Supporting a serial and a parallel invitation protocol

• US 20060271626A1
• Filed: 05/27/2005
• Published: 11/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Timothy M., Tidwell, Paul D.
• Granted Patent: US 7,660,850 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1093 by adding participants; by removing participants
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1104 Session initiation protocol [SIP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/148 Migration or transfer of sessions

Abstract

A method and system for establishing a multiparty session with a mesh configuration by sending out invitations to endpoints in parallel is provided. To initiate a session, an initiating endpoint sends invitations in parallel to the endpoints that are to be in the session. When the initiating endpoint receives an acceptance, it then sends to the accepting endpoint an indication of the other endpoints that are currently in the session. When an accepting endpoint receives the indication of the endpoints in the session, the accepting endpoint sends an invitation to establish a dialog to each of the indicated endpoints. When an endpoint that is in the session receives such an invitation, it can automatically accept the invitation because it is already participating in the session.

Claims

1. A method in an initiating endpoint for establishing a multiparty session that includes at least one endpoint that supports a parallel invitation protocol and at least one endpoint that requires a serial invitation protocol, the method comprising:

sending in parallel to each of a plurality of endpoints an invitation to establish a dialog that indicates support for the parallel invitation protocol; and

after receiving an acceptance or rejection from each of the invited endpoints, sending in serial to each endpoint that rejected the invitation an invitation to establish a dialog that indicates support for the serial protocol.

2. The method of claim 1 including after receiving an acceptance of an invitation sent in parallel from an invited endpoint, sending to the invited endpoint an indication of the invited endpoints.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the invitation sent in serial includes an indication of the invited endpoints with which the initiating endpoint has already established a dialog so that the invited endpoint can establish a dialog with each indicated invited endpoint.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein when an acceptance is received from an invited endpoint indicating that the invited endpoint is in the session.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein an endpoint of a session that supports the parallel invitation protocol is designated as a manager and when a new endpoint is to be added to the established session, the manager endpoint sends an invitation to the new endpoint indicating support for the parallel invitation protocol and when the new endpoint rejects the invitation, the manager endpoint sends an invitation to the new endpoint indicating support for the serial invitation protocol.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the invitation indicating support for the serial protocol identifies endpoints in the session so that the new endpoint can establish a dialog with endpoints in the session.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein an invited endpoint accepts an invitation indicating support for the parallel invitation protocol after a participant at that endpoint indicates to accept the invitation.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein an invited endpoint accepts an invitation indicating support for the serial invitation protocol automatically.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein an invited endpoint establishes a dialog with an endpoint in the session by sending an invitation to establish a dialog to the indicated endpoint.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the endpoint to which the invited endpoint sends the invitation sends an acceptance along with an indication of the protocols that the sending endpoint supports.

11. A computer-readable medium containing instructions for controlling an endpoint to establish a multiparty session that includes at least one endpoint that supports a parallel invitation protocol and at least one endpoint that requires a serial invitation protocol, by a method comprising:

sending in parallel to each endpoint that supports the parallel invitation protocol an invitation to establish a dialog;

after receiving an acceptance or rejection from each of the invited endpoints, sending in serial to each endpoint that requires the serial invitation protocol an invitation to establish a dialog; and

after receiving an acceptance from an invited endpoint, indicating that the invited endpoint is in the session.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 wherein the invitation includes an indication of the endpoints in the session so that the invited endpoint can establish a dialog with the endpoints in the session.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 including determining whether an endpoint supports the parallel invitation protocol.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein the determining is based on acceptance or rejection of an invitation indicating that the parallel invitation protocol is required.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 13 wherein determining is based on checking published information of an endpoint.

16. A computer system at an endpoint for establishing a multiparty session, the computer system comprising:

an invitation component that

sends in parallel to each of a plurality of endpoints that are not in the session an invitation indicating support for a parallel invitation protocol to establish a dialog, and after an invited endpoint accepts, sends to the accepting endpoint an indication of the endpoints in the session, and after an invited endpoint rejects, sends to the rejecting endpoint an invitation indicating support for a serial invitation protocol to establish a dialog and

sends to an endpoint that is in the session an invitation to establish a dialog; and

an acceptance component that

receives when the endpoint is not in the session an invitation to establish a dialog of the session, sends an acceptance, and receives an indication of endpoints in the session so that the endpoint can establish dialogs with other endpoints in the session and

receives when the endpoint is in the session an invitation to establish a dialog of the session and sends an acceptance.

17. The computer system of claim 16 wherein the acceptance component sends an acceptance automatically when the endpoint is in the session and sends an acceptance after a participant indication when the endpoint is not in the session.

18. The computer system of claim 16 including a component to elect a manager endpoint that is responsible for sending invitations to endpoints not in the session.

19. The computer system of claim 16 wherein endpoints communicate using the Session Initiation Protocol.