Method for creating peer-to-peer connections over an interconnected network to facilitate conferencing among users

• US 6,167,432 A
• Filed: 02/29/1996
• Issued: 12/26/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Cisco Technology, Inc. (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: WebEx Communications Incorporated (Cisco Systems, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jiang, Barclay Ruiqing
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Application Number:
  US08/609,025
• Time in Patent Office: 1,762 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.1, 395/200.09, 395/200.02, 395/200.73, 395/200.33, 395/200.46, 395/200.31, 395/200.34, 395/200.47, 395/200.57, 395/200.75, 709/204, 709/203, 709/243, 709/217, 709/227, 709/245
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1818 Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1822 Conducting the conference, e.g. admission, detection, selection or grouping of participants, correlating users to one or more conference sessions, prioritising transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4053 without floor control

Abstract

A method for facilitating the creation and maintenance of network connections over an interconnected network for the purpose of facilitating the creation and participation of on-line conferences in accordance to the peer-to-peer paradigm is disclosed. A designated location on the network (e.g. a web site) on an interconnected network such as the internet is setup in such a manner that a conference may be created and conference participants can be easily connected into the created conference by making a few simple selections. The IP addresses of the conference participants are maintained at the designated site and are transmitted to a new conference participant to allow the new conference participant to connect directly into the conference without the new participant having to know the IP addresses of the conference participants. The new participant may be connected to any one of the existing conference participants. Once the conference is established, no data goes through the designated site or a central host. Data packets are directly sent to and received by the respective application program of each participant.

Claims

1. A method for establishing peer-to-peer network connection over an interconnected network of computers for conferencing between two or more users, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a web site accessible via the interconnected network of computers;

b) receiving at said web site connection information associated with two or more users each using an associated remote computer having an associated unique network address, said connection information including the network addresses of said remote computers;

c) storing said connection information associated with said users at said web site; and

d) sending the connection information associated with each said user to the remote computers of the other ones of said users in order to facilitate establishing direct network connections for conferencing between said users.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said direct network connection for a particular user is terminated by the steps of:

sending by the remote computer of said particular user a request for termination of said direct network connection of said particular user;

receiving said request; and

deleting the connection information associated with said particular user from said web site.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein said web site provides a web page listing one or more conferences.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein each of said users selects a conference from said web page.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 wherein in step d) the connection information associated with said users are only sent to the other ones of said users that have selected the same conference.

6. A method as recited in claim 3 wherein participation in each of said conferences requires a password.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 wherein a user is required to provide a valid password prior to selecting participation in a particular conference.

8. A method as recited in claim 7 wherein in said step d) the connection information associated with said users are only sent to the other ones of said users that have selected the same conference.

9. A method for establishing peer-to-peer network conferencing connections over the internet for two or more users, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a web site communicatively connected to the internet;

b) receiving at said web site the connection information associated with a first user using a first remote computer having a first internet-protocol (IP) address for establishing a conference over the internet, the connection information including said IP address of said first remote computer;

c) receiving conference information for establishing a conference;

d) storing the connection information associated with said first user and said conference information;

e) receiving at said web site the connection information associated with one or more additional users each using an associated remote computer having an associated unique IP address, the connection information associated with each of said users including the IP address of said associated remote computer, and each of said users having specified participation in said conference;

f) storing the connection information associated with said users; and

g) passing the connection information associated with each of the users that have specified participation in said conference to each of the other users that have specified participation in said conference in order to facilitate establishing a direct network connection for conferencing among said users.

10. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein said direct network connection for a particular user is terminated by the steps of:

sending by the remote computer of said particular user a request for termination of said direct network connection of said particular user;

receiving said request; and

deleting the connection information associated with said particular user from said web site.

11. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein participation in said conference requires a password.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein a user is required to provide a valid password prior to selecting participation in said conference.

13. A method as recited in claim 12 wherein in said step g) the connection information associated with said users are only sent to the other ones of said users that have provided a valid password.

14. A method as recited in claim 9 wherein participation in said conference requires a password.

15. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein a user is required to provide a valid password prior to selecting participation in said conference.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein in said step e) the connection information associated with said users are only sent to the other ones of said users that have provided a valid password.

17. A method for establishing peer-to-peer network connections over an interconnected network of computers for conferencing between two or more users, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a web site at a host computer communicatively connected to said interconnected network of computer;

b) receiving one or more sets of conference information for establishing one or more conferences;

c) receiving at said web site connection information for one or more users each using an associated remote computer having an associated unique network address, each of said users specifying a particular conference;

d) storing said connection information associated with said users;

e) sending said connection information associated with each of said users specifying a same conference to the other ones of said users specifying said same conference in order to facilitate establishing direct network connections for conferencing.