Point-to-point internet protocol
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer system executing a first process and operatively connectable to a second process and a server over a computer network, the computer program product comprising:
- a computer usable medium having program code embodied in the medium, the program code comprising;
program code for transmitting to the server a network protocol address received by the first process following connection to the computer network;
program code for transmitting, to the server, a query as to whether the second process is connected to the computer network;
program code for receiving a network protocol address of the second process from the server, when the second process is connected to the computer network; and
program code, responsive to the network protocol address of the second process, for establishing a point-to-point communication link between the first process and the second process over the computer network.
13 Assignments
Litigations
9 Petitions
Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
A point-to-point Internet protocol exchanges Internet Protocol (IP) addresses between processing units to establish a point-to-point communication link between the processing units through the Internet. A first point-to-point Internet protocol includes the steps of (a) storing in a database a respective IP address of a set of processing units that have an on-line status with respect to the Internet; (b) transmitting a query from a first processing unit to a connection server to determine the on-line status of a second processing unit; and (c) retrieving the IP address of the second unit from the database using the connection server, in response to the determination of a positive on-line status of the second processing unit, for establishing a point-to-point communication link between the first and second processing units through the Internet. A second point-to-point Internet protocol includes the steps of (a) transmitting an E-mail signal, including a first IP address, from a first processing unit; (b) processing the E-mail signal through the Internet to deliver the E-mail signal to a second processing unit; and (c) transmitting a second IP address to the first processing unit for establishing a point-to-point communication link between the first and second processing units through the Internet.
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Citations
44 Claims
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1. A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer system executing a first process and operatively connectable to a second process and a server over a computer network, the computer program product comprising:
a computer usable medium having program code embodied in the medium, the program code comprising; program code for transmitting to the server a network protocol address received by the first process following connection to the computer network; program code for transmitting, to the server, a query as to whether the second process is connected to the computer network; program code for receiving a network protocol address of the second process from the server, when the second process is connected to the computer network; and program code, responsive to the network protocol address of the second process, for establishing a point-to-point communication link between the first process and the second process over the computer network.
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2. An apparatus for enabling point-to-point communications between a first and a second process over a computer network, the apparatus comprising:
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a processor; a network interface, operatively coupled to the processor, for connecting the apparatus to the computer network; a memory, operatively coupled to the processor, for storing a network protocol address for selected of a plurality of processes, each network protocol address stored in the memory following connection of a respective process to the computer network; means, responsive to a query from the first process, for determining the on-line status of the second process and for transmitting a network protocol address of the second process to the first process in response to a positive determination of the on-line status of the second process. - View Dependent Claims (3)
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4. A method for enabling point-to-point communication between a first process and a second process over a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
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A. receiving and storing into a computer memory a respective network protocol address for selected of a plurality of processes that have an on-line status with respect to the computer network, each of the network protocol addresses received following connection of the respective process to the computer network; B. receiving a query from the first process to determine the on-line status of the second process; C. determining the on-line status of the second process; and D. transmitting an indication of the on-line status of the second process to the first process over the computer network. - View Dependent Claims (5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. In a computer system, a method for establishing a point-to-point communication link from a caller process to a callee process over a computer network, the caller process having a user interface and being operatively connectable to the callee process and a server over the computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
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A. providing a user interface element representing a first communication line; B. providing a user interface element representing a first callee process; and C. establishing a point-to-point communication link from the caller process to the first callee process, in response to a user associating the element representing the first callee process with the element representing the first communication line. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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21. A computer program product for use with a computer system comprising:
a computer usable medium having program code embodied in the medium for establishing a point-to-point communication link from a caller process to a callee process over a computer network, the caller process having a user interface and being operatively connectable to the callee process and a server over the computer network, the medium further comprising; program code for generating an element representing a first communication line; program code for generating an element representing a first callee process; program code, responsive to a user associating the element representing the first callee process with the element representing the first communication line, for establishing a point-to-point communication link from the caller process to the first callee process. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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32. A method of locating a process over a computer network comprising the steps of:
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a. maintaining an Internet accessible list having a plurality of selected entries, each entry comprising an identifier and a corresponding Internet protocol address of a process currently connected to the Internet, the Internet Protocol address added to the list following connection of the process to the computer network; and b. in response to identification of one of the list entries by a requesting process, providing one of the identifier and the corresponding Internet protocol address of the identified entry to the requesting process.
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33. A method for locating processes having dynamically assigned network protocol addresses over a computer network, the method comprising the steps of:
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a. maintaining, in a computer memory, a network accessible compilation of entries, selected of the entries comprising a network protocol address and a corresponding identifier of a process connected to the computer network, the network protocol address of the corresponding process assigned to the process upon connection to the computer network; and b. in response to identification of one of the entries by a requesting process providing one of the identifier and the network protocol address to the requesting process. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37)
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38. A computer program product for use with a computer system having a memory and being operatively connectable over a computer network to one or more computer processes, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having program code embodied in the medium the program code comprising:
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a. program code configured to maintain, in the computer memory, a network accessible compilation of entries, selected of the entries comprising a network protocol address and a corresponding identifier of a process connected to the computer network, the network protocol address of the corresponding process assigned to the process upon connection to the computer network; and b. program code responsive to identification of one of the entries by a requesting process and configured to provide one of the identifier and the network protocol address to the requesting process. - View Dependent Claims (39, 40, 41, 42)
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43. A computer program product for use with a computer system, the computer system executing a first process operatively coupled over a computer network to a second process and a server process, the computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, the program code comprising:
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a. program code configured to access a directory database, the database having a network protocol address for a selected plurality of processes having on-line status with respect to the computer network, the network protocol address of each respective process forwarded to the database following connection to the computer network; and b. program code responsive to one of the network protocol addresses and configured to establish a point-to-point communication link from the first process to the second process over the computer network.
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44. In a first computer process operatively coupled over a computer network to a second process and an address server, a method of establishing a point-to-point communication between the first and second processes comprising the steps of:
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A. following connection of the first process to the computer network forwarding to the address server a network protocol address at which the first process is connected to the computer network; B. querying the address server as to whether the second process is connected to the computer network; C. receiving a network protocol address of the second process from the address server, when the second process is connected to the computer network; and D. in response to the network protocol address of the second process, establishing a point-to-point communication link with the second process over the computer network.
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Specification