US 7,756,983 Symmetrical bi-directional communication
7 defendants · 7 suits · updated September 14, 2026
Also cited as U.S. Patent No. 7,756,983 · US7756983B2 · US 7,756,983 B2 · 7756983 · the '983 patent
WebSock Global Strategies LLC has filed 7 patent-infringement suits on US 7,756,983, "Symmetrical bi-directional communication" since August 5, 2026, all in the W.D. Tex., against 7 distinct defendants including ActiveProspect, Inc., data.world, Inc. and JS Operating Company, LP. The patent was granted July 13, 2010 on a priority date of January 8, 2003. Its abstract opens: "Network nodes engage in an asymmetric transactional session." The examiner cited 7 references during prosecution.
- Assignee
- Websock Global Strategies LLC
- Priority date
- January 8, 2003
- Granted
- July 13, 2010
- Expires
- January 8, 2023
- Status
- Expired - Lifetime
- Claims
- 48 (7 independent)
- Inventors
- Paul B. Mace, Darrell C. Kirk-Young
- Full text
- Google Patents
The suits
7 cases · W.D. Tex. (7)
| Filed | Defendant | Plaintiff | Court | Docket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-08-05 | ActiveProspect, Inc. | WebSock Global Strategies LLC | W.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00297 |
| 2026-08-05 | data.world, Inc. | WebSock Global Strategies LLC | W.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00298 |
| 2026-08-05 | JS Operating Company, LP | WebSock Global Strategies LLC | W.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00299 |
| 2026-08-05 | Peddle, LLC | WebSock Global Strategies LLC | W.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00300 |
| 2026-08-05 | QuestionPro, Inc. | WebSock Global Strategies LLC | W.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00301 |
| 2026-08-05 | Scale Computing, Inc. | WebSock Global Strategies LLC | W.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00302 |
| 2026-08-05 | Tecma Group, L.L.C. | WebSock Global Strategies LLC | W.D. Tex. | 7:26-cv-00303 |
Docket links open the public record on CourtListener. Filing dates are the complaint's.
Independent claims
What is actually asserted, verbatim.
1. A method of computer network node communication comprising: first and second network nodes engaging in an asymmetric hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) transactional session with an underlying network connection, each node enacting distinct initial transactional roles, said roles comprising either of an HTTP server that relays data and an HTTP client that initiates requests; terminating said asymmetric HTTP transactional session while maintaining said underlying network connection; said first and second network nodes negotiating transactional role reversal; and said first and second network nodes further communicating under a reversed asymmetric transactional protocol, wherein each network node enacts the initial transactional role of the other, wherein said uniquely identifiable session uses a network connection traversing hardware enforcing asymmetric communication.
5. A method of communication, comprising: concurrently executing at a first node client programming and server programming; concurrently executing at a second node client programming and server programming; establishing a network connection between said first node and second node; creating a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) session from said first node acting as a client to said second node acting as a server; conducting a first asymmetric transaction from said first node to said second node; terminating said first HTTP session while maintaining an underlying network connection; creating a second HTTP session from said second node acting as said client to said first node acting as said server; and conducting a second asymmetric transaction from said second node to said first node, wherein said network connection traverses hardware that enforces an asymmetric communication.
13. A method of establishing a client-server relationship between a first node and a second node, said first node having a public network address and operating as a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) client in said client-server relationship, said second node having a private network address and operating as an HTTP server in said HTTP client-server relationship, said method comprising: said second node adopting a client role by requesting a first asymmetric transactional session comprising a peered connection, said session being uniquely identifiable by a uniform resource identifier, and supporting a network connection between said first and second nodes; terminating said first asymmetric transactional session while maintaining said network connection; said first and second nodes negotiating reversal of said first asymmetric transactional session; said first node adopting a client role in relation to said network connection by initiating a second asymmetric transactional session; and said second node preserving said network connection while adopting a server role in relation to said network connection, wherein said uniquely identifiable session uses a network connection traversing hardware enforcing asymmetric communication wherein initially said first node had said public network address operating as said client in said client-server relationship and said second node had said private network address operating as said server in said HTTP client-server relationship during said uniquely identifiable session.
21. A method of computer network node communication comprising: initially establishing a first asymmetric hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) transactional session to establish an original network connection, said session being uniquely identifiable, between a first node and a second node, said first node enacting a first transactional role of a client and said second node enacting a second transactional role of a server, said roles comprising either of an HTTP server that relays data and an HTTP client that initiates requests; terminating said first asymmetric HTTP transactional session while maintaining an underlying network connection; negotiating between said first node and said second node a transactional role reversal, said step of negotiating referencing said original network connection; and establishing a second asymmetric transactional session, said session being uniquely identifiable by said URI, said first node enacting said second transactional role and said second node enacting said first transactional role, wherein said uniquely identifiable session uses a network connection traversing hardware enforcing asymmetric communication.
