Peer-to-peer automated anonymous asynchronous file sharing

Patent 6675205 Issued on January 6, 2004. Estimated Expiration Date:

July 20, 2021. Estimated Expiration Date is calculated based on simple USPTO term provisions. It does not account for terminal disclaimers, term adjustments, failure to pay maintenance fees, or other factors which might affect the term of a patent.

Abstract Claims Description Full Text

Patent References

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Inventors

Assignee

Arcessa, Inc.

Application

No. 09/910460 filed on 07/20/2001

US Classes:

709/219, Accessing a remote server707/10, Distributed or remote access709/203, Client/server719/329Data transfer between application windows

Examiners

Primary: Vu, Viet D.

Attorney, Agent or Firm

Black Lowe & Graham, PLLC

International Class

G06F 17/30 (20060101)

Abstract

A service on a computer network which performs centralized searches based on index information transmitted by peer systems to a central site using an agent program running on each peer and then directs the peer systems to each other for the purpose of retrieving files. If none of the peer systems known to contain the file is online (and the file is therefore not available), the request is placed in a queue of file requests maintained by the central site. When a system containing the requested file connects to the service, the requested file is retrieved from that system and then distributed to the other systems which had requested the file. Files retrieved for systems not currently online are held in a queue until the user connects or are emailed to the user, usually as an email attachment. Or, when a computer system containing the file connects to the central site, the file is sent by the system containing the file either to the central site or directly to the user who requested the file via email attachment.