Patent ID: 8121057

Claim:
A method to enable disparate endpoint communication devices to communicate with each other over a communication network, the method comprising: converting information from any one of the endpoint communication devices from a first format used by respective endpoint communication devices to a second format to be communicated on a virtual communication channel supported by the communication network, wherein said converting the information from the first format to the second format includes converting the information into packets to be communicated on the virtual communication channel, the packets including identification information that identifies the virtual communication channel, wherein one or more of the endpoint communication devices, which is an end-user computing device, mixes the information, from all of the other endpoint communication devices, that is to be communicated on the virtual communication channel, wherein said end-user computing device said mixes the information instead of a centralized server to mix said information; multicasting the converted information having the second format on the virtual communication channel to enable at least one endpoint communication device to receive the converted information from the virtual communication channel without having to establish handshaking protocols with every other endpoint communication device; and converting the information multicasted on the virtual communication channel from the second format to the first format used by the at least one endpoint communication device that receives the multicasted information.