System and method for shared session appearance in a hybrid peer-to-peer environment

• US 10,506,036 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2017
• Issued: 12/10/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Inventors: Chaturvedi, Sivakumar, Gundabathula, Satish, Chaturvedi, Rameshkumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Korsak, Oleg
• Application Number:
  US15/853,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20180139277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 718 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/403 Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1061 using node-based peer discovery mechanisms static access to replicated servers H04L67/1006; service discovery H04L67/51
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/155 involving storage of or access to video conference sessions tracking arrangements for later retrieval of a computer conference content or participants activities H04L12/1831

Abstract

An improved system and method are disclosed for peer-to-peer communications. In one example, the method enables the joining and/or recording of an ongoing peer-to-peer communication session in real time.

Claims

1. A method for receiving, by a first endpoint, communications in an ongoing peer-to-peer communication session between a second endpoint and a third endpoint in a hybrid peer-to-peer network comprising:

sending, by the first endpoint, a first request to an access server in the hybrid peer-to-peer network, wherein the first request includes information that enables the access server to identify a session entry corresponding to the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session from a plurality of session entries corresponding to a plurality of communication sessions;

receiving, by the first endpoint, a response to the first request from the access server;

sending, by the first endpoint, a second request to a media server, wherein the second request includes information that enables the media server to identify a recording session corresponding to the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session from a plurality of recording sessions corresponding to a plurality of communication sessions, wherein each recording session includes communications sent to the media server for recording by at least one endpoint in each of the plurality of communication sessions as a separate stream from the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session; and

receiving, by the first endpoint via the media server, peer-to-peer communications from the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session between the second and third endpoints.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

establishing, by the first endpoint, a communication leg directly with the second endpoint; and

sending, by the first endpoint, outbound communications from the first endpoint directly to the second endpoint.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising:

sending, by the first endpoint, a request to the second endpoint for the first endpoint to join in the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session; and

receiving, by the first endpoint, an approval of the request from the second endpoint, wherein the communication leg is established only after the approval is received.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the first endpoint, a request from the second endpoint for the first endpoint to join in the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session; and

sending, by the first endpoint, an approval of the request to the second endpoint, wherein the communication leg is established only after the approval is sent.

5. The method of claim 2, further comprising requesting, by the first endpoint, that the second endpoint provide a bridge between the first endpoint and the third endpoint for communications sent by the first endpoint via the communication leg.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

sending, by the first endpoint, a third request to the media server, wherein the third request includes information indicating that the first endpoint intends to begin recording the outbound communications from the first endpoint and information that enables the media server to prepare to record the outbound communications from the first endpoint;

receiving, by the first endpoint, a response to the third request by the media server indicating that the media server is prepared to receive the outbound communications from the first endpoint; and

sending, by the first endpoint, the outbound communications to the media server in addition to sending the outbound communications to the second endpoint.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising sending, by the first endpoint, a fourth request to the access server, wherein the fourth request includes information indicating that the first endpoint intends to begin recording the outbound communications from the first endpoint.

8. The method of claim 6, further comprising receiving, by the first endpoint, a message from the second endpoint instructing the first endpoint to initiate the recording of the outbound communications from the first endpoint.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

receiving, by the first endpoint, a permission request from the second endpoint, wherein the permission request requires approval by the first endpoint before the first endpoint initiates the recording of the outbound communications from the first endpoint; and

approving, by the first endpoint, the permission request prior sending the third request to the media server.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving, by the first endpoint, a permission request from the second endpoint, wherein the permission request requires approval by the first endpoint before the second endpoint initiates recording of the outbound communications from the first endpoint; and

sending, by the first endpoint, one of an approval message and a rejection message to the second endpoint in response to the permission request.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the first endpoint, a notification message directly to the second endpoint indicating that the first endpoint is receiving the peer-to-peer communications from the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session between the second endpoint and the third endpoint.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting, by the first endpoint, a unique identifier into at least one of the first and second requests, wherein the unique identifier distinguishes the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session from a plurality of other communication sessions within the hybrid peer-to-peer network.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising inserting, by the first endpoint, a playback start time into the second request, wherein the playback start time indicates a time in the recording session corresponding to the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session at which to begin sending communications corresponding to the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session from the media server to the first endpoint.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the playback start time indicates that only communications that correspond to the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session and are currently being received by the media server are to be sent to the first endpoint.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the playback start time is prior to a current time.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

extracting from the response from the access server, by the first endpoint, information indicating that the third endpoint is involved in the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session; and

inserting, by the first endpoint, the information indicating that the third endpoint is involved in the ongoing peer-to-peer communication session into the second request.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending, by the first endpoint, the first and second requests to a single network address within the hybrid peer-to-peer network.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the first endpoint does not communicate with either of the second and third endpoints to receive the peer-to-peer communications.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of recording sessions are stored on the media server.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes a network address for the media server.