System and method for managing content interest data using peer-to-peer logical mesh networks

• US 8,214,475 B1
• Filed: 08/30/2007
• Issued: 07/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Amazon.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Scofield, Christopher L., Marshall, Brad E., Pope, Elmore Eugene, Merritt, Eric B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Moise, Emmanuel L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Drabik, Sarah
• Application Number:
  US11/847,998
• Time in Patent Office: 1,769 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/229, 709/238, 709/243
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/36 Backward learning
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1053 with pre-configuration of logical or physical connections with a determined number of other peers

Abstract

Managing content interest data using peer-to-peer logical mesh networks. Instructions may be processor-executable to implement a given logical node of a logical mesh network that includes a number of such nodes. The given logical node may be configured to store identifying information of its peer nodes. In response to detecting a message-passing event, the given logical node may be configured to generate and convey an outgoing message, which may correspond to respective network-based content and may include indicia of the content, to its peer nodes. The given logical node may not convey the outgoing message to any node that is not a peer. Dependent upon indicia of network-based content included in an incoming message received from a given one of its peer nodes, the given logical node may be further configured to update its identifying information to add or delete a particular node as a peer node.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a memory storing instructions; and

one or more processors coupled to said memory, wherein said instructions are executable by at least one of said one or more processors to implement a given logical node of a plurality of logical nodes of a logical mesh network, wherein said given logical node is configured to;

store identifying information of one or more peer logical nodes of said given logical node, wherein said one or more peer logical nodes are members of said plurality of logical nodes of said logical mesh network;

in response to detecting a message-passing event, generate and convey an outgoing message to at least some of said one or more peer logical nodes dependent upon said identifying information,

wherein said message passing event comprises an indication of interest at said given logical node in an item of respective network-based content that said given logical node has accessed,

wherein to detect said message-passing event, said given logical node is further configured to detect, via a user interface;

a user'"'"'s indication that said outgoing message be generated, or

the user'"'"'s request for creation of a bookmark;

wherein said outgoing message comprises a pointer to said item of respective network-based content stored remote from the plurality of logical nodes,

wherein said outgoing message includes indicia of said respective network-based content, and

wherein said given logical node does not convey said outgoing message to any logical node of said logical mesh network that is not a peer logical node of said given logical node; and

dependent upon indicia of network-based content included in one or more incoming messages received from said one or more peer logical nodes;

determine a degree to which said indicia match indicia of areas of interest for said given logical node; and

dependent on said degree, update said identifying information to add or delete a particular one of said logical nodes as a peer logical node of said given logical node, wherein said particular one of said logical nodes is a sender of the incoming message.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said network-based content comprises one or more of:

text data, image data, audio data, or video data.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said network-based content comprises one or more of:

an electronic mail message, a web page, an instant message, an RSS feed, a streaming audio feed, or a streaming video feed.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said given logical node is further configured to convey another outgoing message comprising at least part of a message received from one of said plurality of logical nodes to at least some of said one or more peer logical nodes.

5. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein said given logical node is configured to convey said other outgoing message in response to detecting receipt of said incoming message, wherein said other outgoing message comprises at least part of said incoming message.

6. The system as recited in claim 4, wherein said other outgoing message comprises:

a header field configured to indicate transmission history of said other outgoing message among ones of said logical nodes;

a subject field configured to indicate an indicia of respective network-based content for said other outgoing message; and

a payload comprising one or more of;

said respective network-based content for said other outgoing message, or a reference to said respective network-based content for said other outgoing message.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said transmission history includes a respective indication of each one of said logical nodes through which said payload of said other outgoing message passed subsequent to being generated at an originating one of said logical nodes.

8. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said transmission history includes a respective indication of fewer than all of said logical nodes through which said payload of said other outgoing message passed subsequent to being generated at an originating one of said logical nodes.

9. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said reference to said respective network-based content for said other outgoing message comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) corresponding to said respective network-based content.

10. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein said payload of said other outgoing message includes a payload of said incoming message.

11. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein to select said particular logical node to be added as a peer logical node dependent upon said indicia of network-based content included in said incoming message, said given logical node is further configured to determine a degree to which said indicia of network-based content match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

12. The system as recited in claim 11, wherein to determine said degree to which said indicia of network-based content match indicia of said interests of said user, said given logical node is further configured to compare one or more keywords included in said indicia of network-based content with one or more keywords included in said indicia of interests of said user.

13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said given logical node is further configured to select said particular logical node to be added as a peer logical node dependent upon a history of prior messages received by said given logical node.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein said given logical node is further configured to generate a respective interest metric corresponding to each logical node indicated in a transmission history of said incoming message, wherein each said respective interest metric is indicative of a history of messages received by said given logical node from a corresponding logical node.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein to generate said respective interest metric for a given corresponding logical node, said given logical node is further configured to determine a degree to which indicia of network-based content included in messages received from said given corresponding logical node match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

16. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said given logical node is further configured to select said particular logical node to be added as a peer logical node from one or more logical nodes indicated in a transmission history included in said incoming message.

17. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said given logical node is further configured to convey a particular outgoing message to said at least some of said one or more peer logical nodes dependent upon whether said particular outgoing message satisfies one or more filter conditions.

18. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein in response to determining that said particular outgoing message does not satisfy at least one of said one or more filter conditions, said given logical node is further configured to discard said particular outgoing message without conveying said particular outgoing message to said at least some of said one or more peer logical nodes.

19. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein to determine whether said particular outgoing message satisfies a given one of said one or more filter conditions, said given logical node is further configured to determine a degree to which said indicia of said respective network-based content included in said particular outgoing message match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

20. The system as recited in claim 19, wherein said given logical node is further configured to determine whether said particular outgoing message satisfies said given one of said one or more filter conditions dependent upon a probabilistic function of said degree to which said indicia of said respective network-based content included in said particular outgoing message match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

21. The system as recited in claim 17, wherein to determine whether said particular outgoing message satisfies a given one of said one or more filter conditions, said given logical node is further configured to determine whether said given logical node has previously received a payload included in said particular outgoing message.

22. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein to update said identifying information to add said particular one of said logical nodes as a peer logical node, said given logical node is further configured to delete an existing one of said one or more peer logical nodes, such that said particular logical node replaces said existing peer logical node.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein subsequent to replacing said existing peer logical node with said particular logical node, said given logical node is further configured to restore a peer node configuration that existed prior to said replacing.

24. The system as recited in claim 23, wherein to restore said peer node configuration, said given logical node is further configured to restore said previously deleted existing peer logical node and to delete said particular logical node.

25. A computer-implemented method, comprising:

storing, by a given logical node of a plurality of logical nodes of a logical mesh network, identifying information of one or more peer logical nodes of said given logical node, wherein said one or more peer logical nodes are members of said plurality of logical nodes of said logical mesh network;

in response to detecting a message-passing event, generating and conveying, by said given logical node, an outgoing message to at least some of said one or more peer logical nodes dependent upon said identifying information,

wherein said message passing event comprises an indication of interest at said given logical node in an item of respective network-based content that said given logical node has accessed,

wherein detecting said message-passing event comprises detecting user input indicating;

that said outgoing message is to be generated, or

creation of a bookmark,

wherein said outgoing message comprises a pointer to said item of respective network-based content stored remote from the plurality of logical nodes,

wherein said outgoing message includes indicia of said respective network-based content,

wherein said given logical node does not convey said outgoing message to any logical node of said logical mesh network that is not a peer logical node of said given logical node; and

dependent upon indicia of network-based content included in one or more incoming messages received from said one or more peer logical nodes;

determining, by said given logical node, a degree to which said indicia match indicia of areas of interest for said given logical node; and

dependent on said degree, updating, by said given logical node, said identifying information to add or delete a particular one of said logical nodes as a peer logical node of said given logical node, wherein said particular one of said logical nodes is a sender of the incoming message.

26. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said network-based content comprises one or more of:

text data, image data, audio data, or video data.

27. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said network-based content comprises one or more of:

an electronic mail message, a web page, an instant message, an RSS feed, a streaming audio feed, or a streaming video feed.

28. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising conveying another outgoing message comprising at least part of a message received from one of said plurality of logical nodes to at least some of said one or more peer logical nodes.

29. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein said conveying said other outgoing message is performed in response to detecting receipt of said incoming message, wherein said other outgoing message comprises at least part of said incoming message.

30. The method as recited in claim 28, wherein said other outgoing message comprises:

a header field configured to indicate transmission history of said other outgoing message among ones of said logical nodes;

a subject field configured to indicate an indicia of respective network-based content for said other outgoing message; and

a payload comprising one or more of;

said respective network-based content for said other outgoing message, or a reference to said respective network-based content for said other outgoing message.

31. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein said transmission history includes a respective indication of each one of said logical nodes through which said payload of said other outgoing message passed subsequent to being generated at an originating one of said logical nodes.

32. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein said transmission history includes a respective indication of fewer than all of said logical nodes through which said payload of said other outgoing message passed subsequent to being generated at an originating one of said logical nodes.

33. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein said reference to said respective network-based content for said other outgoing message comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or Uniform Resource Identifier (URI) corresponding to said respective network-based content.

34. The method as recited in claim 30, wherein said payload of said other outgoing message includes a payload of said incoming message.

35. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising said given logical node selecting said particular logical node to be added as a peer logical node dependent upon said indicia of network-based content included in said incoming message, wherein said selecting further comprises said given logical node determining a degree to which said indicia of network-based content match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

36. The method as recited in claim 35, wherein determining said degree to which said indicia of network-based content match indicia of said interests of said user further comprises said given logical node comparing one or more keywords included in said indicia of network-based content with one or more keywords included in said indicia of interests of said user.

37. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising said given logical node selecting said particular logical node to be added as a peer logical node dependent upon a history of prior messages received by said given logical node.

38. The method as recited in claim 37, further comprising said given logical node generating a respective interest metric corresponding to each logical node indicated in a transmission history of said incoming message, wherein each said respective interest metric is indicative of a history of messages received by said given logical node from a corresponding logical node.

39. The method as recited in claim 38, wherein generating said respective interest metric for a given corresponding logical node comprises said given logical node determining a degree to which indicia of network-based content included in messages received from said given corresponding logical node match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

40. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising said given logical node selecting said particular logical node to be added as a peer logical node from one or more logical nodes indicated in a transmission history included in said incoming message.

41. The method as recited in claim 25, further comprising said given logical node conveying a particular outgoing message to a portion of said one or more peer logical nodes dependent upon whether said particular outgoing message satisfies one or more filter conditions.

42. The method as recited in claim 41, further comprising said given logical node discarding said particular outgoing message without conveying said particular outgoing message to said portion of said one or more peer logical nodes in response to determining that said particular outgoing message does not satisfy at least one of said one or more filter conditions.

43. The method as recited in claim 41, wherein determining whether said particular outgoing message satisfies a given one of said one or more filter conditions comprises said given logical node determining a degree to which said indicia of said respective network-based content included in said particular outgoing message match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

44. The method as recited in claim 43, wherein said given logical node determining whether said particular outgoing message satisfies said given one of said one or more filter conditions is dependent upon a probabilistic function of said degree to which said indicia of said respective network-based content included in said particular outgoing message match indicia of interests of a user of said given logical node.

45. The method as recited in claim 41, wherein determining whether said particular outgoing message satisfies a given one of said one or more filter conditions further comprises said given logical node determining whether said given logical node has previously received a payload included in said particular outgoing message.

46. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein updating said identifying information to add said particular one of said logical nodes as a peer logical node comprises said given logical node deleting an existing one of said one or more peer logical nodes, such that said particular logical node replaces said existing peer logical node.

47. The method as recited in claim 46, further comprising said given logical node restoring a peer node configuration that existed prior to said replacing subsequent to replacing said existing peer logical node with said particular logical node.

48. The method as recited in claim 47, wherein restoring said peer node configuration comprises said given logical node restoring said previously deleted existing peer logical node and deleting said particular logical node.

49. The method as recited in claim 25, wherein said one or more peer logical nodes comprise an initial set of peer logical nodes selected based on identifiers corresponding to respective users of the one or more peer logical nodes related to a user of the given logical node by the user'"'"'s contacts in a social network.