Method for providing an attribute bounded network of computers

• US 7,685,224 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 03/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Truelocal Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Truelocal Incorporated
• Inventors: Nye, Timothy G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): Todd; Gregory G
• Application Number:
  US10/044,291
• Publication Number:
  US 20020156917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,994 Days
• Field of Search: 709201-205, 709/226, 709/224, 709/245, 707/3, 707/4, 707/203, 707/6, 707/102, 707/10, 342/451, 701/300
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2463/102 applying security measure for e-commerce data processing systems or methods, specially adapted for e-commerce G06Q30/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0823 using certificates cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities

Abstract

An attribute bounded network of computers is created. Computers in the distributed computer network are identified by specific attributes (e.g., a geographically bounded region) and a server is used to distribute processing assignments (e.g., addresses of electronic documents to be indexed) based upon the identified attributes. A peer-to-peer computer network is also provided based upon geographically bounded regions, the peer-to-peer computer network can be used to share electronic documents. A virtual community can be created within a peer-to-peer computer network by identifying peer computer connections based upon associated attributes (e.g., a geographically bounded region). The attribute bounded network of computers provides indexes having fresher data by allowing spidering of electronic documents more often than can be done by a central server indexing site.

Claims

1. A method for creating a geographically bounded network of computers that use distributed processing to implement a geographically bounded searchable index of webpages comprising the computer implemented steps of:

creating a geographically bounded network of computers that use distributed processing to implement a geographically bounded searchable index of webpages by;

creating and maintaining a list of attribute bounded electronic addresses representing a plurality of indexable electronic documents, on a computer network, that are associated with a geographically bounded region, where the computer network is the Internet and the electronic documents are webpages on the Internet;

identifying a plurality of peer computers associated with the geographically bounded region, the peer computers to perform distributed processing tasks to enable creation of a geographically bounded searchable index of webpages, where the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages is created by the peer computers spidering the geographically bounded webpages; and

in response to receiving a geographically bounded request from one of the peer computers, assigning one or more geographically bounded electronic addresses from the geographically bounded list, where the requesting peer computer processes the assigned geographically bounded electronic address to index one or more geographically bounded webpages that are obtained through the assigned geographically bounded electronic address;

storing the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages locally on a local hard drive of a tablet device, where the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages is accessible offline from the local hard drive of the tablet device without accessing the Internet; and

enabling, from the tablet device, access to one or more of the geographically bounded webpages without connecting to the Internet.

2. A method as in claim 1 further comprising receiving the processed result from the requesting peer computer.

3. A method as in claim 1 wherein the geographically bounded region is automatically generated based upon a physical address selected from at least one of a group consisting of:

a city, a zip code, a longitude, a latitude, an altitude, a telephone area code, an informal designation and an area relative to a location.

4. A method as in claim 1 wherein the geographically bounded region is based upon a physical location of one or more of the peer computers.

5. A method as in claim 1 wherein the geographically bounded region is a topical boundary.

6. A method as in claim 1 wherein the electronic addresses are represented as Uniform Resource Locators.

7. A method as in claim 1 wherein the step of assigning further includes overlapping the assignment of geographically bounded electronic addresses to multiple peer computers.

8. A method as in claim 1 wherein assigning one or more geographically bounded electronic addresses from the geographically bounded list further includes:

determining whether at least one of the electronic addresses in the geographically bounded list matches at least one attribute from the geographically bounded request; and

in response to determining that no electronic addresses in the geographically bounded list matches any attribute from the geographically bounded request, assigning an electronic address from the geographically bounded list that does not match the geographically bounded request from the requesting peer computer.

9. A method as in claim 1 wherein processing step further comprises spidering, by the requesting peer computer, the assigned geographically bounded electronic address.

10. A method as in claim 1 wherein the plurality of peer computers uses peer-to-peer technology to form a virtual community associated with the geographically bounded region.

