Method for establishing communication on the internet with a client having a dynamically assigned IP address

A method of establishing a connection for an application on an Internet Protocol (IP) computer network to a destination client terminal which has an IP address that is unknown to an originating client terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

• using a known e-mail address associated with a user of the destination client terminal or with the destination client terminal, determining an IP address on the computer network of a server connected to the computer network that provides to the destination client terminal access to the computer network;
• determining whether the destination client terminal is presently connected to the computer network;
• if the destination client terminal is determined to be presently connected to the computer network, determining an IP address associated with the destination client terminal on the IP computer network;
• and
• establishing a connection over the IP computer network to the destination client terminal at the determined IP address for the application.

A method of establishing a connection for an application from an originating client terminal on an Internet Protocol (IP) computer network to a destination client terminal which has an IP address that is dynamically assigned to the destination client terminal by an access provider to the computer network and which IP address is unknown to the originating client terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

• using a known e-mail address associated with a user of the destination client terminal or with the destination client terminal and which address comprises a name associated with the user and a domain name associated with the access provider, determining an IP address associated with the access provider;
• using the name associated with the user of the destination client terminal, determining whether the user's destination client terminal is currently logged on at the access provider at its determined IP address;
• if the user's destination client terminal is determined to be presently logged on, determining the IP address assigned by the access provider to the destination client terminal;
• and
• establishing a connection for the application over the IP computer network to the destination client terminal at the determined IP address.

A method of establishing on a computer network a connection for an application from an originating terminus to a destination endpoint comprising the steps of:

• using a known e-mail address associated with a user at the destination endpoint or with the endpoint, determining an address on the computer network of a first server connected to the computer network that provides to the endpoint access to the computer network;
• determining from an identification of the application, an address on the computer network of a second server connected to the computer network that provides to the endpoint access to the computer network for that identified application;
• determining whether the endpoint is connected to the computer network through the determined second server for the application;
• if the endpoint is determined to be connected to the computer network for the application, determining an address associated with the endpoint on the computer network;
• and
• establishing a connection over the computer network to the endpoint at the determined address for the application.

A method of establishing a connection for an application on an Internet Protocol (IP) computer network to a destination client terminal which has an IP address that is unknown to an originating client terminal, the method comprising the steps of:

• using a known e-mail address associated with a user of the destination client terminal or with the destination client terminal, determining an IP address on the computer network of a first server connected to the computer network that provides to the destination client terminal access to the computer network:
• determining from an identification of the application, an IP address on the computer network of a second server connected to the computer network that provides to the destination client terminal access to the computer network for that identified application;
• determining whether the destination client terminal is presently connected to the computer network through the determined second server for the application;
• if the destination client terminal is determined to be connected to the computer network for the application, determining an IP address associated with the destination client terminal on the IP computer network;
• and
• establishing a connection over the IP computer network to the destination client terminal at the determined IP address for the application.