Wireless Internet Product System

Abstract

Low resource internet devices such as consumer electronics products connect to web service by means of a proxy method where the connected device does not need to maintain the expensive and fragile web service interface itself, but rather uses simple low level protocols to communicate through a gateway that executes software to translate a low level proprietary wireless protocol to a proprietary low level internet protocol that can pass through a firewall to proxy servers that translate the low level protocols thus presenting an interface that makes the internet device appear to have a full web service interface to enable communication between the internet devices and the web server.

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A wireless internet product comprising:
 a microcontroller;   a radio transceiver that communicates with a program using a protocol in accordance with instructions from the microcontroller; and   a nonvolatile memory storing a device identifier and a plurality of instructions;   wherein the instructions enable the microcontroller to identify a plurality of commands sent from the program which are: (i) sent from the program to a proxy server via a web service protocol; (ii) addressed by the proxy server using the device identifier;   wherein the instructions enable the microcontroller to address a packet to be sent through a firewall via the protocol using the radio transceiver; and   wherein the packet has a packet length and said packet length is shorter than a web service protocol packet length having corresponding information content.   
     
     
         22 . The wireless internet product of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the program identifies the wireless internet product to the proxy server using the device identifier; and   the device identifier is independent of any IP address that may temporarily identify the wireless internet product.   
     
     
         23 . The wireless internet product of  claim 21 , wherein the instructions further enable the microcontroller to execute a communication method, the method comprising:
 sending a message from the wireless internet product to the proxy server through a firewall using the radio transceiver;   subsequent to sending the message, determining and storing a collection of firewall transversal information using the radio transceiver;   sending the device identifier from the wireless internet product to the proxy server through the firewall using the radio transceiver; and   subsequent to sending the device identifier, communicating through the proxy server to the program using the collection of transversal information.   
     
     
         24 . The wireless internet product of  claim 21 , wherein the instructions further enable the microcontroller to execute a firewall timeout measurement method, the method comprising:
 sending a plurality of packets from the radio transceiver to the proxy server according to a period;   while sending the plurality of packets according to the period, if a corresponding matching return packet is received for each packet: (i) saving the period as a last period; (ii) increasing the period; and (iii) restarting the sending step;   while sending the plurality of packets according to the period, if the corresponding matching return packet is not received for each packet: (i) setting the period to less than the last period; and   continuing to send packets from the radio transceiver to the proxy server according to the period;   wherein the firewall has a table entry for allowing communication with the wireless internet product;   wherein the table entry has a timeout period; and   wherein the method sets the period to less than the timeout period.   
     
     
         25 . The wireless internet product of  claim 21 , wherein the instructions further enable the microcontroller to execute a direct device communication method, the method comprising:
 addressing the packet for a second wireless internet product using a second device identifier; and   sending the packet from the first wireless internet product through the firewall to the proxy server;   wherein the proxy server routes the packet using the second device identifier and a table that matches the second device identifier with a matching IP address; and   wherein the second device identifier is not itself an IP address.   
     
     
         26 . The wireless internet product of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the microcontroller configures the packet to be sent by the radio transceiver to a gateway via a compact radio protocol; and   the gateway sends the packet to the proxy server through the firewall via the protocol.   
     
     
         27 . The wireless internet product of  claim 21 , wherein:
 the web service protocol is XML over HTTP.   
     
     
         28 . A network system comprising:
 a wireless internet product having a microcontroller, a radio transceiver, and a memory storing a device identifier;   a program which sends a command to the wireless internet product via a web service protocol;   a proxy server that receives the command from the program and routes the command to the wireless internet product using the device identifier; and   a gateway that transmits a packet to the wireless internet product via a compact radio protocol;   wherein the packet represents at least a portion of the command;   wherein the wireless internet product communicates with the proxy server using a protocol; and   wherein the packet has a packet length and said packet length is shorter than a web service protocol packet length having corresponding information content.   
     
