Skype Limited

Microsoft Technology Licensing, LLC

Madis Kaal

Andres Kütt

Marek Laasik

Mart Oruaas

Taavet Hinrikus

Asko Seeba

Mark McLaughlin

Sergei Anikin

Helen Blackburn

Rachel Eardley

Henn Ruukel

Karlheinz Wurm

Mikael Suvi

Sven Suursoho

Armo Pinding

Aurelio Navarro Belletti Garcia

Ben Dove

A state of visitability of a network interface can be determined by transmitting, via a network interface, a security request including data of a trigger. The security request can be transmitted to a network access point (NAP). A result associated with the security request can be determined. A state of visitability of the NAP can be determined based at least in part on the result. The state of visitability can indicate whether a predetermined credential-evaluation entity is reachable via the NAP. In some examples, a network registry can receive an indication of a first NAP. The network registry can determine, based at least in part on stored registry information, an instruction associated with the first network access point, and transmit the instruction. In some examples, a terminal can present a user interface including an indication of a NAP and a content item referenced by the instruction.

Network-visitability detection

A state of network connectivity of a network interface can be determined by transmitting, via a network interface, requests having respective destinations. A computing device can determine that respective results corresponding to the requests include at least some inconsistent results. A further request can be transmitted having a respective destination. A state of network connectivity of the network interface can be determined based at least in part on a result corresponding to the further request and at least one of the inconsistent results. Destinations can be selected based on respective priority values. An indication can be transmitted of a destination that does not correspond to the state of network connectivity.

Network-connectivity detection

Method and communication system for distributing information relating to a set of networks from a first node to a second node of the communication system, wherein a set of identifiers of respective networks which belong to the set of networks is stored at the first node. Hash values are generated at the first node for the identifiers in the set of identifiers using a hash function. The generated hash values are transmitted from the first node to the second node. The second node determines an identifier of a particular network which is available for communicating with the second node. The second node generates a hash value for the identifier of the particular network using the hash function. The second node then compares the hash value of the identifier of the particular network generated at the second node with the hash values received at the second node from the first node to thereby determine whether the particular network belongs to said set of networks.

Distributing information

A method of controlling a connection between a user terminal and an access node connected to a communication network is provided. The user terminal establishes a data connection with the access node, periodically generates a message at predetermined intervals and transmits the periodic message to at least one network node via the access node over the communication network. Responses to the periodic messages are received from the at least one network node. The responses are analyzed to determine whether to terminate the connection to the access node, and in the case that the connection to the access node should be terminated, a disconnect message is transmitted to the access node from the user terminal.

Communication system and method

In one embodiment, a method of transmitting contact data in a peer to peer communications network includes transmitting a list of contacts from a first contact store to a first compare means. At the first compare means, the list of contacts from the first contact store is compared with a list of contacts from a second contact store to identify common contacts between the lists of contacts from the first and second contact stores, the first compare means outputting a contacts result based on the identification of the common contacts. At a second compare means, the contacts result output from the first compare means is compared with a list of contacts from a third contact store. An output of the second compare means is used to identify at least one contact to recommend as a new contact to a recommendee user in the network. The first contact store is at a node of the network and the first compare means is at another node of the network, and the list of contacts transmitted from the first contact store is transmitted over the network to the first compare means.

Contact information in a peer to peer communications network

Techniques for displaying graphical representations of contacts are described. In accordance with one or more embodiments, a group of graphical representations of contacts is displayed at a first size in a display region. In response to a selection of a subgroup of the graphical representations, the subgroup of graphical representations is automatically resized to fit in the display region at a second size.

Displaying graphical representations of contacts

Information related to a set of networks from a first node to a second node of a communication system can be distributed. A set of identifiers which belong to the set of networks can be stored at the first node. Hash values are generated at the first node for the identifiers in the set of identifiers using a hash function. The generated hash values are transmitted from the first node to the second node. The second node determines an identifier of a particular network available for communicating with the second node. The second node generates a hash value for the identifier using the hash function. The second node compares the hash value of the identifier with the hash values received at the second node from the first node to determine whether the particular network belongs to said set of networks.

In one embodiment, a method of identifying the presence of matching information items in a network includes using a hashing scheme to generate a set of first hash values from a respective set of first information items stored at a first node and transmitting the set of first hash values over the network to a second node. The set of first hash values is compared at the second node with a set of second hash values generated, using the hashing scheme, from a respective set of second information items stored in the network, to thereby determine at least one matching hash value between the set of first hash values and the set of second hash values. The determined matching hash value is used to identify the presence of at least one matching information item between the set of first information items and the set of second information items. The hashing scheme is chosen so that a unique hash value in the hashing scheme indicates a sufficient number of information items to prevent the unique hash value being used as an identifier of a unique information item, such that the transmission of the set of first hash values to the second node does not disclose the set of first information items to the second node.

