Patent Application
20060045042
The invention relates generally to instant messaging and presence protocols implemented in conjunction with computer networks.
Instant messaging and presence systems allow users to subscribe to each other and be notified of changes in state, and for other users to transmit short instant messages. A model for instant messaging and presence protocols (“IMPP”) has been set forth by Day et al., “A Model for Presence and Instant Messaging,” Network Working Group RFC 2778, February 2000 (hereinafter “RFC 2778”), and Day et al., “Instant Messaging/Presence Protocol Requirements,” Network Working Group RFC 2779, February 2000 (hereinafter “RFC 2779”) (both of which are available on the Internet Engineering Task Force Website at http://www.ietf.org/rfc.html).
Such IMPP services have been successfully implemented in numerous popular network communication and internet communication applications, such as instant messaging applications. Popular examples of Internet-based instant messaging applications include America Online's “AOL Instant Messenger”, Yahoo, Inc.'s “Yahoo Messenger,” and Microsoft Corp.'s “MSN Messenger.”
Service Location Protocol (“SLP”) is another network protocol which presents a flexible and scaleable framework for providing information about the existence, location and configuration of network devices and services. SLP is generally implemented in a local area network to provide a client, e.g., a laptop computer, with information about the types of network services that are available (e.g., local printer devices, applications, etc.). Such a protocol alleviates the need for static configuration of network hosts, and instead provides for a more flexible network configuration.
The need for SLP has increased with the growth of wireless networks. Mobile clients roaming a network may associate with different access points as the client moves, and may come into—and out of—close proximity of services and devices such as printers and fax machines. Moreover, wireless public networks such as “hot spots” have become increasingly popular in public places. First-time users of such networks may otherwise be unaware of the types of services that may be available. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to notify a client of the different services that are available as the client traverses a wireless network.
Prior art implementations of IMPP and SLP generally require separate applications or software operating in a higher layer from the particular network protocol itself. This can be problematic in networks where speed or bandwidth restrictions may result in decreased network performance—as may be the case, for example, in certain wireless local area networks (“WLANs”). The operation of additional software also requires additional processing power for network devices. Furthermore, the increased processing required in such a system can result in greater power consumption, which may be a critical shortcoming in battery-powered mobile devices.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide IMPP and SLP functions natively within a network protocol.
In a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a method is provided for presence services in a computer network operating according to a network protocol, including the steps of generating a first data packet in a format in accordance with the network protocol, generating a second data packet by inserting presence data into the first data packet, the presence data including at least information relating to one or more services available over the computer network, and transmitting the second data packet over the computer network.
A next exemplary embodiment of a method according to the present invention provides instant messaging services in a network protocol, and includes the steps of generating a first data packet in accordance with the network protocol, generating a second data packet by inserting instant messaging data into the first data packet, the instant messaging data including at least text message data, and transmitting the second data packet over the computer network.
In yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a system for providing IMPP over a computer network is provided. The system includes a computer-readable memory, and a processor coupled to the memory and operable to generate a data packet formatted for transmission in accordance with a network protocol, wherein the processor is further operable to include IMPP data in the data packet before the data packet is transmitted over a computer network.
The invention will be further understood from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment taken in conjunction with an appended drawing, in which:
Throughout the figures, unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals and characters are used to denote like features, elements, components, or portions of the illustrated embodiments.
In one embodiment of a system and method according to the present invention, presence services may be provided in an IEEE 802.11 wireless local area network. The Specification for the IEEE 802.11 protocol, “IEEE 802.11 Standard for Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications,” 1999 edition, is fully incorporated herein by reference.
Referring now to
The IEEE 802.11 specification sets forth detailed guidelines for the network communications protocol. In addition to data frames that carry information from higher layers such as the application layer, the 802.11 protocol includes management and control frames that ensure proper network operation. Three types of management frames include beacon frames, probe request frames, and probe response frames.
