Patent ID: 7734790

Claim:
A method of keeping a downlink connection from a server computer to a client computer open, said method comprising: designating said client computer as a relay host computer of a subnetwork of a plurality of client computers located behind a firewall device; delegating the responsibility of maintaining an open connection with said server computer on behalf of said client computers to said relay host computer, wherein said relay host computer is arranged to forward messages from said server computer to said client computers; receiving a request at said server computer from said client computer to establish a downlink connection through said firewall device; receiving an indication from said client computer to keep said downlink connection open indefinitely; sending periodic heartbeat messages from said server computer to said client computer through said firewall; and keeping said downlink connection from said server computer to said client computer open indefinitely by virtue of said periodic heartbeat messages, wherein said client computer is not required to send a message to said server computer to keep said downlink connection open, and wherein said downlink connection is kept open solely through use of said periodic heartbeat messages.