Method and apparatus for social networking in a dynamic environment

• US 9,294,570 B2
• Filed: 08/26/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Yasrebi, Mehrad, Jackson, James E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lai, Michael C
• Application Number:
  US13/975,851
• Publication Number:
  US 20130346503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066

Abstract

In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for social networking in a dynamic environment. In one embodiment, a method for social networking in a network includes broadcasting a first set of one or more keywords representing one or more interests of a first user in the network, receiving a response from a second user in the network indicating interest in at least one of the interests of the first user, and connecting to a server in the network, where the server hosts a group for supporting communications between at least the first network user and the second network user.

Claims

1. A method for connecting to a server in a network, the method comprising:

broadcasting, by a first device, a first set comprising a keyword representing an interest of a first user in the network;

receiving, by the first device, a response from a second device operated by a second user in the network, the response indicating an interest in the interest of the first user;

determining, by the first device, whether one or more servers in the network are capable of hosting a first group for supporting a communication between the first device and the second device, when no servers in the network are already hosting a second group similar to the first group;

selecting, by the first device, one of the one or more servers that has a lowest internet protocol address as the server, when the one or more servers are capable of hosting the first group; and

connecting, by the first device, to the server that is selected.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set comprising the keyword is broadcast together with an indication as to whether the first device is capable of hosting the first group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first set comprising the keyword is broadcast together with a proposed method for selecting the server.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes a second set comprising a second keyword representing an interest of the second user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the second set is identical to the first set.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the second set is a subset of the first set.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the second set is a superset of the first set.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes an indication that the second device is capable of hosting the first group.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the response includes an internet protocol address and a port on the second device, the internet protocol address and the port being reserved for the communication.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the server is the second device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the first user and the second user remain anonymous to each other.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of an internet protocol address of the first device and an internet protocol address of the second device is assigned dynamically.

13. A system, comprising:

a first user device for broadcasting a first set comprising a keyword representing an interest of a first user in a network;

a second user device for sending a response from a second user in the network to the first user device, the response indicating an interest in the interest of the first user; and

a server for hosting a first group for supporting a communication between the first user and the second user, wherein the server is selected by;

determining whether one or more servers in the network are capable of hosting the first group, when no servers in the network are already hosting a second group similar to the first group; and

selecting one of the one or more servers that has a lowest internet protocol address as the server, when the one or more servers are capable of hosting the first group.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the server is selected in accordance with a method proposed by the first user device.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein an internet protocol address of the first user device is assigned dynamically.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first user device and the second user device remain anonymous to each other.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor of a first device, cause the processor to perform operations for connecting to a server in a network, the operations comprising:

broadcasting a first set comprising a keyword representing an interest of a first user in the network;

receiving a response from a second device operated by a second user in the network, the response indicating an interest in the interest of the first user;

determining whether one or more servers in the network are capable of hosting a first group for supporting a communication between the first device and the second device, when no servers in the network are already hosting a second group similar to the first group;

selecting one of the one or more servers that has a lowest internet protocol address as the server, when the one or more servers are capable of hosting the first group; and

connecting to the server that is selected.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first set comprising the keyword is broadcast together with an indication as to whether the first device is capable of hosting the first group.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the first set comprising the keyword is broadcast together with a proposed method for selecting the server.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the response includes a second set comprising a second keyword representing an interest of the second user.