System and method for searching for specific types of people or information on a peer-to-peer network

• US 8,156,175 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2005
• Issued: 04/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kroll Information Assurance LLC
• Original Assignee: Tiversa, Inc. (Tiversa Holding Corp.)
• Inventors: Hopkins, Samuel P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mejia, Anthony
• Application Number:
  US11/103,672
• Publication Number:
  US 20060117372A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,555 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1837 Management specially adapted to peer-to-peer storage networks topology management mechanisms of peer-to-peer networks H04L67/1042
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4722 for requesting additional data associated with the content
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4828 for searching program descriptors retrieval of video data G06F16/739

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and a method for searching for specific types of people or specific types of information on a Peer-to-Peer network, and in particular, using specific types of search terms as a means of profiling to find specific types of information or specific types of people on a Peer-to-Peer network. When a specific type of person or specific type of information is needed, a specific type of search term is issued on the Peer-to-Peer network. If that specific type of person or specific type of information is available a response will be received.

Claims

1. A system to locate at least one type of person, via a Peer-to-Peer network, comprising:

a processor unit for executing the stored instructions to;

connect to the Peer-to-Peer network;

issue a Peer-to Peer search on the Peer-to-Peer network, the Peer-to-Peer search including a group of predetermined search terms used as part of information being shared among computers connected to the Peer-to-Peer network, the group of predetermined search terms known to elicit a response from a responding computer having an associated user that is at least one type of person;

receive a response as a result of the Peer-to-Peer search on the Peer-to-Peer network including the group of predetermined search terms

send a request to the responding computer to upload a file associated with a file index number starting at N, where N is a real number

automatically increment the file index number and repeating the request until such time as the responding computer no longer responds;

receive a response from the responding computer, the response exposing a true Internet Protocol (IP) address of the responding computer; and

determine a geographic location of the at least one type of person based on the true IP address of the responding computer.

2. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one type of person is related to financial accounts, investment accounts, identity theft, or credit card disputes.

3. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one type of person is related to corporate executives or corporate operations.

4. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one type of person is related to corporate financials.

5. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the at least one type of person is related to miscellaneous corporate operations.

7. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the type of person is a person that should not be sharing information that is associated with the at least one search term.

8. A system as set forth in claim 1 wherein the type of person is a person sharing information related to another entity that is associated with the at least one search term.

6. A method of locating at least one type of person by issuing searches on a Peer-to-Peer network, comprising:

connecting to the Peer-to-Peer network;

issuing a Peer-to-Peer search on the Peer-to-Peer network, the Peer-to-Peer search including a group of predetermined search terms used as part of information being shared among computers connected to the Peer-to-Peer network, the group of predetermined search terms known to elicit response from a responding computer having an associated user that is at least one type of person;

receiving a response as a result of the Peer-to-Peer search on the Peer-to-Peer network including the group of predetermined search terms

sending a request to the responding computer to upload a file associated with a file index number starting at N, where N is a real number;

automatically incrementing the file index number and repeating the request until such time as the responding computer no longer responds;

receiving a response from the responding computer, the response exposing a true Internet Protocol (IP) address of the responding computer; and

determining a geographic location of the at least one type of person based on the true IP address of the responding computer.

9. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the type of person is a person sharing information that should not be shared.

10. A method as set forth in claim 6 wherein the type of person is a person sharing information related to another entity that is associated with the at least one search term.

11. An apparatus comprising:

a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) network communication connection, to transmit messages to a plurality of nodes connected in a P2P network, and to receive messages from the nodes connected in the P2P network;

a processor, connected to the P2P network communication connection, the processor comprising an instruction storage device for storing instructions, an output device, and an instruction execution unit for reading instructions from the storage device and executing the instructions to;

issue a search message on the P2P network, the search message including a group of predetermined search terms used as part of information being shared among computers connected to the P2P network, the group of predetermined search terms known to elicit a response from a responding computer having an associated user that is at least one type of person;

receive a response message from a specific P2P node as a result of the issued search;

send a request to the specific P2P node to upload a file associated with a file index number starting at N, where N is a real number;

automatically increment the file index number and repeat the request until such time as the specific node no longer responds;

receive a response from the specific node, the response exposing a true Internet Protocol (IP) address of the specific node; and

determine a geographic location of the at least one type of person based on the true IP address of the responding computer.

12. An apparatus as set forth in claim 11 wherein the search term is associated with financial accounts, investment accounts, identity theft, or credit card disputes.