Granted Patent B2

US 8,677,460 · App. 13/617,404 · Granted Mar 18, 2014

Inventors: Maurice W. Haff (Easton, MD); Christopher D. Clarke (Annapolis, MD)

Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC

Abstract

Claims (84)

1. A peer-to-peer system device, comprising:

an index generator configured to generate an index of files stored on the peer-to-peer system device, the index being generated independent of an index request, and the index being based on index creation options;

a selective acceptance system configured to evaluate a communications request sent from a requesting peer device, wherein the selective acceptance system accepts the communications request in accordance with previously defined criteria;

a communications system configured to communicate with the requesting peer device, when the selective acceptance system has accepted the communications request from the requesting peer device; and

a transmission system configured to transmit the index to the requesting peer device in response to the index request received from the requesting peer device,

wherein the transmitted index enables the requesting peer device to retrieve files listed in the index from the peer-to-peer system device without allowing the requesting peer device to log in to the peer-to-peer system device.

2. The peer-to-peer system device of claim 1 , wherein:

the index creation options are selected by a user of the peer-to-peer system device; and

the previously defined criteria are defined by the user of the peer-to-peer system device.

3. The peer-to-peer system device of claim 1 , wherein the transmission system is further configured to transmit the retrieved files to the requesting peer device in response to a file request received from the requesting peer device.

4. The peer-to-peer system device of claim 1 , wherein:

the index generator is further configured to link the index to an identification of at least one requesting peer device; and

the transmission system is further configured to transmit the retrieved files to the requesting peer device in response to a file request received from the requesting peer device when the requesting peer device matches the identification linked to the index.

5. The peer-to-peer system device of claim 4 , wherein the index comprises a private index that is linked to a specific destination address of the at least one requesting peer device, such that the index transmission system transmits the private index to the linked at least one requesting peer device upon receipt of an index request from any peer device.

6. The peer-to-peer system device of claim 1 , further comprising:

an index requesting system configured to request a target index from a target peer device; wherein the transmission system is further configured to transmit the request to the target peer device and receive the requested target index; and

a request creation system configured to create a target file request for transmission to the target peer device, the target file request including a list of files selected by a selector from the target index, wherein the transmission system is further configured to transmit the target file request and receive the files in the list of files from the target peer device.

7. The peer-to-peer system device of claim 6 , further comprising:

a return receipt system configured to generate and transmit a return receipt upon successfully receiving the files from the target peer device,

wherein the return receipt comprises a point of origin, destination address, and successful completion information.

8. peer-to-peer system device of claim 1 , wherein the index generator is configured to generate a plurality of indexes, each index from the plurality of indexes being linked to at least one identification of at least one requesting peer device.

9. The peer-to-peer system device of claim 1 , wherein the communications system is configured to contemporaneously communicate with multiple requesting peer devices.

10. A method, comprising:

generating an index of files stored on a peer-to-peer system device, the index being generated independent of an index request, wherein the index is based on index creation options selected at the peer-to-peer system device;

receiving a communications request from a requesting peer device and evaluating the communications request based on previously defined criteria;

accepting the communications request when the communications request meets the previously defined criteria at the peer-to-peer system device;

receiving the index request from the requesting peer device after the communications request has been accepted; and

transmitting the index to the requesting peer device in response to the index request, wherein the index enables the requesting peer device to retrieve files listed in the index from the peer-to-peer system device without allowing the requesting peer device to log in to the peer-to-peer system device.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

receiving a file request from the requesting peer device, the file request being based on the index transmitted to the requesting peer device; and

transmitting the retrieved files to the requesting peer device in response to the file request.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

maintaining a balance of data delivery credits, the data delivery credits used for controlling how many files may be transmitted from the peer-to-peer system device; and

debiting a credit account variable for the requesting peer device upon detection of each transmission of the retrieved files.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

controlling a number of transmissions the peer-to-peer device may send using a credit system comprising a credit balance;

checking the credit balance to determine whether the peer-to-peer device has sufficient credits for transmitting the retrieved files in response to the file request;

deducting one or more credits, if there are sufficient credits, after successful transmission of the retrieved files; and

sending a message to a user of the peer-to-peer device, if there are not sufficient credits, indicating the credit balance is insufficient for transmission.

