Object-oriented method for matching clients together with servers according to attributes included in join request

• US 5,828,843 A
• Filed: 03/20/1997
• Issued: 10/27/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mpath Interactive, Inc. (Palktalk.com)
• Inventors: Samuel, Daniel J., Wolf, Michael A., Grimm, Stephen M., Rothschild, Jeffrey J.
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUNG C
• Application Number:
  US08/822,289
• Time in Patent Office: 586 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.34, 395/200.56, 395/200.57, 395/200.58, 395/200.78, 395/200.35, 395/200.36, 395/200.37, 395/200.5, 395/200.52, 395/200.53, 395/200.54, 395/200.55, 395/200.68, 395/200.69, 395/200.33, 463/42
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/513 server hierarchy, e.g. local, regional, national or dedicated for different tasks, e.g. authenticating, billing
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5566 by matching opponents or finding partners to build a team, e.g. by skill level, geographical area, background, play style
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5027 the resource being a machine, e.g. CPUs, Servers, Terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5044 considering hardware capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/00 Arrangements for monitoring or testing data switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0829 Packet loss
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0852 Delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0864 Round trip delays
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0876 Network utilisation, e.g. volume of load or congestion level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0882 Utilisation of link capacity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/0888 Throughput
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

A network match making system and method is used to match users of a multi-user networked application. Each user is associated with a client computer connected to the network. Clients are selected based on attributes of their users, the clients, servers, and/or communication links. The network match maker works with three different forms of network applications: peer-to-peer, multiple clients to a single server, and multiple clients to multiple servers. In one late server binding method, a set of computer objects is created. The set of computer objects has a plurality of client instances of client computer programs together with a server instance of a server computer program selected from a set of server instances. A match maker receives from a first client instance a first request to be joined into the set of computer objects. The first request has first client attributes associated with the first client instance. The match maker selects a first server subset of the set of server instances in response to the first request based on the first client attributes and creates the set of computer objects consisting of the first client instance. The match maker augments the set of computer objects with a second client instance of a client computer program. In particular, the match maker receives from the second client instance a second request to be joined into the set of computer objects. The second request has second client attributes associated with the second client instance. The match maker removes a second server subset from the first server subset in response to the second request based on the second client attributes and adds the second client instance to the set of computer objects. Finally, a member of the second server subset is added to the set of computer objects based on attributes associated with each member of the set of computer objects.

Claims

1. A method for creating a set of computer objects, said set of computer objects comprising a plurality of client instances of client computer programs together with a server instance of a server computer program selected from a set of server instances, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving from a first client instance a first request to be joined into said set of computer objects, said first request comprising first client attributes associated with said first client instance;

(b) selecting a first server subset of said set of server instances in response to said first request based on said first client attributes;

(c) creating said set of computer objects consisting of said first client instance;

(d) augmenting said set of computer objects with a second client instance of a client computer program, comprising the steps of;

(I) receiving from said second client instance a second request to be joined into said set of computer objects, said second request comprising second client attributes associated with said second client instance.

(ii) removing from said first server subset a second server subset in response to said second request based on said second client attributes, and

(iii) adding to said set of computer objects said second client instance; and

(e) adding to said set of computer objects a member of said second server subset based on attributes associated with each member of said set of computer objects.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said client attributes relates to capabilities of a computer system executing a corresponding one of said client instances.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein one of said client attributes relates to characteristics of at least one user using a corresponding one of said client instances.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said client attributes include communication attributes of a network link associated with a computer system executing a corresponding one of said client instances.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said communication attributes is bandwidth of said network link.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said communication attributes is latency of said network link.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein one of said communication attributes is packet loss rate of said network link.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein one of said server attributes relates to capabilities of a computer system executing a corresponding one of said server instances.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein one of said server attributes relates to current load of a computer system executing a corresponding one of said server instances.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising the step of finding an instance of a server computer program from said set of computer objects that minimizes average latency between instances of server computer programs and instances of client computer programs belonging to said set of computer objects.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

repeating said augmenting step to add a predetermined number of client instances to said set of computer objects.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of:

repeating said augmenting step to add client instances to said set of computer objects for a predetermined time interval.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said client attributes include multiplayer game attributes.

14. The method of claim 13 further comprising a step of providing a moderator for constructing said game attributes.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

constructing a set of records, each record of said set of records comprising said server attributes.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein step (b) comprises the step of:

selecting a record subset of said set of records in response to said first request based on said first client attributes.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein step (ii) comprises the step of:

removing from said record subset a further subset of said set of records in response to said second request based on said second client attributes.

18. A system for creating a set of computer objects, said set of computer objects comprising a plurality of client instances of client computer programs together with a server instance of a server computer program selected from a set of server instances, the system comprising:

(a) means for receiving from a first client instance a first request to be joined into said set of computer objects, said first request comprising first client attributes associated with said first client instance;

(b) means for selecting a first server subset of said set of server instances in response to said first request based on said first client attributes;

(c) means for creating said set of computer objects consisting of said first client instance;

(d) means for augmenting said set of computer objects with a second client instance of a client computer program, comprising;

(i) means for receiving from said second client instance a second request to be joined into said set of computer objects, said second request comprising second client attributes associated with said second client instance;

(ii) means for removing from said first server subset a second server subset in response to said second request based on said second client attributes; and

(iii) means for adding to said set of computer objects said second client instance; and

(e) means for adding to said set of computer objects a member of said second server subset based on attributes associated with each member of said set of computer objects.