US20060010202A1 - Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users - Google Patents
Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- US20060010202A1 US20060010202A1 US11/211,112 US21111205A US2006010202A1 US 20060010202 A1 US20060010202 A1 US 20060010202A1 US 21111205 A US21111205 A US 21111205A US 2006010202 A1 US2006010202 A1 US 2006010202A1
- Authority
- US
- United States
- Prior art keywords
- network
- devices
- session
- collaborative
- participants
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Abandoned
Links
Images
Classifications
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/01—Protocols
- H04L67/10—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network
- H04L67/104—Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
- H04L67/1061—Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks using node-based peer discovery mechanisms
- H04L67/1068—Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L12/00—Data switching networks
- H04L12/02—Details
- H04L12/16—Arrangements for providing special services to substations
- H04L12/18—Arrangements for providing special services to substations for broadcast or conference, e.g. multicast
- H04L12/1813—Arrangements for providing special services to substations for broadcast or conference, e.g. multicast for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms
- H04L12/1818—Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L12/00—Data switching networks
- H04L12/02—Details
- H04L12/16—Arrangements for providing special services to substations
- H04L12/18—Arrangements for providing special services to substations for broadcast or conference, e.g. multicast
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/01—Protocols
- H04L67/10—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network
- H04L67/104—Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/01—Protocols
- H04L67/10—Protocols in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network
- H04L67/104—Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
- H04L67/1044—Group management mechanisms
- H04L67/1053—Group management mechanisms with pre-configuration of logical or physical connections with a determined number of other peers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/14—Session management
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/14—Session management
- H04L67/146—Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04L—TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION
- H04L67/00—Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications
- H04L67/50—Network services
- H04L67/51—Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04W—WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS
- H04W40/00—Communication routing or communication path finding
- H04W40/24—Connectivity information management, e.g. connectivity discovery or connectivity update
- H04W40/246—Connectivity information discovery
Definitions
- the present invention generally relates to identifying members of a collaborative network and more particularly to a method of identifying members in a peer-to-peer network without the use of a central server.
- collaboration may involve the transfer of files, sending messages, or other forms of data between two or more computing devices of the network.
- the computing devices share a physical network with other devices who the users may wish to selectively include or exclude from their sessions.
- a network has a central designated server that can identify users and the current network addresses or device identifiers of their devices which are currently logged-in as well as the session identifiers which are used to distinguish specific collaboration sessions.
- a collaboration session may correspond to an active group of collaboration participants or a team of participants in a virtual room/physical location for collaboration.
- the central server can provide the user's computing device a list of network addresses for the other devices who share the same session identifier and exclude those who are not in the desired session.
- the computing device of the user does not have access to a central list which can be used to identify participants. There is no central mechanism for the addition and removal of participants. Accordingly, the computing device of the user will not be able to quickly and easily contact all members of the collaborative session because they are not identifiable to the user.
- the Jini architecture provides an infrastructure for defining, advertising and finding services on a network where services are defined by Java interfaces or classes. Advertisement is done using a lookup service, which is a place for services to advertise their presence on a network. Generally devices use Jini protocols to find lookup servers, then query found lookup servers using Jini to find services which may exist on other network devices. Accordingly, the lookup service may not exist on the same device as the services advertised, nor does the Jini itself provide information that can be used for collaboration.
- UPnP Another type of location protocol is UPnP which is similar to the Jini protocol.
- UpnP uses multicast messaging to request the existence of services. Only those servers that can provide a requested service or that know of servers who can provide such a service respond. The individual collaborative services do not respond. Accordingly, in order to utilize the UpnP service, a server must be present on the network.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,896 entitled “Capability Addressable Network And Method Therefor” describes the connection protocol for members in a peer-to-peer network.
- the '896 patent addresses the problems associated with trying to connect and authenticate other peers on a peer-to-peer network.
- the '896 patent does not disclose how to identify and locate other peers when collaboration between peers is necessary.
- the connection protocol described by the '896 patent is extremely bandwidth intensive such that it would not be suitable for the identification of collaborative devices on a peer-to-peer network.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,183 entitled “Method For Authorizing Couplings Between Devices In A Capability Addressable Network” discloses the methods and protocols for authorizing coupling between devices in a capability-addressable network.
- the '183 patent does not disclose how peers can be quickly and easily identified on the network.
- the '183 patent discloses how a device accesses network services.
- the present invention addresses the above-mentioned deficiencies in identification of users in a peer-to-peer network by providing a method in which a user can identify the network addresses of other users without the use of a central server. Accordingly, the present invention allows collaboration between computing devices where the network address (such as an IP address) and devices used by a user are not known in advance and may change.
- the network address such as an IP address
- a method for identifying participants of a collaborative network The participants communicate over a larger electronic network wherein not all members may be participating in the collaborative session.
- the method begins by determining a unique session identifier for only the participants of the collaborative network.
- a message having the session identifier is sent to all members of the network by an inquiring participant of the collaborative network. Only participants that have the session identifier respond to the inquiring participant.
- communication is established between the participants that responded to the message and the inquiring participant.
- a collaborative network is formed including the inquiring participant and excluding others on the larger network.
- the method of identifying participants further includes the step of creating a participant list of the members of the collaborative network which can be stored by the participants.
- the participant list includes all of the participants of the collaborative network which have the same session identifier.
- the participants can be computing devices such as PDA's, computers or other electronic devices.
- the collaborative network is an electronic network that is capable of transmitting and receiving messages to and from computing devices.
- the collaborative network is a wired or wireless network.
- the message having the session identifier is a UDP datagram containing the session identifier.
- the UDP datagram may be a broadcast or multicast datagram.
- a system for identifying members of a collaborative network comprises at least two computing devices in electronic communication with one another. Furthermore, the system includes a unique session identifier for distinguishing members of the collaborative network from other members of the network. The system further includes an identification message having the unique session identifier. The identification message is sent between at least two computing devices such that if the session identifier is identical between the two devices, then the devices are members of the collaborative network. Of course, it will be realized that multiple devices may be in electronic communication with one another such that only those devices which have the unique session identifier are members of the collaborative network.
- FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting computing devices on a network for collaboration.
- FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating how the computing devices shown in FIG. 1 are identified in a collaborative session.
- FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating how a computing device is removed From a collaborative session.
- FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating another method of how a computing device is identified in a collaborative session.
- FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting computing devices on a personal area network for collaboration.
- FIG. 6 is a diagram depicting computing devices utilizing access points in a network for a collaborative session.
- FIG. 1 illustrates computing devices A, B, C, D, and E in a peer-to-peer network.
- the computing devices may be PDA's, PC's, wireless telephones, or any other type of electronic device that can be in a network.
- the network may be wired (i.e., LAN or Ethernet) or wireless network (i.e., Bluetooth, 802.11 b ).
- the present invention is independent of the type of the computing device or the type of network.
- Each of the computing devices A, B, C, D, and E has a respective network identification number.
- computing device A has a network identification number of 001.
- the network identification number is a unique identifier to the network.
- each computing device may also have an associated network address.
- the address may be an IP address or other type of network specific address. In some instances the network identification number and the network address may be the same unique identifier for the computing device.
- computing device A is in direct network communication with devices B and D.
- computing device C is in communication with devices B and E. It is possible for computing device A to indirectly communicate with computing device C by utilizing the connection with computing device B. Accordingly, it is possible for computing devices A and C to collaboratively share information by utilizing their connectivity with device B.
- a method of identifying computing devices in a collaborative network begins by the device accessing and logging into the network via commonly known techniques.
- the device that has just accessed the network will send out a broadcast or multicast datagram containing the network identification of the device, as well as a session identifier, to all potential participant devices on the network. If an appropriate receiving device is a member of the same session, then the device will recognize the session identifier and respond with the identification of the computing device and the network address of the device. However, if a computing device is not a member of the group, the computing device will not respond. Finally, the inquiring device would generate or populate a list of devices that are in the same session as the device so that collaboration can occur.
- FIG. 1 an example of how the devices communicate will now be described.
- devices A, B, and C wish to collaborate but want to exclude devices D and E on the network.
