`REESTABLISH
`COMMUNICATIONS WITH
`REMOTE UNIT
`
`MAINTAIN
`VIRTUAL
`SESSION
`
`ACCEPT AUTHORIZATION
`CODES
`
`RESUME SESSION
`ACTIVITIES
`FIG. 6
`
`NO
`ACCEPT COMMUNICATION
`REQUEST FOR
`REMOTE UNIT
`
`SET UP CALLER-ID
`PACKET
`
`DIAL-OUT TO REMOTE
`UNIT AND FORWARD
`
`PACKETIZE THE
`COMMUNICATION
`
`SEND COMMUNICATION
`
`FIG. 7
`
`715
`
`720
`
`725
`
`745
`
`750
`
`800'-..
`
`FIG. 8
`
`DETECT /SUPPRESS
`FIRST RING SIGNAL
`
`EVALUATE CALLER-JD
`
`SELECT/ACTIVATE APPLICATION
`
`REACTIVATE VIRTUAL SESSION
`
`805
`
`810
`
`815
`
`820
`
`

`

`Case 4:20-cv-00306-SDJ Document 1-3 Filed 04/13/20 Page 7 of 22 PageID #: 49
`
`US 8,266,296 B2
`
`1
`APPLICATION-LAYER EVALUATION OF
`COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED BY A
`MOBILE DEVICE
`
`CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`2
`of their medical histories. A patient's medical record is pref(cid:173)
`erably maintained as an interactive electronic document con(cid:173)
`taining multiple parts. For example, the medical record indi(cid:173)
`cates
`to
`the home-care professional precisely what
`5 procedures are to be performed and what medications are to
`be administered or otherwise given to the patient. Once the
`services are performed, the home-care professional must
`annotate the medical record accordingly. The medical record
`is updated to reflect the patient's vital signs and other infor-
`1 o mation related to patient progress. Also, a billing system takes
`note to track expendables and services rendered. For
`example, the patient may be billed per visit and each visit may
`involve the expenditure of billable resources such as medi(cid:173)
`cmes.
`In the above scenario, a mobile worker must interact with a
`central server during the course of a day. The worker may
`wish to access the central server while visiting a patient. The
`worker may also wish to access the server from a location
`where only a wireless connection can be established. From a
`20 performance perspective, an ideal solution is to provide the
`mobile worker with a wireless connection from a remote unit
`to a central server. Such a wireless connection could be estab(cid:173)
`lished via a high-powered radio connection with a broad area
`of coverage or via an existing cellular or personal communi(cid:173)
`cation system (PCS) network. Solutions using high-powered
`radio links have the disadvantage that costly spectrum may be
`required. Maintaining a link on a cellular or PCS system is
`expensive in that a continuous connection consumes billable
`airtime which is also very costly. From an airtime-cost per(cid:173)
`spective, an ideal solution would be to force the worker to
`create a connection, download or up load information, and
`work locally with data on the remote unit as often as possible.
`This solution is tedious, and while saving airtime costs, may
`actually represent the more costly solution when professional
`35 service costs are factored in. This method has the added
`disadvantage that when files are uploaded or downloaded the
`data must be synchronized in case another user has changed
`the data in parallel with the mobile worker. Alternatively,
`other users must be "locked out" of the file from the time the
`mobile user downloads it until it is finally uploaded with any
`changes made. This is the problem solved using semaphores
`in shared memory systems. In the context of the present
`invention, a "file semaphore" is a semaphore used to lock a
`second user out of a file while a first user is using it. Due to the
`aforementioned reasons, in many applications forcing the
`worker to repeatedly connect, disconnect, upload and down-
`load information is unacceptable.
`Some mobile networks have been constructed using what
`is known as cellular digital packet data (CDPD). In a CDPD
`50 network, a remote unit transmits a data packet on an unused
`analog channel. In this sense the mobile unit remains virtually
`connected to a CDPD communication server. Wireless air(cid:173)
`time is only consumed when data is actually sent. A disad(cid:173)
`vantage to this approach is CDPD networks are not univer-
`55 sally available. Cellular coverage is much more ubiquitous
`than CDPD coverage. Also, CDPD network subscribers must
`often pay high fees and hence CDPD may not represent the
`most economical solution.
