Method and apparatus for automatically disseminating information over a network

• US 6,240,451 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1997
• Issued: 05/29/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Deep9 Corporation
• Original Assignee: Punch Networks Corporation
• Inventors: Faragher-Horwell, Roland, Campbell, R. David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cardone, Jason D.
• Application Number:
  US08/969,135
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/220, 709/221, 709/224, 709/248, 709/238, 707/10, 707/203, 707/201, 707/511, 707/8, 345/330, 345/331, 345/332, 395/712
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication

Abstract

An information distribution program (36) is provided for automatically distributing information over a network (24) connecting a plurality of computers (15). Each computer (15) is installed with the information distribution program (36), which comprises a family construction module (44), a publication module (40), a subscription module (42), and an information tree (46). The information tree (46) stores the most recent information available to the computer (15). The family construction module (44) organizes the various computers (15) connected to the network (24) into immediate and extended families of related computers (15). The publication module (40) automatically distributes, “publishes” or “pushes” the information to the immediate and extended family members of a computer (15) which have shown an interest in the information. The subscription module (42) provides a computer (15) with the ability to show interest in or “subscribe” to information located on the computers (15) connected to the network (24).

Claims

1. Apparatus, included in each of a plurality of devices communicating with one another via a common communication medium, for distributing a module block of information stored in a storage medium of at least one of the plurality of devices, the apparatus comprising:

(a) storage medium for storing program instructions for distributing the module block of information;

(b) an interface for communicating via the communication medium;

(c) a processing unit electronically coupled to the storage medium and the interface for executing program instructions that cause the module block of information to be distributed by;

(i) receiving a module block of information from an outside agent;

(ii) determining if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than a corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device; and

(iii) transmitting the module block of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the device and connected to the communication medium, wherein the immediate family of devices is a subset of the plurality of devices connected to the communication medium, if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information store in the storage medium.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the module block to be distributed by storing the module block of information received from the outside agent in the storage medium of the device, if the module block received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the module block to be distributed by returning the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device to the outside agent, if the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device is more recent than the module block of information received from the outside agent.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the module block of information is transmitted to the devices within the immediate family of devices which have previously shown an interest in the module block of information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processing unit further executes program instructions that cause the device to show interest in a desired module of information by:

(a) receiving a show of interest in the desired module of information from an outside agent; and

(b) if the module of information is stored in the storage medium of the device;

(i) adding the identity of the device and any intermediary devices who have received the show of interest in the desired module of information, to a list of devices interested in the desired module of information; and

(ii) returning the desired module to the outside agent.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein if the module of information is not stored in the storage medium of the device, the show of interest is transmitted to the immediate family of the device.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the show of interest in information transmitted by the device, the processing unit executes program instructions that cause the device to transmit the show of interest to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.

8. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein a plurality of modules and module blocks of information are organized into an information hierarchy stored in the storage medium of the device.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein determining if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device comprises comparing the module block of information received from the outside agent to a corresponding module block of information in the information hierarchy to determine which module block of information is more recent.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein storing the module block of information received from the outside agent in the storage medium of the device comprises replacing the corresponding module block in the information hierarchy with the module block received from the outside agent, if the module block received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein storing the module block of information received from the outside agent in the storage medium of the device comprises adding the module block received from the outside agent to the information hierarchy, if a corresponding module block information is not present in the information hierarchy.

12. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the module block of information transmitted by the device, the processing unit executes program instructions that cause the device to transmit the module block of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.

13. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the module block can be at least one of a plurality of module blocks comprising a module of information;

and wherein the module block can be a module of information containing a plurality of other module blocks of information.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing unit further executes program instructions that cause the device to identify the immediate family to which the device transmits the module of information by:

(a) receiving a request from another device connected to the communication medium to be adopted into the immediate family of the device; and

(b) adding the requesting device to the immediate family of the device, if a maximum capacity for the immediate family has not been reached.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the device to identify the immediate family by transmitting the request for adoption from the other device to the devices in the immediate family of the device, if a maximum family capacity has been reached.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the device to request adoption by:

(a) sending a request to be adopted to the other device via the communication medium;

(b) receiving a response from a device capable of adopting the requesting device; and

(c) adding the devices in the immediate family of the adopting device to the immediate family of the requesting device.

17. A method for distributing information stored in modules to a plurality of devices coupled to a communication medium, wherein each device includes a processing unit and a memory, the method comprising:

(a) receiving a module of information from an outside agent;

(b) determining if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than a corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device; and

(c) transmitting the module of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the device and coupled to the communication medium, wherein the immediate family of devices is a subset of the plurality of devices connected to the communication medium, if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information stored in the memory.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising storing the module of information received from the outside agent in the memory of the device, if the module received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising returning the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device to the outside agent, if the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device is more recent than the module of information received from the outside agent.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein a plurality of modules of information are organized into an information hierarchy stored in the memory of the device.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein determining if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device comprises comparing the module of information received from the outside agent to a corresponding module of information in the information hierarchy to determine which module of information is more recent.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein storing the module of information received from the outside agent in the memory of the device comprises replacing the corresponding module in the information hierarchy with the module received from the outside agent, if the module received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein storing the module of information received from the outside agent in the memory of the device comprises adding the module received from the outside agent to the information hierarchy, if a corresponding module information is not present in the information hierarchy.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the module is at least one of a plurality of module blocks comprising a another module of information.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the module comprises a plurality of module blocks of information.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein the module of information is transmitted to the devices within the immediate family of devices which have previously shown an interest in the module of information.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising showing interest in a desired module of information by:

(a) receiving a show of interest in the desired module of information from an outside agent; and

(b) if the module of information is stored in the memory of the device;

(i) adding the identity of the device and any intermediary devices who have received the show of interest in the desired module of information, to a list of devices interested in the desired module of information; and

(ii) returning the desired module to the outside agent.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein if the module of information is not stored in the memory of the device, the show of interest is transmitted to the immediate family of the device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the show of interest in information transmitted by the device, the show of interest is transmitted to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the outside agents makes the show of interest in information by selecting the information from an inventory of information available from the plurality of devices coupled to the communication medium.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the inventory of information comprises a module of information.

32. The method of claim 17, further comprising identifying the immediate family to which the device transmits the module of information by:

(a) receiving a request from another device coupled to the communication medium to be adopted into the immediate family of the device; and

(b) adding the requesting device to the immediate family of the device, if a maximum capacity for the immediate family has not been reached.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein identifying the immediate family to which the device transmits the module of information further comprises transmitting the request for adoption from the other device to the devices in the immediate family of the device, if a maximum family capacity has been reached.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising requesting adoption into the immediate family of another device by:

(a) sending a request to be adopted via the communication medium;

(b) receiving a response from a device capable of adopting the requesting device; and

(c) adding the devices in the immediate family of the adopting device to the immediate family of the requesting device.

35. The method of claim 17, wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the module block of information transmitted by the device, the module block of information is transmitted to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.