FR3007610A1 - METHOD FOR MANAGING AN INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN A CONFERENCE INVOLVING A PLURALITY OF DATA PROCESSING DEVICES - Google Patents

Abstract

Method for managing an invitation to participate in a conference involving several data processing devices (D1, D21) communicating with each other via a communication network (RES), the devices being able to require the creation of a conference with respective conference creation modules (MConf1, MConf2), the creation modules being able to transmit respective invitations to participate in the conference, characterized in that it comprises a step of adding, by the creation modules, codes alphanumeric in the invitations, respectively, and in that a device receiving at least two invitations relating to the same conference performs the following steps: - a reception step (ET31) of the plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - a comparison step (ET34) of the received codes and - a selection step (ET35) of e the invitation to be considered based on the result of the comparison step.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The invention relates to a method of managing an invitation to participate in a conference; the conference involving a plurality of data processing devices connected via a communication network.

The invention is particularly directed to a method of managing a plurality of invitations received by the same device, the received invitations having for object a creation of the same conference. The devices referred to above are equipped with communication means for communicating with a communication network. These devices are equipped with respective client modules so as to exchange messages during a conference. A device is for example a PC-type personal computer, a tablet, a telephone, etc. State of the art Remember that a conference is a place of exchange where each message sent from a device is broadcast to a set of devices connected to the conference. The conference is made up of "participants", the end-users who exchange messages between themselves as part of the conference. Messaging tools, via the communication software tools SIMPLE IM ("Session Initiation Protocol for Instant Messaging and Presence Leveraging Extensions" and "Instant Messaging") and CPM (Converged IP Messaging) "), As defined by the OMA (Open Mobile Alliance) standardization organization, allow conferences to be held between several client modules present on the devices. The implementation of conferences by such software tools is based on a central node in the network of a telecommunications operator, namely a conference creation module (most often referred to by the English expression "Controlling Function" by the skilled person).

To create a conference, a conference creation module creates a conference instance connecting client modules. The different participants can then exchange messages. The operating principle is as follows: A client module sends a request for the creation of a conference to the conference creation module of its operator; the request includes a list of guest client modules; - The conference creation module then creates a conference instance and sends an invitation to each guest client module; a conference ID is created. - Guest guest modules that accept the invitation are then connected to the conference instance and become conference participants. - Lastly, each participant wishing to communicate sends his message to the conference instance managed by the creation module at the origin of the invitations, which transmits it to all the other participants. When the conference ID is created, it can be kept by the client module and the list of participants for future use. Participants can leave the conference at any time.

The rules of the conference lifecycle may vary by service. For example, to save the network resources, the operator hosting the conference can decide, after a certain period of inactivity, namely a lack of exchange of messages, for a certain time defined by the operator, to suspend the conference or even delete it.

