Peer-to-peer data relay

• US 20050108427A1
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Published: 05/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Datta, Glen Van
• Granted Patent: US 7,792,988 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1055 involving connection limits involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections H04L67/1085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for relaying data in a peer-to-peer network. In one implementation, a wireless device includes: an antenna; a wireless communication interface connected to said antenna and supporting wireless communication across a wireless connection provided by said antenna; storage supporting storing data; and a controller connected to said wireless interface and to said storage, supporting an application service, a message service, and a relay service for relay messages; wherein said application service provides execution and management of one or more application programs accessible by said controller using application data stored in said storage, said message service provides building messages and processing received messages, and said relay service provides building a new relay message indicating a selected recipient to which the wireless device does not have a direct wireless connection, sending a built new relay message, and sending a received relay message that indicates a recipient other than the wireless device.

Claims

1. A wireless device, comprising:

an antenna;

a wireless communication interface connected to said antenna and supporting wireless communication across a wireless connection provided by said antenna;

storage supporting storing data; and

a controller connected to said wireless interface and to said storage, supporting an application service, a message service, and a relay service for relay messages;

wherein said application service provides execution and management of one or more application programs accessible by said controller using application data stored in said storage,

said message service provides building messages and processing received messages, and

said relay service provides building a new relay message indicating a selected recipient to which the wireless device does not have a direct wireless connection, sending a built new relay message, and sending a received relay message that indicates a recipient other than the wireless device.

2. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein:

said controller also supports a recipient selection service,

said recipient selection service provides building a list of at least one recipient, and selecting a recipient from said list, and

said selected recipient used by said relay service in building a new relay message is a recipient selected by said recipient selection service.

3. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein:

said recipient selection service provides sending said list to a requesting device.

4. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein:

said recipient selection service supports building said list using propagation.

5. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein:

said recipient selection service responds to a map request from another device by sending a request to at least one other device.

6. The wireless device of claim 5, wherein:

said map request indicates a hop count, and

said recipient selection service does not send said request if said hop count has reached a threshold.

7. The wireless device of claim 5, wherein:

said map request indicates a network identifier, and

said recipient selection service does not send said network identifier does not match an identifier stored by the wireless device.

8. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein:

said recipient selection service periodically updates said list.

9. The wireless device of claim 2, wherein:

said recipient selection service updates said list using one or more update rules.

10. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein:

said controller also supports a recipient selection service,

said recipient selection service provides building a map of at least one recipient and connections among said at least one recipient and the wireless device, and selecting a recipient from said map, and

said selected recipient used by said relay service in building a new relay message is a recipient selected by said recipient selection service.

11. The wireless device of claim 10, wherein:

said built new relay message also indicates at least one intermediary recipient providing an indirect connection between said selected recipient and the wireless device.

12. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein:

said selected recipient used by said relay service in building a new relay message is selected from a list provided by a server.

13. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein:

at least one of said one or more application programs executed and managed by said application service is a game application program.

14. The wireless device of claim 1, wherein:

said wireless interface is a Wi-Fi interface.

15. A network device, comprising:

a network communication interface supporting network communication across a network connection;

storage supporting storing data; and

a controller connected to said network interface and to said storage, supporting an application service, a message service, and a relay service for relay messages;

wherein said application service provides execution and management of one or more application programs accessible by said controller using application data stored in said storage,

said message service provides building messages and processing received messages, and

said relay service provides building a new relay message indicating a selected recipient to which the network device does not have a direct connection, sending a built new relay message, and sending a received relay message that indicates a recipient other than the network device.

16. The network device of claim 15, wherein:

said controller also supports a recipient selection service,

said recipient selection service provides building a list of at least one recipient, and selecting a recipient from said list, and

said selected recipient used by said relay service in building a new relay message is a recipient selected by said recipient selection service.

17. The network device of claim 15, wherein:

said controller also supports a recipient selection service,

said recipient selection service provides building a map of at least one recipient and connections among said at least one recipient and the network device, and selecting a recipient from said map, and

said selected recipient used by said relay service in building a new relay message is a recipient selected by said recipient selection service.

18. The network device of claim 17, wherein:

said built new relay message also indicates at least one intermediary recipient providing an indirect connection between said selected recipient and the network device.

19. The network device of claim 15, wherein:

said selected recipient used by said relay service in building a new relay message is selected from a list provided by a server.

20. The network device of claim 15, wherein:

at least one of said one or more application programs executed and managed by said application service is a game application program.

