System and method for multi-layered network communications

• US 7,730,206 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Toll, Roderick M., Newson, Paul E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Rupal D
• Assistant Examiner(s): Swearingen; Jeffrey R
• Application Number:
  US11/614,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20070130253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 709/240
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1069 Session establishment or de-establishment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/321 Interlayer communication protocols or service data unit [SDU] definitions; Interfaces between layers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A multi-layered network for transporting data comprises a first network layer that provides a first session topology, and a second network layer that provides a second session topology. The second network layer uses the first network layer to transport data. In one embodiment of the invention, the data sent by the second layer is real-time audio data, such as voice. Each session topology may be either peer-to-peer or client/server. The first and second layers may have different topologies and/or different session hosts. A deterministic algorithm is provided whereby a new session host is selected when the current host leaves the session.

Claims

1. A method of communicating between a first process and a second process, the method comprising the acts of:

issuing, by the first process, a connection call having a plurality of call parameters comprising configuration information for a sound device, client configuration information, and a flag;

receiving, by the second process, the connection call and parsing the call to retrieve the parameters;

connecting said first process to an audio networking session based on said plurality of call parameters, said audio networking session having a first session topology; and

issuing, by the second process, an acknowledgment that said first process is connected to said audio networking session, wherein said first and second processes employ a first communication component that implements said first session topology of the audio networking session to issue and receive said connection call and said acknowledgement, and wherein said first communication component causes said connection call and said acknowledgment to be sent via a different, data networking session having a second session topology that is different from said first session topology of the audio networking session, and

wherein a second communication component implements said second session topology of the data networking session, wherein the first communication component and the second communication component each exposes a respective application programming interface (API) to the other component, and wherein the two components establish a link between them by providing each other with pointers to their respective APIs.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said configuration information for a sound device comprises a DVSOUNDDEVICECONFIG data structure or a pointer thereto.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said client configuration information comprises a DVCLIENTCONFIG data structure or a pointer thereto.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the act of receiving a name table from a member of said first networking session.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said audio networking session comprises a session for the transmission of audio data.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said first session topology comprises a peer-to-peer topology in which said first process can direct said connection call to said second process in said audio networking session without an intermediary and said second process can direct said acknowledgment to said first process in said audio networking session without an intermediary, and wherein said second session topology of said data networking session comprises a client/server topology in which said first process and said second process are each clients that are required to direct communications between each other in said data networking session through a server as an intermediary.