Method and apparatus for scalable peer-to-peer inquiries in a network of untrusted parties
US7325034B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 24, 2003 |
| Grant date | Jan 29, 2008 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Nov 25, 2025 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04L9/40
- WIPO fieldDigital communication
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A method and apparatus for scalable inquiries in a network of communicating peers are provided. The method and apparatus of the present invention make use of communal filters and randomization to determine which client devices will output a message that is to be broadcast to a community of client devices. Each message is assigned a probability value that is determined based on various criteria or may be determined randomly. The message is then transmitted to the client devices who apply their own respective display criteria to the message parameters to determine if the message is one that is of interest to the user of the client device. If the message is not of interest to the user of the client device, the message is discarded. If the message is of interest to the user, logic is applied to the parameters of the message to determine whether the message should be displayed to the user or not. This logic may involve determining whether the message has been previously displayed to the user, whether the message has been received but not previously displayed, and the like. In addition, if the message has not been previously displayed to the user, a randomly generated number, which may b…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.