`In some systems such as packet switched network routers,
`60 offices make use of dial-out links. Dial-out links are useful
`when remote offices are separated by long distances. In such
`systems, when a packet must be routed from a first office to a
`second office, a call is placed to route the packet. The dial-out
`connection remains connected until a no-traffic condition is
`detected, indicating the line is no longer active. When the
`no-traffic condition is detected the connection is dropped
`until it is again needed. Dial-out links are thus used to reduce
`
`The present application is a divisional of U.S. patent appli(cid:173)
`cation Ser. No. 10/920,817, filed Aug. 18, 2004, which is a
`continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/335,821
`filed Jan. 2, 2003, now abandoned, which is a continuation of
`U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/167,698, filed Oct., 7,
`1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,574,239, entitled "Virtual Connec(cid:173)
`tion of a Remote Unit to a Server." The present application
`claims priority to these applications and incorporates them by 15
`reference herein in their entireties.
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`1. Field of the Invention
`This invention relates generally to client-server computing
`architectures and communication techniques. More particu(cid:173)
`larly, the invention relates to a system whereby a mobile
`worker and a central server may maintain a virtually continu(cid:173)
`ous connection without the need to maintain a physical con- 25
`nection continuously.
`2. Description of the Related Art
`The concept of a virtual connection has arisen in connec(cid:173)
`tion with telecommuting and related applications. Such a
`system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,764,639. A telecom- 30
`muter dials into a server using a standard telephone line. The
`telecommuter's modem and a modem controlled by the cen(cid:173)
`tral server establish a connection therebetween. Once a con(cid:173)
`nection is established, the telecommuter may access a com(cid:173)
`puter connected to the server, read emails and receive phone
`calls and faxes. For example, if a customer attempts to call the
`telecommuter at work by dialing into a private branch
`exchange (PBX), the server will convert the incoming call to
`a packetized form, such as H.323, and redirect the call via the
`existing connection between the telecommuter and the server. 40
`Using this system, the telecommuter may access a computer
`at work, answer phone calls and answer emails. The telecom(cid:173)
`muter thus appears to be present in his or her office and thus
`has a virtual presence there. Note for this system to properly
`function, the telecommuter must stay connected to the server 45
`at all times. While this does not present a significant problem
`for local telecommuting, this solution is quite costly for long
`distance telecommuting. Likewise, this solution is very costly
`if the telecommuter is mobile and must maintain a virtual
`presence with the server using a cellular wireless connection.
`Furthermore, in some areas it may be difficult to maintain a
`wireless connection continuously. A lost connection may also
`prevent one from regaining access to the system until some
`period of time has passed. Some mobile workers require only
`intermittent access to the server, but find it too inconvenient to
`place a dial-in call and to log onto the system every time
`access is needed.
`There is a need to provide mobile workers with various
`forms of virtual connectivity. Mobile workers differ from
`telecommuters in that while a telecommuter typically works
`from a single home location or remote office, a mobile worker
`moves from location to location during the course of a normal
`working day. An example of a mobile worker is a home-care
`professional. A home-care professional is a medical worker
`who periodically travels to visit with different sets of home- 65
`bound patients according to their individual needs. The indi(cid:173)
`vidual patients each have a set of medical records indicative
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`US 8,266,296 B2
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`3
`long distance fees associated with maintaining a constant
`connection, and represents a useful starting point for solving
`the foregoing problems relating to the establishment of a
`virtual presence of a mobile worker. Client-server protocols
`and fast automated connection strategies employing dial-out
`links are needed to provide new ways for a mobile worker to
`maintain a virtual presence. Also, new methods are needed to
`enable dial-out links to be set up with low delays to make
`them more useful for novel systems.
