System and method for concurrent sessions in a peer-to-peer hybrid communications network
First Claim
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1. A method for execution in a peer-to-peer hybrid network comprising:
- logging a first endpoint into the network by presenting unique user authentication information by the first endpoint to the network, wherein the login associates the first endpoint with the unique user authentication information required for authentication with the network;
determining, by the first endpoint, that the unique user authentication information is concurrently associated with a second endpoint currently logged into the network, whereby the second endpoint previously presented the unique user authentication information to the network in order to log in to the network and wherein the first and second endpoints represent a single user in the network;
identifying, by the first endpoint, the first endpoint as a master endpoint corresponding to the unique user authentication information and the second endpoint as a slave endpoint corresponding to the unique user authentication information;
sending a first message directly from the first endpoint to the second endpoint to notify the second endpoint that the first endpoint is logged into the network using the unique user authentication information and that the first endpoint is the master endpoint and the second endpoint is the slave endpoint;
sending, by the first endpoint, a second message directly from the first endpoint to a third endpoint to notify the third endpoint that the first endpoint is logged into the network and that communications sent from the third endpoint to the user of the first and second endpoints should be sent to the first endpoint only;
identifying, by the first endpoint, a status of the first endpoint as away, wherein the status of the first endpoint is available to both the second and third endpoints;
identifying, by the first endpoint, a status of the second endpoint as active, wherein the status of the second endpoint is available only to the first endpoint and not the third endpoint because the first endpoint shares the unique user authentication information of the second endpoint and the third endpoint does not;
sending, by the first endpoint, a third message directly to the third endpoint, wherein the third message identifies a status of the first endpoint as online to the third endpoint based on the active status of the second endpoint even though the first endpoint has a status of away;
receiving, by the first endpoint, a fourth message from the third endpoint via the network;
identifying, by the first endpoint, source information from the fourth message, wherein the source information identifies the third endpoint as the source of the fourth message;
determining, by the first endpoint, whether to apply a first policy or a second policy to the fourth message based on the source information, wherein the first policy is a custom policy to be applied to messages received from the third endpoint and the second policy is a default policy to be applied to messages received from an endpoint not having a corresponding custom policy;
determining, by the first endpoint, that the first policy requires that the fourth message be forwarded to the second endpoint; and
forwarding, by the first endpoint, the fourth message to the second endpoint based on the first policy.
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Abstract
An improved system and method are disclosed for peer-to-peer communications. In one example, the method provides for concurrent sessions to be maintained by multiple endpoints.
116 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A method for execution in a peer-to-peer hybrid network comprising:
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logging a first endpoint into the network by presenting unique user authentication information by the first endpoint to the network, wherein the login associates the first endpoint with the unique user authentication information required for authentication with the network; determining, by the first endpoint, that the unique user authentication information is concurrently associated with a second endpoint currently logged into the network, whereby the second endpoint previously presented the unique user authentication information to the network in order to log in to the network and wherein the first and second endpoints represent a single user in the network; identifying, by the first endpoint, the first endpoint as a master endpoint corresponding to the unique user authentication information and the second endpoint as a slave endpoint corresponding to the unique user authentication information; sending a first message directly from the first endpoint to the second endpoint to notify the second endpoint that the first endpoint is logged into the network using the unique user authentication information and that the first endpoint is the master endpoint and the second endpoint is the slave endpoint; sending, by the first endpoint, a second message directly from the first endpoint to a third endpoint to notify the third endpoint that the first endpoint is logged into the network and that communications sent from the third endpoint to the user of the first and second endpoints should be sent to the first endpoint only; identifying, by the first endpoint, a status of the first endpoint as away, wherein the status of the first endpoint is available to both the second and third endpoints; identifying, by the first endpoint, a status of the second endpoint as active, wherein the status of the second endpoint is available only to the first endpoint and not the third endpoint because the first endpoint shares the unique user authentication information of the second endpoint and the third endpoint does not; sending, by the first endpoint, a third message directly to the third endpoint, wherein the third message identifies a status of the first endpoint as online to the third endpoint based on the active status of the second endpoint even though the first endpoint has a status of away; receiving, by the first endpoint, a fourth message from the third endpoint via the network; identifying, by the first endpoint, source information from the fourth message, wherein the source information identifies the third endpoint as the source of the fourth message; determining, by the first endpoint, whether to apply a first policy or a second policy to the fourth message based on the source information, wherein the first policy is a custom policy to be applied to messages received from the third endpoint and the second policy is a default policy to be applied to messages received from an endpoint not having a corresponding custom policy; determining, by the first endpoint, that the first policy requires that the fourth message be forwarded to the second endpoint; and forwarding, by the first endpoint, the fourth message to the second endpoint based on the first policy. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method for applying a policy to a message in a hybrid peer-to-peer network comprising:
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logging, by a first endpoint, into the network by presenting unique user authentication information by the first endpoint to the network, wherein the login associates the first endpoint with the unique user authentication information required for authentication with the network; receiving, by the first endpoint, a profile in response to the logging into the network, wherein the profile identifies whether a second endpoint and a third endpoint are currently logged into the network; determining, by the first endpoint, that the second endpoint is not currently logged into the network and the third endpoint is logged into the network using unique user authentication information different from the unique user authentication information of the first endpoint; sending, by the first endpoint, a first message directly from the first endpoint to the third endpoint to notify the third endpoint that the first endpoint is logged into the network; receiving, by the first endpoint, a second message from the second endpoint that the second endpoint has logged into the network using the same unique user authentication information as the first endpoint, wherein the first and second endpoints represent a single user in the network; sending, by the first endpoint, a third message directly from the first endpoint to the third endpoint to notify the third endpoint that the second endpoint is logged into the network and that communications from the third endpoint to the user of the first and second endpoints should be sent directly to the second endpoint; receiving, by the first endpoint, a fourth message directly from one of the second and third endpoints; determining, by the first endpoint, whether the fourth message is received from the second endpoint that has been authenticated with the network by presenting the unique user authentication information of the first endpoint to the network or from the third endpoint that is authenticated with the network using unique user authentication information different from the unique user authentication information of the first endpoint; and applying a policy based on whether the fourth message is from the second endpoint or the third endpoint. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19)
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Specification