When resuming activity, ie when a user wishes to send a message, the participant can request that a conference instance relating to the same conference be recreated, in order to reconnect all the participants to the conference. which has been deleted. In the case where the operator has deleted the conference instance, a new conference instance for the deleted conference must be re-created. The previously described procedure is then put back in place. In this procedure, the client module reuses the conference ID that it has stored to create a new instance of that same conference. One observation is that any request to create a conference made by a client module is done with the creation module of the operator who manages the client module. This mode of operation is based on an operator policy stating that a participant can start a conference instance only in the network of his own operator. In this configuration, a conference instance can be re-created at an operator other than the one where the instance was originally created. This results in a problem related to the possible reception, by the same client module, of a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference issued from several separate creation modules. To avoid chaotic management, a common rule is required for clients to use the same conference instance for their message exchanges. One solution is to rely on the order to arrive invitations. For example, a client module selects the first invitation received and does not consider the following. However, to rely on the order of arrival of invitations, as usually practiced today, is not in fact always sufficient. Indeed, the order of arrival of the invitations can be different for the participants because of transmission risks and different network paths for each participant. This disadvantage is not overcome to date. The invention offers a solution that does not have the drawbacks of the state of the art. The invention For this purpose, according to a functional aspect, the subject of the invention is a method for managing an invitation to participate in a conference involving several data processing devices communicating with each other via a communication network, the devices being capable of requiring the creation of a conference with respective conference creation modules, the creation modules being able to transmit respective invitations to participate in the conference, characterized in that it comprises a step of adding, by the creation modules, alphanumeric codes in the invitations, respectively, and in that a device receiving at least two invitations relating to the same conference performs the following steps: a step of receiving the plurality of invitations to participate in a same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - a step of comparison of the codes received e t, - a step of selecting the invitation to be considered according to the result of the comparison step. The invention makes it possible to manage conflicts between invitations relating to the same conference received by the same client module and originating from a plurality of separate conference creation modules. For this, the invention proposes a mechanism for defining unambiguously what should be the invitation to consider among the plurality of received invitations, independently of both transmission hazards and access paths through which are routed the invitations. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, an initial creation of a conference is the subject of an initial invitation that does not include an alphanumeric code. Following, for example, a deletion of the conference, the following invitations for re-creation of the conference related to the same conference include said code. In this way, the insertion of the alphanumeric code is thus explicitly associated with the act of re-creating a past conference which has for example been deleted, closed or suspended, or more generally which is not more active. According to a particular mode of implementation of the invention, which can be implemented alternatively or cumulatively with the previous one, the code 5 comes from a mathematical function chosen so that the codes generated by at least two modules relatively at the same conference are different. The mathematical function used is the same for all participants in the conference. In this way, when two client modules receive multiple invitations for the same conference, a code comparison and the application of a given rule allow selection of an invitation from all received invitations. The rule is for example the selection of the invitation with the highest alphanumeric code, or the smallest code, etc. It should be noted that there are several mathematical functions for generating alphanumeric codes and that the function used may be different from one conference to another. The mathematical functions are implemented through programs able to generate codes, most often random codes. According to a variant of this embodiment, the code is a random code. A known function is for example that described in the document RFC 4122 of IIETF (English acronym of "Internet Engineering Task Force") proposing a generation of 128-bit code According to a second functional aspect, the invention relates to a method of management, by a device, of a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference from respective conference creation modules, characterized in that it comprises at the level of the device: a reception step of the plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - step of comparing the received codes, and - a step of selecting the invitation to be considered according to the result of the step comparison. According to a particular embodiment of the invention, the reception step is carried out over a previously fixed time range. This time range originates from the reception of an invitation and a duration fixed in advance for example 10 seconds. In this way, the comparison step is performed at the expiration of this time range. According to another functional aspect, the invention relates to a method of managing a request for creation of a conference involving several data processing devices communicating with each other via a communication network, the devices being able to require the creation a conference with respective conference creation modules, a module being able to transmit at least one invitation to participate in the conference, characterized in that it comprises, in the creation module, a step of adding an alphanumeric code in the invitation, a step of transmitting the invitation including the code to devices invited to participate in the conference. According to a hardware aspect, the invention relates to a management system of an invitation to participate in a conference involving several data processing devices between them via a communication network, the devices comprising respective creation modules able to require the creation of a conference with respective conference creation modules, the creation modules comprising a transmission module able to transmit an invitation to participate in the conference, characterized in that the creation modules furthermore comprise a module of adding an alphanumeric code in an invitation to be transmitted, and in that a device comprises - a module for receiving a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - a module for the comparison of the codes received and - A selection module for the invitation to be taken into consideration the result of the comparison step. According to another material aspect, the invention relates to a module for creating a conference involving several data processing devices communicating with each other via a communication network, the module comprising a transmission module capable of transmitting an invitation to participate. at the conference to participants, characterized in that it comprises, - a module for adding an alphanumeric code in the invitation, - a module for transmitting the invitation including the code intended for the devices of the invited participants to participate in the conference. The place of creation of the alphanumeric code does not matter. This place can be for example, the creation module, or the device on which is the client module at the origin of the creation request, or any other device of the network.