Matching information items

A remote control unit for controlling a media device, comprising: a first wireless transmitter arranged to be powered from a first power source; a second wireless transmitter arranged to be powered from a second power source; a processor coupled to the first and second wireless transmitters, wherein the processor is configured to control the first and second wireless transmitters and is arranged to be powered from the first power; and monitoring means arranged to monitor power levels of the second power source and provide power level information to the processor.

A first network comprising: one or more first end-user computer terminals; a gateway to a second, packet-based network comprising one or more second end-user computer terminals installed with a communication client of the second network; one or more telephone units for performing calls with one of the second end-user computer terminals over the second network; wherein each of the one or more first end-user terminals is installed with a communication client for performing calls with the second end-user computer terminals over the second network; and wherein the gateway comprises switching apparatus configured to detect a user selection between a first state in which one of said calls is to be performed using one of said first end-user computer terminals and a second state in which the call is to be performed using one of said telephone units; and on condition of detecting the first state, to route both call set-up signaling and call media to the first end-user computer terminal; and on condition of detecting the second state, to route call set-up signaling to the first end-user terminal but route the call media to the telephone unit.

Controlling communications

A method of establishing a communication event in a communication system from an initiator device to one of a plurality of entities associated with the initiator device comprising assigning a calling identity to at least one of said entities at a first network node associated with a packet switched network; providing the assigned identity to the initiator device; storing associated contact information for the entity together with the calling identity assigned to the entity at a second network node associated with the packet switched network, initiating a communication event from the initiator device to the entity via a circuit switched network by transmitting the identity assigned to the entity to a gateway node; sending a message to the second network node with the identity assigned to the entity to determine the contact information for the entity; and routing the communication event from the gateway node to the entity using the determined contact information via one of the circuit switched and packet switched networks without said communication event being routed via said first network node.

Communication system

A method of transmitting a communication event from a calling entity to a called entity located in a communication system comprising a first network and a second network, said method comprising determining a first identity associated with the calling entity and a first and second identity associated with the called entity, wherein the first identities are recognizable in the first network and the second identity is recognizable in the second network; associating at a first node located in the second network the first identities with the second identity; establishing a connection between the calling entity and a second node; wherein the connection with second node is established using the first identity associated with the called entity; querying the first node with the first identity associated with the called entity and the first identity associated with the calling entity to determine the second identity associated with the called entity; and transmitting the communication event to the called entity using the second identity associated with the called entity.

A method of controlling a connection between a user terminal and an access node connected to a communication network is provided. The user terminal establishes a data connection with the access node, periodically generates a message at predetermined intervals and transmits the periodic message to at least one network node via the access node over the communication network. Responses to the periodic messages are received from the at least one network node. The responses are analysed to determine whether to terminate the connection to the access node, and in the case that the connection to the access node should be terminated, a disconnect message is transmitted to the access node from the user terminal.

A gateway, program and method for use in a packet-based communication system. The gateway comprises: a connection to a public packet-based network comprising a public-network server and a plurality of public-network user terminals; a connection to a private packet-based network comprising a private-network server and a plurality of private-network user terminals each installed with a public-network communication client; a processing device arranged to receive a login request from a public-network client of a private-network user terminal, and in response to initiate both a private-network authentication procedure involving the private-network server and a public-network authentication procedure involving the public-network server, so as subject to both authentication procedures to enable establishment of a communication channel between one of the public-network user terminals and the public-network client of the private-network user terminal; wherein the processing device is further configured to apply a control policy to communications occurring over said channel.

A method of initiating a communication event via a packet-based communication network in a media appliance having a processor executing a communication client, comprising: retrieving a stored list comprising a plurality of contacts associated with a user of the communication client; generating a first two-dimensional contact grid comprising a first arrangement of entries; displaying the first contact grid on a display means such that each of a plurality of the entries comprises a graphical representation of a respective one of the plurality of contacts, wherein the graphical representations are sized so as to fit in the entries of the first contact grid; receiving a selection of a subset of the graphical representations in the first contact grid from a user of the communication client; generating a second contact grid comprising a second arrangement of entries corresponding to the selected subset; displaying the second contact grid on the display means in replacement of the first contact grid, such that each of a plurality of the entries comprises a graphical representation of a respective one of the plurality of contacts, and wherein the graphical representations are resized so as to fit in the entries of the second contact grid; receiving a selection of one of the graphical representations in the second contact grid from the user of the communication client; and initiating a communication event with the contact represented by the selected graphical representation via the packet-based communication network.

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Tallinn, Estonia

Madis Kaal