Cloud based multimedia services utilizing a locus to manage real-time communications between participants

An apparatus comprising:

• a network interface unit configured to enable communications over a network;
• a memory;
• and
• a processor that facilitates:
• generating and maintaining locus information pertaining to real-time communication sessions between participants, wherein the locus information is maintained in a cloud networking platform, each real-time communication session includes an audio component and a video component associated with client devices engaged in the real-time communication session, the locus information comprises a plurality of nodes, and each node represents one or more client devices associated with a single participant;
• engagement in a real-time communication session between client devices of two or more participants by providing rendezvous information to at least one client device associated with each participant selecting to engage in the real-time communication session, wherein the rendezvous information comprises a routable address that enables client devices to connect to the real-time communication session;
• and
• during the real-time communication session, switching and/or sharing of an audio component and/or a video component between a first communication device associated with a first node for a first participant and a second communication device associated with the first node for the first participant.

One or more computer readable storage media encoded with software comprising computer executable instructions and when the software is executed operable to:

• generate and maintain locus information pertaining to real-time communication sessions between participants, wherein the locus information is maintained in a cloud networking platform, each real-time communication session includes an audio component and a video component associated with client devices engaged in the real-time communication session, the locus information comprises a plurality of nodes, and each node represents one or more client devices associated with a single participant;
• facilitate engagement in a real-time communication session between client devices of two or more participants by providing rendezvous information to at least one client device associated with each participant selecting to engage in the real-time communication session, wherein the rendezvous information comprises a routable address that enables client devices to connect to the real-time communication session;
• and
• during the real-time communication session, facilitate a switch and/or sharing of an audio component and/or a video component between a first communication device associated with a first node for a first participant and a second communication device associated with the first node for the first participant.