Patent ID: 7627678
Filing Date: 2009-12-01
Classification: A63F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method of adding a peer system to a peer-to-peer relay network, comprising: opening a connection between a server and a joining peer system; providing grid information to said joining peer system indicating one or more established peer-to-peer relay networks; receiving a grid selection from said joining peer system indicating a selected peer-to-peer relay network, wherein said selected peer-to-peer relay network has one or more member peer systems; providing network addresses of each of said one or more member peer systems to said joining peer system; and receiving a connection update from said joining peer system indicating to which member peer systems said joining peer system is connected; wherein each member peer system is connected to a number of other member peer systems that is less than or equal to a connection limit and each member peer system stores a set of one or more relay rules for relaying data to the other member peer systems connected to that member peer system, and wherein the joining peer system sends a join request to the one or more member peer systems and receives either a positive or a negative responses from the member peer system, selecting a member peer system from which a negative join response has been received as a force connection peer system; sending a force connection request to said force connection peer system, wherein said force connection request requests that said force connection peer system close one of the open connection of said force connection peer system, wherein selecting said force connection peer system includes applying said set of one or more connection rules to the member peer systems that sent negative join responses.