PERVASIVE REALTIME FRAMEWORK

• US 20100142542A1
• Filed: 12/04/2009
• Published: 06/10/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Social Communications Company
• Inventors: Almaier, Joseph, Van Wie, David
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,656 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/400
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/02 Standardisation; Integration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1073 Registration or de-registration
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4015 where at least one of the additional parallel sessions is real time or time sensitive, e.g. white board sharing, collaboration or spawning of a subconference
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

A pervasive realtime framework supports the execution of realtime software applications with high-level functions that significantly reduce the effort and time needed to develop realtime software applications in a new operating environment paradigm in which realtime connections between network nodes are pervasive. The pervasive realtime framework handles the complex tasks of connecting to communicants, virtual areas, and other network resources, as well as switching those connections in response to user inputs and thereby enables software application developers to focus on developing high-level realtime software application functionality.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

determining an instance of a virtual area based on a designation of the virtual area in a connection rule associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file;

ascertaining one or more network nodes associated with the instance of the virtual area; and

initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with at least one of the network nodes in a context defined by the instance of the virtual area.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, the ascertaining, and the initiating are performed on a computer in a computer operating system implemented method of invoking the software application.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising in the computer operating system implemented method, instantiating one or more objects comprising one or more methods that perform operations comprising executing the software application.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the executing comprises loading at least one executable of the software application into memory, preparing the executable for execution, and executing the prepared executable.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, the ascertaining, and the initiating are performed on a computer in a computer operating system implemented method of opening the computer data file.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising in the computer operating system implemented method, instantiating one or more objects comprising one or more methods that perform operations comprising opening the computer data file with an associated software application.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the opening comprises identifying the associated software application based on an association of the software application with a filename extension associated with the computer data file, and executing the associated software application to open the computer data file.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, the ascertaining, and the initiating are performed on a computer by an implementation of an application programming interface (API) in response to at least one invocation of the API.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising, in response to the at least one invocation of the API, instantiating one or more objects comprising one or more methods that perform operations comprising the determining, the ascertaining, and the initiating.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises invoking one or more connection objects that are associated with at least one of the software application and the computer data file, and each of the connection objects comprises a respective set of one or more connection rules.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the invoking comprises querying a database comprising one or more records each of which associates at least one of the software application and the computer data file with at least one of the connection objects.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the querying comprises querying the database with a query comprising an identifier of at least one of the software application and the computer data file.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the query further comprises a definition of position with respect to at least one of the software application and the computer data file.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises querying a database that indexes the connection rule by position with respect to at least one of the software application and the computer data file.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection rule is associated with a definition of at least one respective section in an interaction space defined with respect to at least one of the software application and the computer data file, and the initiating comprises initiating the transfer of one or more realtime data streams with one or more of the network nodes in accordance with the connection rule and a specified position in the interaction space.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving a definition of a current focus of a user with respect to the interaction space, wherein

the determining comprises determining the connection rule based at least in part on the current focus in relation to the at least one section in the interaction space,

to the ascertaining comprises ascertaining one or more of the network nodes associated with the current focus, and

the initiating comprises initiating respective transfers of realtime data streams with one or more of the network nodes that are ascertained to be associated with the current focus in accordance with the one or more connection rules that are determined to be associated with the is current focus.

17. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises passing the virtual area designation to a network infrastructure service that is operable to at least in part resolve the virtual area designation to a definition of the virtual area instance.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection rule additionally comprises a connection target designation of one or more connection targets, and the ascertaining comprises resolving the designation to a respective connection handle of at least one of the one or more network nodes.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the resolving comprises passing the connection target designation to a network infrastructure service that manages distribution of connection handles of the one or more network nodes.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the connection target designation comprises at least one of information identifying a single communicant, information identifying a group of communicants, and a definition of a role associated with at least one communicant.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the ascertaining comprises declaring to a network infrastructure service an intention to enter the virtual area and receiving from the network infrastructure service a list of ones of the network nodes associated with objects in the virtual area.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the connection rule additionally comprises one or more connection conditions, and further comprising establishing the at least one network connection in response to a respective determination that the one or more connection conditions are satisfied.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the connection rule comprises a connection condition restricting when the establishing is permitted.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the connection rule comprises a condition restricting the establishing to network nodes meeting specified resource requirements.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the connection rule comprises a condition restricting the establishing to network nodes meeting specified node configuration requirements.

26. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the connection rules comprises a condition restricting the establishing to network nodes meeting specified network node location requirements.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein at least one of the connection rules comprises a condition restricting the establishing to times meeting specified connection target availability requirements.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising processing the realtime data stream into a human-perceptible output.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising scheduling at least one task performed in the processing based at least in part on a measured performance of the processing in relation to a performance target.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining, the ascertaining, and the initiating are performed on at least one computer.

31. At least one computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

determining an instance of a virtual area based on a designation of the virtual area in a connection rule associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file;

ascertaining one or more network nodes associated with the instance of the virtual area; and

initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with at least one of the network nodes in a context defined by the instance of the virtual area.

32. Apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processing unit coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

determining an instance of a virtual area based on a designation of the virtual area in a connection rule associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file,

ascertaining one or more network nodes associated with the instance of the virtual area, and

initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with at least one of the network nodes in a context defined by the instance of the virtual area.

33. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

resolving a designation of at least one connection target in a connection rule associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file to at least one respective network node connection handle; and

initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with at least one network node respectively associated with the at least one respective network node connection handle.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining, the ascertaining, and the initiating are performed on a computer in a computer operating system implemented method of invoking the software application.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining, the ascertaining, and the initiating are performed on a computer in a computer operating system implemented method of opening the data file.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein the resolving and the initiating are performed on a on a computer by an implementation of an application programming interface (API) in response to at least one invocation of the API.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising, in response to the at least one invocation of the API, instantiating one or more objects comprising one or more methods that perform operations comprising the resolving and the initiating.

38. The method of claim 33, wherein the initiating is performed in a context defined by a virtual area associated with at least one of the software application and the computer data file.

39. The method of claim 33, wherein the determining comprises querying a database that comprises the connection rule indexed by position with respect to at least one of the software application and the computer data file.

40. The method of claim 33, wherein the connection rule is associated with a definition of at least one respective section in an interaction space defined with respect to at least one of the software application and the computer data file, and the initiating comprises initiating the transfer of one or more realtime data streams with one or more of the network nodes in accordance with the connection rule and a specified position in the interaction space.

41. The method of claim 33, wherein the resolving comprises passing the connection target designation to a network infrastructure service that manages distribution of connection handles for the one or more network nodes, and receiving the at least one respective network node connection handle from the network infrastructure service.

42. The method of claim 33, wherein the connection target designation comprises at least one of information identifying a single communicant, information identifying a group of communicants, and a definition of a role associated with at least one communicant.

43. The method of claim 33, wherein the connection rule additionally comprises one or more connection conditions, and further comprising establishing the at least one network connection in response to a respective determination that the one or more connection conditions are satisfied.

44. At least one computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising:

resolving a designation of at least one connection target in a connection rule associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file to at least one respective network node connection handle; and

initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with at least one network node respectively associated with the at least one respective network node connection handle.

45. Apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processing unit coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

resolving a designation of at least one connection target in a connection rule associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file to at least one respective network node connection handle, and

initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with at least one network node respectively associated with the at least one respective network node connection handle.

46. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

publishing an application programming interface (API) declaring functions that perform operations comprising administering network connections of realtime data streams based on connection rules each of which comprises at least one of a respective designation of a virtual area and a respective designation of one or more connection targets that are associated with the virtual area; and

to in response to an invocation of the API, administering a realtime data stream connection with at least one network node based on a respective one of the connection rules associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file and at least one position in the virtual area.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein the administering is performed in response to an invocation of the API by the software application and is based on a connection rule associated with at least one of the software application and a computer data file on which the software application is operable.

48. The method of claim 46, wherein the administering is performed in response to an invocation of the API by a loader operating system component that performs operations comprising loading at least one executable of software application into memory, preparing the executable for execution, and executing the prepared executable.

49. The method of claim 46, wherein the administering is performed in response to an invocation of the API by a file manager operating system component that performs operations comprising opening a computer data file.

50. The method of claim 46, wherein the administering comprises initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over the realtime data stream connection and processing the realtime data stream.

51. The method of claim 50, wherein the administering comprises determining an instance of the virtual area based on a designation of the virtual area in the respective connection rule, ascertaining one or more network nodes associated with the virtual area instance, and initiating transfer of the realtime data stream in a context defined by the instance of the virtual area.

52. The method of claim 50, wherein the administering comprises resolving a designation of at least one connection target in the respective connection rule to at least one respective network node connection handle, and initiating transfer of the realtime data stream with a network node associated with the at least one respective network node connection handle.

53. The method of claim 50, wherein the processing comprises processing the realtime data stream through a driver providing an interface with a computer hardware apparatus.

