RELAY-SERVER

• US 20080063001A1
• Filed: 09/12/2007
• Published: 03/13/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Original Assignee: Murata Machinery Limited (Muratec)
• Inventors: TANIMOTO, Yoshifumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,472,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/401
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/4633 Interconnection of networks using encapsulation techniques, e.g. tunneling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/2535 Multiple local networks, e.g. resolving potential IP address conflicts
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

A technique of carrying out communications between communication terminals on different LANs while realizing reductions in the burden of account control and suppression in load on a server includes first and second relay servers on first and second LANs issuing a registration request to a SIP-server, respectively. A first communication terminal on the first LAN issues a registration request to the first relay server while a second communication terminal on the second LAN issues a registration request to the second relay server. The first and second relay servers exchange account information about the registered communication terminals with each other. When the first communication terminal generates communication data addressed to the second communication terminal, the first relay server selects the second relay server as a relay based on the exchanged account information to relay the communication data. Then, the second relay server relays the communication data to the second communication terminal.

Claims

1. A relay server comprising:

a first registration section arranged to register therein account information of a communication terminal on a local area network;

a second registration section arranged to register therein account information of the relay server in an external server on a wide area network;

a designating section arranged to designate another relay server registered in the external server to construct a relaying communication session for direct communications with the another relay server;

an exchange section arranged to exchange the account information stored in the first registration section with the another relay server; and

a receiving section arranged to receive from the communication terminal on the local area network a communication request designating an account of another communication terminal to determine a relay server registering therein the designated account from the account information exchanged with the another relay server, and for relaying communication data between the communication terminal and the another communication terminal via the relaying communication session with the relevant relay server.

2. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the exchange section is arranged to store therein the account information of the communication terminal, obtained by the exchange with the another relay terminal, while bringing the account information into correspondence with the account information of the another relay server.

3. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the relay section relays the communication data between the communication terminal and the another communication terminal at an application protocol level higher in order than a TCP/IP.

4. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the first registration section stores therein the account information of the communication terminal and a local IP address of the communication terminal while bringing the account information into correspondence with the local IP address.

5. The relay server according to claim 4, wherein the first registration section also stores therein a password for authentication of the communication terminal.

6. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the second registration section registers the account information of the relay server and a global IP address of the relay server in the external server.

7. The relay server according to claim 6, wherein the second registration section registers therein a password for authentication of the relay server.

8. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the external server is a SIP server.

9. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the exchange section exchanges the account information by a MESSAGE method of a SIP.

10. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the wide area network is the Internet.

11. The relay server according to claim 1, wherein the relaying communication session is a tunneling session.