`It would be desirable to provide a system whereby a remote
`worker could maintain a seamless connection with a central
`server without the need to maintain a dedicated channel. It
`would be desirable if the remote worker could communicate
`with the central server without the need to spend time to enter
`a password, reconnect, and wait for a line negotiation
`sequence to proceed before being able to use the connection.
`It would be desirable for a protocol stack to activate a virtual
`session based on a prediction derived from a workflow. It
`would be desirable to use this prediction to set up a connec(cid:173)
`tion in the background without disturbing the mobile worker
`while the mobile worker performed tasks in a workflow. It
`would also be desirable to have a remote unit which contains
`most of the screen-related information needed to provide the
`appearance of an established connection before the connec(cid:173)
`tion has been fully established. It would be desirable for the 25
`remote unit to download information before it is needed and
`upload information after it is gathered without the user even
`being aware these actions are being performed. It would
`further be desirable to establish a virtual session using a first
`communication medium such as a landline and to later com(cid:173)
`municate using the same virtual session using a second com(cid:173)
`munication medium such as a wireless link. This would allow
`a mobile worker to select the most economical or convenient
`means of communications at a given time. In embodiments
`involving modem-based connections, it would be desirable to
`transmit data immediately using instantly available but lower
`line speeds. It would be desirable to then negotiate a higher
`line speed in the background while the remote worker and/or
`the server perform other tasks. Moreover, it would be desir(cid:173)
`able to establish a session between a remote unit and a server 40
`so that various forms of communications may proceed while
`providing the user with the appearance the user is continu(cid:173)
`ously connected to the server and has a virtual presence with
`the server.
`
`5
`
`4
`a server-side application program. The virtual session server
`emulates the presence of the remote unit to the server-side
`application program and thereby maintains the logon. In
`related embodiments, the server-side application program
`involves a communication server capable of relaying mes(cid:173)
`sages and establishing communication channels with the
`remote unit using the virtual session layer.
`A second aspect of the present invention involves a method
`of accessing a central server from a remote unit. A first step
`10 involves presenting a workflow to a user via a user interface.
`A second step involves predicting, based upon the workflow,
`when the user will require connectivity to the central server.
`Based upon the prediction and in the background, a third step
`15 involves initiating the establishment of a physical layer com(cid:173)
`munication connection to the central server.
`A third aspect of the present invention involves a method of
`establishing a connection with a low connection set-up time.
`In a first step, the method initiates the establishment of a
`20 communication connection to be used to communicate with a
`remote entity. Next the method communicates application
`layer data via the communication connection prior to the
`completion of a line-rate negotiation process. Next the
`method negotiates a line speed in the background.
`A fourth aspect of the present invention involves a method
`of setting up and operating a virtual session. This method can
`be practiced by a client-side remote unit or a server-side
`virtual session server. A first connection is established to a
`remote entity. This first connection is then used to establish a
`30 set of parameters needed to define a communication session
`with the remote entity. Next the first connection disconnected
`and a set of communication session parameters are main(cid:173)
`tained. Next a second connection to the remote entity is estab(cid:173)
`lished and an authorization sequence is communicated. The
`35 communication session is next reactivated using the commu(cid:173)
`nication session using the second connection. A related
`method is used to allow a remote unit to maintain a virtual
`communications presence with a remote communication
`server coupled to a virtual session server.
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
`
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`The present invention solves these and other problems by
`providing systems and methods to enable a remote worker to
`stay virtually connected to a central server without the need to
`continuously remain connected via a physical channel. The
`present invention is useful when costs are associated with
`maintaining a connection, for example when the connection
`has associated with it long distance, wireless, or other usage(cid:173)
`related toll charges.
`A first aspect of the present invention involves a commu(cid:173)
`nication protocol making use of a virtual session layer. The
`virtual session layer allows a communication session and an
`application session to be maintained in an inactive state when
`no physical connection exists. When a remote unit later 60
`reconnects with a server, the virtual session is placed into an
`active state and session communications resumes as though
`uninterrupted. A remote unit, a virtual session server, and a
`communication system including the remote unit and the
`virtual session server are presented to support virtual sessions
`communications. In one embodiment, the virtual session
`server manages a logon session between the remote unit and
`
`55
`
`The various novel features of the present invention are
`illustrated in the figures listed below and described in the
`45 detailed description which follows.