21. A wireless game device, comprising:

an antenna;

a wireless communication interface connected to said antenna and supporting wireless communication across a wireless connection provided by said antenna;

storage supporting storing data;

a media interface connected to said storage supporting reading a game application program from removable media provided to said media interface; and

a controller connected to said wireless interface, to said storage, and to said media interface, supporting an application service, a message service, a relay service for relay messages, and a recipient selection service;

wherein said application service provides execution and management of one or more game application programs accessible by said controller using application data stored in said storage,

said message service provides building messages and processing received messages, and

said relay service provides building a new relay message indicating a selected recipient to which the wireless game device does not have a direct wireless connection, sending a built new relay message, and sending a received relay message that indicates a recipient other than the wireless game device,

said recipient selection service provides building a map of at least one recipient and connections among said at least one recipient and the wireless game device, and selecting a recipient from said map,

said selected recipient used by said relay service in building a new relay message is a recipient selected by said recipient selection service, and

said wireless interface is a Wi-Fi interface.

22. A method of sending a relay message, comprising:

selecting a recipient device for a relay message at a sending device;

building said relay message, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating said selected recipient device;

sending said relay message to at least one local device through a wireless interface;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to each of said at least one local device, and

said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

building a list of at least one recipient device;

wherein said selecting a recipient device includes selecting a recipient device from said list.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein:

said building a list of at least one recipient device includes receiving a list of at least one device from a server.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein:

said building a list of at least one recipient device includes sending a list request to at least one local device.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

building a map of at least one recipient device and connections among said at least one recipient device and said sending device;

wherein said selecting a recipient device includes selecting a recipient device from said map.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein:

said building a map of at least one recipient device includes receiving a map from a server.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein:

said building a map of at least one recipient device includes sending a map request to at least one local device.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein:

sending said relay message includes broadcasting said relay message through said wireless interface.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein:

said relay message includes path information indicating at least one intermediary device between said sending device and said selected recipient device.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein:

said relay message indicates multiple recipient devices.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

checking a local device list indicating at least one local device to determine whether said selected recipient device is a local device.

33. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

said relay message includes game application data.

34. A method of sending a relay message, comprising:

receiving a relay message from a sending device through a wireless interface at a relaying device, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating a recipient device and includes application data for an application program;

checking said relay message to determine whether said relaying device is said recipient device;

checking a local device list indicating at least one local device to determine whether said recipient device is a local device;

if said recipient device is a local device, sending said relay message from said relaying device to said recipient device through said wireless interface; and

if said recipient device is not a local device, sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device included in said local device list through said wireless interface;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to said relaying device,

said relaying device has a direct connection to each local device indicated in said local device list, and

said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein:

sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device includes broadcasting said relay message through said wireless interface.

36. The method of claim 34, wherein:

sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device includes sending said relay message to each local device in said local device list except said sending device.

37. The method of claim 34, wherein:

said relaying device does not send said relay message if said relaying device has already sent said relay message.

38. The method of claim 34, wherein:

said relay message indicates a path including at least one intermediary device, and

sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device includes sending said relay message to an intermediary device indicated by said path.

39. The method of claim 34, wherein:

said application data is game application data.

40. The method of claim 34, wherein:

said relaying device is not executing a local copy of said application program corresponding to said application data included in said relay message.

41. The method of claim 34, wherein:

said relaying device is executing a local copy of an application that is different from said application program corresponding to said application data included in said relay message.

42. A system for sending a relay message, comprising:

means for selecting a recipient device for a relay message at a sending device;

means for building said relay message, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating said selected recipient device;

means for sending said relay message to at least one local device through a wireless interface;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to each of said at least one local device, and

said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.

43. A computer program, stored on a tangible storage medium, for use in sending a relay message, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

select a recipient device for a relay message at a sending device;

build said relay message, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating said selected recipient device;

send said relay message to at least one local device through a wireless interface;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to each of said at least one local device, and

said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.

44. A system for sending a relay message, comprising:

means for receiving a relay message from a sending device through a wireless interface at a relaying device, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating a recipient device and includes application data for an application program;

means for checking said relay message to determine whether said relaying device is said recipient device;

means for checking a local device list indicating at least one local device to determine whether said recipient device is a local device;

means for sending said relay message from said relaying device to said recipient device through said wireless interface if said recipient device is a local device; and

means for sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device included in said local device list through said wireless interface if said recipient device is not a local device;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to said relaying device,

said relaying device has a direct connection to each local device indicated in said local device list, and

said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.

45. A computer program, stored on a tangible storage medium, for use in sending a relay message, the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

process a relay message received from a sending device through a wireless interface at a relaying device, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating a recipient device and includes application data for an application program;

check said relay message to determine whether said relaying device is said recipient device;

check a local device list indicating at least one local device to determine whether said recipient device is a local device;

if said recipient device is a local device, send said relay message from said relaying device to said recipient device through said wireless interface; and

if said recipient device is not a local device, send said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device included in said local device list through said wireless interface;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to said relaying device,

said relaying device has a direct connection to each local device indicated in said local device list, and

said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.