COMMUNICATIONS ADAPTABLE TO MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20120206557A1
• Filed: 02/14/2012
• Published: 08/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Masque Publishing, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Masque Publishing, Inc.
• Inventors: Ridges, John C., Wisler, James M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,838,722 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.02
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/406 Transmission via wireless network, e.g. pager or GSM
• 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: G07F 17/3223 Architectural aspects of a gaming system, e.g. internal configuration, master/slave, wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1051 Group master selection mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4781 Games
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/15 Conference systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/00 Supervisory, monitoring or testing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/20 Master-slave selection or change arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/182 Network node acting on behalf of an other network entity, e.g. proxy

Abstract

A communication system is provided that is preferably a peer-to-peer (p2p) system. One or both of audio and video can be transferred among user terminals in the p2p system. The user terminals can include at least one master terminal, which could be an unhosted master terminal that does not communicate its own audio and/or video. In one embodiment, a first master terminal is included that controls video and/or audio, transfers and an unhosted second master terminal is provided that communicates with at least two user terminals to provide desired connectivity involving such user terminals. In another embodiment, an unhosted master terminal is provided when the user terminals include mobile terminals in order to avoid power usage by mobile terminals. This communication system can be utilized with online game playing in which a game server is included, as well as having other communication applications.

Claims

1. A method for communicating at least voice, comprising:

providing a plurality of user terminals including a number of mobile terminals, said plurality of user terminals being part of a network being established; and

determining whether to use a master terminal, different than said plurality of user terminals, depending on at least said number of mobile terminals.

2. A method of claim 1, wherein said number of mobile terminals is greater than a predetermined number and all of said plurality of user terminals are mobile terminals and said method further includes using said master terminal.

3. A method of claim 1, wherein said number of mobile terminals is less than a pre-established number and all of said plurality of user terminals are mobile terminals and in which said master terminal is not used.

4. A method of claim 3, wherein said pre-established number is five.

5. A method of claim 1, wherein said plurality of user terminals includes at least one non-mobile terminal and said determining includes not using said master terminal that is different than said plurality of user terminals.

6. A method of claim 1, wherein each of said plurality of user terminals provides at least voice to said master terminal and voice, if any, associated with said master terminal is not provided to any of said plurality of user terminals.

7. A method of claim 2, further including, after using said master terminal, continuing said network and using said master terminal as a topology manager while having said mobile terminals fully interconnected with each other.

8. A method of claim 1, wherein said network includes a peer-to-peer system.

9. A method of claim 1, wherein said providing includes ascertaining that said plurality of user terminals includes said number of mobile terminals.

10. A method for communicating at least voice, comprising:

providing a plurality of user terminals that are included in a peer-to-peer system being established; and

ascertaining whether said plurality of user terminals includes at least one mobile terminal.

11. A method of claim 10, further including using a master terminal different than said plurality of user terminals.

12. A method of claim 11, further including using said master terminal when all of said plurality of user terminals are mobile terminals.

13. A method of claim 12, wherein said mobile terminals are greater than a predetermined number.

14. A method of claim 11, wherein each of said plurality of user terminals provides at least voice to said master terminal and voice, if any, associated with said master terminal is not provided to any of said plurality of user terminals.

15. A method of claim 10, further including using a non-mobile user terminal as a master terminal when said plurality of said user terminals includes at least said non-mobile user terminal.

16. A peer-to-peer system for communicating one or both of voice and video, comprising:

a plurality of user terminals that are used in establishing a particular peer-to-peer system; and

at least a first master terminal, different than said plurality of user terminals being included with said peer-to-peer system;

wherein said first master terminal is communicably connected to less than all of said plurality of user terminals and does not communicate at least its own audio, if any, while each of said plurality of user terminals does communicate at least its own audio.

17. A system of claim 16, wherein said plurality of user terminals includes a second master terminal and a first slave that communicates audio thereof to said first master terminal and in which said first master terminal communicates said audio of said first slave to said second master terminal.

18. A system of claim 17, wherein said first master terminal is an unhosted master terminal and said second master terminal is not an unhosted master terminal with said second master terminal communicating its own audio to said first slave using said first master terminal.

19. A system of claim 17, wherein said plurality of user terminals includes a number of mobile terminals, with at least some of said number of mobile terminals communicating directly with said second master terminal.

20. A system of claim 16, wherein said plurality of user terminals includes a second master terminal and a first slave and a second slave, and in which said first slave communicates its own audio to said first master terminal and said first master terminal communicates said first slave audio to said second master terminal and said second slave communicates its own audio to said second master terminal.

21. A system of claim 16, wherein a determination is made by said peer-to-peer system that at least one of said plurality of user terminals is a mobile terminal.

22. A system of claim 21, wherein said peer-to-peer system determines that all of said plurality of user terminals are mobile terminals and said first master terminal receives audio from each of said plurality of user terminals.

23. A system of claim 22, wherein said plurality of user terminals is at least a predetermined number.