Patent ID: 6529941
Filing Date: 2003-03-04
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
A session manager that executes in a computer system in which an endpoint of a conference is executing, the conference being made up of endpoints connected by a network, the endpoint including endpoint conference state for the conference, and the session manager comprising:session manager conference state including a distributed locking mechanism associated with the conference, an interface to the endpoint, and an interface to the network, the endpoint providing any portion of the endpoint conference state which the endpoint has altered to the session manager via the interface to the endpoint, the session manager responding thereto by sending the altered portion via the interface to the network to other session managers for the other endpoints when the locking mechanism associated with the endpoint's conference indicates that the other session managers are ready to receive the altered portion, and responding to receipt of an altered portion from another session manager in the network interface by providing the received altered portion to the endpoint for the conference via the endpoint interface for incorporation into the endpoint's endpoint conference state.