Integrated network and application session establishment

• US 8,244,808 B2
• Filed: 06/26/2006
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Jones, David, Flannery, Eliot J., Manion, Todd R., Sidhu, Gursharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Backer, Firmin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chambers, Michael A
• Application Number:
  US11/474,721
• Publication Number:
  US 20070299914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,241 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/205, 709/245, 709/227, 715/738
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A session manager recognizes the creation of a new collaboration session and creates a new network connection to host the collaboration session using information about the new collaboration session. More specifically, an identifier for the new host network connection is based on the name given to the collaboration session. In this way, other computing devices can discover existing collaboration sessions by scanning the identifiers of existing network connections without actually having to connect to the available networks first.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage medium that does not consist of a signal, the computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a host computing device, cause the host computing device to perform a method for initiating a collaboration session, the computer-readable storage medium storing instructions for:

receiving, at the host computing device, a request from a user of the host computing device to initiate the collaboration session, wherein the host computing device includes a wireless adapter, and the request to initiate the collaboration session is received by a collaboration application hosted by the host computing device;

prompting, by the collaboration application, the user of the host computing device to provide a name and a password for the collaboration session;

establishing, by the collaboration application, the collaboration session on the host computing device, the collaboration session having the name provided by the user and being secured by the password provided by the user;

automatically configuring, by the collaboration application in conjunction with establishing the collaboration session, a wireless ad hoc network for a duration of the collaboration session using the wireless network adapter of the host computing device, the wireless ad hoc network configured to have a network connection identifier that includes the name of the collaboration session provided by the user and to be secured by the password for the collaboration session provided by the user, the wireless ad hoc network enabling other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the host computing device to connect to the host computing device via a wireless ad hoc network connection in peer-to-peer fashion without using a router;

inviting, by the collaboration application, one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity the host computing device to join the collaboration session by;

sending the name and the password for the collaboration session to the one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the host computing device through another communications channel, and

broadcasting the network connection identifier of the wireless ad hoc network that includes the name of the collaboration session from the host computing device for enabling the one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the host computing device to discover the network connection identifier of the wireless ad hoc network that includes the name of the collaboration session when scanning for available wireless networks; and

joining, by the collaboration application, the one or more other wireless computing devices to the collaboration session on the host computing device when each of the one or more other wireless computing devices supplies the password for the collaboration session to connect to the wireless ad hoc network identified by the network identifier that includes the name of the collaboration session.

2. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 1, further storing instructions for creating a new collaboration session residing on the host computing device.

3. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 1, further storing instructions for joining an existing collaboration session residing on the host computing device.

4. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 1, further storing instructions for:

transforming the password for the collaboration session provided by the user into a security code;

configuring the wireless ad hoc network to be secured by the security code; and

sending the security code to the other wireless devices in close proximity to the host computing device through the communications channel.

5. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 1, further storing instructions for:

scanning for available wireless networks that host existing collaboration sessions;

presenting a listing of the existing collaboration sessions generated from network connection identifiers of the available wireless networks; and

in response to a selection of a desired collaboration session from the listing, joining the available wireless network hosting the desired collaboration session.

6. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 1, further storing instructions for:

providing the one or more wireless computing devices with access to a shared desktop.

7. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 6, further storing instructions for:

providing the one or more wireless computing devices with access to shared files.

8. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 4, wherein the wireless ad hoc network is secured by one of a Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) security code or a Wi-Fi Protected Access (WPA) security code derived from the password for the collaboration session provided by the user.

9. The computer-readable storage medium recited in claim 1, further storing instructions for disconnecting the host computing device from an existing wired network.