As described in the 802.11 specification, the beacon frame enables wireless devices to establish and maintain communications in an orderly fashion. An access point periodically sends a beacon frame to announce its presence and relay information, such as timestamp, SSID, and other parameters regarding the access point to mobile units that are within range. Mobile units continually scan all 802.11 radio channels and listen to beacons as the basis for choosing which access point is best to associate with.
A station may send a Probe Request frame, another type of management frame, to obtain information about another station. For example, a mobile unit may transmit a probe request to determine which access points are within range. In response to a Probe Request, an access point or mobile unit may respond with a Probe Response frame, which contains capability information, supported data rates, and other vital network information. Beacons, Probe Requests, and Probe Responses are critical to the proper operation of an 802.11 WLAN.
Referring to
Referring now to
As described above, because 802.11 Beacon, Probe Request, and Probe Response frames are transmitted regularly during normal network communications, or are transmitted when a mobile unit or device first comes into contact with a wireless network, these types of frames are ideal for purposes of the presence and instant messaging scheme of the present invention. However, other types of 802.11 frames may be used to transmit the presence and instant messaging data in accordance with the present invention.
In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the additional presence data 44 and 46 incorporated into the Frame Body 37 may be SLP data formatted in accordance with the scheme set forth by Guttman et al., “Service Templates and Service: Schemes,” Network Working Group RFC 2165, June 1999, (hereinafter “RFC 2165”) incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. The scheme utilizes Service URL's (“Uniform Resource Locators”) which are constructed according to the particular service scheme and which provide the information necessary to access the service. The form of such a Service URL may be as follows:
Referring back to
This Service URL scheme is more fully described in RFC 2165. Importantly, the scope of the invention is not limited to the use of the scheme set forth in RFC 2165 in accordance with this exemplary embodiment.
Advantageously, data packets in accordance with the present invention may be transmitted when, for example, a user or service transitions into an active state, e.g., by touch of a mouse or keyboard which wakes the device from a “sleep mode,” by connection of a device or service to the network, by power-on of a mobile unit or association with a new access point or WLAN, etc. In such a manner, the presence services may always be updated in real-time, thus ensuring that the network clients are provided up-do-date information regarding the services available, and ensuring that the network service devices (such as printers, faxes, etc.) update the network of their availability and status as the devices become associated with the wireless network.
Moreover, the system and method of the present invention is not limited to use in providing service information to mobile units. Additionally, presence and instant messaging applications, in accordance with RFCs 2778 and 2779, may be implemented in accordance with the present invention. As described, the present invention may provide instant messaging between mobile units or between a mobile unit and another network client. Also, the presence information transmitted by a mobile unit may be used by a network administrator to, e.g., track location and operation of mobile units within the wireless network. For all of the above-described applications of this exemplary embodiment of the present invention, including instant messaging, presence, SLP, etc., data may be transmitted as described above, i.e., within the Frame Body of 802.11 management packets.
The system and method of the present invention also provide the added benefit of backward compatibility with prior art 802.11 systems. As stated in the 802.11 Specification, “[s]tations encountering an element type they do not understand ignore that element.” (IEEE 802.11 Standard for Wireless LAN Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications, 1999 edition.) Accordingly, those networks or mobile units which are not configured in accordance with the present invention may simply ignore the relevant presence data and operate as usual.
In another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, an access point may be pre-configured with a database of services, which the access point may pass directly on to the mobile units in the above modified Probe Response or Beacon packets.
Notably, the system and method of the present invention as described herein are not limited to use in an IEEE 802.11 wireless network. One of ordinary skill in the art would understand scope of the present invention to include embodiments implemented in conjunction with other types of wireless networks (Bluetooth, GPRS, WWAN, etc.) as well as conventional wired networks.
While the invention has been described in connection with preferred embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that other variations and modifications of the preferred embodiments described above may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Other embodiments will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art from a consideration of the specification or practice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that the specification and the described examples are considered as exemplary only, with the true scope and spirit of the invention indicated by the following claims.
