System and methods for on-demand document provisioning using ad hoc networking

• US 7,860,491 B2
• Filed: 12/11/2006
• Issued: 12/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wrp IP Management, LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Concha, Fernando G., Reich, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): D AGOSTA, STEPHEN M
• Application Number:
  US11/609,160
• Publication Number:
  US 20080141064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,478 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/412.1, 455/414.1, 455/418, 455/421, 455/432.1, 370/216, 370/219, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1074 for supporting data block transmission mechanisms file transfer H04L67/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/59 Providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are unavailable
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

A method of providing data content obtained from one or more network-connected nodes to a mobile computing device is provided. The method includes determining whether a previously-established network connection between the mobile computing device and a network-connected node has been interrupted after the mobile computing device receives a first set of data content and an identifier corresponding to a second set of data content from the network-connected node via the previously-established network connection. The method also includes establishing a wireless connection between the mobile computing device and another computing device if the previously-established network connection has been interrupted and the second set of data content is stored by the other computing device. The method further includes conveying the second set of data content to the mobile computing device from the other computing device via the wireless connection if the previously-established network connection has been interrupted and the second set of data content is stored at the other computing device.

Claims

1. A method of providing data content obtained from a network-connected node to a mobile user computing device after a previously-established network connection between the mobile user computing device and the network-connected node has been interrupted, the method comprising:

determining whether the previously-established network connection between the mobile user computing device and the network-connected node has been interrupted after the mobile user computing device receives a first set of data content and at least one identifier corresponding to a second set of data content from the network-connected node via the previously-established network connection;

establishing a wireless connection between the mobile user computing device and another peer user computing device if the previously-established network connection has been interrupted and if a user of the mobile user computing device selects the at least one identifier;

determining whether the second set of data content is included among stored data content stored at the other peer user computing device by searching a plurality of different identifiers corresponding to data content accessed by the other peer user computing device within a predetermined period prior to the other peer user computing device receiving from the mobile user computing device a request containing the at least one identifier; and

conveying the second set of data content to the mobile user computing device from the other peer user computing device via the wireless connection if the previously-established network connection has been interrupted and if the second set of data content is stored at the other peer user computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of determining that the previously-established network connection has been interrupted comprises determining that a duration that the previously-established network connection has been interrupted exceeds a predetermined threshold.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the wireless connection comprises wirelessly broadcasting a request from the mobile user computing device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the request contains the at least one identifier.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising generating a content-not-available message at the mobile user computing device if a response to the request is not received within a predetermined period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the wireless connection comprises wirelessly broadcasting an HTTP request broadcast over each active network port.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of establishing the wireless connection comprises wirelessly broadcasting a request that includes a reserved IP address.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising searching data content stored at the other peer user computing device to determine whether the second set of data content corresponding to the at least one identifier is included among data content stored by the other peer user computing device.

9. A system for providing data content obtained from a network-connected node to a mobile user computing device after a previously-established network connection between the mobile user computing device and the network-connected node has been interrupted, the system comprising:

a connection-interrupt module contained within the mobile user computing device and configured to determine whether the previously-established network connection between the mobile user computing device and the network-connected node has been interrupted after the mobile user computing device receives a first set of data content and at least one identifier corresponding to a second set of data content from the network-connected node via the previously-established network connection;

a connection-request module contained within the mobile user computing device and configured to generate a request for the second set of data content when a user of the mobile user computing device selects the at least one identifier and the previously-established network connection has been interrupted;

a wireless interface contained within the mobile user computing device and configured to (1) wirelessly transmit the request for the second set of data content, and (2) receive the second set of data content from another peer user computing device via a wireless connection established between the mobile user computing device and the other peer user computing device if the second set of data content is stored by the other peer user computing device; and

a request-response module configured to determine whether a requested set of data content is stored at the mobile user computing device in response to a request conveyed in a wireless signal from another peer user computing device, wherein the request-response module is configured to determine whether a requested set of data content is stored at the mobile user computing device by searching a plurality of different identifiers corresponding to data content accessed by the other peer user computing device within a predetermined period prior to the mobile user computing device receiving from the other peer user computing device the request containing the at least one identifier.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the connection-interrupt module is configured to determine whether the previously-established network connection has been interrupted by detecting a no-access-to-server message generated by a browser executing on the mobile user computing device.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the request comprises an HTTP request for broadcasting over each active network port of the mobile user computing device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the request comprises a reserved IP address.

13. A computer-readable storage medium, the storage medium comprising computer instructions embedded therein for:

determining whether a previously-established network connection between a mobile user computing device and a network-connected node has been interrupted after the mobile user computing device receives a first set of data content and at least one identifier corresponding to a second set of data content from the network-connected node via the previously-established network connection;

establishing a wireless connection between the mobile user computing device and another peer user computing device if the previously-established network connection has been interrupted and if a user of the mobile user computing device selects the at least one identifier;

determining whether the second set of data content is included among stored data content stored at the other peer user computing device by searching a plurality of different identifiers corresponding to data content accessed by the other peer user computing device within a predetermined period prior to the other peer user computing device receiving from the mobile user computing device a request containing the at least one identifier; and

conveying the second set of data content to the mobile user computing device from the other peer user computing device via the wireless connection if the previously-established network connection has been interrupted and if the second set of data content is stored at the other peer user computing device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, further comprising computer instructions for causing the mobile user computing device to wirelessly transmit a request containing the at least one identifier.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the request comprises an HTTP request, and wherein the storage medium further comprises computer code for causing the computing device to broadcast the HTTP request over each active port of the mobile user computing device.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the request further comprises a reserved IP address.