SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A VIRTUAL PEER-TO-PEER ENVIRONMENT
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A method for establishing a peer-to-peer session between a real endpoint and a mapped endpoint, wherein the real endpoint is a first device configured to directly access a peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:
- receiving, by a shadow server, a login request from the mapped endpoint, wherein the mapped endpoint is a second device that lacks the functionality needed to directly access the peer-to-peer network;
creating, by the shadow server, a virtual endpoint corresponding to the mapped endpoint;
receiving, by the virtual endpoint, authentication information from the mapped endpoint, wherein the authentication information is needed to gain access to the peer-to-peer network by the virtual endpoint;
sending, by the virtual endpoint, the authentication information to an access server in the peer-to-peer network to log the virtual endpoint into the network;
receiving, by the virtual endpoint, a message from the mapped endpoint that is to be sent to the real endpoint; and
sending, by the virtual endpoint, the message directly to the real endpoint, wherein all communications between the mapped endpoint and the real endpoint pass through the virtual endpoint.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
An improved system and method are disclosed for peer-to-peer communications. In one example, the method enables the creation of a virtual endpoint that may operate within a peer-to-peer network to represent a device that is unable to operate as an endpoint.
129 Citations
20 Claims
-
1. A method for establishing a peer-to-peer session between a real endpoint and a mapped endpoint, wherein the real endpoint is a first device configured to directly access a peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:
-
receiving, by a shadow server, a login request from the mapped endpoint, wherein the mapped endpoint is a second device that lacks the functionality needed to directly access the peer-to-peer network; creating, by the shadow server, a virtual endpoint corresponding to the mapped endpoint; receiving, by the virtual endpoint, authentication information from the mapped endpoint, wherein the authentication information is needed to gain access to the peer-to-peer network by the virtual endpoint; sending, by the virtual endpoint, the authentication information to an access server in the peer-to-peer network to log the virtual endpoint into the network; receiving, by the virtual endpoint, a message from the mapped endpoint that is to be sent to the real endpoint; and sending, by the virtual endpoint, the message directly to the real endpoint, wherein all communications between the mapped endpoint and the real endpoint pass through the virtual endpoint. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
-
-
12. A method for communicating in a peer-to-peer network using a virtual endpoint comprising:
-
creating a first virtual endpoint on a shadow server in the peer-to-peer network, wherein the first virtual endpoint represents a mapped endpoint in the peer-to-peer network, and wherein the mapped endpoint corresponds to a first device that is unable to communicate directly with the peer-to-peer network because the first device is accessible only through a third party system that does not communicate directly over the peer-to-peer network; authenticating the first virtual endpoint with the peer-to-peer network, wherein the authentication establishes the first virtual endpoint as present on the peer-to-peer network; receiving, by the first virtual endpoint, a first message from the mapped endpoint to send to at least one of a second virtual endpoint and a real endpoint, wherein the real endpoint is a device configured to directly access the peer-to-peer network; and sending, by the first virtual endpoint, the first message directly to the at least one of the second virtual endpoint and real endpoint. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
-
-
18. A system comprising:
-
a shadow server for use with a peer-to-peer network, the shadow server having a network interface configured to communicate with the peer-to-peer network, a processor coupled to the network interface, and a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory includes a plurality of instructions for execution by the processor, the instructions including instructions for a virtual endpoint management module (VEMM); and a plurality of virtual endpoints existing in the memory, wherein each of the virtual endpoints is instantiated in the memory by the VEMM in response to a request received by a mapped endpoint in a third party system that is incompatible with the peer-to-peer network, and wherein each of the virtual endpoints represents a corresponding mapped endpoint in the peer-to-peer network and is configured to enable the corresponding mapped endpoint to access the peer-to-peer network. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
-
Specification