- All of the devices i.e., A, B, C, D, and E
- All of the devices are on the same network and can communicate with each other using broadcast or multicast messages and directed packets.
- any type of wired or wireless network can be used.
- the user's of devices A, B, and C agree on the ID of their session by choosing a name which can be turned into a unique session ID using any type of algorithm.
- the session ID can be the name itself.
- the session ID may be the name of the company, a department or group, the name of a location, or the purpose of the collaboration session.
- the agreement for the session ID can occur before or after the computing devices are logged onto the network.
- the users of the devices can decide on the unique session ID by other means of communication such as telephone, email, or face to face discussion.
- the user's of devices D and E are not told and do not know the name of the session ID.
- the user of device A Once the user of device A has logged into the network, the user will enter the name of the session ID into computing device A. If the name of the session is not the session ID, then computing device A will use the appropriate algorithm to derive the session identifier.
- device A Once the session ID has been established, then device A will send a broadcast message containing the appropriate session identifier to every device on the network (i.e., devices B, C, D, and E). The other devices receive the broadcast message (i.e., packet) and examine it. At this point none of the other user's of the devices on the network have entered the appropriate session ID. Accordingly, because none of the other devices recognize the session ID, none of the devices respond.
- bandwidth is saved and scalability is increased.
- the session ID in the query considerably reduces the number of responses and traffic because authentication begins immediately once a response is received by a collaborating device of the same session.
- the user of device B enters the name of the session on device B which derives the corresponding session ID.
- device B sends a broadcast message to the other devices on the network (i.e., devices A, C, D, and E).
- Device A recognizes the session ID and responds with the device ID and/or network address.
- devices C, D, and E do not recognize the session ID and do not respond to device A.
- device A populates a collaboration session device/user list with the ID and/or network address of device B.
- device B populates its collaboration session device/user list with the ID and/or network address of device A.
- device A and device B can collaborate over the network without intrusion by the other devices.
- device C If the user of device C wishes to join the collaboration session, then the user will enter the appropriate session name into device C which derives the corresponding session ID. Once entered, device C will send a broadcast message to all of the devices. Devices A, B, D and E will receive the packet and only devices A and B will recognize the session ID and respond with the device and/or network address. Accordingly, device A and device B populate their respective device lists with the information from device C. Similarly, device C populates its device list with the information from devices A and B in order to form a collaborative network between devices A, B, and C, while still excluding devices D and E.
- computing device can leave the network gracefully inasmuch as it doesn't crash.
- the device leaving the network will send a message to all of the devices connected to the network using either a connection oriented protocol or a datagram.
- the message will declare that the device is leaving the network and that the remote peer is offline.
- each of the devices that are members of the session can appropriately update their device lists by removing the device that left the network.
- the network connection may be terminated abruptly such as when the network connection is physically broken, the exit datagram is lost, or the remote peer goes out of range on a wireless network. Accordingly, it is not possible to send or receive a message indicating that the device has left the session.
- each device should be equipped to periodically send a “still alive” message to each connected device.
- each device in the network could send a message every ten seconds to the other devices indicating that the device is still on the network.
- the “still alive” message could be a connectionless datagram or a message sent using a connection protocol between the devices.
- a device does not detect or receive a “still alive” message from another device of the network for more than twice a determined interval, then the device is declared offline and the connection is torn down. Furthermore, the device declared offline is removed from the device list. For example, referring to FIG. 1 , if device A does not receive a “still alive” message for more than two intervals of the message being sent (i.e., 20 seconds), then device A will declare device B offline and remove device B from the device list.
- the session identifier is not included in the broadcast or multicast datagram.
- the device will first log into the network.
- the initiating device will transmit a broadcast or multicast datagram that does not include the session identifier. Every device that is active on the network will then respond to the data gram.
- the initiating device will connect to every responding device using a connection oriented protocol such as TCP to exchange messages relating to which session a device is a member.
- the connection can then be dropped or maintained as necessary. For instance, all of the devices which have the same session identifier as the initiating device will have their connection maintained.
- connection is maintained, all future messages regarding session changes, exiting the network, or “keep alive” messages can then be sent using a reliable connection oriented protocol.
- This method can be further extended to support multiple networks or IP subnets by forwarding the multicast or broadcast packets to receivers in another network/subnet which can then multicast or broadcast the packets.
- the above-mentioned process can be combined with an authentication protocol to ensure that the device is actually a member of the session.
- An additional protocol can then be used between peers to ensure that peers recognize each other.
- a password or shared key could be used for authentication.
- public key cryptography could be used where each device contains the keys of all possible collaborators and is used to authenticate other users.
- a connection could be set up initially between the devices to determine if session identifiers match. For example, a “client” device connects to a “server” device using some variant of a radio inquiry/response. The “client” then asks the “server” for the collaboration session ID to which the “server” will respond. If the session ID matches, the “client” remains connected and authenticates the session ID in order to collaborate with the “server”. This could be implemented with devices communicating over a Bluetooth network.
- a PAN network consists of a central master device A and slave devices B, C, D, and E connected in a star shaped topology.
- the master device A is responsible for forwarding unicast, multicast, and broadcast packets as required by the PAN.
- a device in the PAN can respond on behalf of other devices such that each device is either designated as a master or slave device.
- a master is first created on the PAN with no other devices connected to it, and devices are designated as slaves as they join the PAN.
- the slave device After a slave device connects to the PAN, the slave device sends an inquiry message in a broadcast or multicast datagram containing the session identifier and the user identifier to all potential participant devices in the network.
- the master device receives the broadcast datagram and, as will be further explained below, does not need to forward the datagram thereby saving bandwidth.
- the master will save the session ID and network address from the inquiry for future use.
- the master will retrieve previously saved network address/session information from previous requests. In this regard, the master will contain network/session information about all of the slave devices.
- the master will reply to the inquiry (i.e., broadcast or multicast datagram) with a list of the network ID's that match the session ID requested.
- the slave will use this information to begin a collaborative session with the devices that have matching session ID's.
- the master will save and respond to ail inquiry requests from the slave devices. In this manner, slaves who disconnect can then inform only the master who can then delete the network ID/session information from its list and notify the other connected slave devices.
- computing devices A, B, and C can access network 20 through access point X.
- computing devices D and E access network 20 through access point Y.
- Each of the devices stores the access point identifier (i.e., X or Y) after it connects. As the devices move, they store the ID's of the closest access point.
- the inquiring device sends a broadcast or multicast message containing the access point identifier instead of session ID information. Only those devices which have the same access point identifier will respond thereby identifying those devices which are nearby. For instance, referring to FIG. 6 , if device A sends out an inquiry, only devices B and C will respond. This technique is useful for identifying participants that are in range of a wireless network. Additionally, instead of using access point identifiers, physical “beacon” identifiers can be used.
- the above-mentioned method could be used with a designated responder for a session.
- the responder When a computing device transmits a session identifier request to a designated responder, the responder would reply with information about all of the other devices with the same session ID. Accordingly, the other devices would not need to respond thereby reducing bandwidth usage.
- the device could attempt to connect to a previous member of the team first. If found, the device could ask the found member for the information about other collaborative devices. If the previous member is not in the session, then the device would utilize the broadcast/multicast messaging as previously described above.
Abstract
A method for identifying participants of a collaborative network is disclosed. The participants communicate over a larger electronic network wherein not all members may be participating in the collaborative session. The method begins by determining a unique session identifier for only the participants of the collaborative network. Next, a message having the session identifier is sent to all members of the network by an inquiring participant of the collaborative network. Only participants that have the session identifier respond to the inquiring participant. Finally, communication is established between the participants that responded to the message and the inquiring participant. In this regard, a collaborative network is formed including the inquiring participant.
Description
- The present invention generally relates to identifying members of a collaborative network and more particularly to a method of identifying members in a peer-to-peer network without the use of a central server.
- In a peer-to-peer network or system, users would like to collaborate using their computing devices in a public or private collaboration session without the use of a server. Collaboration may involve the transfer of files, sending messages, or other forms of data between two or more computing devices of the network. During collaboration, the computing devices share a physical network with other devices who the users may wish to selectively include or exclude from their sessions.
