Network match maker

• US 6,345,297 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 02/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: HearMe (Palktalk.com)
• Inventors: Samuel, Daniel Joseph, Wolf, Michael Andrew, Grimm, Steven Michael, Rothschild, Jeffrey Jackiel
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US09/578,683
• Time in Patent Office: 620 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/206, 709/207, 709/238, 709/239, 709/240, 709/244, 709/245, 709/248, 709/249, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 463/42
• US Class Current: 709/227
• 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-users 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 match maker method, a client computer and one multi-user application server are matched. A list of multi-user application servers connected to the computer network that are available for a match is received. At least one communication attribute of respective data communication links between the client computer and a plurality of multi-application servers in the received list is measured. An additional attribute, such as a server attribute, is received from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers. A subset of one or more multi-user application servers is then selected based on the measured communication attributes and the additional attribute received from the multi-user application servers.

Claims

1. A method for a match maker to match server computers and client computers, said match maker, said server computers and said client computers being connected to a data communication network, each of said server computers executing an instance of server program associated with a set of attributes and each of said client computers executing an instance of client program associated with a set of attributes, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving by said match maker a plurality of client requests from a plurality of instances of said client programs, each of said client requests containing said set of attributes associated with a corresponding instance of said client program;

(b) receiving by said match maker a plurality of server requests from a plurality of instances of said server programs, each of said server requests containing said set of attributes associated with a corresponding instance of said server program;

(c) selecting at least two of said plurality of instances of said client programs and at least one of said plurality of instances of said server programs based of said sets of attributes contained in said client and said server requests; and

(d) connecting said client and said server computers executing said selected instances of said client and said server programs.

2. A method for matching a client computer and one multi-user application server in a computer network, comprising the steps of:

(A) receiving a list of multi-user application servers connected to the computer network that are available for a match;

(B) measuring at least one communication attribute of respective data communication links between the client computer and a plurality of multi-application servers in the received list;

(C) receiving at least one additional attribute from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers; and

(D) selecting a subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on the measured communication attributes and the at least one additional attribute received from the multi-user application servers.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said steps (A) to (D) are performed by a match maker software program executing on the client computer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one communication attribute relates to at least one parameter selected from a list of parameters including latency, packet loss rate, and bandwidth, and wherein said measuring step (B) comprises the steps of:

sending signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

evaluating each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the at least one selected parameter.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one communication attribute relates to latency, and wherein said measuring step (B) comprises the steps of:

sending signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

evaluating each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the latency of each of the respective communication links.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said step (C) comprises receiving at least one additional attribute relevant to the performance of a chat program from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said step (C) comprises receiving at least one additional attribute relevant to the performance of a game program from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising, prior to step (a), the step of creating or modifying a match offer.

9. A system for matching a client computer and one multi-user application server in a computer network, comprising:

(A) receiving means for receiving a list of multi-user application servers connected to the computer network that are available for a match;

(B) measuring means for measuring at least one communication attribute of respective data communication links between the client computer and a plurality of multi-application servers in the received list;

(C) receiving means for receiving at least one additional attribute from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers; and

(D) selecting means for selecting a subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on the measured communication attributes and the at least one additional attribute received from the multi-user application servers.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising a match maker software program executing on the client computer, wherein said match maker software program includes said receiving means (a), measuring means (b), receiving means (c), and selecting means (d).

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one communication attribute relates to at least one parameter selected from a list of parameters including latency, packet loss rate, and bandwidth, and wherein said measuring means (B) comprises:

sending means for sending signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

evaluating means for evaluating each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the at least one selected parameter.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the at least one communication attribute relates to latency, and wherein said measuring means (B) comprises:

sending means for sending signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

evaluating means for evaluating each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the latency of each of the respective communication links.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein said receiving means (C) comprises means for receiving at least one additional attribute relevant to the performance of a chat program from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein said receiving means (C) comprises means for receiving at least one additional attribute relevant to the performance of a game program from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers.

15. The system of claim 9, further comprising, moderator means for creating or modifying a match offer, wherein said receiving means (A) comprises means for receiving said list of multi-user application servers connected to the computer network that are available for the match offer, and said selecting means (d) comprises means for selecting said subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on whether the measured communication attributes and the at least one additional attribute received from the multi-user application servers meet the match offer.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising a program executing on the client computer, wherein said program includes said moderator means, receiving means (a), measuring means (b), receiving means (c), and selecting means (d).

17. A system for matching a client computer and one multi-user application server in a computer network, comprising:

a receiver that receives a list of multi-user application servers connected to the computer network that are available for a match and at least one additional attribute from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers;

a measurer that measures at least one communication attribute of respective data communication links between the client computer and a plurality of multi-application servers in the received list; and

a selector that selects a subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on the measured communication attributes and the at least one additional attribute received from the multi-user application servers.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising a match maker software program executing on the client computer, wherein said match maker software program includes said receiver, said measurer, and said selector.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one communication attribute relates to at least one parameter selected from a list of parameters including latency, packet loss rate, and bandwidth, and wherein said measurer comprises:

a sender that sends signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

an evaluator that evaluates each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the at least one selected parameter.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the at least one communication attribute relates to latency, and wherein said measurer comprises:

a sender that sends signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

an evaluator that evaluates each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the latency of each of the respective communication links.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein said receiver receives at least one additional attribute relevant to the performance of a chat program from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein said receiver receives at least one additional attribute relevant to the performance of a game program from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers.

23. The system of claim 17, further comprising, a moderator that creates or modifies a match offer, wherein said receiver receives said list of multi-user application servers connected to the computer network that are available for the match offer, and said selector selects said subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on whether the measured communication attributes and the at least one additional attribute received from the multi-user application servers meet the match offer.

24. The system of claim 23, further comprising a program executing on the client computer, wherein said program includes said moderator, said receiver, said measurer, and said selector.

25. A method for a match maker software program executing on a client computer to match the client computer and one multi-user application server in a computer network, the client computer and the multi-user application server each supporting a chat program, the method comprising the steps of

(A) receiving a list of multi-user application servers connected to the computer network that are available for a match;

(B) measuring at least one communication attribute of respective data communication links between the client computer and a plurality of multi-application servers in the received list;

(C) receiving at least one additional attribute relevant to the performance of the chat program from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers; and

(D) selecting a subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on the measured communication attributes and the at least one additional attribute received from the multi-user application servers.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one communication attribute relates to at least one parameter selected from a list of parameters including latency, packet loss rate, and bandwidth, and wherein said measuring step (B) comprises the steps of:

sending signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

evaluating each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the at least one selected parameter.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one communication attribute represents latency, and wherein said measuring step (B) comprises the steps of:

sending signals from the client computer to the multi-user application servers over respective communication links between the client computer and the multi-user application servers; and

evaluating each signal sent over the respective communication links to determine the latency of each of the respective communication links.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one attribute comprises at least one server attribute, and wherein said step (C) comprises receiving at least one server attribute from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers;

and

said step (D) comprises selecting a subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on whether the measured communication attributes and the at least one server attribute received from the multi-user application servers meet a performance criteria for the chat program.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein said at least one attribute comprises at least one dynamic server attribute, and wherein said step (C) comprises receiving at least one dynamic server attribute from at least one of the plurality of multi-user application servers;

and

said step (D) comprises selecting a subset of one or more multi-user application servers from the plurality of multi-user application servers based on whether the measured communication attributes and the at least one dynamic server attribute received from the multi-user application servers meet a performance criteria for the chat program.

30. The method of claim 25, further comprising, prior to said step (a), the step of creating or modifying a match offer.