DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SHARING FILES

• US 20110060777A1
• Filed: 04/09/2009
• Published: 03/10/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InterDigital Patent Holdings, Inc. (InterDigital, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Thomson Licensing (Vantiva SA)
• Inventors: Van De Poel, Dirk
• Granted Patent: US 9,049,240 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/827
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/639 using playlists
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/54 Presence management, e.g. monitoring or registration for receipt of user log-on information, or the connection status of the users
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching

Abstract

The present invention concerns a method at a network device, the device comprising a first interface to a first network, a second interface to a second network, and routing means, for enabling access to a file shared by a first device located on the first network, the network device having detected the presence of the first device on the first network, the first device comprising at least one shared file. The method comprises the step, at the network device, of detecting that the first device is not accessible, on reception of a request from a second device located on the second network for getting a shared file on the first device, storing the request, on detection that the first device is accessible, retrieving the shared file in a memory of the network device, and sending a notification to the second device that the shared file is available at the network device or sending the file to the second device.

Claims

1. Method at a network device, said device comprising a first interface to a first network, a second interface to a second network, and routing means, for enabling access to a file shared by a first device located on the first network, said network device having detected the presence of the first device on the first network, said first device comprising at least one shared file, said method comprising the steps, at said network device, of:

detecting that the first device is not accessible,

on reception of a request from a second device located on the second network for getting a shared file on the first device, storing the request, —

on detection that said first device is accessible, retrieving the shared file in a memory of said network device, and

sending a notification to said second device that the shared file is available at the network device or sending the file to the second device.

2. Method, according to claim 1, wherein it comprises the step of, once the file has been retrieved by the second device or sent to the second device, removing the file from said memory.

3. Method, according to claim 1, wherein it comprises the step of removing said file from said memory after a delay.

4. Method, according to claim 1, wherein the network device comprises a graphical user interface for indicating the first device and the shared file.

10. Computer program product, wherein it comprises program code instructions for executing the steps of the method according to claim 1 when said program is executed on a computer.

5. Method at a network device, said device comprising a first interface to a first network, a second interface to a second network, and routing means, for enabling access to a file shared by a first device located on the first network, said network device having detected the presence of the first device on the first network, said first device comprising at least one shared file, said method comprising the steps, at said network device, of:

detecting that the first device is not accessible,

on reception of a request from a second device for getting a shared file on said first device, storing the request, and

on detection that said first device is accessible, sending a notification to said second device that the file is available at the first device.

6. Method at a network device, said device comprising a first interface to a first network, a second interface to a second network, and routing means, for enabling access to a file shared by a first device (5) located on the first network, said network device having detected the presence of the first device on the first network, said first device comprising at least one shared file, said method comprising the steps, at said network device, of:

detecting that the first device is not accessible,

on reception of a file from a second device located on the second network to said first device, storing the file, and —

on detection that said first device is accessible, sending the file to the first device.

7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the file is a new version of the shared file.

8. Method according to claim 6, wherein it comprises the step of sending an indication to the second device that the file has been sent to the first device.

9. A network device comprising:

a first interface to a first network, and a second interface to a second network,

routing means,

device detecting means for detecting the presence of a first device on said first network,

file detecting means for detecting a shared file on said first device,

file sharing means for, on reception of a request from a second device located on the second network for getting a shared file on the first device, storing the request, on detection that said first device is accessible, retrieving the shared file in a memory of said network device, and sending a notification to said second device that the shared file is available at the network device or sending the file to the second device.