- Typically, a network has a central designated server that can identify users and the current network addresses or device identifiers of their devices which are currently logged-in as well as the session identifiers which are used to distinguish specific collaboration sessions. A collaboration session may correspond to an active group of collaboration participants or a team of participants in a virtual room/physical location for collaboration. When the user logs in, the central server can provide the user's computing device a list of network addresses for the other devices who share the same session identifier and exclude those who are not in the desired session.
- Without a central server, it is extremely difficult to maintain an accurate accounting of the participants in the collaborative session. The computing device of the user does not have access to a central list which can be used to identify participants. There is no central mechanism for the addition and removal of participants. Accordingly, the computing device of the user will not be able to quickly and easily contact all members of the collaborative session because they are not identifiable to the user.
- The Jini architecture provides an infrastructure for defining, advertising and finding services on a network where services are defined by Java interfaces or classes. Advertisement is done using a lookup service, which is a place for services to advertise their presence on a network. Generally devices use Jini protocols to find lookup servers, then query found lookup servers using Jini to find services which may exist on other network devices. Accordingly, the lookup service may not exist on the same device as the services advertised, nor does the Jini itself provide information that can be used for collaboration.
- Another type of location protocol is UPnP which is similar to the Jini protocol. UpnP uses multicast messaging to request the existence of services. Only those servers that can provide a requested service or that know of servers who can provide such a service respond. The individual collaborative services do not respond. Accordingly, in order to utilize the UpnP service, a server must be present on the network.
- U.S. Pat. No. 6,069,896 entitled “Capability Addressable Network And Method Therefor” describes the connection protocol for members in a peer-to-peer network. The '896 patent addresses the problems associated with trying to connect and authenticate other peers on a peer-to-peer network. However, the '896 patent does not disclose how to identify and locate other peers when collaboration between peers is necessary. Furthermore, the connection protocol described by the '896 patent is extremely bandwidth intensive such that it would not be suitable for the identification of collaborative devices on a peer-to-peer network.
- Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,183 entitled “Method For Authorizing Couplings Between Devices In A Capability Addressable Network” discloses the methods and protocols for authorizing coupling between devices in a capability-addressable network. However, the '183 patent does not disclose how peers can be quickly and easily identified on the network. In fact, the '183 patent discloses how a device accesses network services.
- The present invention addresses the above-mentioned deficiencies in identification of users in a peer-to-peer network by providing a method in which a user can identify the network addresses of other users without the use of a central server. Accordingly, the present invention allows collaboration between computing devices where the network address (such as an IP address) and devices used by a user are not known in advance and may change.
- In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method for identifying participants of a collaborative network. The participants communicate over a larger electronic network wherein not all members may be participating in the collaborative session. The method begins by determining a unique session identifier for only the participants of the collaborative network. Next, a message having the session identifier is sent to all members of the network by an inquiring participant of the collaborative network. Only participants that have the session identifier respond to the inquiring participant. Finally, communication is established between the participants that responded to the message and the inquiring participant. In this regard, a collaborative network is formed including the inquiring participant and excluding others on the larger network.
- The method of identifying participants further includes the step of creating a participant list of the members of the collaborative network which can be stored by the participants. The participant list includes all of the participants of the collaborative network which have the same session identifier.
- The participants can be computing devices such as PDA's, computers or other electronic devices. In this regard, the collaborative network is an electronic network that is capable of transmitting and receiving messages to and from computing devices. Typically, the collaborative network is a wired or wireless network. The message having the session identifier is a UDP datagram containing the session identifier. The UDP datagram may be a broadcast or multicast datagram.
- In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a system for identifying members of a collaborative network. The system comprises at least two computing devices in electronic communication with one another. Furthermore, the system includes a unique session identifier for distinguishing members of the collaborative network from other members of the network. The system further includes an identification message having the unique session identifier. The identification message is sent between at least two computing devices such that if the session identifier is identical between the two devices, then the devices are members of the collaborative network. Of course, it will be realized that multiple devices may be in electronic communication with one another such that only those devices which have the unique session identifier are members of the collaborative network.
- These, as well as other features of the present invention will become more apparent upon reference to the drawings wherein:
-
FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting computing devices on a network for collaboration. -
FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating how the computing devices shown inFIG. 1 are identified in a collaborative session. -
FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating how a computing device is removed From a collaborative session. -
FIG. 4 is a flow chart illustrating another method of how a computing device is identified in a collaborative session. -
FIG. 5 is a diagram depicting computing devices on a personal area network for collaboration. -
FIG. 6 is a diagram depicting computing devices utilizing access points in a network for a collaborative session. - Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are for purposes of illustrating a preferred embodiment of the present invention only, and not for purposes of limiting the same,
FIG. 1 illustrates computing devices A, B, C, D, and E in a peer-to-peer network. The computing devices may be PDA's, PC's, wireless telephones, or any other type of electronic device that can be in a network. The network may be wired (i.e., LAN or Ethernet) or wireless network (i.e., Bluetooth, 802.11b). The present invention is independent of the type of the computing device or the type of network. - Each of the computing devices A, B, C, D, and E has a respective network identification number. For instance, computing device A has a network identification number of 001. The network identification number is a unique identifier to the network. Furthermore, each computing device may also have an associated network address. The address may be an IP address or other type of network specific address. In some instances the network identification number and the network address may be the same unique identifier for the computing device.
- Referring to
FIG. 1 , it is possible to see that computing device A is in direct network communication with devices B and D. Similarly, computing device C is in communication with devices B and E. It is possible for computing device A to indirectly communicate with computing device C by utilizing the connection with computing device B. Accordingly, it is possible for computing devices A and C to collaboratively share information by utilizing their connectivity with device B. - Referring to
FIG. 2 , a method of identifying computing devices in a collaborative network according to the present invention is shown. The method begins by the device accessing and logging into the network via commonly known techniques. Next, the device that has just accessed the network will send out a broadcast or multicast datagram containing the network identification of the device, as well as a session identifier, to all potential participant devices on the network. If an appropriate receiving device is a member of the same session, then the device will recognize the session identifier and respond with the identification of the computing device and the network address of the device. However, if a computing device is not a member of the group, the computing device will not respond. Finally, the inquiring device would generate or populate a list of devices that are in the same session as the device so that collaboration can occur. - Using
FIG. 1 , an example of how the devices communicate will now be described. For example, assume that devices A, B, and C wish to collaborate but want to exclude devices D and E on the network. All of the devices (i.e., A, B, C, D, and E) are on the same network and can communicate with each other using broadcast or multicast messages and directed packets. As previously discussed, any type of wired or wireless network can be used. - The user's of devices A, B, and C agree on the ID of their session by choosing a name which can be turned into a unique session ID using any type of algorithm. Alternatively, the session ID can be the name itself. For instance, the session ID may be the name of the company, a department or group, the name of a location, or the purpose of the collaboration session. The agreement for the session ID can occur before or after the computing devices are logged onto the network. For instance, the users of the devices can decide on the unique session ID by other means of communication such as telephone, email, or face to face discussion. However, the user's of devices D and E are not told and do not know the name of the session ID.
- Once the user of device A has logged into the network, the user will enter the name of the session ID into computing device A. If the name of the session is not the session ID, then computing device A will use the appropriate algorithm to derive the session identifier. Once the session ID has been established, then device A will send a broadcast message containing the appropriate session identifier to every device on the network (i.e., devices B, C, D, and E). The other devices receive the broadcast message (i.e., packet) and examine it. At this point none of the other user's of the devices on the network have entered the appropriate session ID. Accordingly, because none of the other devices recognize the session ID, none of the devices respond. By using the session ID in the broadcast message, bandwidth is saved and scalability is increased. The session ID in the query considerably reduces the number of responses and traffic because authentication begins immediately once a response is received by a collaborating device of the same session.
- Next, the user of device B enters the name of the session on device B which derives the corresponding session ID. Once the session ID has been entered, device B sends a broadcast message to the other devices on the network (i.e., devices A, C, D, and E). Device A recognizes the session ID and responds with the device ID and/or network address. Of course, devices C, D, and E do not recognize the session ID and do not respond to device A. Then, device A populates a collaboration session device/user list with the ID and/or network address of device B. Similarly, device B populates its collaboration session device/user list with the ID and/or network address of device A. As such, device A and device B can collaborate over the network without intrusion by the other devices.