26. A method of operating a public address network server, comprising: engaging in a first asymmetric transactional session, said session having a uniquely identifiable underlying network connection with a computer node; said server enacting a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server role relative to said computer node having an underlying network connection; terminating said first asymmetric transactional session while maintaining said underlying network connection; said server negotiating a flip connection with said computer node; said server initiating a second asymmetric transactional session; and said server enacting an HTTP client role relative to said computer node having said underlying network connection, wherein said public address server acts first in said HTTP server role and second in said HTTP client role using said underlying network connection, wherein said underlying network connection traverses hardware enforcing asymmetric communication.
30. A method of computer network node communication comprising: executing a first programming agent at a first node and providing at least in part an initiator role as a client; executing a second programming agent at a second node and providing at least in part a responder role as a server; initiating a first hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) transactional session, said session being uniquely identifiable, at said first node and with said second node; terminating said first HTTP transactional session while maintaining an underlying network connection; negotiating a role reversal between said first and second nodes; and after said role reversal, communicating between said first node and said second node wherein said first node provides at least in part said responder role and said second node provides at least in part said initiator role to initiate a second HTTP transactional session, wherein said step of communicating occurs during said session being uniquely identifiable with a uniform resource identifier (URI), wherein said uniquely identifiable session uses a network connection traversing hardware enforcing asymmetric communication.
44. Storage media that stores programming, which when executed performs a method comprising: first and second network nodes engaging in an asymmetric transactional session, said session being uniquely identifiable, each node enacting distinct initial transactional roles, said roles comprising either of a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) server that relays data and an HTTP client that initiates requests; terminating said asymmetric transactional session while maintaining an underlying network connection; said first and second network nodes negotiating transactional role reversal; and said first and second network nodes further communicating under a reversed asymmetric transactional session during said session being uniquely identifiable, wherein each enacts the initial transactional role of the other, wherein said uniquely identifiable session uses a network connection traversing hardware enforcing asymmetric communication.
Art before the examiner
18 references of record, 7 cited by the examiner.
Everything listed here was before the Office and is what a challenge must go beyond. Art the examiner never saw is where an invalidity search starts.
Examiner-cited
- US5825890A — Secure socket layer application program apparatus and method (Netscape Communications Corporation)
- US6754621B1 — Asynchronous hypertext messaging system and method (Andrew Cunningham)
- US7146505B1 — Secure data exchange between date processing systems (America Online, Inc.)
- US7231519B2 — Secure inter-node communication (International Business Machines Corporation)
- US7281128B2 — One pass security (Extended Systems, Inc.)
- US7376967B1 — Method and system for performing asynchronous cryptographic operations (F5 Networks, Inc.)
- US7430755B1 — Method and system for providing persistence in a secure network access (Fs Networks, Inc.)
Applicant-cited and other (11)
- US5994823A — High-pressure discharge lamp, turning-on circuit device, and lighting fixture
- US20020023143A1 — System and method for projecting content beyond firewalls
- US20020099957A1 — Establishing a secure connection with a private corporate network over a public network
- US20020138553A1 — Apparatus and method for asymmetric electronic commerce transactions
- US20030055982A1 — Communications control method, relaying method and relaying device
- US20040024879A1 — Method and apparatus for supporting communications between a computing device within a network and an external computing device
- US20040044776A1 — Peer to peer file sharing system using common protocols
- US20040199574A1 — System and method for delivering remotely stored applications and information
- US20050015594A1 — Method and system for stepping up to certificate-based authentication without breaking an existing SSL session
- US20050201370A1 — System and method for establishing an internet protocol connection with a terminating network node
- US20050256806A1 — Method and system to facilitate securely processing a payment for an online transaction
Classification
- H04L63/029primary — Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
- H04L61/2514 — Translation of Internet protocol [IP] addresses between local and global IP addresses
- H04L63/045 — Network architectures or network communication protocols for network security for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption
- H04L63/166 — Implementing security features at a particular protocol layer at the transport layer
- H04L67/02 — Protocols based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
- H04L67/14 — Session management
- H04L67/142 — Managing session states for stateless protocols; Signalling session states; State transitions; Keeping-state mechanisms
- H04L67/56 — Provisioning of proxy services
- H04L67/563 — Data redirection of data network streams
Family
- US7756983B2 — B2 (2010)
- US20040143665A1 — A1 (2004)
- US20080263148A1 — A1 (2008)
- US20100274850A1 — A1 (2010)
- US7912967B2 — B2 (2011)
- US7403995B2 — B2 (2008)
Abstract
Network nodes engage in an asymmetric transactional session. The nodes negotiate transactional role reversal and further communication under a reversed asymmetric transactional session in a TCP/IP network. The roles are either an HTTP server or an HTTP client. The roles change depending upon whether the node is consuming, supplying, or relaying data.
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This page is assembled from public records — federal court dockets and the patent's own file — and is updated as the case list changes. It states what the record shows and is not an opinion on the validity or infringement of any claim. Patent data via Google Patents; docket data via CourtListener.