Obtaining lists of nodes of a multi-dimensional network

• US 7,689,682 B1
• Filed: 12/05/2006
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited, LLC
• Original Assignee: Resource Consortium Limited
• Inventors: Eldering, Charles A., Igoe, Patrick T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Etienne; Ario
• Assistant Examiner(s): RUBIN, BLAKE J
• Application Number:
  US11/567,198
• Time in Patent Office: 1,211 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 715/733, 726/18
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks

Abstract

A method of obtaining lists of nodes of a multi-dimensional personal information network includes accessing personal information aggregators from a first set of personal information aggregators that correspond to nodes of the multi-dimensional personal information network that have a degree of separation of one from a first node. One or more lists of additional personal information aggregators that correspond to nodes that have a degree of separation of one with at least one node corresponding to a personal information aggregator in the first set of personal information aggregators are requested. One or more of the requested lists are received and stored.

Claims

1. A method of using peer-to-peer communication to obtain lists of nodes of a decentralized multi-dimensional personal information network, the method comprising:

selecting, by a first user computing device operating as a first personal information aggregator, one or more second personal information aggregators from a first set of personal information aggregators, wherein each second personal information aggregator in the first set of personal information aggregators corresponds to a node of the multi-dimensional personal information network that has a degree of separation of one from a first node;

retrieving, by the first user computing device, a first network address list comprising a network address corresponding to each of the one or more second personal information aggregators;

establishing, by the first user computing device, a peer-to-peer network connection with each of the one or more second personal information aggregators based on the first network address list;

requesting, by the first user computing device, one or more second network address lists comprising network addresses of additional personal information aggregators, wherein each of the additional personal information aggregators corresponds to a node that has a degree of separation of one with at least one node corresponding to at least one of the second personal information aggregators in the first set of personal information aggregators;

receiving, by the first user computing device, the one or more second network address lists; and

storing, by the first user computing device, the one or more second network address lists at the first user computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the additional personal information aggregators corresponds to a node that has at least one connection of at least one dimension with at least one node corresponding to at least one of the second personal information aggregators in the first set of personal information aggregators.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a single affinity is used to characterize the overall strength of the at least one connection.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein an affinity is used to characterize the strength of the at least one connection.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the additional personal information aggregators are accessed based at least in part on the affinity.

6. A user computing device operating as a first personal information aggregator for obtaining lists of nodes of a decentralized multi-dimensional personal information network through peer-to-peer communication with a first set of personal information aggregators, the personal information aggregator comprising:

a processor for selecting one or more second personal information aggregators from the first set of personal information aggregators and for retrieving a first network address list comprising a network address corresponding to each of the one or more second personal information aggregators, wherein each second personal information aggregator in the first set of personal information aggregators corresponds to a node of the multi-dimensional personal information network that has a degree of separation of one from a first node;

a transmitter for establishing a peer-to-peer network connection with each of the one or more second personal information aggregators based on the first network address list, and for requesting one or more second network address lists comprising network addresses of additional personal information aggregators, wherein each of the additional personal information aggregators corresponds to a node that has a degree of separation of one with at least one node corresponding to at least one of the second personal information aggregators in the first set of personal information aggregators;

a receiver for receiving the one or more second address lists; and

a computer-readable memory for storing the first network address list and the one or more second network address lists.

7. The personal information aggregator of claim 6, wherein each of the additional personal information aggregators corresponds to a node that has at least one connection of at least one dimension with at least one node corresponding to at least one of the second personal information aggregators in the first set of personal information aggregators.

8. The personal information aggregator of claim 7, wherein a single affinity is used to characterize the overall strength of the at least one connection.

9. The personal information aggregator of claim 7, wherein an affinity is used to characterize the strength of the at least one connection.

10. The personal information aggregator of claim 9, wherein the additional personal information aggregators are accessed based at least in part on the affinity.

11. An article of manufacture for obtaining lists of nodes of a decentralized multi-dimensional personal information network through peer-to-peer communication with a first set of personal information aggregators, the article of manufacture comprising a computer-readable medium storing computer-executable machine executable instructions for performing a method comprising:

Electing, by a first computing device operating as a first personal information aggregator, one or more second personal information aggregators from the first set of personal information aggregators, wherein each second personal information aggregator in the first set of personal information aggregator corresponds to a node of the multi-dimensional personal information network that has a degree of separation of one from a first node;

Retrieving, by the first user computing device, a first network address list comprising a network address corresponding to each of the one or more second personal information aggregators;

Establishing, by the first user computing device, a peer-to-peer network connection with each of the one or more second personal information aggregators based on the first network address list;

Requesting, by the first user computing device, one or more second network address lists comprising network addresses of additional personal information aggregators, wherein each of the additional personal information aggregators corresponds to a node that has a degree of separation of one with at least one node corresponding to at least one of the second personal information aggregators in the first set of personal information aggregators;

Receiving, by the first user computing device, the one or more second network address lists; and

Storing, by the first computing device, the one or more second network address lists at the first computing device.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 11, wherein each of the additional personal information aggregators corresponds to a node that has at least one connection of at least one dimension with at least one node corresponding to at least one of the second personal information aggregators in the first set of personal information aggregators.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein a single affinity is used to characterize the overall strength of the at least one connection.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 12, wherein an affinity is used to characterize the strength of the at least one connection.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 14, wherein the additional personal information aggregators are accessed based at least in part on the affinity.