- If the user of device C wishes to join the collaboration session, then the user will enter the appropriate session name into device C which derives the corresponding session ID. Once entered, device C will send a broadcast message to all of the devices. Devices A, B, D and E will receive the packet and only devices A and B will recognize the session ID and respond with the device and/or network address. Accordingly, device A and device B populate their respective device lists with the information from device C. Similarly, device C populates its device list with the information from devices A and B in order to form a collaborative network between devices A, B, and C, while still excluding devices D and E.
- Referring to
FIG. 3 , several mechanisms are illustrated for a computing device leaving the collaborative session. In the first instance computing device can leave the network gracefully inasmuch as it doesn't crash. The device leaving the network will send a message to all of the devices connected to the network using either a connection oriented protocol or a datagram. The message will declare that the device is leaving the network and that the remote peer is offline. Once the message has been sent, each of the devices that are members of the session can appropriately update their device lists by removing the device that left the network. - On the other hand, sometimes the network connection may be terminated abruptly such as when the network connection is physically broken, the exit datagram is lost, or the remote peer goes out of range on a wireless network. Accordingly, it is not possible to send or receive a message indicating that the device has left the session.
- In order to account for this type of event, each device should be equipped to periodically send a “still alive” message to each connected device. For example, each device in the network could send a message every ten seconds to the other devices indicating that the device is still on the network. The “still alive” message could be a connectionless datagram or a message sent using a connection protocol between the devices.
- If a device does not detect or receive a “still alive” message from another device of the network for more than twice a determined interval, then the device is declared offline and the connection is torn down. Furthermore, the device declared offline is removed from the device list. For example, referring to
FIG. 1 , if device A does not receive a “still alive” message for more than two intervals of the message being sent (i.e., 20 seconds), then device A will declare device B offline and remove device B from the device list. - Referring to
FIG. 4 , another method of identifying members of a collaborative network is shown. In this instance, the session identifier is not included in the broadcast or multicast datagram. The device will first log into the network. Next, the initiating device will transmit a broadcast or multicast datagram that does not include the session identifier. Every device that is active on the network will then respond to the data gram. Next, the initiating device will connect to every responding device using a connection oriented protocol such as TCP to exchange messages relating to which session a device is a member. The connection can then be dropped or maintained as necessary. For instance, all of the devices which have the same session identifier as the initiating device will have their connection maintained. If the connection is maintained, all future messages regarding session changes, exiting the network, or “keep alive” messages can then be sent using a reliable connection oriented protocol. This method can be further extended to support multiple networks or IP subnets by forwarding the multicast or broadcast packets to receivers in another network/subnet which can then multicast or broadcast the packets. - Furthermore, the above-mentioned process can be combined with an authentication protocol to ensure that the device is actually a member of the session. An additional protocol can then be used between peers to ensure that peers recognize each other. A password or shared key could be used for authentication. Alternatively, public key cryptography could be used where each device contains the keys of all possible collaborators and is used to authenticate other users. Once the device has been verified to be a member of the session, then the device can connect to other devices in the same session with a protocol like TCP in a peer-to-peer manner for collaboration.
- Another instance of identification can occur when a network does not exist between devices, but the devices can communicate over some other type of connection. Accordingly, a connection could be set up initially between the devices to determine if session identifiers match. For example, a “client” device connects to a “server” device using some variant of a radio inquiry/response. The “client” then asks the “server” for the collaboration session ID to which the “server” will respond. If the session ID matches, the “client” remains connected and authenticates the session ID in order to collaborate with the “server”. This could be implemented with devices communicating over a Bluetooth network.
- Referring to
FIG. 5 , the identification method of the present invention can be utilized with a Personal Area Network (PAN). For example, a PAN network consists of a central master device A and slave devices B, C, D, and E connected in a star shaped topology. The master device A is responsible for forwarding unicast, multicast, and broadcast packets as required by the PAN. A device in the PAN, can respond on behalf of other devices such that each device is either designated as a master or slave device. A master is first created on the PAN with no other devices connected to it, and devices are designated as slaves as they join the PAN. - For the identification of devices according to the present invention, after a slave device connects to the PAN, the slave device sends an inquiry message in a broadcast or multicast datagram containing the session identifier and the user identifier to all potential participant devices in the network. The master device receives the broadcast datagram and, as will be further explained below, does not need to forward the datagram thereby saving bandwidth. The master will save the session ID and network address from the inquiry for future use. Next, the master will retrieve previously saved network address/session information from previous requests. In this regard, the master will contain network/session information about all of the slave devices. The master will reply to the inquiry (i.e., broadcast or multicast datagram) with a list of the network ID's that match the session ID requested. The slave will use this information to begin a collaborative session with the devices that have matching session ID's. In order to save bandwidth in the network, the master will save and respond to ail inquiry requests from the slave devices. In this manner, slaves who disconnect can then inform only the master who can then delete the network ID/session information from its list and notify the other connected slave devices.
- The technique of the present invention can also be used to identify other devices in the same local area for collaboration without the need of a server. Referring to
FIG. 6 , computing devices A, B, and C can access network 20 through access point X. Similarly, computing devices D and E access network 20 through access point Y. Each of the devices stores the access point identifier (i.e., X or Y) after it connects. As the devices move, they store the ID's of the closest access point. - In order to identify participants near a desired device, the inquiring device sends a broadcast or multicast message containing the access point identifier instead of session ID information. Only those devices which have the same access point identifier will respond thereby identifying those devices which are nearby. For instance, referring to
FIG. 6 , if device A sends out an inquiry, only devices B and C will respond. This technique is useful for identifying participants that are in range of a wireless network. Additionally, instead of using access point identifiers, physical “beacon” identifiers can be used. - In addition to the foregoing, it is also contemplated that the above-mentioned method could be used with a designated responder for a session. When a computing device transmits a session identifier request to a designated responder, the responder would reply with information about all of the other devices with the same session ID. Accordingly, the other devices would not need to respond thereby reducing bandwidth usage.
- Furthermore, to reduce bandwidth, when a device joined or rejoined a network it could attempt to connect to a previous member of the team first. If found, the device could ask the found member for the information about other collaborative devices. If the previous member is not in the session, then the device would utilize the broadcast/multicast messaging as previously described above.
- Additional modifications and improvements of the present invention may also be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. Thus, the particular combination of parts described and illustrated herein is intended to represent only certain embodiments of the present invention, and is not intended to serve as limitations of alternative devices within the spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (2)
1. A method for identifying participants of a collaborative network from all members of a computing network, the method comprising the steps of:
a) determining a unique session identifier for the participants of the collaborative network;
b) transmitting, by an inquiring participant, a message having the session identifier to all members of the computing network;
c) responding by participants having the session identifier to the transmitted message sent by the inquiring participant; and
d) establishing communication between the participants that responded to the message and the inquiring participant such that the collaborative network is formed including the inquiring participant.
