Method and apparatus for communicating between low message rate wireless devices and users via monitoring, control and information systems
View Patent ↗The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for the communicating between remote devices using a low message rate wireless connection via monitoring, control and information systems. The network described in this invention is capable of supporting billions of such devices in an efficient and cost effective manner. The network uses a very low signaling rate and centrally controlled architecture in order to achieve this efficiency. The network can easily support numerous applications each controlling large numbers of devices. As the complexity of protocol used in the network is very much reduced in comparison to existing hierarchical mobile wireless networks, it is possible to produce devices that use very little energy allowing their use in many new and novel applications.
1. A computerized wide-area low-user-message-rate communication system for communicating with at least one low-user-message-rate client, the communication system comprising:
a Network Concentrator configured to authenticate an at least one low-user-message-rate client;
a client registry configured to persistently register the at least one low-user-message-rate client having a unique client ID;
wherein the Network Concentrator maintains a persistent connection with the at least one low-user-message-rate client without any signaling interaction, unless a failure or restart condition occurs; and
a low-user-message-rate concentration point configured to send a broadcast control message to the at least one low-user-message-rate client wherein the broadcast control message includes a range of permitted time intervals which are varied in response to a change in a communications channel utilization rate from the at least one client to the low-user-message-rate concentration point.
2. The low-user-message-rate communication system of claim 1 further comprising a low-user-message-rate concentration point and wherein the Network Concentrator is further configured to forward a low-user-message-rate client message from the at least one low-user-message-rate client to an application server.
3. The low-user-message-rate communication system of claim 1 wherein the Network Concentrator is a centralized Network Concentrator.
4. The low-user-message-rate communication system of claim 2 further comprising a low-user-message-rate concentration point and wherein the Network Concentrator is further configured to forward a low-user-message-rate application server message from an application server to the at least one low-user-message-rate client.
5. The low-user-message-rate communication of claim 1 further comprising a low-user-message rate concentration point, wherein the at least one low-user-message-rate client is authenticated via the low-user-message-rate concentration point.
6. The low-user-message-rate communication system of claim 1 wherein the client registry is associated with the Network Concentrator.
7. The low-user-message-rate communication system of claim 4 wherein the Network Concentrator communicates with the application server via a public wide area network.
8. The low-user-message-rate communication system of claim 4 wherein at least one of the client message and the application server message is encrypted.
9. The low-user-message-rate communication system of claim 1 wherein the broadcast control message instructs the at least one low-user-message-rate client to select a random transmission time interval within the varying range of permitted time intervals in response to a change in low-user-message-rate client collision rates.
10. The low-user-message rate communication system of claim 1 wherein the at least one low-user-message rate client is configured to authenticate the Network Concentrator.
11. In a computerized wide-area communication system having a Network Concentrator and at least one concentration point coupled to the Network Concentrator, the at least one concentration point configured to communicate with at least one client, a low-user-message-rate communication method comprising:
authenticating an at least one low-user-message-rate client;
persistently registering the at least one low-user-message-rate client having a unique client ID;
maintaining a persistent connection with the at least one low-user-message-rate client without any signaling interaction, unless a failure or restart condition occurs; and
sending a broadcast control message to the at least one low-user-message-rate client wherein the broadcast control message includes a range of permitted time intervals which are varied in response to a change in a communications channel utilization rate from the at least one client.
12. The low-user-message-rate method of claim 11 further comprising sending a low-user-message-rate client message from the at least one low-user-message-rate client to an application server via a low-user-message-rate concentration point and a Network Concentrator.
13. The low-user-message-rate method of claim 12 wherein the Network Concentrator is a centralized Network Concentrator.
14. The low-user-message-rate method of claim 12 further comprising receiving a low-user-message-rate application server message from the application server via a Network Concentrator and a low-user-message-rate concentration point.
15. The low-user-message-rate method of claim 11 wherein the at least one low-user-message-rate client is authenticated via a low-user-message-rate concentration point, and wherein the at least one low-user-message-rate client is persistently registered by a client registry associated with a Network Concentrator.
16. The low-user-message-rate method of claim 14 wherein the Network Concentrator communicates with the application server via a public wide area network.
17. The low-user-message-rate method of claim 14 wherein at least one of the client message and the application server message is encrypted.
18. The low-user-message-rate method of claim 11 wherein the broadcast control message instructs the at least one low-user-message-rate client to select a random transmission time interval within the varying range of permitted time intervals in response to a change in low-user-message-rate client collision rates.
19. The low-user-message rate method of claim 11 further comprising authenticating the Network Concentrator.
20. In a computerized wide-area communication system having a plurality of application servers, a centralized Network Concentrator, and a plurality of concentration points, each of the concentration points coupled to at least one client, a computerized low-user-message-rate method for communicating with a plurality of clients, each of the plurality of clients having a unique client ID, the method comprising:
in the centralized Network Concentrator, sending a broadcast control message to a plurality of low-user-message-rate clients, wherein the broadcast control message includes a range of permitted time intervals which are varied in response to a change in a communications channel utilization rate from the plurality of low-user-message-rate clients to the centralized Network Concentrator;
in one of the plurality of low-user-message-rate clients, sending an authentication message including a unique client ID and encrypted with a client private key to a centralized Network Concentrator at a random time within the range of permitted time intervals;
in the centralized Network Concentrator, using a client public key to decrypt and validate the authentication message, and sending a Network Concentrator authentication response encrypted with a Network Concentrator private key to the one client;
in the one client, using a Network Concentrator public key to decrypt and validate the Network Concentrator authentication response, and sending a client acknowledgement response encrypted with the Network Concentrator private key to the one client;
in the centralized Network Concentrator, using the Network Concentrator private key to decrypt the client acknowledgement response;
in a client registry persistently registering the one client having the unique client ID as valid; and
in the Network Concentrator maintaining a persistent connection with the at least one low-user-message-rate client without any signaling interaction, unless a failure or restart condition occurs.
21. The computerized low-user-message-rate method of claim 20 further comprising:
in the one client, sending an encrypted low-user-message-rate client message encrypted with a shared key and an application server key and destined for one of a plurality of application server;
in the centralized Network Concentrator, validating the client message using the shared key and forwarding the client message to the one application server; and
in the one application server, decrypting the client message using the application server key.
22. The computerized low-user-message-rate method of claim 20 further comprising:
in one of a plurality of application servers, sending an encrypted application server message encrypted with the application server key destined for the one client;
in the centralized Network Concentrator, further encrypting the application server message using a shared key and forwarding the application server message to the one client; and
in the one client, decrypting the application server message using the shared key and the application server key.