11. A method as in claim 1 wherein the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages creates a virtual subset of the Internet that is stored offline, to be accessed from the tablet device without accessing the Internet.

12. A computer implemented method for creating a geographically bounded network of computers that use distributed processing to implement a geographically bounded searchable index of webpages, the method comprising:

creating a geographically bounded network of computers that use distributed processing to implement a geographically bounded searchable index of webpages by;

identifying a plurality of peer computers associated with a geographically bounded attribute to create the geographically bounded network of computers, the computers to perform distributed processing tasks to enable the creation of a geographically bounded searchable index of electronic documents;

maintaining a list of geographically bounded electronic addresses representing a plurality of indexable electronic documents that are associated with the geographically bounded attribute, the indexable electronic documents being webpages on the Internet, where the geographically bounded searchable index is created by the peer computers spidering the webpages;

in response to a request, assigning one or more electronic addresses from the geographically bounded list to one or more of the peer computers in the geographically bounded network of computers; and

in response to receiving the assigned electronic addresses from the geographically bounded list, indexing by one or more of the peer computers in the geographically bounded network of computers, one or more webpages having geographically bounded electronic addresses;

storing the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages on a tablet device, where the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages is accessible offline without accessing the Internet; and

enabling, from the tablet device, access to one or more of the geographically bounded webpages without accessing the Internet.

13. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 further comprising receiving the processed result from the requesting peer computer.

14. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein the geographically bounded region is automatically generated based upon a physical address selected from at least one of a group consisting of:

a city, a zip code, a longitude, a latitude, an altitude, a telephone area code, an informal designation and an area relative to a location.

15. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein the geographically bounded region is based upon a physical location of one or more of the peer computers.

16. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein the geographically bounded region is a topical boundary.

17. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein the electronic addresses are represented as Uniform Resource Locators.

18. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein the step of assigning further includes overlapping the assignment of geographically bounded electronic addresses to multiple peer computers.

19. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein assigning one or more geographically bounded electronic addresses from the geographically bounded list further includes:

determining whether at least one of the electronic addresses in the geographically bounded list matches at least one attribute from the geographically bounded request; and

in response to determining that no electronic addresses in the geographically bounded list matches any attribute from the geographically bounded request, assigning an electronic address from the geographically bounded list that does not match the geographically bounded request from the requesting peer computer.

20. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein processing step further comprises spidering, by the requesting peer computer, the assigned geographically bounded electronic address.

21. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein the plurality of computers uses peer-to-peer technology to form a virtual community associated with the geographically bounded region.

22. A computer implemented method as in claim 12 wherein the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages creates a virtual subset of the Internet that is stored offline, to be accessed from the tablet device without accessing the Internet.

23. A computer system for creating a geographically bounded network of computers that use distributed processing to implement a geographically bounded searchable index of webpages comprising:

one or more computer processors creating a geographically bounded network of computers that use distributed processing to implement a geographically bounded searchable index of webpages by;

identifying a plurality of peer computers associated with a geographically bounded attribute to create a geographically bounded network of computers, the computers to perform distributed processing tasks to enable the creation of a geographically bounded searchable index of electronic documents;

maintaining a list of geographically bounded electronic addresses representing a plurality of indexable electronic documents that are associated with the geographically bounded attribute, the indexable electronic documents being webpages on the Internet, where the geographically bounded searchable index is created by the peer computers spidering the webpages;

in response to a request, assigning one or more electronic addresses from the geographically bounded list to one or more of the peer computers in the geographically bounded network of computers; and

in response to receiving the assigned electronic addresses from the geographically bounded list, indexing by one or more of the peer computers in the geographically bounded network of computers, one or more webpages having geographically bounded electronic addresses;

a tablet device storing the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages, where the geographically bounded searchable index of webpages is accessible offline without accessing the Internet; and

the tablet device enabling access to one or more of the geographically bounded webpages without accessing the Internet.