2-19. (canceled)
Priority Applications (3)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US11/211,112 US20060010202A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2005-08-23 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
US12/344,140 US8909710B2 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2008-12-24 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
US14/563,945 US20150095401A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2014-12-08 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
---|---|---|---|
US10/043,207 US20030135552A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2002-01-14 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
US11/211,112 US20060010202A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2005-08-23 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
Related Parent Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/043,207 Continuation US20030135552A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2002-01-14 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
Related Child Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/344,140 Continuation US8909710B2 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2008-12-24 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
Publications (1)
Publication Number | Publication Date |
---|---|
US20060010202A1 true US20060010202A1 (en) | 2006-01-12 |
Family
ID=21926033
Family Applications (4)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/043,207 Abandoned US20030135552A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2002-01-14 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
US11/211,112 Abandoned US20060010202A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2005-08-23 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
US12/344,140 Expired - Fee Related US8909710B2 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2008-12-24 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
US14/563,945 Abandoned US20150095401A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2014-12-08 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
Family Applications Before (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US10/043,207 Abandoned US20030135552A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2002-01-14 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
Family Applications After (2)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
---|---|---|---|
US12/344,140 Expired - Fee Related US8909710B2 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2008-12-24 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
US14/563,945 Abandoned US20150095401A1 (en) | 2002-01-14 | 2014-12-08 | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users |
Country Status (1)
Country | Link |
---|---|
US (4) | US20030135552A1 (en) |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US20040221043A1 (en) * | 2003-05-02 | 2004-11-04 | Microsoft Corporation | Communicating messages over transient connections in a peer-to-peer network |
US20070274240A1 (en) * | 2003-05-28 | 2007-11-29 | Klaus Weidenhaupt | Upnp Terminal for Ad Hoc Wireless Networks |
US20080155656A1 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2008-06-26 | John Mark Agosta | Authenticated distributed detection and inference |
US20090233622A1 (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2009-09-17 | Johnson William J | System and method for location based exchanges of data facilitating distributed locational applications |
US8718598B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2014-05-06 | William J. Johnson | System and method for location based exchange vicinity interest specification |
US8887177B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2014-11-11 | William J. Johnson | System and method for automated content distribution objects |
US8897742B2 (en) | 2009-11-13 | 2014-11-25 | William J. Johnson | System and method for sudden proximal user interface |
US9894489B2 (en) | 2013-09-30 | 2018-02-13 | William J. Johnson | System and method for situational proximity observation alerting privileged recipients |
Families Citing this family (45)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US8775511B2 (en) * | 2003-02-10 | 2014-07-08 | Open Invention Network, Llc | Methods and apparatus for automatically adding a media component to an established multimedia collaboration session |
KR100533678B1 (en) * | 2003-10-02 | 2005-12-05 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Method for Constructing Domain Based on Public Key And Implementing the Domain through UPnP |
US20050114642A1 (en) * | 2003-11-26 | 2005-05-26 | Brett Watson-Luke | System and method for managing OSS component configuration |
US7395327B2 (en) * | 2003-12-19 | 2008-07-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Persistent group membership in a distributed computing system |
US10999298B2 (en) | 2004-03-02 | 2021-05-04 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Method and system for identifying users and detecting fraud by use of the internet |
US20060106804A1 (en) * | 2004-10-28 | 2006-05-18 | Nokia Corporation | Electronic equipment and method for carrying out communication with electronic equipment |
US7487158B2 (en) * | 2005-02-01 | 2009-02-03 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method for the establishment and maintenance of collaborative communication associations based on multiple contextual criteria |
US20060193265A1 (en) * | 2005-02-25 | 2006-08-31 | Microsoft Corporation | Peer-to-peer name resolution protocol with lightweight traffic |
US8041800B2 (en) * | 2005-11-08 | 2011-10-18 | International Business Machines Corporation | Automatic orchestration of dynamic multiple party, multiple media communications |
US7643491B2 (en) * | 2005-12-16 | 2010-01-05 | Microsoft Corporation | Scheduling connections between peers in a peer-to-peer file sharing environment |
US11301585B2 (en) | 2005-12-16 | 2022-04-12 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Methods and apparatus for securely displaying digital images |
US8151327B2 (en) | 2006-03-31 | 2012-04-03 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Systems and methods for detection of session tampering and fraud prevention |
US8693482B2 (en) * | 2007-01-03 | 2014-04-08 | Alcatel Lucent | Apparatus, and associated method, for facilitating multi-media service in an ethernet network |
US9112850B1 (en) | 2009-03-25 | 2015-08-18 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Systems and methods of sharing information through a tag-based consortium |
US20130232198A1 (en) * | 2009-12-21 | 2013-09-05 | Arbitron Inc. | System and Method for Peer-to-Peer Distribution of Media Exposure Data |
US20110153391A1 (en) * | 2009-12-21 | 2011-06-23 | Michael Tenbrock | Peer-to-peer privacy panel for audience measurement |
CN102209063B (en) * | 2010-03-29 | 2014-07-30 | 华为技术有限公司 | Realization method of blank conversation, blank conversation server and terminal |
US10419374B1 (en) | 2010-07-09 | 2019-09-17 | Gummarus, Llc | Methods, systems, and computer program products for processing a request for a resource in a communication |
US10171392B1 (en) | 2010-07-09 | 2019-01-01 | Gummarus LLC | Methods, systems, and computer program products for processing a request for a resource in a communication |
US10158590B1 (en) | 2010-07-09 | 2018-12-18 | Gummarus LLC | Methods, systems, and computer program products for processing a request for a resource in a communication |
US10212112B1 (en) | 2010-07-09 | 2019-02-19 | Gummarus LLC | Methods, systems, and computer program products for processing a request for a resource in a communication |
US10015122B1 (en) | 2012-10-18 | 2018-07-03 | Sitting Man, Llc | Methods and computer program products for processing a search |
US20140172998A1 (en) * | 2012-12-16 | 2014-06-19 | Deep River Ventures, Llc | Methods, Systems, and Computer Program Products for Browsing Via a Communications Agent |
CN103037448B (en) | 2011-09-30 | 2015-05-27 | 华为技术有限公司 | Content publishing method and user device |
US10754913B2 (en) * | 2011-11-15 | 2020-08-25 | Tapad, Inc. | System and method for analyzing user device information |
US10290017B2 (en) * | 2011-11-15 | 2019-05-14 | Tapad, Inc. | Managing associations between device identifiers |
KR101951358B1 (en) | 2011-12-15 | 2019-02-22 | 삼성전자주식회사 | Wireless power transmitter, wireless power receiver and method for controlling each thereof |
US9165124B1 (en) * | 2012-02-01 | 2015-10-20 | Convertro, Inc. | Systems and methods for identifying a returning web client |
US9633201B1 (en) | 2012-03-01 | 2017-04-25 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Methods and systems for fraud containment |
US9521551B2 (en) | 2012-03-22 | 2016-12-13 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Methods and systems for persistent cross-application mobile device identification |
US9292864B2 (en) * | 2012-06-20 | 2016-03-22 | Intel Corporation | Wireless communication device and methods for synched distributed advertisement for device-to-device discovery |
US9483109B2 (en) | 2012-07-12 | 2016-11-01 | Spritz Technology, Inc. | Methods and systems for displaying text using RSVP |
EP2880619A1 (en) | 2012-08-02 | 2015-06-10 | The 41st Parameter, Inc. | Systems and methods for accessing records via derivative locators |