10. A computing device comprising:

a wireless adapter;

a processing unit for executing computer-executable instructions; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions for;

receiving, at a collaboration application hosted by the computing device, a request from a user of the computing device to initiate a collaboration session;

prompting, by the collaboration application, the user of the host computing device to provide a name and a password for the collaboration session;

establishing, by the collaboration application, the collaboration session on the computing device, the collaboration session having the name provided by the user and being secured by the password provided by the user;

automatically configuring, by the collaboration application in conjunction with establishing the collaboration session, a wireless ad hoc network for a duration of the collaboration session using the wireless adapter of the computing device, the wireless ad hoc network configured to have a network connection identifier that includes the name of the collaboration session provided by the user and to be secured by the password for the collaboration session provided by the user, the wireless ad hoc network enabling other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the computing device to connect to the computing device via a wireless ad hoc network connection in peer-to-peer fashion without using a router;

inviting, by the collaboration application, one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity the host computing device to join the collaboration session by;

sending the name and the password for the collaboration session to the one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the computing device through another communications channel, and

broadcasting the network connection identifier of the wireless ad hoc network that includes the name of the collaboration session from the computing device for enabling the one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the computing device to discover the network connection identifier of the wireless ad hoc network that includes the name of the collaboration session when scanning for available wireless networks; and

joining, by the collaboration application, the one or more other wireless computing devices to the collaboration session on the computing device when each of the one or more other wireless computing devices supplies the password for the collaboration session to connect to the wireless ad hoc network identified by the network connection identifier that includes the name of the collaboration session.

11. The computing device recited in claim 10, wherein the network connection identifier for the wireless ad hoc network includes one or more characters appended to the name of the collaboration session provided by the user.

12. The computing device recited in claim 10, the memory further storing instructions for:

deriving a cryptographic value from the password for the collaboration session provided by the user;

configuring the wireless ad hoc network to be secured by the cryptographic value; and

sending the cryptographic value to the other wireless devices in close proximity to the host computing device through the communications channel.

13. The computing device recited in claim 10, the memory further storing instructions for:

scanning for available wireless networks that host existing collaboration sessions.

14. The computing device recited in claim 13, wherein a network connection identifier of an available wireless network comprises a special character if the available wireless network is hosting an existing collaboration session.

15. The computing device recited in claim 10, the memory further storing instructions for:

providing the one or more wireless computing devices with access to a shared desktop.

16. The computing device recited in claim 10, the memory further storing instructions for:

providing the one or more wireless computing devices with access to shared files.

17. A computer-implemented method for initiating a collaboration session, the method comprising:

receiving, at a host computing device, a request from a user of the host computing device to initiate the collaboration session, wherein the host computing device includes a wireless adapter, and the request to initiate the collaboration session is received by a collaboration application hosted by the host computing device;

prompting, by the collaboration application, the user of the host computing device to provide a name and a password for the collaboration session;

establishing, by the collaboration application, the collaboration session on the host computing device, the collaboration session having the name provided by the user and being secured by the password provided by the user;

automatically configuring, by the collaboration application in conjunction with establishing the collaboration session, a wireless ad hoc network for a duration of the collaboration session using the wireless network adapter of the host computing device, the wireless ad hoc network configured to have a network connection identifier that includes the name of the collaboration session provided by the user and to be secured by the password for the collaboration session provided by the user, the wireless ad hoc network enabling other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the host computing device to connect to the host computing device via a wireless ad hoc network connection in peer-to-peer fashion without using a router;

inviting, by the collaboration application, one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity the host computing device to join the collaboration session by;

sending the name and the password for the collaboration session to the one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the host computing device through another communications channel, and

broadcasting the network connection identifier of the wireless ad hoc network that includes the name of the collaboration session from the host computing device for enabling the one or more other wireless computing devices in close proximity to the host computing device to discover the network connection identifier of the wireless ad hoc network that includes the name of the collaboration session when scanning for available wireless networks; and

joining, by the collaboration application, the one or more other wireless computing devices to the collaboration session on the host computing device when each of the one or more other wireless computing devices supplies the password for the collaboration session to connect to the wireless ad hoc network identified by the network identifier that includes the name of the collaboration session.

18. The method recited in claim 17, further comprising joining an existing collaboration session residing on the host computer.

19. The method recited in claim 17, further comprising providing the one or more other wireless computing devices with access to a shared desktop.

20. The method recited in claim 19, further comprising providing the one or more other wireless computing devices with access to shared files.