Peer-to-peer data relay

• US 7,792,988 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2004
• Issued: 09/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Interactive Entertainment LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment America LLC (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Van Datta, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdullahi; Salad
• Assistant Examiner(s): SALL, EL HADJI MALICK
• Application Number:
  US10/970,120
• Publication Number:
  US 20050108427A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,148 Days
• Field of Search: 709/200, 709/238, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/238
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/408 Peer to peer connection
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 2300/572 Communication between players during game play of non game information, e.g. e-mail, chat, file transfer, streaming of audio and streaming of video
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/02 Topology update or discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/42 Centralised routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1048 Departure or maintenance mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1055 involving connection limits involving dynamic management of active down- or uploading connections H04L67/1085
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 92/18 between terminal devices

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for relaying data in a peer-to-peer network. In one implementation, a wireless device includes: an antenna; a wireless communication interface connected to said antenna and supporting wireless communication across a wireless connection provided by said antenna; storage supporting storing data; and a controller connected to said wireless interface and to said storage, supporting an application service, a message service, and a relay service for relay messages; wherein said application service provides execution and management of one or more application programs accessible by said controller using application data stored in said storage, said message service provides building messages and processing received messages, and said relay service provides building a new relay message indicating a selected recipient to which the wireless device does not have a direct wireless connection, sending a built new relay message, and sending a received relay message that indicates a recipient other than the wireless device.

Claims

1. A method of sending a relay message, comprising:

contacting local devices, which are devices that are within range of a sending device through a wireless interface, and requesting identification of available devices;

propagating by the local devices the request for identification of available devices through a peer-to-peer network;

returning the identification of available devices to the sending device;

building a list of available devices, the list including identification of said local devices in a local device list;

receiving a relay message from the sending device through a wireless interface at a relaying device, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating a recipient device and includes application data for an application program;

checking said relay message to determine whether said relaying device is said recipient device, wherein when the relaying device is the recipient device, the relaying device does not relay the relay message;

checking, when the relaying device is not the recipient device, the local device list indicating at least one local device to determine whether said recipient device is a local device;

when said recipient device is a local device, sending said relay message from said relaying device addressed only to said recipient device through said wireless interface and not sending said relay message addressed to other local devices; and

when said recipient device is not a local device, sending said relay message from said relaying device addressed to at least one local device included in said local device list through said wireless interface;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to said relaying device, said relaying device has a direct connection to each local device indicated in said local device list, and said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein:

sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device includes broadcasting said relay message through said wireless interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device includes sending said relay message to each local device in said local device list except said sending device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said relaying device does not send said relay message if said relaying device has already sent said relay message.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said relay message indicates a path including at least one intermediary device, and sending said relay message from said relaying device to at least one local device includes sending said relay message to an intermediary device indicated by said path.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said application data is game application data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said relaying device is not executing a local copy of said application program corresponding to said application data included in said relay message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein:

said relaying device is executing a local copy of an application that is different from said application program corresponding to said application data included in said relay message.

9. A system for sending a relay message, comprising:

means for contacting local devices, which are devices that are within range of a sending device through a wireless interface, and requesting identification of available devices;

means for propagating by the local devices the request for identification of available devices through a peer-to-peer network;

means for returning the identification of available devices to the sending device;

means for building a list of available devices, the list including identification of said local devices in a local device list;

means for receiving a relay message from the sending device through a wireless interface at a relaying device, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating a recipient device and includes application data for an application program;

means for checking said relay message to determine whether said relaying device is said recipient device, wherein when the relaying device is the recipient device, the relaying device does not relay the relay message;

means for checking, when the relaying device is not the recipient device, the local device list indicating at least one local device to determine whether said recipient device is a local device;

means for sending said relay message from said relaying device addressed only to said recipient device through said wireless interface when said recipient device is a local device and not sending said relay message addressed to other local devices; and

means for sending said relay message from said relaying device addressed to at least one local device included in said local device list through said wireless interface when said recipient device is not a local device;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to said relaying device, said relaying device has a direct connection to each local device indicated in said local device list, and said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.

10. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer-readable program the program comprising executable instructions that cause a computer to:

contact local devices, which are devices that are within range of a sending device through a wireless interface, and requesting identification of available devices;

propagate by the local devices the request for identification of available devices through a peer-to-peer network;

return the identification of available devices to the sending device;

build a list of available devices, the list including identification of said local devices in a local device list;

process a relay message received from the sending device through a wireless interface at a relaying device, wherein said relay message includes a recipient identifier indicating a recipient device and includes application data for an application program;

check said relay message to determine whether said relaying device is said recipient device, wherein when the relaying device is the recipient device, the relaying device does not relay the relay message;

check, when the relaying device is not the recipient device, the local device list indicating at least one local device to determine whether said recipient device is a local device;

when said recipient device is a local device, send said relay message from said relaying device addressed only to said recipient device through said wireless interface and not send said relay message addressed to other local devices; and

when said recipient device is not a local device, send said relay message from said relaying device addressed to at least one local device included in said local device list through said wireless interface;

wherein said sending device has a direct connection to said relaying device, said relaying device has a direct connection to each local device indicated in said local device list, and said sending device does not have a direct connection to said recipient device.