US10013158B1 (en) | 2012-09-22 | 2018-07-03 | Sitting Man, Llc | Methods, systems, and computer program products for sharing a data object in a data store via a communication |
US10021052B1 (en) | 2012-09-22 | 2018-07-10 | Sitting Man, Llc | Methods, systems, and computer program products for processing a data object identification request in a communication |
US10019135B1 (en) | 2012-10-18 | 2018-07-10 | Sitting Man, Llc | Methods, and computer program products for constraining a communication exchange |
US10033672B1 (en) | 2012-10-18 | 2018-07-24 | Sitting Man, Llc | Methods and computer program products for browsing using a communicant identifier |
WO2014078569A1 (en) | 2012-11-14 | 2014-05-22 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Systems and methods of global identification |
US10902327B1 (en) | 2013-08-30 | 2021-01-26 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | System and method for device identification and uniqueness |
US10235512B2 (en) | 2014-06-24 | 2019-03-19 | Paypal, Inc. | Systems and methods for authentication via bluetooth device |
US20160105786A1 (en) * | 2014-10-10 | 2016-04-14 | Qualcomm Incorporated | Leveraging peer-to-peer discovery messages for group activity notification |
US10091312B1 (en) | 2014-10-14 | 2018-10-02 | The 41St Parameter, Inc. | Data structures for intelligently resolving deterministic and probabilistic device identifiers to device profiles and/or groups |
TWI623829B (en) * | 2015-12-11 | 2018-05-11 | 富奇想股份有限公司 | Method for collaboration between functional modules, modular functional module, and system |
US11310064B2 (en) * | 2019-02-28 | 2022-04-19 | Ricoh Company, Ltd. | Information processing apparatus, information processing system, and information processing method |
US20230055342A1 (en) * | 2021-08-06 | 2023-02-23 | Dell Products, L.P. | Beacon orchestration for concurrent collaboration sessions in peer-to-peer (p2p) or mesh networks |
Citations (33)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5392400A (en) * | 1992-07-02 | 1995-02-21 | International Business Machines Corporation | Collaborative computing system using pseudo server process to allow input from different server processes individually and sequence number map for maintaining received data sequence |
US5493692A (en) * | 1993-12-03 | 1996-02-20 | Xerox Corporation | Selective delivery of electronic messages in a multiple computer system based on context and environment of a user |
US5790935A (en) * | 1996-01-30 | 1998-08-04 | Hughes Aircraft Company | Virtual on-demand digital information delivery system and method |
US5854893A (en) * | 1993-10-01 | 1998-12-29 | Collaboration Properties, Inc. | System for teleconferencing in which collaboration types and participants by names or icons are selected by a participant of the teleconference |
US5867799A (en) * | 1996-04-04 | 1999-02-02 | Lang; Andrew K. | Information system and method for filtering a massive flow of information entities to meet user information classification needs |
US5890152A (en) * | 1996-09-09 | 1999-03-30 | Seymour Alvin Rapaport | Personal feedback browser for obtaining media files |
US5918014A (en) * | 1995-12-27 | 1999-06-29 | Athenium, L.L.C. | Automated collaborative filtering in world wide web advertising |
US6018738A (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2000-01-25 | Microsft Corporation | Methods and apparatus for matching entities and for predicting an attribute of an entity based on an attribute frequency value |
US6029191A (en) * | 1997-03-31 | 2000-02-22 | Nec Corporation | Application sharing system which can dynamically change an operating condition of an application program of each terminal from a sole-mode to a share-mode and vice versa |
US6078948A (en) * | 1998-02-03 | 2000-06-20 | Syracuse University | Platform-independent collaboration backbone and framework for forming virtual communities having virtual rooms with collaborative sessions |
US6108699A (en) * | 1997-06-27 | 2000-08-22 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | System and method for modifying membership in a clustered distributed computer system and updating system configuration |
US6144964A (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2000-11-07 | Microsoft Corporation | Methods and apparatus for tuning a match between entities having attributes |
US6148328A (en) * | 1998-01-29 | 2000-11-14 | International Business Machines Corp. | Method and system for signaling presence of users in a networked environment |
US6185613B1 (en) * | 1996-03-15 | 2001-02-06 | Netvision, Inc. | System and method for global event notification and delivery in a distributed computing environment |
US6195091B1 (en) * | 1995-03-09 | 2001-02-27 | Netscape Communications Corporation | Apparatus for collaborative computing |
US6212549B1 (en) * | 1997-10-06 | 2001-04-03 | Nexprise, Inc. | Trackpoint-based computer-implemented systems and methods for facilitating collaborative project development and communication |
US6256663B1 (en) * | 1999-01-22 | 2001-07-03 | Greenfield Online, Inc. | System and method for conducting focus groups using remotely loaded participants over a computer network |
US6259701B1 (en) * | 1997-09-11 | 2001-07-10 | At&T Corp. | Method and system for a unicast endpoint client to access a multicast internet protocol (IP) session |
US6295550B1 (en) * | 1996-10-23 | 2001-09-25 | Ncr Corporation | Session creation mechanism for collaborative network navigation |
US6308175B1 (en) * | 1996-04-04 | 2001-10-23 | Lycos, Inc. | Integrated collaborative/content-based filter structure employing selectively shared, content-based profile data to evaluate information entities in a massive information network |
US6314448B1 (en) * | 1998-06-04 | 2001-11-06 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method and system for inter-applet communication in a computer network |
US6314420B1 (en) * | 1996-04-04 | 2001-11-06 | Lycos, Inc. | Collaborative/adaptive search engine |
US6334141B1 (en) * | 1999-02-02 | 2001-12-25 | International Business Machines Corporation | Distributed server for real-time collaboration |
US6345264B1 (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2002-02-05 | Microsoft Corporation | Methods and apparatus, using expansion attributes having default, values, for matching entities and predicting an attribute of an entity |
US6358813B1 (en) * | 2000-11-15 | 2002-03-19 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method for increasing the capacitance of a semiconductor capacitors |
US20020086665A1 (en) * | 2000-03-03 | 2002-07-04 | Mark Maggenti | Communication device for entering and exiting a net within a group communication network |
US20020173319A1 (en) * | 2001-05-17 | 2002-11-21 | Comverse Network Systems, Ltd. | SMS conference |
US20020196789A1 (en) * | 2001-05-15 | 2002-12-26 | Charles Patton | Combining multi-hop and multicast wireless networking in classroom-like settings |
US20030041108A1 (en) * | 2001-08-22 | 2003-02-27 | Henrick Robert F. | Enhancement of communications by peer-to-peer collaborative web browsing |
US20030131141A1 (en) * | 1999-02-03 | 2003-07-10 | Corbis Corporation | Method and system for property notification |
US6604129B2 (en) * | 1999-03-25 | 2003-08-05 | At&T Corp. | Method and apparatus for a conference call mediation service |
US20030226013A1 (en) * | 2002-05-31 | 2003-12-04 | Sri International | Methods and apparatus for scalable distributed management of wireless virtual private networks |
US20040125121A1 (en) * | 2002-12-30 | 2004-07-01 | The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University | Methods and apparatus for interactive map-based analysis of digital video content |
Family Cites Families (46)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
JP2519390B2 (en) | 1992-09-11 | 1996-07-31 | インターナショナル・ビジネス・マシーンズ・コーポレイション | DATA COMMUNICATION METHOD AND DEVICE |
JPH0827769B2 (en) * | 1992-10-30 | 1996-03-21 | インターナショナル・ビジネス・マシーンズ・コーポレイション | Communication interface generation system and method |
CA2172517C (en) * | 1993-09-24 | 2000-02-15 | Sandeep Jain | Method and apparatus for data replication |
US6167432A (en) * | 1996-02-29 | 2000-12-26 | Webex Communications, Inc., | Method for creating peer-to-peer connections over an interconnected network to facilitate conferencing among users |
US6128660A (en) * | 1996-03-21 | 2000-10-03 | Hearme | Network match maker |
US5761421A (en) | 1996-03-25 | 1998-06-02 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | System and method for secure peer-to-peer communication between downloaded programs |
US6128647A (en) * | 1996-04-05 | 2000-10-03 | Haury; Harry R. | Self configuring peer to peer inter process messaging system |
US5987011A (en) * | 1996-08-30 | 1999-11-16 | Chai-Keong Toh | Routing method for Ad-Hoc mobile networks |
US6069896A (en) * | 1996-10-15 | 2000-05-30 | Motorola, Inc. | Capability addressable network and method therefor |
US5909183A (en) * | 1996-12-26 | 1999-06-01 | Motorola, Inc. | Interactive appliance remote controller, system and method |
US6205124B1 (en) * | 1996-12-31 | 2001-03-20 | Compaq Computer Corporation | Multipoint digital simultaneous voice and data system |
US6114970A (en) * | 1997-01-09 | 2000-09-05 | Motorola, Inc. | Method of assigning a device identification |
