Real-time search engine

• US 7,165,071 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2001
• Issued: 01/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Moon Glow, Series 82 of Allied Security Trust I (Allied Security Trust)
• Original Assignee: Napster Incorporated (MelodyVR Group Plc)
• Inventors: Kessler, Edward, Fanning, John, Fanning, Shawn
• Primary Examiner(s): Coby, Frantz
• Application Number:
  US10/025,443
• Publication Number:
  US 20020055920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,854 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/3, 707/104.1, 707/103.R, 707/200, 707/204, 707/205, 707/2, 707/4, 707/5, 709/213, 709/214, 709/215, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/238
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/38 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/70 of video data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A search engine operates substantially in real time through instant updates by the servers on a file sharing network. A server coming on-line in the network and comprising a first data object such as an audio file, video file, executable file, or text file, is configured to upload a description, such as a song title or file name, of the first data object, to the search engine during the log-in process. The search engine comprises a data-object description table for storing and correlating various data object descriptions to respective server identifiers identifying servers currently on line that store the data objects defined by the data object descriptions. During the log-in process, the search engine is configured to correlate the identifier of the server coming on-line with a data-object description of a data object stored in the server coming on-line. A requesting server seeking a specific data file is configured to identify a data object description of the requested data file in a request transmitted to the search engine. In response to a request, the search engine is configured to download to the requesting server the server-identifiers that are stored within the data-object description table in a relationship with the data-object-description of the request. The requesting server is configured to select a source server from among the server identifiers provided by the search engine, and to download the requested data file from the select source server. A server notifies the search engine when the download is complete. The search engine is configured to update the relationships within the data-object description table to reflect that the requested file is now within the requesting server. The search engine is further configured to purge from the data-object description table any relationships between a server and a data-object or data file when that server has gone off line, or when that data file has been removed from the server.

Claims

1. A file sharing network for sharing files among a plurality of servers comprising:

a. a search engine comprising a data object description table;

b. a plurality of servers including a first server defined according to a first server identifier, the first server comprising a first data object defined according to a first data object description; and

c. a communication link coupling the search engine to the first server, wherein the first server is configured to transmit the first data object description that has changed to the search engine during a log-in process through a client of the first server with the search engine since a last connection of the first server to the search engine, and wherein the search engine is further configured to store the transmitted first data object description in the data object description table and configured to correlate the transmitted first data object description to the first server identifier within the data object description table during the log-in process.

2. The file sharing network according to claim 1 further comprising:

a. a second data object description stored within the data object description table in correlation with a second server identifier, wherein the second server identifier describes a second server and the second data object description describes a second data object; and

b. a first data object request stored within the search engine, wherein the first data object request was received from the first server, wherein the first data object request is for the second data object.

3. The file sharing network according to claim 2 wherein the search engine is configured to transmit the second server identifier to the first server in response to the first data object request.

4. The file sharing network according to claim 3 wherein the second server identifier defines a server from among a first set of potential server identifiers related to the second data object in the data object description table, wherein the search engine is configured to transmit, in response to the first data object request, the first set of potential server identifiers representing a first set of potential servers capable of transmitting the second data object to the first server, and wherein the first server is configured to select an optimal data source from which to receive the first data object from among a first set of potential servers, wherein a selection of the optimal data source is based upon a comparison of operational parameters respectively associated with each server among the first set of potential servers.

5. The file sharing network according to claim 4 wherein the operational parameters are selected from a group consisting of roundtrip response time between the first server and a potential server, internet connection line speed (bandwidth) of a potential server, a reliability of a potential provider server, a number of requests already queued to a potential server, and a size of a file requested for downloading.

6. The file sharing network according to claim 3 wherein the second server is configured to transmit the second data object to the first server upon a valid request by the first server.

7. The file sharing network according to claim 6 wherein the second server is configured to notify the search engine that the download of the second data object is complete.

8. The file sharing network according to claim 7 wherein the search engine is configured to correlate, within the data object description table, the second data object description to the first server identifier when the download of the second data object is complete.

9. The file sharing network according to claim 6 wherein the second server is configured to transmit data files to multiple servers in a time-multiplexed format.

10. The file sharing network according to claim 6 wherein the first server is configured to notify the search engine that a download of the second data object is complete.

11. The file sharing network according to claim 10 wherein the search engine is configured to correlate the second data object description to the first server identifier within the data object description table when the download of the second data object is complete.

12. The file sharing network according to claim 1 wherein the first server identifier is selected from a group consisting of a first internet protocol address, a first quantity of simultaneous connections that can be sustained by the first server, a reliability rating of the first server and a server name.

13. The file sharing network according to claim 1 wherein the first data object description is selected from a group consisting of a title of the first data object, a size of the first data object, a type of the first data object, a text associated with the first data object, and a creator of the first data object.

14. The file sharing network according to claim 1 wherein the first server is further configured to detect when the first data object is removed from a predetermined file location and to notify the search engine of the removal.

15. The file sharing network according to claim 14 wherein the search engine is configured to purge the relationship between the transmitted first data object description and the first server within the data object description table when the first server notifies the search engine of a removal of the first data object.

16. The file sharing network of claim 1 wherein the search engine is configured to periodically poll the first server to determine if any data objects have been removed from a predetermined file location within the first server.

17. The file sharing network according to claim 16 wherein the search engine is configured to purge the relationship between the transmitted first data object description and the first server within the data object description table when the search engine determines that the first data object has been removed from the predetermined file location within the first server.

18. The file sharing network according to claim 1 wherein the search engine is configured to send a periodic ping message between the search engine and the first server, and wherein the first server is configured to respond to the ping message.

19. The file sharing network according to claim 18 wherein the search engine is configured to purge the relationship between the first server identifier and the transmitted first data object description within the data object description table when the first server fails to respond to the ping message within a predetermined time.

20. The file sharing network according to claim 1 wherein the first server is configured to send a periodic ping message to the search engine following the log-in process.

21. The file sharing network according to claim 20 wherein the search engine is configured to purge the relationship between the first server identifier and the transmitted first data object description within the data object description table when the first server fails to send a ping message within a predetermined time.

22. The file sharing network according to claim 1 wherein the first server identifier comprises an IP address for accessing the first server over the internet.

23. The file sharing network according to claim 1 wherein the first data object is selected from a group comprising audio data, text data, video data, image data and software executable data.