According to another material aspect, the invention relates to a device characterized in that it comprises: a module for receiving a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, module for comparing the received codes and - a selection module of the invitation to be considered according to the result of the comparison step.

Finally, according to another material aspect, the invention also relates to a computer program capable of being implemented on a module as defined above, the program comprising code instructions which, when executed by a processor performs the steps of the method defined above namely - a step of adding an alphanumeric code in the invitation, - a step of transmitting the invitation including the code to devices invited to participate in the conference. Finally, according to another material aspect, the invention also relates to a computer program capable of being implemented on a module as defined above, the program comprising code instructions which, when executed by a processor performs the steps of the method defined above, namely: a step of receiving the plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, a step of comparing the codes received, and a step of selecting the invitation to be considered according to the result of the comparison step. The invention will be better understood on reading the description which follows, given by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which: FIG. 1 represents a computer system in which the invention can be implemented according to a embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic view of message exchanges according to the embodiment described with reference to FIG.

FIG. 3 is an algorithm detailing a step described with reference to FIG. 2, which relates to the management of the reception by the same device (the client module) of a plurality of invitations relating to the same conference . DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT EXCHANGING THE INVENTION FIG. 1 represents a SYS management system comprising, in our example, three data processing devices (D1, D21, D23). These three devices are equipped with respective processors and respective memories for data processing. The devices are also equipped with physical and software resources for communicating with each other via at least one RES communication network. In our example, the communication network is the Internet network. In our example, among the three devices, a device is managed by a first telecommunications operator OP1, and the other two by a second operator 0P2. The devices are equipped with respective client modules MC1, MC21, MC22 able to require the creation of a conference and to manage the exchange of messages between the client modules. Each operator OP1 and 0P2 has its own conference creation module MConf1 and MConf2, respectively. In this configuration, the first client module MC1 uses the first MConf1 conference creation module, and the MC21 and MC22 client modules use the second MConf2 conference creation module. It is assumed here that the first client module MC1 requires the creation of a conference whose participants are the three devices, implying the three client modules.

A request to create a conference according to the principle of the invention is carried out as follows.

An initial PH1 initial phase is related to the creation of a conference. In FIG. 2, the steps relating to this first phase are referenced ET1n (n = 1 to 4). In a first step ET11, the first client module MC1 requires a request to create a conference to the first MConf1 conference creation module of its operator. The request referred to above includes, among others, at least one list of devices invited to participate in the conference. For example, a list includes Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) identifiers of the type sip: b@mno_B.com and sip: c@mno_C.com (see Appendix 1). Then, the first MConf1 creation module receives the creation request and manages the creation of the conference. For this, the first module creates a conference instance. Following the creation of the instance, during a third step ET13, the first module MConf1 transmits an invitation to each device identified in the creation request from the first device. In our example, this initial invitation does not include an alphanumeric code according to the method. Indeed, the initial phase of creation of the conference does not require alphanumeric code because the probability of receiving several invitations to initiate a conference, in particular a first instance of conference, is very low. The risk of conflicts between invitations is therefore very low. Nevertheless, a code could have been used. Then the MC21 and MC23 client modules receive respective invitations.

Note that in our example, modules receive only one invitation during this first phase. In a fourth step ET14, the users accept or not the invitation.