US6029171A (en) * | 1997-02-10 | 2000-02-22 | Actioneer, Inc. | Method and apparatus for group action processing between users of a collaboration system |
CN1259249A (en) * | 1997-06-02 | 2000-07-05 | 摩托罗拉公司 | Method for authorizing couplings between devices in a capability addressable network |
US5941945A (en) * | 1997-06-18 | 1999-08-24 | International Business Machines Corporation | Interest-based collaborative framework |
US6061794A (en) * | 1997-09-30 | 2000-05-09 | Compaq Computer Corp. | System and method for performing secure device communications in a peer-to-peer bus architecture |
US6421427B1 (en) * | 1997-10-15 | 2002-07-16 | Nortel Networks Limited | Interactive voice response data transfer system and method |
US6058106A (en) * | 1997-10-20 | 2000-05-02 | Motorola, Inc. | Network protocol method, access point device and peripheral devices for providing for an efficient centrally coordinated peer-to-peer wireless communications network |
US6202094B1 (en) * | 1997-11-07 | 2001-03-13 | International Business Machines Corporation | Adding links simultaneously to a multilink bundle using bandwidth allocation protocol |
US6237026B1 (en) * | 1997-12-31 | 2001-05-22 | Intel Corporation | Method and apparatus for automatic enrollment of a computer to a conference network or the like |
JP4153579B2 (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2008-09-24 | 松下電器産業株式会社 | Memory access control device |
US6353813B1 (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2002-03-05 | Microsoft Corporation | Method and apparatus, using attribute set harmonization and default attribute values, for matching entities and predicting an attribute of an entity |
US6421746B1 (en) * | 1998-03-26 | 2002-07-16 | Micron Electronics, Inc. | Method of data and interrupt posting for computer devices |
US6269099B1 (en) * | 1998-07-01 | 2001-07-31 | 3Com Corporation | Protocol and method for peer network device discovery |
US6192394B1 (en) * | 1998-07-14 | 2001-02-20 | Compaq Computer Corporation | Inter-program synchronous communications using a collaboration software system |
US7177910B1 (en) * | 1998-07-21 | 2007-02-13 | Globespanvirata, Inc. | System and method for communicating in a point-to-multipoint DSL network |
EP0993163A1 (en) * | 1998-10-05 | 2000-04-12 | Backweb Technologies Ltd. | Distributed client-based data caching system and method |
US6185618B1 (en) * | 1998-10-30 | 2001-02-06 | International Business Machines Corp. | Method and apparatus for supporting dependent logical units in advanced peer-to-peer networks with branch extenders |
JP2002534002A (en) * | 1998-12-23 | 2002-10-08 | オーパスウエーブ ネットワークス インコーポレイテッド | Wireless local loop system supporting voice / IP |
EP1022876B1 (en) * | 1999-01-25 | 2006-04-19 | International Business Machines Corporation | Service advertisements in wireless local networks |
US6892230B1 (en) * | 1999-06-11 | 2005-05-10 | Microsoft Corporation | Dynamic self-configuration for ad hoc peer networking using mark-up language formated description messages |
WO2001013201A2 (en) | 1999-08-12 | 2001-02-22 | Sarnoff Corporation | Peer-to-peer network user authentication protocol |
US6289382B1 (en) * | 1999-08-31 | 2001-09-11 | Andersen Consulting, Llp | System, method and article of manufacture for a globally addressable interface in a communication services patterns environment |
WO2001035211A2 (en) | 1999-11-09 | 2001-05-17 | Jarna, Inc. | Synchronizing data among multiple devices in a peer-to-peer environment |
US6748420B1 (en) * | 1999-11-23 | 2004-06-08 | Cisco Technology, Inc. | Methods and apparatus for providing shared access to an application |
WO2001053954A1 (en) | 2000-01-19 | 2001-07-26 | Flex-Firm Inc. | Chat system, terminal, chat environment forming method, and recording medium |
US6693886B1 (en) * | 2000-02-07 | 2004-02-17 | Nokia Ip, Inc. | Method and apparatus for conducting mobile communication over IP networks |
JP3498666B2 (en) * | 2000-02-28 | 2004-02-16 | 日本電気株式会社 | Data transfer device, data transfer system, data transfer method, and storage medium |
JP4450965B2 (en) * | 2000-09-29 | 2010-04-14 | 日本碍子株式会社 | Bonding structure of optical components |
GB2368225B (en) * | 2000-10-17 | 2003-12-10 | Hewlett Packard Co | Inviting assistant entity into a network communication session |
US20020078150A1 (en) * | 2000-12-18 | 2002-06-20 | Nortel Networks Limited And Bell Canada | Method of team member profile selection within a virtual team environment |
US7254237B1 (en) * | 2001-01-12 | 2007-08-07 | Slt Logic, Llc | System and method for establishing a secure connection |
US7177594B2 (en) * | 2001-09-06 | 2007-02-13 | Intel Corporation | Controlling communications between devices within a mobile and ad hoc network |
US6825828B2 (en) * | 2001-02-23 | 2004-11-30 | General Digital Corporation | Backlit LCD monitor |
US6983370B2 (en) * | 2001-11-27 | 2006-01-03 | Motorola, Inc. | System for providing continuity between messaging clients and method therefor |
US8875057B2 (en) * | 2010-08-26 | 2014-10-28 | Macroview Business Technology Pty Limited | Document management framework |
-
2002
- 2002-01-14 US US10/043,207 patent/US20030135552A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2005
- 2005-08-23 US US11/211,112 patent/US20060010202A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2008
- 2008-12-24 US US12/344,140 patent/US8909710B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2014
- 2014-12-08 US US14/563,945 patent/US20150095401A1/en not_active Abandoned
Patent Citations (37)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US5392400A (en) * | 1992-07-02 | 1995-02-21 | International Business Machines Corporation | Collaborative computing system using pseudo server process to allow input from different server processes individually and sequence number map for maintaining received data sequence |
US5854893A (en) * | 1993-10-01 | 1998-12-29 | Collaboration Properties, Inc. | System for teleconferencing in which collaboration types and participants by names or icons are selected by a participant of the teleconference |
US6237025B1 (en) * | 1993-10-01 | 2001-05-22 | Collaboration Properties, Inc. | Multimedia collaboration system |
US6351762B1 (en) * | 1993-10-01 | 2002-02-26 | Collaboration Properties, Inc. | Method and system for log-in-based video and multimedia calls |
US5493692A (en) * | 1993-12-03 | 1996-02-20 | Xerox Corporation | Selective delivery of electronic messages in a multiple computer system based on context and environment of a user |
US6195091B1 (en) * | 1995-03-09 | 2001-02-27 | Netscape Communications Corporation | Apparatus for collaborative computing |
US5918014A (en) * | 1995-12-27 | 1999-06-29 | Athenium, L.L.C. | Automated collaborative filtering in world wide web advertising |
US5790935A (en) * | 1996-01-30 | 1998-08-04 | Hughes Aircraft Company | Virtual on-demand digital information delivery system and method |
US6185613B1 (en) * | 1996-03-15 | 2001-02-06 | Netvision, Inc. | System and method for global event notification and delivery in a distributed computing environment |
US5867799A (en) * | 1996-04-04 | 1999-02-02 | Lang; Andrew K. | Information system and method for filtering a massive flow of information entities to meet user information classification needs |
US6314420B1 (en) * | 1996-04-04 | 2001-11-06 | Lycos, Inc. | Collaborative/adaptive search engine |
US6308175B1 (en) * | 1996-04-04 | 2001-10-23 | Lycos, Inc. | Integrated collaborative/content-based filter structure employing selectively shared, content-based profile data to evaluate information entities in a massive information network |
US5890152A (en) * | 1996-09-09 | 1999-03-30 | Seymour Alvin Rapaport | Personal feedback browser for obtaining media files |
US6295550B1 (en) * | 1996-10-23 | 2001-09-25 | Ncr Corporation | Session creation mechanism for collaborative network navigation |
US6029191A (en) * | 1997-03-31 | 2000-02-22 | Nec Corporation | Application sharing system which can dynamically change an operating condition of an application program of each terminal from a sole-mode to a share-mode and vice versa |
US6108699A (en) * | 1997-06-27 | 2000-08-22 | Sun Microsystems, Inc. | System and method for modifying membership in a clustered distributed computer system and updating system configuration |
US6259701B1 (en) * | 1997-09-11 | 2001-07-10 | At&T Corp. | Method and system for a unicast endpoint client to access a multicast internet protocol (IP) session |
US6212549B1 (en) * | 1997-10-06 | 2001-04-03 | Nexprise, Inc. | Trackpoint-based computer-implemented systems and methods for facilitating collaborative project development and communication |
US6370562B2 (en) * | 1997-10-06 | 2002-04-09 | Nexprise Inc. | Trackpoint-based computer-implemented systems and methods for facilitating collaborative project development and communication |
US6144964A (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2000-11-07 | Microsoft Corporation | Methods and apparatus for tuning a match between entities having attributes |
US6345264B1 (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2002-02-05 | Microsoft Corporation | Methods and apparatus, using expansion attributes having default, values, for matching entities and predicting an attribute of an entity |
