Media Session

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10237236-B2
Application number	US-201615061485-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 4, 2016
Priority date	Jun 25, 2015
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A media session is established between a first endpoint and a second endpoint, by transmitting the following messages from the first endpoint in parallel: to the second endpoint, a message indicating a first server network address of a media relay server available to the first endpoint and comprising a unique session identifier; to the media relay server, an activation request comprising the unique session identifier. This activates the session identifier by causing it to be associated at the media relay server with a source address conveyed by the activation request. Once the session identifier has been activated, a media packet received from the second endpoint at the first server network address that comprises the unique session identifier is relayed from the media relay server to the source address for receiving by the first endpoint.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
transmitting from a first endpoint to a second endpoint a message indicating a server network address of a media relay server available to the first endpoint, the message including a session identifier; and
transmitting from the first endpoint to the media relay server at the server network address, in conjunction with the message, an activation request comprising the session identifier, effective to cause the session identifier to be activated for a media session by causing it to be associated at the media relay server with a source address conveyed by the activation request.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the message is an offer message, the offer message and the activation request being transmitted in direct response to a session instigation input received at the first endpoint from a user of the first endpoint.

3. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the message is an answer message, the answer message and the activation request being transmitted in direct response to an offer message received at the first endpoint from the second endpoint.

4. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the source address of the activation request is a first local network address of the first endpoint when transmitted by the first endpoint; and
wherein the activation request is transmitted via a first network address translator to which the first endpoint is connected, the activation request causing the first network address translator to generate a mapping between a first public network address of the first network address translator and the first local network address, and to change the source address of the activation request to the first public network address such that the session identifier is associated with the first public network address at the media relay server once activated.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the message transmitted to the second endpoint does not indicate the first public network address of the first network address translator.

6. A method according to claim 5 , wherein the first public network address of the first network address translator is received at the first endpoint, from the media relay server, after the message has been transmitted such that it cannot be included in the message to the second endpoint.

7. A method according to claim 1 , comprising:
after transmitting the message, transmitting to the second endpoint, via a first network address translator to which the first endpoint is connected, a first outgoing probe message, effective to enable the second endpoint to determine from the first outgoing probe message a third public network address of the first network address translator; and
wherein the first outgoing probe message has as its source address, when transmitted, a third local network address of the first endpoint, which is mappable to the third public address at the first network address translator.

8. A method according to claim 7 , comprising:
receiving at the first endpoint from the second endpoint an indicator of a second server network address of a different media relay server available to the second endpoint;
wherein the first outgoing probe message is transmitted to the second server network address for relaying to the second endpoint.

9. A method according to claim 1 , comprising:
after transmitting the message, receiving at the first endpoint from the second endpoint, via a second network address translator to which the second endpoint is connected, an incoming probe message;
determining from the incoming probe message a second public network address of the second network address translator that is mappable to a second local address of the second endpoint at the second network address translator.

10. A method according to claim 9 , wherein the incoming probe message is received via the media relay server available to the first endpoint.

11. A method according to claim 9 , comprising transmitting to the second public network address of the second network address translator a second outgoing probe message, which has as its source address, when transmitted, the third local address of the first endpoint that is mappable to the third public address at the first network address translator, and thereby causes the first network address translator to grant the second endpoint permission to message the third public address directly.

12. A method according to claim 11 , wherein the second outgoing probe message is an Interactive Connectivity Establishment (ICE) connectivity check request sent as part of an ICE connectivity check for a host-peer reflexive candidate pair formed of the third local address of the first endpoint and the second public address of the second endpoint.

13. A method according to claim 11 , comprising receiving at the first endpoint via the first network address translator after the permission has been granted, one or more of:
a response to the second outgoing probe message, which conveys to the first endpoint the third public network address; or
a media packet;
one or more of the response or the media packet having been transmitted directly to the third public address by the second endpoint.

14. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the session identifier is allocated to the first endpoint by the media relay server before the message is transmitted, and the allocated session identifier is stored at the first endpoint for subsequent transmission in the message.

15. A method according to claim 14 , wherein, to obtain the session identifier, the first endpoint presents to the media relay server a user identifier associated with the first endpoint, wherein the session identifier is allocated to the first endpoint if one or more of: the user identifier is determined to be valid by the server, or a total number of session identifiers already allocated to that user identifier is below a threshold.

16. A method according to claim 1 , wherein before the message is sent, the first endpoint sends a request to the media relay server according to a preferred network protocol, wherein if no response is received, the activation request is transmitted to the media relay server according to an alternative network protocol.

17. A method according to claim 1 , wherein the session identifier is a globally unique identifier generated by the first endpoint.

18. A first endpoint comprising:
a network interface; and
a processor configured to implement operations including:
transmitting via the network interface to a second endpoint a message indicating a server network address of a media relay server available to the first endpoint, the message including a session identifier; and
transmitting from the first endpoint to the media relay server at the network address, in conjunction with the message, an activation request comprising the session identifier, effective to cause the session identifier to be activated for a media session by causing it to be associated at the media relay server with a source address conveyed by the activation request.

19. A computer program product comprising code stored on a computer readable storage medium and configured when executed by a processor to perform operations comprising:
transmitting from a first endpoint to a second endpoint a message indicating a server network address of a media relay server available to the first endpoint, the message including a session identifier; and
transmitting from the first endpoint to the media relay server at the server network address, in conjunct

Assignees

• Microsoft Technology Licensing Llc

Inventors

• Moore Timothy Mark
• Qian Tin
• Gunnalan Rajesh

Classifications

• H04L67/146

  Markers for unambiguous identification of a particular session, e.g. session cookie or URL-encoding · CPC title

• H04L61/2517

  using port numbers · CPC title

• H04L65/1069 Primary

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04L65/60

  Network streaming of media packets · CPC title

• H04L61/6063

  Electricity · mapped topic