Patent ID: 8446900

Claim:
A method for transferring a call in a hybrid peer-to-peer network comprising: receiving, by a peer-to-peer first endpoint, an instruction to transfer a call to a peer-to-peer second endpoint, wherein the first endpoint is engaged in the call with a peer-to-peer third endpoint when the instruction is received; determining, by the first endpoint, whether the first endpoint has a buddy relationship with the second endpoint based on a profile obtained by the first endpoint from an access server when authenticating with the hybrid peer-to-peer network, wherein the first endpoint cannot transfer the call to the second endpoint unless the first and second endpoints have a buddy relationship because the buddy relationship is needed to provide permission by the second endpoint for the first endpoint to communicate with the second endpoint, and wherein the profile contains all information needed to communicate with the second endpoint if the first and second endpoints have a buddy relationship; establishing, by the first endpoint, a buddy relationship with the second endpoint if the first and second endpoints are not in a buddy relationship, wherein establishing the buddy relationship includes: communicating, by the first endpoint, with the access server in the hybrid peer-to-peer network to obtain address information for the second endpoint; and sending, by the first endpoint, a request message for the buddy relationship to the second endpoint based on the address information obtained from the access server, wherein the request message identifies that the buddy relationship is to be temporary; sending, by the first endpoint, at least one transfer message to the second endpoint to transfer the call, wherein the at least one transfer message indicates that the first endpoint wants to transfer the call to the second endpoint and identifies the third endpoint as being involved in the call, and wherein the transfer message contains all information needed by the second endpoint to accept the transfer from the first endpoint because the hybrid peer-to-peer network does not contain a central switching mechanism; ending, by the first endpoint, the first endpoint's involvement in the call after the call is transferred; and sending, by the first endpoint, a message to the second endpoint to end the buddy relationship if the buddy relationship was established in order to transfer the call.