System and method for anonymous addressing of content on network peers and for private peer-to-peer file sharing

• US 9,112,875 B2
• Filed: 08/04/2009
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sam Zaid
• Original Assignee: Sam Zaid
• Inventors: Zaid, Sam, Linscott, Gary, Becevello, Adam, Zaid, Tariq, Lem, Paul
• Primary Examiner(s): JOSHI, SURAJ M
• Application Number:
  US12/535,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20110035503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,205 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0407 wherein the identity of one or more communicating identities is hidden cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for anonymous credentials or for identity based cryptographic systems H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0421 Anonymous communication, i.e. the party's identifiers are hidden from the other party or parties, e.g. using an anonymizer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1063 Discovery through centralising entities

Abstract

A system and method for efficient and private peer-to-peer file sharing consists of ascribing a uniquely identified and anonymous link (an “edgelink”) to any file or set of files on a peer computer. The link is registered with a publishing server along with continuously updated connectivity information about the peer without registering any identifying information about the file. A peer recipient is able to access the link, receive connectivity information about the publishing peer from the server, and then receive the file from the publishing peer without file content passing through the server, mediating any intermediary NAT devices without requiring any manual or automatic device reconfiguration.

Claims

1. A system for peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing comprising a publishing server having a computer processor, the publishing server operable to:

(a) register a unique anonymous link generated for at least one selected file on a peer computer, the link providing anonymity for the peer computer by rendering the network address and identity of the peer computer as indecipherable by another peer notwithstanding possession of the link, and the link providing anonymity for at least one selected file by rendering the contents of the file as imperceptible to another peer notwithstanding possession of the link;

(b) obtain periodic connectivity information for the peer computer; and

(c) enable a peer recipient to access the link, the accessing initiating;

(i) establishment of a network path between the peer recipient and the peer computer utilizing the connectivity information to enable the peer recipient to obtain the at least one selected file without the at least one selected file being required to pass through the publishing server; and

(ii) mediation of intermediary network address translation (NAT) devices without requiring any manual or automatic NAT device reconfiguration.

2. The system of claim 1 further including a social network layer.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of security options that require peers to authenticate prior to the release of identifying connectivity information.

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a swarming protocol to allow wide-scale distribution of published content and link syndication means for a peer to publish an automatically updated list of files that enables other users to subscribe to content feeds (streams) and get notified of changes and newly shared files.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising means for indexing, searching through, browsing and commenting on published links.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a policy engine to control access to published links.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a buddy list for allowing a user to maintain a contact list of friends, co-workers, and other contacts and to selectively send link to all or a specific subset of those contacts.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising a Public-key Cryptography Scheme for uniquely identifying peers and securing P2P transfers at all points between publishing a link, subscribing to a link, and transferring files.

9. The system of claim 1, including means for publishing the content referenced by a link to a central server.

10. The system of claim 1, further including a version control system for keeping a history of changes to a published piece of content or file or set of files.

11. The system of claim 1, further including means for keeping an automatically versioned backup copy of files stored on a remote server.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising at least one of the following:

(a) a group where users invite other users for the purposes of collaborating and group editing published content published;

(b) means for version tracking and offline sharing;

(c) an automated backup system;

(d) a billing and transaction system for the sale of content to other users;

(e) means for integration of various central media publishing systems;

(f) a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and a Software Development Kit (SDK) for allowing 3rd parties to develop applications that can link, store, and connect directly to content stored on a peer computer;

(g) control means for real-time transport and media handling in order to support streaming content directly from a peer computer;

(h) means for mobile and embedded peers;

(i) means for the addition of a compaction scheme for links that deviates from standard URL like conventions in order to shorten the overall character length of the link; and

(j) means for an obfuscation scheme to enhance content security and privacy.