54. The method of claim 50, further comprising scheduling at least one task performed in the processing based at least in part on a measured performance of the processing in relation to a performance target.

55. The method of claim 50, wherein the publishing and the administering of the realtime data stream connection are performed on at least one computer.

56. At least one computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising, comprising:

publishing an application programming interface (API) declaring functions that perform operations comprising administering network connections of realtime data streams based on connection rules each of which comprises at least one of a respective designation of a virtual area and a respective designation of one or more connection targets that are associated with the virtual area; and

in response to an invocation of the API, administering a realtime data stream connection with at least one network node based on a respective one of the connection rules associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file and at least one position in the virtual area.

57. Apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processing unit coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

publishing an application programming interface (API) declaring functions that perform operations comprising administering network connections of realtime data streams based on connection rules each of which comprises at least one of a respective designation of a virtual area and a respective designation of one or more connection targets that are associated with the virtual area, and

in response to an invocation of the API, administering a realtime data stream connection with at least one network node based on a respective one of the connection rules associated with at least one of a software application and a computer data file and at least one position in the virtual area.

58. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

invoking an application programming interface (API) with a call that establishes a network connection with at least one connection target in a context defined by an instance of a virtual area based on a connection rule that is associated with at least one of a software application and a data file on which the software application is operable and that comprises a respective designation of the virtual area and a respective designation of one or more connection targets associated with the virtual area;

invoking the API with a call that initiates transfer of at least one realtime data stream with the connection target over the network connection based on position in the virtual area instance; and

rendering a human-perceptible output derived from the realtime data stream.

59. The method of claim 58, wherein the invoking is performed by the software application.

60. At least one computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform operations comprising, comprising, comprising:

invoking an application programming interface (API) with a call that establishes a network connection with at least one connection target in a context defined by an instance of a virtual area based on a connection rule that is associated with at least one of a software application and a data file on which the software application is operable and that comprises a respective designation of the virtual area and a respective designation of one or more connection targets associated with the virtual area;

invoking the API with a call that initiates transfer of at least one realtime data stream with the connection target over the network connection based on position in the virtual area instance; and

rendering a human-perceptible output derived from the realtime data stream.

61. Apparatus, comprising:

a computer-readable memory storing computer-readable instructions; and

a data processing unit coupled to the memory, operable to execute the instructions, and based at least in part on the execution of the instructions operable to perform operations comprising

invoking an application programming interface (API) with a call that establishes a network connection with at least one connection target in a context defined by an instance of a virtual area based on a connection rule that is associated with at least one of a software application and a data file on which the software application is operable and that comprises a respective designation of the virtual area and a respective designation of one or more connection targets associated with the virtual area;

invoking the API with a call that initiates transfer of at least one realtime data stream with the connection target over the network connection based on position in the virtual area instance; and

rendering a human-perceptible output derived from the realtime data stream.

62. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

in response to an application programming interface (API) call comprising a definition of position in at least one of a software application and a computer data file,

determining a connection rule associated with the position definition and comprising a designation of a virtual area,

establishing a session with a network infrastructure service hosting an instance of the virtual area and publishing state data describing a current state of the virtual area instance,

subscribing to the state data, and

rendering a human-perceptible view of the state data.

63. The method of claim 62, further comprising declaring to the network infrastructure service an intention to enter the virtual area instance.

64. The method of claim 63, further comprising initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with at least one realtime data stream source respectively associated with at least one object in the virtual area.

65. The method of claim 64, further comprising processing the least one realtime data stream in accordance with at least one stream handling definition in a specification of the virtual area instance.

66. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

in response to an application programming interface (API) call comprising a definition of position in at least one of a software application and a computer data file,

determining a connection rule associated with the position definition and comprising a designation of at least one connection target.

establishing a session with a network infrastructure service that manages distribution of connection handles for network nodes.

declaring to the network infrastructure service an intention to connect to one or more of the connection targets designated in the connection object,

receiving from the network infrastructure service at least one respective network node connection handle, and

initiating transfer of at least one realtime data stream over at least one network connection with a network node associated with the at least one respective network node connection handle.

67. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

in response to an application programming interface (API) call comprising a definition of position in at least one of a software application and a computer data file,

determining a connection rule associated with the position definition and comprising a designation of at least one connection target,

establishing a session with a network infrastructure service that manages exchange of presence data between network nodes, and

declaring to the network infrastructure service an intention to export presence data comprising the definition of position to at least one of the network nodes respectively corresponding to the at least one connection target.