Method and apparatus for disseminating new content notifications in peer-to-peer networks

• US 20070179948A1
• Filed: 01/13/2006
• Published: 08/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/13/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LinkedIn Corporation (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jennings, Raymond
• Granted Patent: US 7,836,016 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/62 Establishing a time schedule for servicing the requests

Abstract

One embodiment of the present method and apparatus for advertising new content available for sharing in a network by a first node includes detecting the new content at the first node and sending a new content message to at least one neighbor node of the first node, where the new content message advertises the availability of the new content at the first node. In one embodiment, the new content message is sent only to neighbor nodes that have expressed an interest in receiving new content.

Claims

1. A method for advertising new content available for sharing by a first node in a network, said method comprising:

detecting, at said first node, said new content; and

sending a new content message to at least one neighbor node of said first node, said new content message advertising the availability of said new content at said first node.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said detecting is performed in accordance with at least one of:

a scan of a local content database associated with said first node, an examination of system data or a query of an external data source.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein system data includes at least one of:

a file creation time, a file modification time, meta-data and embedded data.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a time at which said new content message is sent is selected based on network conditions.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

resending said new content message at least once.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein a frequency with which said new content message is resent is at least partially based on an age of the new content.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a frequency with which said new content message is resent is at least partially based on how many other nodes in said network have requested said new content from said first node.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein a frequency with which said new content message is resent is at least partially based on network conditions.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein a time-to-live value associated with said new content message is chosen so as to limit a number of times that said new content message is forwarded.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said time-to-live value is a static time-to-live value.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said time-to-live value is chosen dynamically in accordance with network conditions.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said sending further comprises:

sending said new content only to at least one neighbor node that has expressed an interested in receiving new content.

13. A computer readable medium containing an executable program for advertising new content available for sharing by a first node in a network, where the program performs the steps of:

detecting, at said first node, said new content; and

sending a new content message to at least one neighbor node of said first node, said new content message advertising the availability of said new content at said first node.

14. Apparatus for advertising new content available for sharing by a first node in a network, the apparatus comprising:

means for detecting, at said first node, said new content; and

means for sending a new content message to at least one neighbor node of said first node, said new content message advertising the availability of said new content at said first node.

15. A method for disseminating new content for sharing within a network, the method comprising:

receiving, at a first node, a new content message from a first neighbor node, the new content message indicating the availability of new content for sharing by at least a source node of said new content message;

determining whether to request said new content; and

determining whether to forward said new content message to at least a second neighbor node.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein said determination as to whether to request said new content is made in accordance with a profile of interests associated with said first node.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein said new content is requested automatically.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein said determination as to whether to forward said new content message is made in accordance with a time-to-live value associated with said new content message.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

disconnecting from said first neighbor node in response to said receipt of said new content message.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said disconnecting is based at least partially on at least one of:

appropriateness of said new content, as determined by said first node, a total number of new content messages received from said first neighbor node or a number of duplicate new content messages received from said first neighbor node.