Wireless drive file peering

• US 8,356,338 B1
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Contino, Jeffrey R., Cope, Warren B., Olding, Douglas Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Barron, Jr., Gilberto
• Assistant Examiner(s): Okeke, Izunna
• Application Number:
  US12/190,701
• Time in Patent Office: 1,616 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 726/4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A configuration message is received from a first computer system. In response to the configuration message, a first wireless device is enumerated on the first computer system as locally attached mass storage. A registration message is sent to a wireless network. File information about a shared file is received from a second wireless device. The second wireless device is enumerated on a second computer system as locally attached mass storage. A shared block of data is received from the second wireless device. The shared block of data is sent to the first computer system as data that is stored on a locally attached mass storage device.

Claims

1. A peer-to-peer file sharing system, comprising:

a first wireless device comprising first circuitry configured to connect to a first host device, instruct the first host device to enumerate the first wireless device as a first locally attached mass storage device, and wirelessly transmit a first registration request to register with a communication network, wherein the first registration request includes a first device identifier that identifies the first wireless device;

a second wireless device comprising second circuitry configured to connect to a second host device, instruct the second host device to enumerate the second wireless device as a second locally attached mass storage device, and wirelessly transmit a second registration request to register with the communication network, wherein the second registration request includes a second device identifier that identifies the second wireless device;

a service system comprising third circuitry configured to receive the first device identifier and the second device identifier, query a database with the first device identifier and the second device identifier to determine how the first wireless device and the second wireless device may utilize the communication network, and configure the communication network to operatively couple the first wireless device to the second wireless device and prevent the first wireless device and the second wireless device from utilizing other services provided by the communication network;

the second circuitry of the second wireless device configured to wirelessly transmit information about common data for delivery to the first wireless device over the communication network, wherein the common data is stored on the second host device;

the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to receive the information about the common data, provide the information about the common data to the first host device as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device, receive retrieval instructions from the first host device to retrieve the common data from the first locally attached mass storage device, and responsively transfer a request for the common data for delivery to the second wireless device over the communication network based on the retrieval instructions;

the second circuitry of the second wireless device configured to receive the request for the common data, receive the common data from the second host device based on the request for the common data, and transfer the common data for delivery to the first wireless device over the communication network; and

the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to receive the common data transmitted from the second wireless device and provide the common data to the first host device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to instruct the first host device to enumerate the first wireless device as the first locally attached mass storage device comprises the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to provide a device class to the first host device that informs the first host device of a protocol of the first locally attached mass storage device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to provide the common data to the first host device comprises the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to provide the common data to the first host device as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information about the common data comprises a directory associated with the common data.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to provide the information about the common data to the first host device as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device comprises the first circuitry of the first wireless device configured to provide the directory to the first host device as if the directory resides in the first locally attached mass storage device.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the communication network comprises a broadband long distance wireless network.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the broadband long distance wireless network comprises a worldwide interoperability for microwave access specified system.

8. A method of operating a first wireless device, the method comprising:

connecting to a first computer system;

instructing the first computer system to enumerate the first wireless device as a first locally attached mass storage device;

wirelessly transmitting a first registration request to register with a communication network, wherein the first registration request includes a first device identifier that identifies the first wireless device;

receiving information transmitted from a second wireless device via the communication network about common data, wherein the common data is stored on a second computer system, and wherein the second wireless device is configured to connect to the second computer system, instruct the second computer system to enumerate the second wireless device as a second locally attached mass storage device, wirelessly transmit a second registration request to register with the communication network, wherein the second registration request includes a second device identifier that identifies the second wireless device, and wirelessly transmit the information about the common data for delivery to the first wireless device over the communication network and wherein a service system is configured to receive the first device identifier and the second device identifier, query a database with the first device identifier and the second device identifier to determine how the first wireless device and the second wireless device may utilize the communication network, and configure the communication network to operatively couple the first wireless device to the second wireless device and prevent the first wireless device and the second wireless device from utilizing other services provided by the communication network;

providing the information about the common data to the first computer system as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device;

receiving retrieval instructions from the first computer system to retrieve the common data from the first locally attached mass storage device;

transferring a request for the common data for delivery to the second wireless device over the communication network in response to the retrieval instructions, wherein the second wireless device is configured to receive the request for the common data, receive the common data from the second computer system based on the request for the common data, and transfer the common data for delivery to the first wireless device over the communication network;

receiving the common data transmitted from the second wireless device; and

providing the common data to the first computer system.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein instructing the first computer system to enumerate the first wireless device as the first locally attached mass storage device comprises providing a device class to the first computer system that informs the first computer system of a protocol of the first locally attached mass storage device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein providing the common data to the first computer system comprises providing the common data to the first computer system as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the information about the common data comprises a directory associated with the common data.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein providing the information about the common data to the first computer system as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device comprises providing the directory to the first computer system as if the directory resides in the first locally attached mass storage device.

13. A method of peer-to-peer file sharing, the method comprising:

in a first wireless device, connecting to a first host device, instructing the first host device to enumerate the first wireless device as a first locally attached mass storage device, and wirelessly transmitting a first registration request to register with a communication network, wherein the first registration request includes a first device identifier that identifies the first wireless device;

in a second wireless device, connecting to a second host device, instructing the second host device to enumerate the second wireless device as a second locally attached mass storage device, and wirelessly transmitting a second registration request to register with the communication network, wherein the second registration request includes a second device identifier that identifies the second wireless device;

in a service system, receiving the first device identifier and the second device identifier, querying a database with the first device identifier and the second device identifier to determine how the first wireless device and the second wireless device may utilize the communication network, and configuring the communication network to operatively couple the first wireless device to the second wireless device and prevent the first wireless device and the second wireless device from utilizing other services provided by the communication network;

in the second wireless device, wirelessly transmitting information about common data for delivery to the first wireless device over the communication network, wherein the common data is stored on the second host device;

in the first wireless device, receiving the information about the common data, providing the information about the common data to the first host device as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device, receiving retrieval instructions from the first host device to retrieve the common data from the first locally attached mass storage device, and responsively transferring a request for the common data for delivery to the second wireless device over the communication network based on the retrieval instructions;

in the second wireless device, receiving the request for the common data, receiving the common data from the second host device based on the request for the common data, and transferring the common data for delivery to the first wireless device over the communication network;

in the first wireless device, receiving the common data transmitted from the second wireless device; and

in the first wireless device, providing the common data to the first host device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the information about the common data comprises a directory associated with the common data.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein providing the information about the common data to the first host device as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device comprises providing the directory to the first host device as if the directory resides in the first locally attached mass storage device.

16. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

in the first wireless device, polling the second wireless device to determine if additional common data may be received from the second wireless device.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein instructing the first host device to enumerate the first wireless device as the first locally attached mass storage device comprises providing a device class to the first host device that informs the first host device of a protocol of the first locally attached mass storage device.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein providing the common data to the first host device comprises providing the common data to the first host device as if the common data were stored on the first locally attached mass storage device.