System and method for facilitating content transfers between client devices in an electronic network

• US 20090083148A1
• Filed: 09/26/2007
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Georgis, Nikolaos, Hwang, Paul
• Application Number:
  US11/904,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20090083148A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/14.100
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0207 Discounts or incentives, e.g. coupons or rebates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/108 characterised by resources being split in blocks or fragments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1082 involving incentive schemes

Abstract

A system and method for facilitating content distribution in an electronic network includes a peer-to-peer network of client devices. The client devices are configured to perform content transfers for optimally exchanging desired content items over the peer-to-peer network. A tracking server gathers client statistics, such as content upload totals, by monitoring the various client devices. A rewards manager of the tracking server encourages content transfers between client devices by generating client rewards to the client devices based upon the pre-defined client statistics gathered from the client devices.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating content transfers in an electronic network, comprising:

client devices that are configured to perform said content transfers for exchanging content items in said electronic network; and

a rewards manager that generates client rewards to said client devices based upon client statistics gathered from said client devices.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said rewards manager resides on a tracking server that monitors content locations of said content items on said client devices.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein requesting client devices send content location requests to said tracking server to locate said content items on said electronic network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said tracking server returns content locations on target client devices to said requesting client devices in response to said content location requests.

5. The system of claim 4 wherein said requesting client devices send content transfer requests for selected ones of said content items to said target client devices.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein said target client devices upload said selected ones of said content items to said requesting client devices.

7. The system of claim 2 wherein a statistics module of said tracking server tabulates said client statistics received from said client devices.

8. The system of claim 7 wherein said client statistics include a total upload throughput value for each of said client devices, and a device uptime value for each of said client devices.

9. The system of claim 2 wherein said rewards manager generates a statistics report that summarizes said client statistics for each of said client devices.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein said rewards manager periodically triggers said statistics report at a predetermined and selectable time interval.

11. The system of claim 10 wherein said rewards manager generates said statistics report based upon analyzing client information gathered and stored in said client statistics.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said rewards manager combines said client statistics to generate corresponding statistics totals to populate said statistics report.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein said rewards manager derives said statistics totals by calculating a weighted sum of said client statistics for each of said client devices.

14. The system of claim 2 wherein said rewards manager performs a conversion procedure to produce said client rewards from said statistics report, said conversion procedure utilizing at least one of a lookup table and a conversion algorithm for generating said client rewards from said statistics report.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said client rewards include electronic discount coupons for purchasing downloaded content items.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said rewards manager notifies said client devices regarding said client rewards by sending award messages over said electronic network.

17. The system of claim 2 wherein said client devices and said tracking server are configured in a peer-to-peer network that supports direct bi-directional communications between any of said tracking server and said client devices.

18. The system of claim 1 wherein said content items include entertainment programming, movies, video data, audio data, digital photographs, still image data, graphics, web pages, program guide information, and software programs.

19. A method for facilitating content transfers in an electronic network, comprising the steps of:

utilizing client devices to perform said content transfers for exchanging content items through said electronic network; and

generating client rewards from a rewards manager to said client devices based upon client statistics gathered from said client devices.

20. A system for facilitating content transfers in an electronic network, comprising:

means for exchanging content items over said electronic network by performing said content transfers; and

means for generating client rewards to said client devices based upon client statistics gathered from said client devices.