Patents by Inventor Ehren A. Kret

Ehren A. Kret has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 10812421
    Abstract: A system and methods are provided for conveying connection-oriented communications (e.g., textual messages among multiple users) via a protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). When a device operating a communication application that features a custom application layer protocol for formatting messages for transmission cannot connect to the system hosting the application using a default protocol stack that include the custom application layer protocol, it instead connects using HTTP's chunked mode of transfer encoding. Each outgoing communication is encapsulated in a separate HTTP chunk, and communications to multiple different users may be conveyed via the one connection. Incoming communications (e.g., from the multiple users) are received as separate chunks and are unwrapped or de-encapsulated to retrieve the communication for presentation to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 20, 2020
    Assignee: WHATSAPP INC.
    Inventors: Ehren A. Kret, Bryan D. O'Connor
  • Patent number: 10567217
    Abstract: Techniques to perform the dynamic configuration of load-balanced relay operations are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a first load balancer component, a second load balancer component, a first relay server component, a second relay server component, and a persistent shared-memory storage component. The apparatus may be operative to perform the dynamic configuration of load-balanced relay operations for a two-tier relay system using persistent shared-memory storage in which a session identifier received from client devices is used to coordinate the activities of the relay server components based on information shared via the persistent shared-memory storage component. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Date of Patent: February 18, 2020
    Assignee: WHATSAPP INC.
    Inventors: Claudiu Dan Gheorghe, Erik James Reed, Ehren Kret
  • Patent number: 10129412
    Abstract: A system, apparatus, and methods are provided for establishing and supporting a VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) call from one computing/communication device to another. The system receives a call offer from a caller, forwards it to the callee, and identifies to each party multiple candidate relay entities for relaying their digitized voice communications. Each device binds with one or all relays, and either or both of them select one of the relays to use in a relay mode of operation of the call, if necessary. One or more of the relays inform the devices of their external network addresses, and each device passes its (internal and external) addresses to each other, through the system. The devices attempt to establish a direct connection to conduct their call in a peer-to-peer mode of operation, but may dynamically switch between peer-to-peer and relay modes as necessary.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: November 13, 2018
    Assignee: WHATSAPP INC.
    Inventors: Manpreet Singh, Ehren A. Kret, Erik James Reed, Michael B. Donohue
  • Publication number: 20180176157
    Abstract: A system and methods are provided for conveying connection-oriented communications (e.g., textual messages among multiple users) via a protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). When a device operating a communication application that features a custom application layer protocol for formatting messages for transmission cannot connect to the system hosting the application using a default protocol stack that include the custom application layer protocol, it instead connects using HTTP's chunked mode of transfer encoding. Each outgoing communication is encapsulated in a separate HTTP chunk, and communications to multiple different users may be conveyed via the one connection. Incoming communications (e.g., from the multiple users) are received as separate chunks and are unwrapped or de-encapsulated to retrieve the communication for presentation to a user.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 13, 2018
    Publication date: June 21, 2018
    Inventors: Ehren A. Kret, Bryan D. O'Connor
  • Patent number: 9923844
    Abstract: A system and methods are provided for conveying connection-oriented communications (e.g., textual messages among multiple users) via a protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol). When a device operating a communication application that features a custom application layer protocol for formatting messages for transmission cannot connect to the system hosting the application using a default protocol stack that include the custom application layer protocol, it instead connects using HTTP's chunked mode of transfer encoding. Each outgoing communication is encapsulated in a separate HTTP chunk, and communications to multiple different users may be conveyed via the one connection. Incoming communications (e.g., from the multiple users) are received as separate chunks and are unwrapped or de-encapsulated to retrieve the communication for presentation to a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 30, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 20, 2018
    Assignee: WHATSAPP INC.
    Inventors: Ehren A. Kret, Bryan D. O'Connor
  • Publication number: 20170250859
    Abstract: Techniques to perform the dynamic configuration of load-balanced relay operations are described. In one embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a first load balancer component, a second load balancer component, a first relay server component, a second relay server component, and a persistent shared-memory storage component. The apparatus may be operative to perform the dynamic configuration of load-balanced relay operations for a two-tier relay system using persistent shared-memory storage in which a session identifier received from client devices is used to coordinate the activities of the relay server components based on information shared via the persistent shared-memory storage component. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 1, 2016
    Publication date: August 31, 2017
    Inventors: Claudiu Dan Gheorghe, Erik James Reed, Ehren Kret