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing an embodiment of a
`remote unit designed in accordance with the present inven(cid:173)
`tion.
`FIG. lA is a block diagram illustrating a layered software
`50 architecture representative of the communication protocols
`of the present invention.
`FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating a system comprising
`a remote unit operably coupled to a server via a communica(cid:173)
`tion medium.
`FIG. 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of processing
`whereby an application program implementing a workflow
`provides a prediction of when the user will need a connection
`and establishes a connection in the background just before it
`is needed.
`FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating a method of establishing
`communication with a remote entity with a near-immediate
`set up time.
`FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating a method of communi(cid:173)
`cating by maintaining a virtual presence without the need to
`65 continuously maintain a physical connection.
`FIG. 6 is a flow chart illustrating a method of processing
`performed on a server acting as a front-end to an application
`
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`US 8,266,296 B2
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`5
`program to maintain sessions for remote users who are not
`continuously physically connected to the application pro(cid:173)
`gram.
`FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of processing
`performed on a server managing virtual connections for users
`who are not continuously physically connected to the server.
`FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating a method of processing
`performed by a remote unit to accept different types ofincom(cid:173)
`ing calls.
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED
`EMBODIMENTS
`
`FIG. 1 is a block diagram representing an embodiment of a
`remote unit 100 designed in accordance with the present
`invention. The remote unit 100 may be implemented as a
`laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a desktop com(cid:173)
`puter or workstation, or as a dedicated unit customized for a
`particular application. The remote unit 100 includes a central
`processing unit (CPU) 105 connected to a central bus 110. 20
`The central processing unit may be implemented using an
`available microprocessor, microcontroller, or customized
`logic. For example, a Pentium™. processor from Intel Corp.
`may be used to implement the CPU 105. The central bus is
`preferably constructed as a set of unbroken wires used to 25
`carry signals between a set of component subsystems within
`the remote unit 100. It should be noted, in some embodiments
`of the present invention, the bus 110 may be implemented
`equivalently using a set of direct parallel and/or serial con(cid:173)
`nections between individual modules. The bus 110 as illus- 30
`trated in FIG. 1 shows a low cost and a preferred means to
`connect the illustrated subsystems. Any combination of bus
`connections and direct serial or parallel links may be used to
`implement the connection structure provided by the bus 110.
`Different implementations represent different price-to-per(cid:173)
`formance ratios and will be dictated by the needs of an indi(cid:173)
`vidual embodiment. The bus 110 also comprehends multi(cid:173)
`layered bus structures. For example, some embodiments
`make use of a local processor bus connected to the CPU 105,
`and a peripheral interconnect bus for other subsystems. In
`multi-layered bus based designs, the different layers are pref(cid:173)
`erably connected by bus bridges. All of these and other
`equivalent embodiments of the bus 110 are known to the
`skilled artisan. From here forward, the discussion will center
`on the illustrated embodiment of the remote unit 100 whereby
`all subsystems are directly connected via the bus 110.
`Embodiments where the bus 110 represents a different physi-
`cal interconnection topology are implicitly included in the
`discussion below.
`A memory 115 is also coupled to the bus 110. The memory 50
`115 may be implemented using static random access memory
`(SRAM) or dynamic random access memory (DRAM). One
`type of SRAM is read-only memory (ROM). Preferably the
`memory 115 includes a ROM for use at boot-up, and a DRAM
`to hold a significant amount of data storage for use while 55
`executing programs. The remote unit 100 also includes a
`control program module 120. The control program module
`120 is controllably coupled to the CPU 105 and is also
`coupled to the bus 110. The central program module 120
`typically exists as a software module executed from the 60
`memory 115 by the CPU 105. The control program module
`120 effectively configures the remote unit 100 to operate in
`accordance with aspects of the present invention as discussed
`herein below.
`A communications module 125 is also coupled to the bus 65
`110. The communications module includes at least one com-
`munic