# US 8,547,879 B1 · Systems and methods for setting up a collaborative communication system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 8,547,879 B1 - Document ID: US8547879B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 10/826,865 - Filed: 2004-04-16 - Granted: 2013-10-01 - Earliest claimed: 2003-09-30 - Assignees: InterCall, Inc. - Applicants: Dan Jones; Todd Vernon; Emmanuel Puentes; Charles Wanek; William Marcum - Inventors: Dan Jones; Todd Vernon; Emmanuel Puentes; Charles Wanek; William Marcum - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US8547879B1 ## CPC - H04L 12/1827: {Network arrangements for conference optimisation or adaptation} - H04L 12/1818: {Conference organisation arrangements, e.g. handling schedules, setting up parameters needed by nodes to attend a conference, booking network resources, notifying involved parties} - H04L 63/08: {for authentication of entities (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32)} - H04L 63/083: {using passwords (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication using a predetermined code H04L9/3226)} - H04L 65/1069: Session establishment or de-establishment - H04L 65/403: Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) - H04L 67/14: Session management (for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066) - H04L 67/147: Signalling methods or messages providing extensions to protocols defined by standardisation - H04L 12/1813: {for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms (instant messaging H04L51/04; protocols for multimedia communication H04L65/1101; arrangements for multi-party communication H04L65/403; telephonic conference arrangements H04M3/56; television conference systems H04N7/15)} - H04L 12/1886: {with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains} - H04L 67/54: Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A collaborative communication system comprises a highly flexible architecture that facilitates connecting communication devices and networks to establish multimedia collaboration sessions in a manner that allows distribution of various services and features throughout the collaborative communication system to provide scalability and selectable combination of cost, resource usage, and performance. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method for initializing a collaborative communication system, comprising: initializing a media switch as a master media switch configured to read a configuration file to determine a list of services to be loaded by the media switch and configured to perform at least one function not performed by other endpoints; loading a media switch service; determining if other services are to be loaded; if it is determined that other services are to be loaded in a distributed configuration, then loading the other services sequentially via the media switch by reading the configuration file to determine a list of services that should be loaded locally from services available in a local domain and by ensuring the first service to connect is an authentication service that is accepted from at least one trusted endpoint address; wherein loading the other services comprises loading a presence service which maintains information on all endpoints associated with the media switch via an endpoint locator service that is running before the initializing of the media switch and before any of the other services are loaded; wherein the presence service maintains information comprising at least one of entity availability that indicates a service's ability to accept connections or entity type that indicates one or more services offered by an endpoint, and wherein the presence service is configured to publish its own presence with itself when loaded, and is further configured to attempt an additional attachment as a master presence service that is awarded to the first presence service that attempts to be the master presence service, wherein the master presence service is configured to provide synchronized access information to shared data elements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein loading an authentication service comprises initiating the authentication service and the authentication service attempting to publish its presence with the presence service. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, further comprising the authentication service receiving an indication that the attempt to publish its presence failed and the authentication service again attempting to publish its presence after the presence service is loaded. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising loading an additional authentication service. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising loading an additional presence service. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, loading the other services comprises loading non-core services. ### Claim 7 A collaborative communication system, comprising: a media switch configured to read a configuration file to determine a list of services to be loaded by the media switch and configured to be initialized as a master media switch that performs at least one function not performed by other endpoints; a media switch service configured to allow the media switch to communicate as an addressable endpoint; and other services, the media switch configured to load the media switch service when initialized and to determine if the other services are to be loaded in a distributed configuration, then loading the other services sequentially via the media switch by reading the configuration file to determine a list of services that should be loaded locally from services available in a local domain and by ensuring the first service to connect is an authentication service that is accepted from at least one trusted endpoint address; wherein loading the other services comprises loading a presence service which maintains information on all endpoints associated with the media switch via an endpoint locator service that is running before the initializing of the media switch and before any of the other services are loaded; wherein the presence service maintains information comprising at least one of entity availability that indicates a service's ability to accept connections or entity type that indicates one or more services offered by an endpoint, and wherein the presence service is configured to publish its own presence with itself when loaded, and is further configured to attempt an additional attachment as a master presence service that is awarded to the first presence service that attempts to be the master presence service, wherein the master presence service is configured to provide synchronized access information to shared data elements. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The collaborative communication system of claim 7, wherein loading the authentication service comprises initiating the authentication service and the authentication service attempting to publish its presence with the presence service. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The collaborative communication system of claim 8, wherein the authentication service is configured to receive an indication that the attempt to publish its presence failed and to attempt publish its presence after the presence service is loaded. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The collaborative communication system of claim 7, wherein loading the other services comprises loading an additional authentication service. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The collaborative communication system of claim 7, wherein loading the other services comprises loading an additional presence service. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The collaborative communication system of claim 7, wherein loading the other services comprises loading non-core services.