13. A system for a private peer-to-peer file sharing network comprising a publishing server having a computer processor, the publishing server operable to:

(a) integrate at least one social graph linking a plurality of users each associated with a peer node;

(b) build at least one private group comprising at least two of the plurality of users;

(c) aggregate unique anonymous links to selected files stored on the peer nodes within said private groups, the links providing anonymity for their respective peer nodes by rendering the network address and identity of each of the peer nodes as indecipherable by another peer node notwithstanding possession of the link, and the link providing anonymity for their respective selected files by rendering the contents of the files as imperceptible to another peer node notwithstanding possession of the links;

(d) enable one of the peer nodes of a selected private group to access one of the links of the selected private group to receive the respective file from the peer node storing the respective file without the respective file passing through the server; and

(e) mediate intermediary network address translation (NAT) devices without requiring any manual or automatic NAT device reconfiguration.

14. A method for peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing:

(a) generating, by a computer processor, a unique anonymous link to at least one selected file on a peer computer, the link providing anonymity for the peer computer by rendering the network address and identity of the peer computer as indecipherable by another peer notwithstanding possession of the link, and the link providing anonymity for the at least one selected file by rendering the contents of the file as imperceptible to another peer notwithstanding possession of the link;

(b) registering the link with a publishing server that is operable to obtain periodic connectivity information for the peer computer;

(c) enabling a peer recipient to access the link;

(d) establishing a network path between the peer recipient and the peer computer utilizing the connectivity information;

(e) enabling the peer recipient to obtain the at least one selected file without the at least one selected file being required to pass through the publishing server; and

(f) mediating intermediary network address translation (NAT) devices without requiring any manual or automatic NAT device reconfiguration.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising adding a social network layer.

16. The method of claim 14 further comprising adding a plurality of security options that require peers to authenticate prior to the release of identifying connectivity information.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising adding a swarming protocol to allow wide-scale distribution of published content.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising the addition of at least one of the following:

(a) adding a link syndication capability for a peer to publish an automatically updated list of files that enables other users to subscribe to content feeds (streams) and get notified of changes and newly shared files;

(b) indexing, searching through, browsing and commenting on published links;

(c) adding a policy engine to control access to published links;

(d) adding a buddy list for allowing a user to maintain a contact list of friends, co-workers, and other contacts and to selectively send link to all or a specific subset of those contacts;

(e) adding a Public-key Cryptography Scheme for uniquely identifying peers and securing P2P transfers at all points between publishing a link, subscribing to a link, and transferring files;

(f) adding means for publishing the content referenced by a link to a central server;

(g) adding a version control system for keeping a history of changes to a published piece of content or file or set of files;

(h) including means for keeping an automatically versioned backup copy of files stored on a remote server.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising the addition of at least at least one of the following:

(a) adding a group where users invite other users for the purposes of collaborating and group editing published content published;

(b) adding means for version tracking and offline sharing;

(c) adding an automated backup system;

(d) adding a billing and transaction system for the sale of content to other users;

(e) adding means for integration of various central media publishing systems;

(f) adding a set of Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) and a Software Development Kit (SDK) for allowing 3rd parties to develop applications that can link, store, and connect directly to content stored on a peer computer;

(g) adding control means for real-time transport and media handling in order to support streaming content directly from a peer computer;

(h) adding means for mobile and embedded peers;

(i) adding means for the addition of a compaction scheme for links that deviates from standard URL like conventions in order to shorten the overall character length of the link; and

(j) adding means for an obfuscation scheme to enhance content security and privacy.

20. A method for a private peer-to-peer file sharing network comprising:

(a) integrating at least one social graph linking a plurality of users each associated with a peer node;

(b) building at least one private group comprising at least two of the plurality of users;

(c) aggregating, by a computer processor, unique anonymous links to selected files stored on the peer nodes within said private groups, the links providing anonymity for their respective peer nodes by rendering the network address and identity of each of the peer nodes as indecipherable by another peer node notwithstanding possession of the link, and the link providing anonymity for their respective selected files by rendering the contents of the files as imperceptible to another peer node notwithstanding possession of the links;

(d) enabling one of the peer nodes of a selected private group to access one of the links of the selected private group to receive the selected file from the peer node storing the respective file without the respective file passing through the server; and

(e) mediating intermediary network address translation (NAT) devices without requiring any manual or automatic NAT device reconfiguration.