Method, apparatus and system for file transfer based on file directory

• US 9,300,721 B2
• Filed: 08/24/2010
• Issued: 03/29/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.
• Inventors: Liu, Geng, Lu, Yipeng
• Primary Examiner(s): Christensen, Scott B
• Application Number:
  US12/937,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,044 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• 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

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a file directory-based file transfer method, apparatus and system to address the problem that conventional instant messaging (IM) systems cannot directly implement one-time transfer of an entire file directory. In one aspect, a the sending IM client sends files under root directories of one or more file folders under a file directory one file folder after another. Before sending files under a root directory of a respective file folder, the receiving IM client may send a notification message including a name of the respective file folder and location information of the respective folder under the file directory, and then send all files under the root directory of the respective file folder one-by-one. The receiving IM client establishes a file folder according to the received notification message, and stores files received after the notification message into a root directory of the established file folder.

Claims

1. A method of file directory-based file transfer, the method comprising:

receiving, from an instant messaging (IM) client of a sender, a notification message, the notification message including a name of a first file folder and location information of the first file folder under a file directory, wherein the first file folder includes a first plurality of file folders, the location information of the first file folder includes a hierarchical relationship between the first plurality of file folders, and the hierarchical relationship includes a root directory including a third file folder, the third file folder including a fourth file folder, and the first file folder being selected by a user;

forwarding the notification message to an IM client of a receiver to establish, at the receiver, a second file folder that corresponds to the first file folder, wherein the second file folder includes a second plurality of file folders corresponding to the first plurality of file folders of the first file folder, and the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder are established based on the hierarchical relationship of the first plurality of file folders of the first file folder;

establishing a file transfer communication connection with the IM client of the receiver to transfer one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder before the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder have been established;

after the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder have been established;

receiving, from the IM client of the sender, the one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder over the file transfer communication connection;

forwarding the received one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder to the IM client of the receiver to store the received one or more files under a root directory of the second file folder over the file transfer communication connection; and

disconnecting the file transfer communication connection with the IM client of the receiver after the received one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder including the first plurality of file folders have been forwarded.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein:

the IM client of the sender sends the notification message and the files via a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection with the IM client of the receiver, and the IM client of the receiver receives the notification message and the files sent by the IM client of the sender via the P2P connection;

or

the IM client of the sender sends the notification message and the files through a server, and the IM client of the receiver receives the notification message and the files sent by the IM client of the sender through the server.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

prior to receiving the one or more files from the IM client of the sender, receiving, from the IM client of the sender, a transfer request to transfer the file directory, the transfer request including storage space information of the file directory;

determining whether the receiver has sufficient storage space to store the file directory according to the storage space information included in the transfer request message; and

when the receiver has sufficient storage space to store the file directory, receiving, from the IM client of the receiver, a response message that accepts the transfer request to transfer the file directory.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the files received from the IM client of the sender is compressed by the IM client of the sender, and wherein the at least one of the files is decompressed by the IM client of the receiver after being received by the IM client of the receiver.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the notification message, the forwarding of the notification message, the receiving of the one or more files, and the forwarding of the received one or more files are performed in the same session.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a number of the one or more files exceeds a preset limit; and

in the event that the number of the one or more files exceeds the preset limit, sending a response to the IM client of the sender refusing the receiving of the one or more files.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the forwarding of the received one or more files operation and the receiving of the one or more files operation are repeated until all of the one or more files to be transferred from the IM client of the sender are transferred.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether the total size of the one or more files exceeds an available amount of storage on the IM client of the receiver; and

in the event that the total size of the one or more files exceeds the available amount of storage on the IM client of the receiver, sending a response to the IM client of the sender refusing the receiving of the one or more files.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the receiving of the one or more files includes establishing a file transfer protocol (FTP) connection.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the forwarding of the received one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder to the IM client of the receiver occurs one by one.

11. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the root directory of the first file folder includes at least one file folder, the root directory being separate from the at least one file folder.

12. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the storing of the received one or more files under the root directory of the second file folder includes:

locating a corresponding file folder from the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder.

13. A system of file directory-based file transfer, the system comprising:

a processor;

a server, using the processor, configured to

receive, from an instant messaging (IM) client of a sender, a notification message, the notification message including a name of a first file folder and location information of the first file folder under a file directory, wherein the first file folder includes a first plurality of file folders, the location information of the first file folder includes a hierarchical relationship between the first plurality of file folders, and the hierarchical relationship includes a root directory including a third file folder, the third file folder including a fourth file folder, and the first file folder being selected by a user;

forward the notification message to an IM client of a receiver to establish, at the receiver, a second file folder that corresponds to the first file folder, wherein the second file folder includes a second plurality of file folders corresponding to the first plurality of file folders of the first file folder, and the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder are established based on the hierarchical relationship of the first plurality of file folders of the first file folder;

establish a file transfer communication connection with the IM client of the receiver to transfer one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder before the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder have been established; and

after the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder have been established;

receive, from the IM client of the sender, the one or more files under a root directory of the first file folder over the file transfer communication connection;

forward the received one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder to the IM client of the receiver to store the received one or more files under a root directory of the second file folder over the file transfer communication connection; and

disconnect the file transfer communication connection with the IM client of the receiver after the received one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder including the first plurality of file folders have been forwarded.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to:

prior to receiving the one or more files from the IM client of the sender, receive, from the IM client of the sender, a transfer request to transfer the file directory, the transfer request including storage space information of the file directory;

determine whether the receiver has sufficient storage space to store the file directory according to the storage space information included in the transfer request message; and

when the receiver has sufficient storage space to store the file directory, receive, from the IM client of the receiver, a response message that accepts the transfer request to transfer the file directory.

15. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the server is further configured to:

receive at least one file from the IM client of the sender that is compressed.

16. A computing device, comprising:

a processor;

a storage, coupled to the processor, that stores data;

a sending module executable by the processor, the sending module configured to;

send a notification message, the notification message including a name of a first file folder and location information of the first file folder under a file directory, wherein the first file folder includes a first plurality of file folders, the location information of the first file folder includes a hierarchical relationship between the first plurality of file folders, and the hierarchical relationship includes a root directory including a third file folder, the third file folder including a fourth file folder, and the first file folder being selected by a user;

send one or more files under a root directory of the first file folder; and

a receiving module executable by the processor, the receiving module configure to;

receive the notification message to establish a second file folder that corresponds to the first file folder, wherein the second file folder includes a second plurality of file folders corresponding to the first plurality of file folders of the first file folder, and the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder are established based on the hierarchical relationship of the first plurality of file folders of the first file folder;

establish a file transfer communication connection to transfer the one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder before the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder have been established; and

after the second plurality of file folders of the second file folder have been established;

receive the one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder to store the received one or more files under a root directory of the second file folder over the file transfer communication connection; and

disconnect the file transfer communication connection after the one or more files under the root directory of the first file folder including the first plurality of file folders have been received.

17. The computing device as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a file compression/decompression module executable by the processor, the file compression/decompression module configured to compress a file to be sent by the sending module and decompress a file received by the receiving module, wherein the sending module is configured to send the compressed file.

18. The computing device as recited in claim 16, wherein:

at least one of the sending module and the receiving module is configured to establish communication with an instant messaging (IM) client residing on another computing device via a peer-to-peer (P2P) connection.

19. The computing device as recited in claim 16, wherein:

prior to sending the one or more files, the sending module sends a first transfer request to transfer the file directory, the transfer request including storage space information of the file directory;

the receiving module, upon receiving a second transfer request, determines whether there is sufficient storage space to store the file directory according to the storage space information included in the second transfer request message; and

when there is sufficient storage space to store the file directory, the receiving module sends a response message that accepts the second transfer request to transfer the file directory.