Presence-based hybrid peer-to-peer communications

• US 7,734,710 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Shan, Xueshan, Seligmann, Doree Duncan
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Haresh N
• Application Number:
  US11/240,076
• Publication Number:
  US 20070067443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,712 Days
• Field of Search: 709203-207, 709217-224
• US Class Current: 709/207
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1093 Some peer nodes performing special functions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users

Abstract

A method and an apparatus are disclosed for improving the flow of data traffic between clients and servers by determining, in an enhanced hybrid peer-to-peer network, when a client telecommunications terminal should share its data with one or more peers, instead of transmitting that data to the servers. A “super-peer” client terminal in the hybrid peer-to-peer network is responsible for determining when to share data with peers and when to transmit data to the servers. The telecommunications terminal (i) shares data with other terminals when a particular user'"'"'s presence has changed and (ii) transmits data to the enterprise servers when the overall group'"'"'s presence that corresponds to the terminal'"'"'s peer group has changed. The system of the illustrative embodiment aggregates presence and routes communications via peer-to-peer networking, instead of via client-to server-to peer networking, thereby reducing the load on the enterprise servers and lessening the occurrences of single points-of-failure.

Claims

1. A first telecommunications terminal of a hybrid peer-to-peer network comprising:

at least one hardware processor for detecting a) a change in a group-presence status of a user group and b) a change in presence of one of the users in the user group, a user of the first telecommunications terminal and a user of a second telecommunications terminal of the hybrid peer-to-peer network belonging to the user group, the second telecommunications terminal being peer of the first telecommunications terminal, and the group-presence status being based on whether a quorum of users in the user group is available; and

a transmitter for transmitting;

(a) a first datum including aggregated presence information of the user group including the group-presence status to a server of the hybrid peer-to-peer network, based on the detecting of the change in the group-presence status; and

(b) a second datum to the second telecommunications terminal, through a routing intelligence that is distributed among the terminals, and not through any server of the peer-to-peer network, based on (i) the detecting of the change in presence of one of the users and (ii) the user of the second telecommunications terminal belonging to the user group.

2. The first telecommunications terminal of claim 1 wherein the first datum refers to the group-presence status.

3. The first telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein the group-presence status is based on whether a quorum of users in the user group is available.

4. The first telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein the group-presence status is based on whether a majority of users in the user group is available.

5. The first telecommunications terminal of claim 1, wherein the group-presence status is based on whether all members of the user group are available.

6. A method comprising:

detecting, by at least one hardware processing unit, at a first telecommunications terminal of a hybrid peer-to-peer network, a) a change in a group-presence status of a user group and b) a change in presence of one of the users in the user group, a user of the first telecommunications terminal and a user of a second telecommunications terminal of the hybrid peer-to-peer network belonging to the user group, the second telecommunications terminal being peer of the first telecommunications terminal, and the group-presence status being based on whether a quorum of users in the user group is available;

transmitting a first datum including aggregated presence information of the user group including the group-presence status from the first telecommunications terminal to a server of the hybrid peer-to-peer network, based on the detecting of the change in the group-presence status; and

transmitting a second datum from the first telecommunications terminal to the second telecommunications terminal, through a routing intelligence that is distributed among the terminals, and not through any server of the peer-to-peer network, based on (i) the detecting of the change in presence of one of the users and (ii) the user of the second telecommunications terminal belonging to the user group.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the first datum refers to a call log.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the first datum refers to a contact list.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the first datum refers to the group-presence status.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein the group-presence status is based on whether a quorum of users in the user group is available.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the group-presence status is based on whether a majority of users in the user group is available.

12. The method of claim 6, wherein the group-presence status is based on whether all members of the user group are available.