     
         29 . The network system of  claim 28  wherein:
 the proxy server stores a set of key value pairs associated with a state of the wireless internet product; and 
 the program can retrieve a value for a property of the wireless internet product from the proxy server using the set of key value pairs. 
 
     
     
         30 . The network system of  claim 28 , wherein:
 the program identifies the wireless internet product to the proxy server using the device identifier; and   the device identifier is independent of any IP address that may temporarily identify the wireless internet product.   
     
     
         31 . The network system of  claim 28 , wherein:
 the wireless internet product sends a message to the proxy server through a firewall using the radio transceiver;   the wireless internet product, subsequent to sending the message, determines and stores a collection of firewall transversal information;   the wireless internet product, sends the device identifier to the proxy server through the firewall using the radio transceiver; and   the wireless internet product, subsequent to sending the device identifier, communicates with the program through the proxy server using the collection of firewall transversal information.   
     
     
         32 . The network system of  claim 28 , wherein the wireless internet product stores instructions for executing a method comprising:
 sending a plurality of packets from the radio transceiver to the proxy server through a firewall according to a period;   while sending the plurality of packets according to the period, if a corresponding matching return packet is received for each of the plurality of packets: (i) saving the period as a last period; (ii) increasing the period; and (iii) restarting the sending step;   while sending the plurality of packets according to the period, if the corresponding matching return packet is not received for each of the plurality of packets: (i) setting the period to less than the last period; and   continuing to send a second plurality of packets from the radio transceiver to the proxy server according to the period;   wherein the firewall has a table entry for allowing communication with the wireless internet product;   wherein the table entry has a timeout period; and   wherein the method sets the period to less than the timeout period.   
     
     
         33 . The network system of  claim 28 , further comprising a second wireless internet product wherein:
 the wireless internet product addresses a packet for the second wireless internet product using a second device identifier;   the wireless internet product sends the message through a firewall to the proxy server;   the proxy server routes the packet using the second device identifier and a table that matches the second device identifier with a matching IP address; and   the second device identifier is not itself an IP address.   
     
     
         34 . The network system of  claim 28  wherein:
 the web service protocol is XML over HTTP. 
 
     
     
         35 . A method for communicating with a wireless internet product, wherein the wireless interned product has a microcontroller, a radio transceiver, and a memory storing a device identifier, and wherein the method comprises:
 receiving a command from a program via a web service protocol using a proxy server;   routing the command to the wireless internet product with the proxy server using the device identifier; and   translating the command into a protocol downstream from the proxy server;   wherein the packet has a packet length and said packet length is shorter than a web service protocol packet length having corresponding information content.   
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 35  wherein:
 the proxy server stores a set of key value pairs associated with a state of the wireless internet product; and 
 the program can retrieve a value for a property of the wireless internet product from the proxy server using the set of key value pairs. 
 
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 35  wherein:
 the program identifies the wireless internet product to the proxy server using the device identifier; and 
 the device identifier is independent of any IP address that may temporarily identify the wireless internet product. 
 
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 sending a plurality of packets from the radio transceiver to the proxy server through a firewall according to a period;   while sending the plurality of packets according to the period, if a corresponding matching return packet is received for each of the plurality of packets: (i) saving the period as a last period; (ii) increasing the period; and (iii) restarting the sending step;   while sending the plurality of packets according to the period, if the corresponding matching return packet is not received for each of the plurality of packets: (i) setting the period to less than the last period; and   continuing to send a second plurality of packets from the radio transceiver to the proxy server according to the period;   wherein the firewall has a table entry for allowing communication with the wireless internet product;   wherein the table entry has a timeout period; and   wherein the method sets the period to less than the timeout period.   
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 35 , further comprising:
 addressing a packet for a second wireless internet product using a second device identifier; and   sending the packet from the wireless internet product through the firewall to the proxy server;   wherein the proxy server routes the packet using the second device identifier and a table that matches the second device identifier with a matching IP address; and   wherein the second device identifier is not itself an IP address.   
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 35 , wherein:
 the web service protocol is XML over HTTP.