Method of allocating a service by a first peer to a second peer in a communication network

• US 20040184478A1
• Filed: 02/20/2004
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Viger, Pascal, Nassor, Eric, Donescu, Ioana, Maze, Frederic
• Granted Patent: US 7,734,751 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/462
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1059 Inter-group management mechanisms, e.g. splitting, merging or interconnection of groups
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1076 Resource dissemination mechanisms or network resource keeping policies for optimal resource availability in the overlay network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method of allocating at least one service by a first peer (E) to a second peer (D), the peers being linked by means of a computer communication network, the first and second peers belonging respectively to a first and second group of peers adapted to share data, comprises the following steps:

evaluating (E63) a distance (d0) between the first peer (E) and the second peer (D); and

selecting (E65) a service allocated by the first peer (E) according to the value (d0) of the distance.

Claims

1. Method of allocating at least one service by a first peer to a second peer, the peers being linked by means of a computer communication network, said first and second peers belonging respectively to a first and second group of peers adapted to share data, comprising the steps of:

evaluating a distance between said first and second peers ; and

selecting a service allocated by said first peer (E) according to the evaluated distance.

2. Allocation method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation step comprises a step of receiving a notification sent by a central server in said computer communication network, said notification comprising the value of said distance and an identifier of said second peer on the computer communication network.

3. Allocation method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation step comprises a step of reading the value of said distance associated with said second peer amongst a list of associations of peers and of distances.

4. Allocation method according to claim 1, wherein the evaluation step comprises a step of receiving an electronic ticket sent by said second peer, comprising an identifier of said second peer and the distance between the first and second peer.

5. Allocation method according to claim 1, wherein, at the step of selecting a service, said service is chosen from amongst a set of associations consisting of a service and a distance.

6. Allocation method according to claim 5, wherein said set of associations is bounded by a threshold value.

7. Allocation method according to claim 1, wherein the shared data can be represented at several resolution levels, and said services allocated correspond to various resolution levels of the data to be shared between a first group and a second group of peers.

8. Allocation method according to claim 7, wherein the shared data are digital images.

9. Allocation method according to claim 1, wherein the shared data are compressed digital images to the JPEG 2000 format, and said services allocated correspond to various levels of visual quality of the data to be shared between a first and second group of peers.

17. Computer comprising means adapted to implement the allocation method according to claim 1.

18. Communication network comprising means adapted to implement the service allocation method according to claim 1.

19. Information storage means, possibly totally or partially removable, which can be read by a computer system, comprising instructions for a computer program adapted to implement the service allocation method according to claim 1 when this program is loaded in and executed by the computer system.

20. Computer program able to be read by a microprocessor, comprising portions of software code adapted to implement the service allocation method according to claim 1, when it is loaded in and executed by the microprocessor.

10. Device for allocating at least one service by a first peer to a second peer, the peers being connected by means of a computer communication network, said first and second peers belonging respectively to a first and second group of peers adapted to share data, the device comprising:

means for evaluating a distance between said first and second peers in a graph of peers; and

means for selecting a service allocated by said first peer according to the evaluated distance.

11. Allocation device according to claim 10, wherein the evaluation means comprise means for receiving a notification sent by a central server in said computer communication network, said notification comprising the value of said distance and an identifier of said second peer on the computer communication network.

12. Allocation device according to claim 10, wherein the evaluation means comprise means for reading the value of said distance associated with the said second peer amongst a list of associations of peers and distances.

13. Allocation device according to claim 10, wherein the evaluation means comprise means for receiving an electronic ticket sent by said second peer, comprising an identifier of the second peer and the distance between the first and second peers.

14. Allocation device according to claim 10, wherein the means for selecting a service according to a distance cooperate with a set of associations consisting of a service and a distance.

15. Allocation device according to claim 10, wherein the device is incorporated in:

a microprocessor;

a read only memory adapted to store a service allocation program; and

a random access memory comprising registers adapted to store variables during the execution of said program.

16. Allocation device according to claim 10, wherein the device is incorporated in a terminal in a computer communication network.