System and method for peer-to-peer hybrid communications

• US 8,000,325 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2009
• Issued: 08/16/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Damaka, Inc.
• Inventors: Ravikumar, Sivakumar, Ravikumar, Rameshkumar, Gundabathula, Satish
• Primary Examiner(s): Sol; Anthony
• Application Number:
  US12/538,334
• Publication Number:
  US 20090296606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/389
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0227 Filtering policies mail message filtering H04L51/212
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70

Abstract

An improved system and method are disclosed for peer-to-peer communications. In one example, the method includes retrieving a profile and a routing table from an access server by a first endpoint during an authentication process. The profile identifies at least a second endpoint as an endpoint with which the first endpoint has permission to communicate. The routing table contains address information needed for the first endpoint to communicate directly with the second endpoint. The first endpoint sends a notification message directly to the second endpoint using the address information to inform the second endpoint that the first endpoint is online.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for establishing and maintaining a communication session between first and second endpoints in a peer-to-peer network using a non-proprietary protocol, the method comprising:

sending a STUN (Simple Traversal of UDP through NATs (Network Address Translation)) request from the first endpoint to a STUN server prior to an authentication process with an access server;

using information received from the STUN server in response to the STUN request during the authentication process;

determining by the access server that the second endpoint is behind a device that will prevent it from receiving messages initiated by the first endpoint;

instructing the second endpoint by the access server to periodically send a message to the access server to maintain a first communication channel through the device;

prior to sending a profile and a routing table to the first endpoint, instructing the second endpoint by the access server via the first communication channel to send a message to the first endpoint to open a second communication channel through the device for the first endpoint, wherein the first endpoint'"'"'s notification message can traverse the device through the second communication channel to reach the second endpoint;

retrieving the profile and the routing table from the access server by the first endpoint during the authentication process, wherein the profile identifies the second endpoint as an endpoint with which the first endpoint has permission to communicate, and the routing table contains address information needed for the first endpoint to communicate directly with the second endpoint; and

sending a notification message from the first endpoint directly to the second endpoint using the address information to inform the second endpoint that the first endpoint is online.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a request message from the first endpoint directly to the second endpoint using the address information to request the establishment of the communication session;

receiving a response message by the first endpoint directly from the second endpoint; and

establishing the communication session by the first endpoint directly with the second endpoint if the response message grants permission, wherein all signaling and media traffic messages are sent directly from the first endpoint to the second endpoint and from the second endpoint to the first endpoint.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

identifying whether the second endpoint is online based on the profile; and

sending the notification message only if the second endpoint is online.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the second endpoint closes the second communication channel if the first endpoint'"'"'s notification message is not received within a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

waiting for a response message sent from the second endpoint in response to the notification message; and

if the response message is not received within a predetermined period of time, modifying a status of the second endpoint at the first endpoint to reflect the non-responsiveness.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a request message from the first endpoint directly to the second endpoint using the address information to request the establishment of a voice call;

receiving a response message by the first endpoint directly from the second endpoint, wherein the response message indicates that the second endpoint cannot currently accept the request;

recording a voicemail at the first endpoint; and

sending the voicemail for storage on both the second endpoint and the access server.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

receiving the voicemail at the second endpoint; and

sending an instruction from the second endpoint to the access server to delete the voicemail from the access server.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising

determining by the first endpoint that the second endpoint is currently offline;

recording a voicemail at the first endpoint;

sending the voicemail for storage on the access server;

receiving a message waiting indicator by the second endpoint from the access server during an authentication process of the second endpoint; and

retrieving the voicemail from the access server by the second endpoint.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

sending a deletion message from the second endpoint to the access server indicating that the first endpoint no longer has permission to communicate with the second endpoint;

updating the profile of the first endpoint on the access server to reflect the lack of permission;

sending a deletion message from the second endpoint directly to the first endpoint indicating that the first endpoint no longer has permission to communicate with the second endpoint; and

deleting the information corresponding to the second endpoint that is stored at the first endpoint in real time upon receipt of the deletion message.