In our example, users accept. At this point, the conference is created. Users can communicate. It is assumed here that, later, the conference is suppressed following a period of non-use. Following deletion, users will request to re-create another conference instance that has been deleted. Suppose that these users are the users of the first device D1 and the second device D22. A re-creation of another instance of the deleted conference takes place during a second PH2. In FIG. 2, the steps relating to this second phase are referenced ET1k (n = 1 to 3). The method for re-creating the conference is as follows: During a first step ET21, the first client module MC1 requires a request to re-create the conference at the first conference creation module MConf1 of its operator. In our example, the creation request relates more particularly to a request to re-create a conference instance relating to a conference that has been deleted. In a first step ET21bis, which can occur simultaneously with the first step ET21 or at a different time, the second client module MC21 also requires a request to re-create the same conference to the second conference creation module MConf2 of his operator. At this stage of the process, the first creation module MConf1 as well as the second creation module MConf2 receive re-creation requests and respectively manage these re-creations. Following the reinitialization of the instance, in a second step ET22 / ET22bis, the modules MConf1 and MConf2 transmit an invitation to each identified device in the re-creation requests from the first device and the second device. In this case, the first creation module MConf1 transmits, in a second step ET22, an invitation to both the client module MC21 and the client module MC22; the second creation module MConf2 transmits, during a second step ET22bis, an invitation to both the client module MC1 and the client module MC22; According to the invention, the invitations include respective alphanumeric codes. Note that the code can be created indifferently by the client module or the conference creation module or any other entity able to calculate a code and provide it to the conference creation module. If the code is created by the client module, the latter includes the code in the re-creation request in step ET21 / ET21bis. Annex 1 gives an example of an INVITE invitation in accordance with RFC 3261 standard. In this example, a "restart" attribute includes the alphanumeric code added in the invitation and used in a comparison step that will be described below. At this stage, the client module MC1 receives an invitation to participate in the conference, the client module MC21 receives an invitation to participate in the conference, the client module MC22 receives two invitations resulting from the steps ET22 / ET22bis described above.

In this configuration, the same client module, in our example the MC22 module, receives two invitations relating to the same conference.

In a third step ET23, to select an invitation, the client module MC22 compares the codes of the two invitations received, and selects one of the two invitations according to a predefined rule. One rule is to compare the two codes and select the invitation with the highest code. Other rules can obviously be used. Modules receiving invitations related to a re-creation of a conference apply the same rule of code selection. FIG. 3 gives details of how the modules manage the invitations received, for example the module MC22 during the third step ET23. In our example, this third step ET23 is broken down into 5 substeps ET23-j (j = 1 to 5). In a first step ET23-1 (RCP-INV), the module MC22 receives an invitation.

In a second step ET23-2 (Nb> 1?), The module checks whether other invitations have been received relative to the same conference. If not, in step ET23-3 (OK), the client module accepts the invitation or not. If so, the client module compares the codes for the invitations received during an ET23-4 (COMP) step. In our example, the module selects the invitation with the highest code in step ET23-5 (SEL). When all invited client modules have selected an invitation, a conference instance is created.

According to one possible variant, when a creation module receives an invitation, a time counter (or clock) is activated during a time range T originating from a time t1 corresponding for example to the instant of reception of an invitation. The duration T of this time interval is fixed beforehand. In this configuration, during the step ET23-1, the client module MC22 receives several invitations. Then, at the end of the duration T referred to above, the step ET23-2 is performed. For the realization of the invention, the creation modules MConf1 and MConf2 have the following modules: - a module for adding an alphanumeric code in the invitation, - a module for transmitting the invitation including the code at destination participants' devices invited to participate in the conference. The device has the following modules: - A module for receiving a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - a module for comparing the codes received and - a module of selecting the invitation to be considered based on the result of the comparing step. It should be noted here that the term module used in the present application can correspond to a software component as well as a hardware component or a set of hardware and software components, a software component corresponding to one or more programs or subprograms. computer or more generally to any element of a program capable of implementing a function or a set of functions as described for the modules concerned. In the same way, a hardware component corresponds to any element of a hardware set (or hardware) able to implement a function or a set of functions for the module concerned (integrated circuit, smart card, memory card, etc. .).

