US 7,409,451 B1Granted

Switching between connectivity types to maintain connectivity

AssigneeAOL LLC, a Delaware Limited Liability Company

InventorsPatrick Meenan, David Clyde Chiles, Jeffrey J. Damick

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

Techniques are provided for leveraging narrowband connectivity (such as dial-up communications or other types of low bandwidth communications) to provision or configure broadband connectivity between a broadband access provider and a broadband device, such as a DSL modem or a cable modem. Specifically, because narrowband connectivity does not require advance configuration or provisioning by the host system of connectivity parameters for an access-seeking device, a modem at an access-seeking device may be leveraged to establish a narrowband connection between that device and a host system and to enable an exchange or negotiation of connectivity parameters necessary to enable future broadband connectivity. Thus, once established, the narrowband connection may be used as a conduit for communicating required provisioning information between the broadband-enabling host and the access-seeking device to enable broadband connectivity by the device in the future.

Claims36

Dependent claims

A method for enabling communications between a user system and an accessible system, the method comprising:

detecting a communications failure in a first communications session between a user system and an accessible system, the first communications session leveraging a first connectivity type;
establishing a second communications session between the user system and the accessible system, the second communications session leveraging a second connectivity type that differs from the first connectivity type, automatically in response to the detected communication failure in the first communications session leveraging the first connectivity type;
using the second communications session between the user system and the accessible system to exchange, between the user system and the accessible system, a request from the user system to access the accessible system using the second communications session and a reconnection token from the user system that enables identification by the accessible system of the user system as the user system with which the accessible system had been communicating using the first communications session, wherein enabling identification of the user system by the accessible system as the user system with which the accessible system had been communicating using the first communications session enables at least one application making use of the first communications session to continue despite the interruption of the first communications session and the establishment of the second communications session;
and
in response to exchanging the request from the user system to access the accessible system using the second communications session and the reconnection token, enabling the exchange of future communications between the user system and the accessible system using the second communications session.

2 more elements

A computer-readable medium having embodied thereon a computer program configured to enable communications between a user system and an accessible system, the medium comprising one or more code segments configured to:

detect a communications failure in a first communications session between a user system and an accessible system, the first communications session leveraging a first connectivity type;
establish a second communications session between the user system and the accessible system, the second communications session leveraging a second connectivity type that differs from the first connectivity type, automatically in response to the detected communication failure in the first communications session leveraging the first connectivity type;
use the second communications session between the user system and the accessible system to exchange, between the user system and the accessible system, a request from the user system to access the accessible system using the second communications session and a reconnection token from the user system that enables identification by the accessible system of the user system as the user system with which the accessible system had been communicating using the first communications session, wherein enabling identification of the user system by the accessible system as the user system with which the accessible system had been communicating using the first communications session enables at least one application making use of the first communications session to continue despite the interruption of the first communications session and the establishment of the second communications session;
and
in response to exchanging the request from the user system to access the accessible system using the second communications session and the reconnection token, enable the exchange of future communications between the user system and the accessible system using the second communications session.

2 more elements

A system for enabling communications between a user system and an accessible system, the system comprising a processor connected to a storage device and one or more input/output devices, wherein the processor is configured to:

detect a communications failure in a first communications session between a user system and an accessible system, the first communications session leveraging a first connectivity type;
establish a second communications session between the user system and the accessible system, the second communications session leveraging a second connectivity type that differs from the first connectivity type, automatically in response to the detected communication failure in the first communications session leveraging the first connectivity type;
use the second communications session between the user system and the accessible system to exchange, between the user system and the accessible system, a request from the user system to access the accessible system using the second communications session and a reconnection token from the user system that enables identification by the accessible system of the user system as the user system with which the accessible system had been communicating using the first communications session, wherein enabling identification of the user system by the accessible system as the user system with which the accessible system had been communicating using the first communications session enables at least one application making use of the first communications session to continue despite the interruption of the first communications session and the establishment of the second communications session;
and
in response to exchanging the request from the user system to access the accessible system using the second communications session and the reconnection token, enable the exchange of future communications between the user system and the accessible system using the second communications session.

2 more elements

A method comprising:

establishing a broadband communications connection between a client system and a host system;
receiving a reconnection token at the client system from the host system over the broadband communications connection between the client system and the host system, the reconnection token enabling identification of the client system as the client system with which the host system established the broadband communications connection;
detecting an interruption in the broadband communications connection between the client system and the host system;
in response to detecting the interruption in the broadband communications connection between the client system and the host system, automatically establishing a narrowband communications connection between the client system and the host system;
using the narrowband communications connection between the client system and the host system to send, from the client system to the host system, a request for narrowband access to the host system and the reconnection token;
and
in response to sending the request for narrowband access and the reconnection token to the host system, receiving narrowband access to the host system and exchanging communications with the host system using the narrowband communications connection.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.