TRANSFERRING FILES

• US 20110314117A1
• Filed: 08/26/2011
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Meta Platforms, Inc. (f/k/a Facebook, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AOL Inc. (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: CRAWFORD, James
• Granted Patent: US 8,775,557 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168

Abstract

Systems and techniques for transferring one or more files by connecting to a communications system host; sending, to a client connected to the communications system host, a request to transfer one or more files; when a client permits access to the one or more files, establishing a direct socket connection from the client and bypassing the communications system host; and initiating the transfer of the one or more files from the client over the direct socket connection.

Claims

1-23. -23. (canceled)

24. A method of transferring one or more files comprising:

receiving a request to transfer one or more files that are stored on a second client to a first client connected to a communications system host, the request being initiated by a first user of the first client and identifying a second user of the second client;

in response to the request, accessing a list of users specified by the second user;

based on the list, enabling the second user to perceive and accept the request from the first user; and

in response to the second user accepting the request;

establishing a connection between the first client and the second client; and

initiating a transfer of the one or more files from the second client to the first client over the connection.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the list distinguishes users for the purpose of restricting access to files hosted by the second user.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein enabling based on the list includes determining whether the list indicates that the first user is restricted from accessing the files hosted by the second user.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein establishing a connection comprises establishing a direct socket connection that bypasses the communications system host.

28. The method of claim 24, wherein initiating the transfer of the one or more files comprises:

communicating, to the first client, identification information that identifies a group of files available for transfer from the second client to the first client;

receiving, from the first client, a selection of at least one selected file from among the group of files available for transfer; and

initiating the transfer of the at least one selected file from the second client over the connection to the first client.

29. The method of claim 24, wherein the accessed list of users comprises a buddy list of the second user.

33. The method of claim 24, wherein enabling the second user to accept the request comprises:

enabling a graphical user interface to be displayed to the second user to inform the second user of the request, the graphical user interface including a first graphical element selectable to accept the request and a second graphical element selectable to reject the request; and

enabling the second user to select the first graphical element to accept the request and select the second graphical element to reject the request.

34. The method of claim 24, wherein the communications system host is an instant messaging host.

35. The method of claim 24, wherein receiving the request initiated by the first user comprises receiving a request initiated by the first user that identifies the second user of the second client, the request initiated by the first user being generated by the first client in response to the first user inputting an identity of the second user for retrieving one or more files stored on a computer of the second user.

36. The method of claim 24, further comprising enabling the second user to indicate a directory path where files are located that are available for transfer to the first user, the directory path indicating the location of the one or more files.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein enabling the second user to indicate the directory path comprises enabling the second user to manually select or type in the directory path by interacting with a graphical user interface.

38. The method of claim 24, wherein receiving the request comprises receiving, at the second client, the request from the communications system host.

39. The method of claim 24, wherein the request received from the first client includes a user identity of the first user and an Internet Protocol address of the first client.

40. An apparatus for transferring one or more files, the apparatus comprising:

a second client configured to;

connect to a communications system host;

receive a request to transfer one or more files that are stored on the second client to a first client connected to the communications system host, the request being initiated by a first user of the first client and identifying a second user of the second client;

in response to the request, access a list of users specified by the second user;

based on the accessed list, enable the second user to perceive and accept the request from the first user; and

in response to the second user accepting the request;

establish a connection between the first client and the second client; and

initiate a transfer of the one or more files from the second client to the first client over the connection.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the list distinguishes users for the purpose of restricting access to files hosted by the second user.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, wherein the second client is further configured to determine whether the list indicates that the first user is restricted from accessing the files hosted by the second user.

43. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the second client is further configured to establish a direct socket connection that bypasses the communications system host.

44. The apparatus of claim 40, wherein the communications system host is an instant messaging system.

45. A method for transferring one or more files comprising:

sending, from a first client, a request to transfer one or more files that are stored on a second client to the first client, the second client being connected to a communications system host and the request being initiated by a first user of the first client and identifying a second user of the second client; and

in response to the second user of the second client perceiving and accepting the request;

establishing a direct connection between the first client and the second client; and

initiating a transfer of the one or more files from the second client to the first client over the direct connection,

wherein the establishing of the direct connection and the initiating of the transfer are based on an accessed list of users specified by the second user.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the accessed list distinguishes users for the purpose of restricting access to files hosted by the second user.

47. The method of claim 46, wherein enabling based on the list comprises determining whether the list indicates that the first user is restricted from accessing the files hosted by the second user.

48. The method of claim 45, wherein establishing a direct connection comprises establishing a direct socket connection that bypasses the communications system host.

49. The method of claim 45, wherein sending the request comprises sending, from the first client, the request to the communications system host.

50. The method of claim 45, wherein the communications system host is an instant messaging host.