Appendix 1! NVFN sip: conf-fact @) mno A.com Via: SIP / 2.0 / UDP pca.mno_A.com; branch = z9hG4bK776asdhds Max-Forwards: 70 TB: Conf Factory <sip: conf-t t @ mno A .com> sip: a @ mno Ac1 Call-ID: 563b4c76e66712 CSeq: 203048 INVITE Contact: <sip: a@pea.mno A.com>: + g.oma.sip-im Required: recipient-list-prompt Supported: eventlist, timer Allow: INVITE, ACK, CANCEL, BYE, REFER, NOTIFY, UPDATE, OPTIONS User-Agent: IM-client / OMA1.0 Accept-Contact: *; + g.oma.sip-im P-Preferred-Identity : <sip: a (a) A.com mno> Content-Type: multipart / mixed; boundary = "boundary42" Contribution-ID: defgh-5678-1234-90abcd-cdef01234567; restart = 134651 --boundary42 Content-Type: application / sdp (A's SDP not shown) --boundary42 Content-Type: application / resource-lists + xml Content-Disposition: container-list Content-Length: 337 <? xml version. "1.0" encoding = "UTF-8"?> <Resource-lists xmlns = "urn: ietf: params: xml: ns: resource-lists" xmlns: xsi = "http://www.w3.org/2001/ XMLSchema-instance "> <list> *,): b @ mno B.com" /> -, p: c @ mno C.com "/> </ list> </ resource-lists> --boundary42

Claims (11)

REVENDICATIONS1. Method for managing an invitation to participate in a conference involving several data processing devices (D1, D21) communicating with each other via a communication network (RES), the devices being able to require the creation of a conference with respective conference creation modules (MConf1, MConf2), the creation modules being able to transmit respective invitations to participate in the conference, characterized in that it comprises a step of adding, by the creation modules, codes alphanumeric in the invitations, respectively, and in that a device receiving at least two invitations relating to the same conference performs the following steps: - a receiving step (ET23-1) of the plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - a step of comparing (ET23-4) the received codes and - a selection step (ET2 3-5) of the invitation to be considered according to the result of the comparison step. 2. Management method according to claim 1, characterized in that an initial creation of a conference is the subject of an invitation which does not include an alphanumeric code, and in that the following invitations having for object a re -creation of the conference relating to the same conference include said code. 3. Management method according to claim 1, characterized in that the code is derived from a mathematical function chosen so that the codes generated by at least two modules relative to the same conference are different. A method for managing a request for creating a conference involving a plurality of data processing devices (D1, D22) communicating with each other via a communication network, the devices being able to require the creation of a conference with respective conference creation modules (MConf1, MConf2), a module being able to transmit at least one invitation to participate in the conference, characterized in that it comprises, in the creation module, a step of adding a an alphanumeric code in the invitation, - a transmission step (ET22 / ET22bis) of the invitation including the code intended for devices invited to participate in the conference. 5. A method of management, by a device (D22), of a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference from respective conference creation modules (MConf1, MConf2), characterized in that it comprises at the level of device: - a reception step (ET23-1) of the plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - a step of comparing (ET23-4) the codes received and, - a selection step (ET23-5) of the invitation to be considered according to the result of the comparison step. 6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that the receiving step is carried out over a previously fixed time range. 7. System (SYS) for managing an invitation to participate in a conference involving several data processing devices (D1, between them via a communication network (RES), the devices comprising respective authoring modules able to request the creating a conference with respective conference creation modules, the creation modules comprising a transmission module able to transmit an invitation to participate in the conference, characterized in that the creation modules furthermore comprise an addd module an alphanumeric code in an invitation to be transmitted, and in that a device comprises - a module for receiving a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - a comparison module received codes and - A selection module of the invitation to be considered according to the result of the comp step is right. 8. Creation module (MConf1, MConf2) of a conference involving several data processing devices (D11, D12, D22) communicating with each other via a communication network (RES), the module comprising a transmission module capable of transmitting an invitation to participate in the conference to participants, characterized in that it comprises, - a module for adding an alphanumeric code in the invitation, - a module for transmitting the invitation including the code intended for participants' devices invited to participate in the conference. 9. Device (D11, D12, D22) characterized in that it comprises: - a module for receiving a plurality of invitations to participate in the same conference, the invitations including respective alphanumeric codes, - A comparison module received codes and - A selection module of the invitation to be considered according to the result of the comparison step. 10. Computer program adapted to be implemented on a module as defined in claim 8, the program comprising code instructions which, when executed by a processor performs the steps of the method defined in claim 4 . A computer program operable on a device as defined in claim 9, the program comprising code instructions which when executed by a processor perform the steps of the method defined in claim 5. .