Violations in a peer-to-peer relay network

• US 7,392,422 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2003
• Issued: 06/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Van Datta, Glen, Mai, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Beausoliel; Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mehrmanesh; Elmira
• Application Number:
  US10/700,797
• Publication Number:
  US 20050097386A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,695 Days
• Field of Search: 714/819, 714/920, 714/4, 714/716, 714/820, 714/49, 713/187, 713/176, 713/179, 713/181, 340/5.8, 340/5.24, 726/10, 726/22, 726/23, 726/24, 726/110, 702/185, 700/30
• US Class Current: 714/4.3
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/12 involving interaction between a plurality of game devices, e.g. transmisison or distribution systems protocols for networked virtual reality, networked games H04L29/06034
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/30 Interconnection arrangements between game servers and game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game devices; Interconnection arrangements between game servers
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/34 using peer-to-peer connections
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/402 Communication between platforms, i.e. physical link to protocol
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/5586 for enforcing rights or rules, e.g. to prevent foul play
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/14 for detecting or protecting against malicious traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/107 with limitation or expansion of the discovery scope
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1085 involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for implementing peer-to-peer relay. In one implementation, a method of detecting and recovering from violations in a peer-to-peer relay network includes: receiving a message at a peer system from a sending peer system connected to said peer system in a peer-to-peer relay network detecting a violation in said received message; and sending an alert message to each peer system connected to said peer system in said peer-to-peer relay network; wherein each peer system in said peer-to-peer relay network stores a connection limit defining a number of other peer systems up to which that peer system is permitted to connect, and each peer system stores a set of one or more relay rules for relaying data to other peer systems connected to that peer system.

Claims

1. A method of detecting and recovering from a violation in a peer-to-peer relay network, comprising:

sending a first message having first content data from a sending peer system to a receiving peer system;

detecting a manipulation of data in said sent first message, said manipulation of data changing the outcome of processing by the receiving peer system;

wherein detecting said manipulation includes;

relaying back the sent first message to the sending peer by the receiving peer system;

comparing by the sending peer of the relayed back message to the sent first message to identify a receiving peer responsible for the manipulation of data; and

sending a manipulated data alert message to other peer systems connected to the peer system in said peer-to-peer relay network, the manipulated data alert message identifying the receiving peer as responsible for the manipulation of data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising ignoring messages from the sending peer responsible for the manipulation of data.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising forcing the sending peer responsible for the manipulation of data to disconnect from the peer-to-peer relay network.