Hyperlinks

• US 20070288565A1
• Filed: 05/18/2005
• Published: 12/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cufer Asset Ltd LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Qinetiq Limited (QinetiQ Group PLC)
• Inventors: Wonnacott, Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,909,802 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2101/604 Address structures or formats
• 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

Abstract

A form of hyperlink is provided comprising a first component identifying a network entity and a scheme by which to communicate with that entity, and a second component comprising a further scheme and further address by means of which to access a resource relative to the network entity identified by the first component. Such hyperlinks support simple and fast sharing of files and, in some cases, support tunneling through firewalls to achieve this. The invention also provides related data representations, electronic documents, protocols, signals, methods, devices, systems and other apparatus, and programs for computers.

Claims

1. A computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address comprising a first portion comprising identification of a host and a first access scheme for interacting with that host and a second portion comprising a further hyperlink address comprising a second access scheme.

2. A hyperlink address according to claim 1 in which the further hyperlink address is a Uniform Resource Locator.

3. A hyperlink address according to claim 1 in which the further hyperlink address is a hyperlink address according to any preceding claim.

4. A hyperlink address according to claim 1 in which the first access scheme is a peer-to-peer access scheme.

5. A hyperlink address according to claim 1 in which the second access scheme denotes a HyperText Transfer Protocol.

6. A hyperlink address according to claim 1 in which the second access scheme is a local file access scheme.

7. A method of resolving a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1 on a given host, the method comprising:

resolving the first portion to identify a host upon which to resolve the second portion,

if the host is the local host resolving the second portion locally;

if the host is not the local host, communicating the second portion to the host, by means of the first access scheme, for resolution of the second portion by the host.

8. An electronic document comprising a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1.

14. A communications signal comprising computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1.

15. A computer system arranged to process a signal according to claim 14.

19. A program for a computer arranged to perform at least one of:

creating a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1;

parsing the computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address; and

accessing a resource on a computerised network by means of a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address.

20. A program for a computer according to claim 19 comprising an editor comprising a graphical user interface and arranged to facilitate insertion of a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address by means of a drag-and-drop user interface.

21. A program for a computer according to claim 20 in which dragging and dropping an icon representative of a local file automatically inserts a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1.

22. A program for a computer according to claim 20 in which dragging and dropping an icon representative of a local file selectively inserts a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1 responsive to user input.

23. A program for a computer according to claim 20 in which dragging and dropping an icon representative of a local file inserts a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address relative to a local host, and which subsequently replaces the computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address relative to a local host by a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1.

24. A computer system arranged to perform at least one of:

creating a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address according to claim 1;

parsing a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address; and

accessing a resource on a computerised network by means of a computer-readable representation of a hyperlink address.

9-13. -13. (canceled)

16-18. -18. (canceled)