Multi-user applications in multimedia networks

• US 20020156903A1
• Filed: 01/08/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knut Snorre Bach Corneliussen
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Bach Corneliussen, Knut Snorre
• Granted Patent: US 7,231,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0281 Proxies
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/029 Firewall traversal, e.g. tunnelling or, creating pinholes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/083 using passwords cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The invention provides a solution for alleviating problems related to operation and administration of multi-user application programs, particularly real-time applications, in systems of networked computers by means of a novel feature, implemented as an enhancement of a selected call control protocol, such as the H.323 or SIP protocol. Each client, server, Gatekeeper and optional firewall means of a system according to invention is provided with a specific real-time codec with a common interface adapted to a multimedia call control protocol, such as H.323 or SIP, the codec being adapted to co-operate with each of said means. Thus, for example, each of said client means is allowed to use its data communication protocol of choice without the need for the same data communication protocol choice on the server side of the application.

Claims

1. A system of computers networked by means of the H.323 protocol or the SIP protocol, each of said systems including at least one Gatekeeper means and at least one each of server and client means for operating a client/server multi-user computer application, and, optionally, a firewall means provided with H.323 or SIP proxy, wherein client registration and authorisation in the network are according to registration and authorisation method of H.323 or SIP,

characterised in a user handling database means associated with said Gatekeeper means, and

that each of said Gatekeeper means, server means and client means comprises a real-time codec having a common H.323 or SIP interface, each of said codecs being adapted to co-operate with the respective Gatekeeper means, server means or client means.

2. A method for alleviating problems of operation and administration of multi-user computer application programs in systems of computers networked by means of the H.323 OR SIP protocol, each of said systems including at least one Gatekeeper and at least one each of server and client for operating a client/server multi-user computer application, and, optionally, a firewall provided with H.323 or SIP proxy, said method comprising the steps of client registration and authorisation in the network are according to registration and authorisation method of H.323 or SIP, characterised in that the method further comprises:

initiating, by the client, a call set-up with the server as the destination, thereby exchanging information of ports for receiving data and of whether the communication protocol is TCP or UDP,

checking, by the Gatekeeper, in a user profile obtained from a user handling database associated with said Gatekeeper to determined whether or not the client is allowed to make a call set-up towards the server,

informing, by the Gatekeeper, the client of whether or not that the client is allowed to make the call set-up, and

starting, by the client, a data channel towards the server according to an enhanced H.323 or SIP upon the call set-up for which the client is allowed to make, which enhanced H.323 or SIP is enhanced by an extension supporting a specific codec and is operable on the client and the server, said codec is arranged to be mapped into by a protocol employed by the client and by a protocol employed by the server.

3. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the method further comprises:

transferring, by the client and upon call set-up, data from the client to the server, and vice versa, by means of a selected protocol mapping into the real-time codec.

4. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the method further comprises:

closing, the client and when the session established by the call set-up is over, connections between the client and the server, and

informing the gatekeeper according to corresponding methods of H.323 or SIP.

5. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the client is a game client and the server is a game server.

6. A method according to claim 2, characterised in that the method further comprises:

monitoring , by the gatekeeper, the status of the call set up between the client and the server, and

maintaining a record of the duration of the call.

7. An arrangement for operation and administration of multi-user computer application programs in systems of computers networked by means of the H.323 or SIP protocol, each of said systems including at least one Gatekeeper and at least one each of server and client for operating a client/server multi-user computer application, and, optionally, a firewall provided with H.323 or SIP proxy, wherein client registration and authorisation in the network are performed according to registration and authorisation method of H.323 or SIP,

characterised in that each gatekeeper, client, server and optional firewall element of the system is provided with a co-operating H.323 or SIP protocol enhancement function means comprising a specific real-time codec being adapted to co-operate with a respective Gatekeeper, client, server or optional firewall element.

8. Method of using of a H.323 or SIP telecommunication network arrangement in a computer network game system including a plurality of computer network game clients and at least one respective computer network game server, said server optionally being protected by a computer network firewall, characterised in that the method comprises:

controlling a clients access to the server,

allowing, optionally, undisturbed data communication through the firewall between a server and a respective client,

obtaining data for a clients usage of the server, the data being useful for usage charging, and

handling and recording communication faults and irregularities.

9. A method of providing co-operative real-time operation of a client part and a server part of a client-server real-time computer program application over a computer network, the client and server parts being adapted with a data exchange interface to a standard multimedia computer call control and communication program, characterised in

invoking a client part of a client-server real-time computer program application,

invoking a client call control part of a standard multimedia computer call control and communication program,

invoking a server part of said a client-server real-time computer program application,

invoking a server call control part of said standard multimedia computer call control and communication program, and

effecting a multimedia call from said client call control part to said server call control part, thereby establishing a real-time communication link between the client part of said client-server real-time computer program application and the server part of said client-server real-time computer program application.

10. A method of establishing and running co-operative real-time operation of a client part and a server part of a client-server real-time computer program application over a computer network, the client and server parts being adapted with a data exchange interface to a standard multimedia computer call control and communication program, characterised in:

invoking a client part of a client-server real-time computer program application,

invoking a client call control part of a standard multimedia computer call control and communication program,

invoking a server part of said a client-server real-time computer program application,

invoking a server call control part of said standard multimedia computer call control and communication program,

communicating a setup message from said client call control part to said server call control part,

communicating an accept message from said server call control part to said client call control part,

communicating a media suggestion and control receiver address message from said client call control part to said server call control part,

communicating a media accept and data destination message from said server call control part to said client call control part,

communicating a media suggestion and control receiver address message from said client call control part to said server call control part,

communicating a media accept and data destination message from said server call control part to said client call control part,

communicating a control message, as required by said application program server part, from said application program server part to said application program client part, and communicating data, as specified by said control message, from said application program client part to said application program server part.

11. The method of claim 10, characterised in that communicating the control message and the data message, respectively, is effected by direct message communication between said application program client part and said application program server part.

12. The method of claim 10, characterised in that communicating the control message and the data message between said application program client part and said application program server part, respectively, is effected by communicating said messages via said client call control part and said server call control part.

13. The method of claims 9-12, characterised in that said standard multimedia computer call control and communication program operates according to H.323 or SIP.

14. The method of claims 9-13, characterised in that said client part of a client-server real-time computer program application and said client call control part of said standard multimedia computer call control and communication program operate on a first computer platform, and

that said server part of said a client-server real-time computer program application and said server call control part of said standard multimedia computer call control communication program operate on another computer platform.