How Early Mobile Devices Accessed the Internet Using Split Proxies
A 1996 system that made the early web usable on slow, unreliable wireless connections by using two 'proxy' servers to shrink and simplify data before sending it.
Original patent title: “System and method for providing protocol translation and filtering to access the world wide web from wireless or low-bandwidth networks”
A 1996 system that made the early web usable on slow, unreliable wireless connections by using two 'proxy' servers to shrink and simplify data before sending it. Granted to Bell Communications Research Inc in 1997 with 32 claims and 546 forward citations, and it is now in the public domain.
Coverage
What does this patent actually cover?
This patent describes a split proxy system designed to bridge the gap between a client (like a mobile device) and a server (like a web server) over slow or high-latency networks. It uses a local proxy on the user's device and a remote proxy near the server to act as intermediaries. When a user makes a request, the local proxy converts the standard web protocol into a specialized transport protocol, which is more efficient for unreliable connections. The remote proxy receives this, converts it back to standard web protocol to talk to the server, and then compresses or filters the resulting data before sending it back to the device. This process prevents the 'chattiness' of standard web protocols from stalling on slow connections.
The gap
What does this patent NOT cover?
- Does not cover direct connections between a client and server that do not use an intermediate proxy pair.
- Does not cover standard TCP/IP communication that lacks the specific conversion to a script-based transport protocol.
- Does not cover hardware-only solutions that do not involve the software-based proxy translation steps.
- Does not cover modern high-speed cellular protocols (like 5G) that handle latency at the hardware level.
These exclusions are unique to PatentBrief — derived from the actual claim language, not patent-office boilerplate.
Key facts
What made this novel
The innovation lies in 'encapsulating' standard web requests into a custom script transmission, effectively hiding the complexity of the web from the unreliable link between the two proxies.
The Patent Drawing
Schematic visualization of the patent's claim structure. Hand-drawn diagrams in progress for each landmark patent.
Where you've seen this
Real-world examples
Early WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) gateways
Mobile data compression proxies used by early browsers like Opera Mini
Modern enterprise VPNs that optimize traffic for remote workers
Why it matters
The bigger picture
In the mid-90s, the web was built for fast, wired connections. This patent was critical for the early mobile internet, allowing devices with limited processing power and slow modems to load web pages without timing out. It laid the groundwork for how mobile browsers optimize data today.
Filed
March 22, 1996
Granted
September 30, 1997
Market context
Who's building on this
Companies in this space
This technology was developed by Bellcore (Bell Communications Research) and influenced the architecture of early mobile gateways. Today, companies like Cloudflare and various mobile network optimization firms continue to build on the concept of edge-based proxying to speed up content delivery.
Market impact
This patent helped define the architecture for mobile web gateways, a necessary component for the first generation of WAP-enabled phones. It enabled the transition from desktop-only web access to the mobile-first world by solving the fundamental problem of high-latency, low-bandwidth data transmission.
Claim 1 — Plain English
What this patent covers
This patent describes a split proxy system designed to bridge the gap between a client (like a mobile device) and a server (like a web server) over slow or high-latency networks. It uses a local proxy on the user's device and a remote proxy near the server to act as intermediaries. When a user makes a request, the local proxy converts the standard web protocol into a specialized transport protocol, which is more efficient for unreliable connections. The remote proxy receives this, converts it back to standard web protocol to talk to the server, and then compresses or filters the resulting data before sending it back to the device. This process prevents the 'chattiness' of standard web protocols from stalling on slow connections.
The clever bit
The innovation lies in 'encapsulating' standard web requests into a custom script transmission, effectively hiding the complexity of the web from the unreliable link between the two proxies.
What it does not cover
- Does not cover direct connections between a client and server that do not use an intermediate proxy pair.
- Does not cover standard TCP/IP communication that lacks the specific conversion to a script-based transport protocol.
- Does not cover hardware-only solutions that do not involve the software-based proxy translation steps.
- Does not cover modern high-speed cellular protocols (like 5G) that handle latency at the hardware level.
Patent timeline
Application submitted to the patent office
Application published, typically 18 months after filing
Patent officially issued
Patent enters public domain
This patent is in the public domain
See the Freedom to Build guide — what is free to use, what is not, and how to cite this patent.
PatentBrief Score
Impact Score
Strong
Citation count
40/40
Highly cited
Claim breadth
20/20
Very broad protection
Recency
0/20
Older than 20 years
Assignee scale
0/20
Independent or smaller assigneeassigneeThe entity that owns the patent — usually the inventor's employer or a company.Read more →
PatentBrief Impact Score — based on citation count, claim breadth, recency, and assignee scale. Not a legal assessment.
Heuristic Value Estimate
What this patent might be worth
$101K – $323K
Midpoint $202K · expired or expiring · industry ×1.4
Heuristic only — blends forward/backward citation counts, claim scope, time remaining, litigation history, and CPC-derived industry baseline. Real valuations need a professional appraisal.
Claim text not yet imported for this patent
The original legal language
Original claims
32 claims as filed with the patent office.
Concepts involved
Citations
Patent lineage
Cite this patent
Pepe, D. M., Hovey, R. R., Ramirez, G., Kramer, M., White, R. G., Blitzer, L. B., Brockman, J. J., Wang, Y., Cruz, W., Hakim, D. O., Ramaroson, J., & Petr, D. D. (1997). How Early Mobile Devices Accessed the Internet Using Split Proxies (U.S. Patent No. 5,673,322). U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/5673322/system-and-method-for-providing-protocol-translation-and-filtering-to-access-the-world-wide-web-from-wireless-or-low-bandwidth-networks
Auto-generated from the patent record. Double-check author order and the issue date against the official USPTO document before submitting.
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Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
What does How Early Mobile Devices Accessed the Internet Using Split Proxies cover?
A 1996 system that made the early web usable on slow, unreliable wireless connections by using two 'proxy' servers to shrink and simplify data before sending it.
Who owns patent US 5673322?
Bell Communications Research Inc owns this patent, granted in 1997.
When does this patent expire?
This patent has expired and is now in the public domain — anyone can use the invention freely.
What is patent US 5673322 cited by?
This patent has been cited by 546 later patents that build on its ideas.
What problem does this patent solve?
In the mid-90s, the web was built for fast, wired connections. This patent was critical for the early mobile internet, allowing devices with limited processing power and slow modems to load web pages without timing out. It laid the groundwork for how mobile browsers optimize data today.
What does this patent NOT cover?
Does not cover direct connections between a client and server that do not use an intermediate proxy pair.
Patent monitoring