US6018738A (en) * | 1998-01-22 | 2000-01-25 | Microsft Corporation | Methods and apparatus for matching entities and for predicting an attribute of an entity based on an attribute frequency value |
US6148328A (en) * | 1998-01-29 | 2000-11-14 | International Business Machines Corp. | Method and system for signaling presence of users in a networked environment |
US6078948A (en) * | 1998-02-03 | 2000-06-20 | Syracuse University | Platform-independent collaboration backbone and framework for forming virtual communities having virtual rooms with collaborative sessions |
US6314448B1 (en) * | 1998-06-04 | 2001-11-06 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method and system for inter-applet communication in a computer network |
US6256663B1 (en) * | 1999-01-22 | 2001-07-03 | Greenfield Online, Inc. | System and method for conducting focus groups using remotely loaded participants over a computer network |
US6334141B1 (en) * | 1999-02-02 | 2001-12-25 | International Business Machines Corporation | Distributed server for real-time collaboration |
US6336134B1 (en) * | 1999-02-02 | 2002-01-01 | International Business Machines Corporation | Dynamic clients, dynamic partitions, locking, and migration capability for distributed server for real-time collaboration |
US20030131141A1 (en) * | 1999-02-03 | 2003-07-10 | Corbis Corporation | Method and system for property notification |
US6604129B2 (en) * | 1999-03-25 | 2003-08-05 | At&T Corp. | Method and apparatus for a conference call mediation service |
US20020086665A1 (en) * | 2000-03-03 | 2002-07-04 | Mark Maggenti | Communication device for entering and exiting a net within a group communication network |
US6358813B1 (en) * | 2000-11-15 | 2002-03-19 | International Business Machines Corporation | Method for increasing the capacitance of a semiconductor capacitors |
US20020196789A1 (en) * | 2001-05-15 | 2002-12-26 | Charles Patton | Combining multi-hop and multicast wireless networking in classroom-like settings |
US20020173319A1 (en) * | 2001-05-17 | 2002-11-21 | Comverse Network Systems, Ltd. | SMS conference |
US20030041108A1 (en) * | 2001-08-22 | 2003-02-27 | Henrick Robert F. | Enhancement of communications by peer-to-peer collaborative web browsing |
US20030226013A1 (en) * | 2002-05-31 | 2003-12-04 | Sri International | Methods and apparatus for scalable distributed management of wireless virtual private networks |
US20040125121A1 (en) * | 2002-12-30 | 2004-07-01 | The Board Of Trustees Of The Leland Stanford Junior University | Methods and apparatus for interactive map-based analysis of digital video content |
Cited By (22)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US7966368B2 (en) * | 2003-05-02 | 2011-06-21 | Microsoft Corporation | Communicating messages over transient connections in a peer-to-peer network |
US20040221043A1 (en) * | 2003-05-02 | 2004-11-04 | Microsoft Corporation | Communicating messages over transient connections in a peer-to-peer network |
US20070274240A1 (en) * | 2003-05-28 | 2007-11-29 | Klaus Weidenhaupt | Upnp Terminal for Ad Hoc Wireless Networks |
US20080155656A1 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2008-06-26 | John Mark Agosta | Authenticated distributed detection and inference |
US7921453B2 (en) * | 2006-12-22 | 2011-04-05 | Intel Corporation | Authenticated distributed detection and inference |
US8886226B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2014-11-11 | William J. Johnson | System and method for timely whereabouts determination by a mobile data processing system |
US8923806B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2014-12-30 | William J. Johnson | System and method for presenting application data by data processing system(s) in a vicinity |
US8718598B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2014-05-06 | William J. Johnson | System and method for location based exchange vicinity interest specification |
US8750823B2 (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2014-06-10 | William J. Johnson | System and method for location based exchanges of data facilitating distributed locational applications |
US8761804B2 (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2014-06-24 | William J. Johnson | System and method for location based exchanges of data facilitating distributed locational applications |
US20090233622A1 (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2009-09-17 | Johnson William J | System and method for location based exchanges of data facilitating distributed locational applications |
US8887177B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2014-11-11 | William J. Johnson | System and method for automated content distribution objects |
US10477994B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2019-11-19 | William J. Johnson | System and method for location based exchanges of data facilitiating distributed locational applications |
US10111034B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2018-10-23 | Billjco Llc | System and method for sound wave triggered content |
US8600341B2 (en) * | 2008-03-14 | 2013-12-03 | William J. Johnson | System and method for location based exchanges of data facilitating distributed locational applications |
US9014658B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2015-04-21 | William J. Johnson | System and method for application context location based configuration suggestions |
US9078095B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2015-07-07 | William J. Johnson | System and method for location based inventory management |
US9456303B2 (en) | 2008-03-14 | 2016-09-27 | William J. Johnson | System and method for service access via hopped wireless mobile device(s) |
US8897741B2 (en) | 2009-11-13 | 2014-11-25 | William J. Johnson | System and method for mobile device usability by locational conditions |
US8897742B2 (en) | 2009-11-13 | 2014-11-25 | William J. Johnson | System and method for sudden proximal user interface |
US9894489B2 (en) | 2013-09-30 | 2018-02-13 | William J. Johnson | System and method for situational proximity observation alerting privileged recipients |
US10194293B2 (en) | 2013-09-30 | 2019-01-29 | William J. Johnson | System and method for vital signs alerting privileged recipients |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
---|---|
US20150095401A1 (en) | 2015-04-02 |
US20090187625A1 (en) | 2009-07-23 |
US8909710B2 (en) | 2014-12-09 |
US20030135552A1 (en) | 2003-07-17 |
Similar Documents
Publication | Publication Date | Title |
---|---|---|
US8909710B2 (en) | Method for discovering and discriminating devices on local collaborative networks to facilitate collaboration among users | |
US20120084364A1 (en) | Scalable Secure Wireless Interaction enabling Methods, System and Framework | |
US7675874B2 (en) | Peer-to-peer instant messaging and chat system | |
US8923191B2 (en) | Internet protocol collaborative mobility | |
US6993327B2 (en) | Multicast distribution of presence information for an instant messaging system | |
JP4607957B2 (en) | Ad hoc messaging between wireless devices | |
KR101403625B1 (en) | Method and device for dynamic setting up and control of temporary communications groups with secure transmission | |
US20030126213A1 (en) | Establishing direct instant messaging communication between wireless devices | |
US20050021725A1 (en) | Distance-aware service discovery mechanism for determining the availability of remote services in wireless personal area networks | |
US7720978B2 (en) | Method for data communication and system thereof | |
US20050138119A1 (en) | User-location service for ad hoc, peer-to-peer networks | |
US20050111474A1 (en) | IP multicast communication system | |
KR20010045237A (en) | Management method of the group membership in the internet multicast applications | |
US20070195760A1 (en) | Light weight service discovery protocol | |
WO2008134214A1 (en) | System and method for managing broadcast and/or multicast based communication sessions for mobile nodes | |
JP2009525632A (en) | Selective service update method for communication network | |
JP4628938B2 (en) | Data communication system, terminal device and VPN setting update method | |
US7457288B2 (en) | Relay multicast system and method for providing efficient group communication service | |
EP1478134A1 (en) | Method and apparatus for operating group services in communication networks | |
Wolinsky et al. | Addressing the P2P bootstrap problem for small overlay networks | |
US7620723B2 (en) | Network management | |
US20090113043A1 (en) | Network location service | |
WO2009059542A1 (en) | A method, system and device for implementing chat | |
US7457840B2 (en) | Communicating method of information sharing network, information processing apparatus, and its control method | |
CN112054953B (en) | Multimedia instant messaging method, system, terminal equipment and computer storage medium |
Legal Events
Date | Code | Title | Description |
---|---|---|---|
AS | Assignment |
Owner name: COLLIGO NETWORKS, INC., CANADA Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:BLACKSTOCK, MICHAEL A.;WATKINS, ANDREW D.;SPAAY, HENK;AND OTHERS;REEL/FRAME:016921/0760 Effective date: 20020108 |
|
STCB | Information on status: application discontinuation |
Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION |