Multi-tiered structure for file sharing based on social roles

• US 20050131871A1
• Filed: 12/15/2003
• Published: 06/16/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Xerox Corporation (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Howard, Mark Anthony, Smith, Ian Emery, Smith, Trevor Frederick
• Granted Patent: US 7,529,723 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An Internet-scale file sharing system includes a client-side file sharing application that allows file-sharing users to identify files to share and transmit metadata corresponding to those files to a metadata repository. A server-side application operating on the metadata repository tracks metadata received from associated file-sharing users, as well as metadata from other affiliated metadata repositories. Each metadata repository acts as a search engine for any querying users and can provide search results based on locally stored metadata alone. Each metadata repository may additionally choose to locally-store popular files from an associated file-sharing user so as to alleviate transmission burdens on that file-sharing user. Associated metadata repositories each periodically synchronize their stored metadata so that all metadata repositories may generate similar search results. In such manner, file-sharing queries need only be performed by the metadata repository receiving the query, and not by all associated metadata repositories.

Claims

1. A method for fulfilling a file-sharing query, comprising:

transmitting a client-side application to a file-sharing user having a shared file, the client-side application for generating metadata corresponding to the shared file;

receiving and storing the metadata from the file-sharing user;

providing a user interface (UI) to a querying user, the UI for entering a query to a metadata repository;

receiving a query from the querying user via the UI, the shared file satisfying the query based on the stored metadata; and

transmitting an identification of the shared file to the querying user.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically receiving and storing updated metadata from the client-side application.

3. The method of claim 1, said client-side application generating the metadata using an abstracting program.

4. The method of claim 1, said UI comprising a proprietary UI of the metadata repository.

5. The method of claim 1, said transmitting an identification further comprising:

transmitting a hyperlink to the querying user in response to the query, wherein a selection of the hyperlink by the querying user initiates a transmission of the shared file from the file-sharing user to the querying user.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing the shared file locally based on a characteristic of the shared file.

7. The method of claim 6, said transmitting an identification further comprising:

transmitting a hyperlink to the querying user in response to the query, wherein a selection of the hyperlink by the querying user initiates a transmission of the shared file from the metadata repository to the querying user.

8. The method of claim 6, the characteristic comprising a threshold popularity of the shared file.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the metadata is transmitted to at least one other metadata repository for storage and the shared file is not transmitted to any other metadata repository for storage.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving updated metadata for storage; and

transmitting the updated metadata to at least one other associated metadata repository to facilitate queries directed to the at least one other associated metadata repository.

11. The method of claim 10, said transmitting the updated metadata further comprising:

transmitting the updated metadata in a parallel, pairwise protocol with the at least one other metadata repository.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

periodically receiving updated metadata from a second metadata repository.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing a payment to the file-sharing user for the shared file transmitted to the querying user.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a payment from the querying user for the shared file.

15. A method for facilitating file-sharing queries, comprising:

receiving metadata files from a plurality of file-sharing users, the metadata files corresponding to shared files;

storing the metadata locally at a first metadata repository to facilitate search queries from querying users received by the first metadata repository;

uploading a shared file from a file-sharing user for local storage on a metadata repository when a plurality of search requests for the shared file exceed a predetermined threshold; and

periodically synchronizing stored metadata with a second metadata repository for facilitating queries from querying users received by the first and second metadata repositories.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the queries received by the metadata repository are not transmitted to the second metadata repository and queries received by the second metadata repository are not transmitted to the first metadata repository.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

transmitting a client-side application to a file-sharing user having the shared file, the client-side application for generating metadata corresponding to the shared file.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving a query from a querying user; and

transmitting an identification of a shared file satisfying the query to the querying user.

19. A method for operating an asymmetric data sharing network, comprising:

establishing at least two classes of users that interact with a metadata repository over a network, the at least two classes including a sharing class that primarily provides data and a searching class that primarily searches for data;

receiving metadata identifying a shared file from a user in the sharing class; and

receiving a query from a user in the searching class, the metadata satisfying the query; and

providing an identification of the shared file to the user in the searching class.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

uploading the shared file from the user in the sharing class for distribution to users in the searching class when the shared file satisfies a predetermined condition.