AUTOMATED REAL-TIME DATA STREAM SWITCHING IN A SHARED VIRTUAL AREA COMMUNICATION ENVIRONMENT

• US 20090113053A1
• Filed: 10/24/2007
• Published: 04/30/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sococo, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Social Communications Company
• Inventors: Van Wie, David, Brody, Paul J.
• Granted Patent: US 7,844,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1827 Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/131 Protocols for games, networked simulations or virtual reality

Abstract

In one aspect, one or more real-time data stream connections that deliver a set of real-time data streams to a given network node are determined based at least in part on bandwidth capabilities of the given network node. In another aspect, for each of one or more recipient network nodes, a respective link over which to transmit a respective transmission set of one or more real-time data streams is determined. For each of the links, the respective link bandwidth is apportioned between one or more channels that are respectively allocated to the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set.

Claims

1. A method of switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area, comprising:

ascertaining a set of real-time data streams that enable a given one of the network nodes that is associated with a respective position in the virtual area to participate in a collaborative communication session with one or more other ones of the network nodes that are associated with respective positions in the virtual area;

determining one or more real-time data stream connections that deliver the set of real-time data streams to the given network node based at least in part on bandwidth capabilities of the given network node; and

establishing the real-time data stream connections between the given network node and the one or more other ones of the network nodes.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining a respective form in which to receive each of the real-time data streams, wherein each of the determined real-time data streams is in the form of either an unmixed real-time data stream or a mixed real-time data stream derived from a combination of real-time data streams transmitted from ones of the other network nodes.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises determining a network route over which to receive each of the real-time streams, wherein the determined network route is either a direct peer-to-peer network route or a network route mediated by one or more of the other network nodes.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing a virtual area specification comprising a description of one or more switching rules each defining a respective connection between sources of a respective real-time data stream type and sinks of the real-time data stream type in terms of positions in the virtual area, wherein at least one of the ascertaining and the determining is based on the switching rules.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting to the given network node a list of one or more mixed real-time data streams derived from real-time data streams transmitted from ones of the other the network nodes.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises discovering the bandwidth capabilities of one or more of the other network nodes and selecting the one or more real-time data stream connections based on the discovered bandwidth capabilities.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined real-time data stream connections involve switching real-time data streams between ones of the network nodes in a first set through a central network node and switching real-time data streams over direct peer-to-peer network connections between ones of the network nodes in a second set.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more determined real-time data stream connections involve transmitting to the given network node a mixed real-time data stream that comprises the requested real-time data stream data and is derived from real-time data streams transmitted from ones of the other network nodes.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining comprises the one or more real-time data stream connections that maximize delivery of unmixed real-time data streams to the given network node.

10. A computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions for switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area, the computer-readable instructions being operable to cause a computer to perform operations comprising:

ascertaining a set of real-time data streams that enable a given one of the network nodes that is associated with a respective position in the virtual area to participate in a collaborative communication session with one or more other ones of the network nodes that are associated with respective positions in the virtual area;

determining one or more real-time data stream connections that deliver the set of real-time data streams to the given network node based at least in part on bandwidth capabilities of the given network node; and

establishing the real-time data stream connections between the given network node and the one or more other ones of the network nodes.

11. A method of switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area, comprising:

for each of one or more recipient ones of the network nodes, determining a respective link over which to transmit a respective transmission set of one or more real-time data streams, wherein each of the links has a respective link bandwidth; and

for each of the links, apportioning the respective link bandwidth between one or more channels respectively allocated to the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set and transmitting the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set to the respective recipient network node over the respectively allocated channels.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises for each of the links, ascertaining for each of the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set one or more respective bandwidth levels and allocating the respective link bandwidth to the link based on the ascertained bandwidth levels.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, for each of the links

the ascertaining comprises identifying a respective minimum bandwidth level for each of the real-time data streams in the respective transmission set, and

calculating a respective minimum link bandwidth level from the one or more identified respective minimum bandwidth levels.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising dropping any of the links in response to a determination that bandwidth available to the link fails to meet the respective minimum link bandwidth level.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein, for each of the links

the ascertaining comprises, for each of one or more of the real-time data streams in the respective transmission set, identifying at least two respective bandwidth levels in a respective preference hierarchy ordered from a respective first preferred bandwidth level to a respective second preferred bandwidth level, and

calculating a respective target link bandwidth level based at least in part on the identified first preferred bandwidth levels and calculating a respective fallback link bandwidth level based at least in part on the identified second preferred bandwidth levels.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the determining comprises, for each of the recipient network nodes,

trying to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at the target link bandwidth level, and

in response to a failure to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at the target link bandwidth level, attempting to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at the fallback link bandwidth level.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the trying comprises comparing the target link bandwidth level to both a current amount of bandwidth available to transmit the respective transmission set and a current amount of bandwidth available to the respective recipient network node.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises for each of the recipient network nodes,

trying to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at a respective candidate link bandwidth level, and

in response to a failure to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at the respective candidate link bandwidth level, dropping at least one optional real-time data stream in the transmission data set.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises for each of the recipient network nodes,

trying to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at a respective candidate link bandwidth level, and

in response to a failure to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at the respective candidate link bandwidth level, establishing a link for transmitting the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set to the recipient network node over a network route mediated by one or more of the other network nodes.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises for each of the recipient network nodes,

trying to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at a respective candidate link bandwidth level, and

in response to a failure to establish the respective link to the recipient network node at the respective candidate link bandwidth level, establishing a link that delivers one or more of the real-time data streams in the respective transmission set to the recipient network node in the form of one or more mixed real-time data streams derived from a combination of real-time data streams transmitted from other ones of the network nodes.

21. The method of claim 11, wherein the determining comprises for each of the links, allocating the respective bandwidth in an amount determined based on an attribute associated with the respective recipient network node.

22. The method of claim 11, wherein, for each of the links, the apportioning of the respective link bandwidth is based on one or more stream priority levels respectively associated with the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set.

23. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the links is a respective one-way link from a respective one of the network nodes transmitting the respective transmission set to a respective one of the recipient network nodes.

24. A computer-readable medium storing computer-readable instructions for switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area, the computer-readable instructions being operable to cause a computer to perform operations comprising:

for each of one or more recipient ones of the network nodes, determining a respective link over which to transmit a respective transmission set of one or more real-time data streams, wherein each of the links has a respective link bandwidth; and

for each of the links, apportioning the respective link bandwidth between one or more channels respectively allocated to the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set and transmitting the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set to the respective recipient network node over the respectively allocated channels.

25. A network adapter for switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area, comprising:

computer-readable memory; and

a processing unit coupled to the computer-readable memory and operable to perform operations comprising

for each of one or more recipient ones of the network nodes, determining a respective link over which to transmit a respective transmission set of one or more real-time data streams, wherein each of the links has a respective link bandwidth; and

for each of the links, apportioning the respective link bandwidth between one or more channels respectively allocated to the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set and transmitting the one or more real-time data streams in the respective transmission set to the respective recipient network node over the respectively allocated channels.