10. A computer-implemented method executable for establishing and maintaining a communication session with between first and second endpoints in a peer-to-peer network, the method comprising:

sending a STUN (Simple Traversal of UDP through NATs (Network Address Translation)) request from the first endpoint to a STUN server prior to an authentication process with an access server;

using information received from the STUN server in response to the STUN request during the authentication process;

determining by the access server that the second endpoint is behind a device that will prevent it from receiving messages initiated by the first endpoint;

instructing the second endpoint by the access server to periodically send a message to the access server to maintain a first communication channel through the device;

prior to sending a profile and a routing table to the first end point instructing the second endpoint by the access server via the first communication channel to send a message to the first endpoint to open a second communication channel through the device for the first endpoint, wherein the first endpoint'"'"'s notification message can traverse the device through the second communication channel to reach the second endpoint;

retrieving the profile and the routing table from the access server during the authentication process and storing the profile and routing table on the first endpoint, wherein the profile indicates that the second endpoint has expressly granted the first endpoint permission to communicate with the second endpoint, and the routing table contains address information needed for the first endpoint to communicate directly with the second endpoint;

notifying the second endpoint that the first endpoint is online by sending a first notification message from the first endpoint directly to the second endpoint, wherein the first notification message informs the second endpoint that the first endpoint is available for a communication session with the second endpoint;

receiving a second notification message sent directly to the first endpoint from the second endpoint, wherein the second notification message informs the first endpoint that the second endpoint is going offline;

marking, by the first endpoint, a status of the second endpoint as offline in the profile after receiving the second notification message;

after marking the status of the second endpoint as offline, receiving a third notification message sent directly to the first endpoint from the second endpoint, wherein the third notification message informs the first endpoint that the second endpoint is online; and

marking, by the first endpoint, a status of the second endpoint as online in the profile after receiving the third notification message.

11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a removal request sent directly to the first endpoint from the second endpoint, wherein the removal request rescinds the permission expressly granted to the first endpoint by the second endpoint; and

removing, by the first endpoint, the second endpoint from the profile.

12. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving a removal request from the access server during the authentication process, wherein the removal request rescinds the permission expressly granted to the first endpoint by the second endpoint; and

removing, by the first endpoint, the second endpoint from the profile after retrieving and storing the profile on the first endpoint.

13. The method of claim 10 further comprising determining, by the first endpoint, whether the second endpoint is online based on the profile, wherein the determining occurs before sending the first notification message from the first endpoint to the second endpoint.

14. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

notifying the second endpoint that the first endpoint is going offline by sending a fourth notification message from the first endpoint directly to the second endpoint; and

notifying the access server that the first endpoint is going offline by sending a fifth notification message from the first endpoint directly to the access server.

15. The method of claim 10 further comprising:

receiving, by the first endpoint, a message from the access server that routing information stored on the access server was changed after the first endpoint retrieved the routing table during the authentication process;

determining, by the first endpoint, whether the change to the routing information affects the routing table; and

modifying, by the first endpoint, the routing table to reflect at least a portion of the change to the routing information if the change affects the routing table.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the modifying includes retrieving only a changed portion of the routing information from the access server and updating the routing table using the changed portion.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein the modifying includes retrieving an updated routing table from the access server and replacing the routing table retrieved during the authentication process with the updated routing table.

18. The method of claim 10 wherein the second endpoint is associated with unique identifying information, and wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a fourth notification message sent directly to the first endpoint from a third endpoint, wherein the fourth notification message informs the first endpoint that the third endpoint is online, and wherein the third endpoint is associated with the same unique identifying information as the second endpoint;

marking, by the first endpoint, a status of the third endpoint as online in the profile after receiving the fourth notification message.

19. The method of claim 18 further comprising:

sending, by the first endpoint, a communication request message to both of the second and third endpoints associated with the unique identifying information;

receiving, by the first endpoint, a response to the communication request message from only one of the second and third endpoints; and

establishing a communication session only with the second or third endpoint that sent the response to the communication request message.