File downloading system and method

• US 20030236864A1
• Filed: 01/16/2003
• Published: 12/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Culture.com Technology Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Culture.com Technology Ltd.
• Inventors: Lai, Chen-Chun
• Application Number:
  US10/346,415
• Publication Number:
  US 20030236864A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A file downloading system and a file downloading method are provided, whereby a user of a terminal device is linked to a website server through a communication network, so as to allow the user to download files provided from the website server. Upon receiving a file downloading request from the user, the website server searches in a member database for a membership number designated to the user, and retrieves a corresponding file identification number from a file resource database for obtaining the requested file, whereby the membership number and file identification number are used to establish a file downloading record stored in a file downloading database. The website server divides the requested file into a plurality of packets to be transmitted to the user'"'"'s terminal device. If network linkage is accidentally interrupted during packet transmission, the website server can later transmit untransmitted packets to the user without having to re-download the previously downloaded packets.

Claims

1. A file downloading method, for linking a user at a terminal device to a website server via a communication network, so as to allow the user to download file resources provided from the website server;

the file downloading method comprising the steps of;

(1) sending a file downloading request via the user to the website server, and retrieving via the website server respectively from a member database and a file resource database thereof for a membership number and a file identification number corresponding to a login account and a password of the user and a requested file contained in the file downloading request, so as to establish a file downloading record by the membership number and the file identification number and to store the file downloading record in a file downloading database of the website server;

(2) retrieving via the website server from the file resource database for the requested file according to the file identification number, and dividing the requested file into a plurality of packets, allowing the packets and a total packet number to be stored in the file downloading record;

(3) transmitting in order the packets via the website server to the terminal device of the user, and updating the total packet number in the file downloading record by deducting the total packet number by one when the user receives a packet; and

(4) determining via the website server if the total packet number is zero;

if yes, the requested file being successfully downloaded to the terminal device of the user, and deleting the file downloading record corresponding to the requested file;

if no, going back to step (3).

2. The file downloading method of claim 1, wherein in step (3), if packet transmission from the website server to the terminal device of the user is interrupted, step (3) further comprises the steps of:

(3-1) inputting the login account and the password via the user to log in the website server; and

sending a file downloading request to the website server;

(3-2) searching via the website server respectively in the member database and the file resource database for a membership number and a file identification number corresponding to the login account and password of the user and a requested file contained in the file downloading request, and retrieving via the website server from the file downloading database for a file downloading record corresponding to the membership number and the file identification number;

(3-3) determining if packet destinations stored in the retrieved file downloading record are consistent with an IP address of the terminal device of the user;

if yes, proceeding to step (3-4);

if no, going back to step (1); and

(3-4) retrieving untransmitted packets via the website server according to the total packet number in the retrieved file downloading record, and transmitting the untransmitted packets via the website server to the terminal device of the user in a manner that, when the user receives a packet and sends a packet-received request back to the website server, the total packet number in the retrieved file downloading record is updated by deducting the total packet number by one;

then, proceeding to step (4).

3. The file downloading method of claim 1, wherein in step (2), the requested file is divided into a plurality of packets according to file size and limitation in packet size for network transmission, and each packet includes a packet identification number for recognition by the website server, a packet source for recognition of an IP address of the website server by the communication network, a packet destination for recognition of an IP address of the terminal device of the user by the communication network, and data of the requested file contained in the packet.

4. The file downloading method of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is a computer device.

5. The file downloading method of claim 1, wherein the terminal device is a portable electronic device.

6. The file downloading method of claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

7. The file downloading method of claim 5, wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular phone.

8. A file downloading system, for allowing a user at a terminal device to download file resources provided from a website server via a communication network;

the file downloading system comprising;

a transmitting/receiving module for receiving and processing a file downloading request from the user, allowing processed results of the file downloading request to be transmitted to the terminal device of the user;

a file resource database for storing a plurality of file records relating to files provided from the website server to be downloaded by the user, wherein each file record includes a file identification number and a file corresponding to the file identification number;

a member database for storing a plurality of member data records, each member data record including a login account and a password of a user and a membership number corresponding to the login account and password, wherein upon receiving the file downloading request from the user, the transmitting/receiving module retrieves respectively from the member database and the file resource database for a membership number and a file identification number corresponding to the login account and password of the user and a requested file contained in the file downloading request, so as to establish a file downloading record by the membership number and the file identification number;

a packet processing module for dividing the requested file into a plurality of packets according to file size and limitation in packet size for network transmission when the transmitting/receiving module retrieves from the file resource database for the requested file according to the file identification number, and for storing the packets and a total packet number in the file downloading record corresponding to the membership number of the user and the file identification number of the requested file;

a file downloading database for storing a plurality of file downloading records, wherein each file downloading record includes a membership number of a user who downloads a corresponding file, a file identification number of the file, a total packet number and packets formed by division of the file; and

a calculating module for updating a total packet number in a file downloading record by deducting the total packet number by one when the transmitting/receiving module transmits a packet formed by division of a corresponding file to the terminal device of the user, wherein when the total packet number is reduced to be zero, the file is successfully downloaded to the user, and the file downloading record corresponding to the downloaded file is deleted by the transmitting/receiving module.

9. The file downloading system of claim 8, wherein the file downloading system is established in the website server.

10. The file downloading system of claim 8, wherein each packet includes a packet identification number for recognition by the website server, a packet source for recognition of an IP address of the website server by the communication network, a packet destination for recognition of an IP address of the terminal device of the user by the communication network, and data of the requested file contained in the packet.

11. The file downloading system of claim 8, wherein the terminal device is a computer device.

12. The file downloading system of claim 8, wherein the terminal device is a portable electronic device.

13. The file downloading system of claim 12, wherein the portable electronic device is a personal digital assistant (PDA).

14. The file downloading system of claim 12, wherein the portable electronic device is a cellular phone.