Method and apparatus for collaborative communication in a communication network

• US 6,763,371 B1
• Filed: 05/10/1999
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Jändel, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone, Jason D.
• Application Number:
  US09/307,712
• Time in Patent Office: 1,891 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/207, 709/223, 709/225, 709/213, 345/717, 345/733, 345/736, 345/748, 345/753, 370/260, 370/466, 463/42
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1055 involving connection limits involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections H04L67/1085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

The real-time performance in communications networks is improved, especially between a large number of participants, by a server unit having a device for receiving information from at least a client unit, the information including at least part of the state information about a distributed interactive application. The server unit includes a device for storing application state information received from at least one client unit, and a device for forwarding the state information received from the client to at least one other node in the network and for transmitting at least part of the information stored in the state information storing device to the at least one client. In this way, the whole state of the application can be kept in one or more units in the network, which removes the need for each client to store the entire state, thereby reducing memory and bandwidth requirements for each client.

Claims

1. An application-independent access server for providing enhanced real-time collaborative communication between multiple clients in a network, utilizing a common application that is resident on each of said multiple clients, comprising, for each one of said multiple clients:

an input buffer for receiving client application object packets for updating application objects that are controlled by each one of said multiple clients;

an application object packet pipeline for directing application state data derived from said application object packets to each client priority list associated with each one of said multiple clients;

an application state record for receiving and maintaining all said application state data and urgency-of-application data for relevant objects for each one of said multiple clients;

an application priority control message pipeline for directing priorities derived from said application object packets to said client priority list stored by said application-independent access server, said priorities being set and also sent to said access server by each one of said multiple clients;

a control unit for processing control data, wherein said control data is non-real-time data including information on added or removed application objects; and

an output pipeline for transmitting information retrieved from an application state record of one of said multiple clients to another of said multiple clients.

2. The application-independent access server of claim 1, wherein said client application object packets include data about the state of the application residing on the respective client and data concerning client priorities.

3. The application-independent access server of claim 1, wherein the output pipeline further comprises, means for utilizing said stored priorities for determining relevant information that will be transmitted to clients other than the client associated with the relevant information.

4. The application-independent access server of claim 1, wherein each said client priority list comprises a list of all said objects for which a priority has been set by the associated one of said multiple clients.

5. The application-independent access server of claim 1, wherein said application access server further comprises a means for periodically updating said objects in said client priority list for each one of said multiple clients.

6. The application-independent access server of claim 1, wherein said output pipeline for transmitting information, further comprises

a means for utilizing priority information, retrieved from said client priority list, for searching an application state record of said one of said multiple clients to select state information to transmit to one or more of other said multiple clients connected to said network.

7. The application-independent access server of claim 1, further comprising:

an input buffer for receiving object state data associated with said multiple clients wherein one or more of said multiple clients can be associated with other application access servers connected through said network to said application-independent access server; and

an output buffer for sending object state data associated with each one of said multiple clients to said other application access servers.

8. The application-independent access server of claim 1, further comprises connection to an Application Lobby Server wherein the normal functions of said Application Lobby Server further includes finalizing contact with a terminated client.

9. In an application-independent access server a method for providing enhanced real-time collaborative communication between multiple clients in a network utilizing a common application that is resident on each of said multiple clients, comprising the steps of:

receiving client application object packets from said multiple clients;

utilizing said object packets for updating application objects that are controlled by each one of said multiple clients and stored by said application-independent access server;

receiving and maintaining application state data and urgency-of-application data for said stored application objects that are related to each one of said multiple clients;

said application-independent access server storing priorities of each one of said multiple clients to an associated client priority list wherein said priorities are set and also sent to said access server by each one of said multiple clients;

processing control data, wherein said control data is non-real-time data including information on added or removed application objects; and

transmitting information retrieved from an application state record of one of said multiple clients to another of said multiple clients.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said client application object packets include data about the state of the application residing on a respective client and data concerning said respective client priorities.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the transmitting information step further comprises, utilizing said stored priorities for determining relevant information that will be transmitted to clients other than the client associated with the relevant information.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein each said client priority list comprises a list of all objects for which a priority has been set by each associated one of said multiple clients.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of updating said client priority list utilizing new information received from each one of said multiple clients.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising the step of periodically sending object updates to each one of said multiple clients.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the step of transmitting information retrieved from said application state record further comprises:

utilizing priority information retrieved from said client priority list for

searching an application state record of said one of said multiple clients to select state information for

transmitting said state information to other said multiple clients.

16. The method of claim 9, further comprising

receiving object state data associated with one or more clients that are associated with other application access servers connected through said network to said application independent access server;

and

sending object state data associated with said one of said multiple clients to said other application access servers.

17. The method of claim 9, further comprising utilizing a data processor for processing said control data.