Patent ID: 7844724

Claim:
A method of switching real-time data stream connections between network nodes sharing a virtual area, comprising: ascertaining a set of real-time data streams that enable a given one of the network nodes that is associated with a respective position in the virtual area to participate in a communication session with one or more other ones of the network nodes that are associated with respective positions in the virtual area; determining one or more real-time data stream connections that deliver the set of real-time data streams to the given network node based at least in part on bandwidth capabilities of the given network node; establishing the one or more determined real-time data stream connections between the given network node and one or more of the other ones of the network nodes; and storing a virtual area specification comprising a description of one or more switching rules each defining a respective connection between sources of a respective real-time data stream type and sinks of the real-time data stream type in terms of positions in the virtual area, wherein at least one of the ascertaining and the determining is based on the switching rules.