Patent ID: 7912025

Claim:
A method in a radio modem device for use in processing data packets communicated from a host device using a predetermined type of protocol, the radio modem device being configured to communicate with a cellular telecommunications network over a wireless link and communicate with the host device over a wired serial link, the method comprising the steps of: maintaining a Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) connection between the host device and the radio modem device over a wired serial link; maintaining a wireless link for communications with the cellular telecommunications network; monitoring radio signal strength indicator (RSSI) information during the communications with the cellular telecommunication network; establishing a packet data service attachment with the cellular telecommunications network over the wireless link; maintaining an attachment state of the packet data service attachment during the operation; receiving data packets from the host device; removing a PPP wrapper of data packets to reveal a destination IP address and a destination port number; identifying whether the destination IP address and the destination port number match an IP address and port number of a radio modem server of the radio modem device; identifying whether a cookie which identifies the predetermined type of protocol is contained in a cookie field of the data packets; in response to identifying a mismatch between the IP addresses or the port numbers, or that the cookie is not contained in the cookie field: causing the data packets to be routed to a server, over the wireless link, using the packet data service attachment with the cellular telecommunications network; in response to identifying a match between the IP addresses and the port numbers when the cookie is contained in the cookie field: causing the data packets to be routed to the radio modem server in the radio modem device; receiving a command code in the data packets at the radio modem server; receiving a sequence number in the data packets at the radio modem server; processing and responding to the host device in accordance with the command and the sequence number in the data packets, such that the response to the host device includes the sequence number, and further wherein: if the command code is for obtaining the RSSI information, then causing the response to include the RSSI information; and if the command code is for obtaining the attachment state, then causing the response to include the attachment state.