14. The method of claim 10 , wherein:

the index creation options are selected by a user of the peer-to-peer system device; and

the previously defined criteria are defined by the user of the peer-to-peer system device.

15. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

linking the index to an identification of at least one requesting peer device; and

transmitting the retrieved files to the requesting peer device in response to a file request received from the requesting peer device when the requesting peer device matches the identification linked to the index.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein:

the index comprises a private index; and

the identification comprises a specific destination address of the at least one requesting peer device, such that the private index is transmitted to the linked at least one requesting peer device upon receipt of an index request from any peer device.

17. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

transmitting a target communications request to a target peer device;

requesting a target index from the target peer device when the target communications request has been accepted by the target peer device based on previously defined criteria at the target peer device, wherein the target index has been generated by the target peer device;

receiving the target index from the target peer device;

selecting files from the target index and generating a target file request, the target file request including a list of the selected files;

transmitting the target file request to the target peer device; and

receiving the requested files from the target peer device.

18. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:

generating a return receipt upon successfully receiving the files from the target peer device; and

transmitting the return receipt to the target peer device, wherein the return receipt comprises a point of origin, destination address, and successful completion information.

19. The method of claim 10 , wherein the generating the index further comprises:

generating a plurality of indexes, each index from the plurality of indexes being linked to at least one identification of at least one requesting peer device.

20. The method of claim 10 , further comprising:

communicating contemporaneously with multiple requesting peer devices.

21. A computing device operating in a peer-to-peer environment, comprising:

an index requesting system configured to request an index from a peer device, the index being generated by the peer device independent of the index request and based on index creation options at the peer device;

a selector configured to select files from the index;

a request creation system configured to create a file request for transmission to the peer device, the file request comprising a list of the selected files; and

a transmission system configured to transmit the index request and the file request to the peer device and receive the requested index and the selected files,

wherein the index enables the computing device to request the selected files listed in the index from the peer device without logging in to the peer device.

22. The computing device of claim 21 , wherein the index creation options are selected by a user of the peer device.

23. The computing device of claim 21 , further comprising:

an index generator configured to generate a local index of files stored on the computing device, the local index being generated independent of a local index request from requesting peer devices, and the local index being based on local index creation options;

a selective acceptance system configured to evaluate a communications request sent from a requesting peer device, wherein the selective acceptance system accepts the communications request in accordance with previously defined criteria; and

a communications system configured to communicate with the requesting peer device, when the selective acceptance system has accepted the communications request from the requesting peer device;

wherein the transmission system is further configured to transmit the local index to the requesting peer device in response to the local index request received from the requesting peer device, and

wherein the transmitted local index enables the requesting peer device to retrieve local files listed in the local index from the computing device without allowing the requesting peer device to log in to the computing device.

24. The computing device of claim 23 , wherein:

the transmission system is further configured to transmit the retrieved local files to the requesting peer device in response to a local file request received from the requesting peer device.

25. The computing device of claim 21 , wherein the transmission system is further configured to receive an associated directory structure with each selected file.

26. The computing device of claim 21 , further comprising:

a return receipt system configured to generate and transmit a return receipt to the peer device upon successfully receiving the files from the peer device,

wherein the return receipt comprises a point of origin, destination address, and successful completion information.

27. The medium of claim 21 , further comprising:

a return receipt system configured to generate and transmit a return receipt to a third party transaction certification processor upon successfully receiving the files from the peer device,

wherein the return receipt comprises a point of origin, destination address, and successful completion information.

Assignments (1)

Continuity (11)