Patent ID: 7464168
Filing Date: 2008-12-09
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A network system, comprising: two or more nodes each configured to implement an instance of a presence service on a network, wherein the presence service instances are configured to cooperatively form a presence service view on the network, wherein each presence service instance in the presence service view is configured to locally store presence information received from one or more entities coupled to the presence service instance and to distribute an index of the locally stored presence information to one or more other presence service instances in the presence service view; an entity configured to couple to one of the presence service instances, wherein the entity is further configured to provide presence information corresponding to the entity to the presence service instance to publish the entity as present on the network; and an edge node configured to send a query for the entity to another one of the presence service instances in the presence service view; wherein the presence service instances in the presence service view are configured to route the query through the presence service view to the entity in accordance with the distributed indexes; and wherein, in response to the entity receiving the query, the edge node and the entity are configured to communicate directly, without going through any of the presence service instances, to negotiate a contract for the edge node accessing the entity.