Short range wireless peer-to-peer file sharing

• US 9,344,485 B2
• Filed: 05/13/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Smadi, Mohammed Nawaf, Papo, Aleksandar, Abdelsamie, Ahmed
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Assistant Examiner(s): SANDIFORD, DEVAN A
• Application Number:
  US13/893,300
• Publication Number:
  US 20140335787A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,100 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

In one embodiment, for example, a method of short range wireless peer-to-peer file sharing is provided. The method includes establishing a short range wireless communications link between a local computing device and a peer computing device and transmitting to the peer computing device over the short range wireless communications link a consolidated catalog of accessible files stored locally in the local computing device, remotely in a remote computing device, or both. The method further includes receiving from over the short range wireless communications link a request by the peer computing device to retrieve a selected one of the files. The method includes responding to a determination that the selected one of the files is stored remotely in the remote computing device by facilitating the retrieval by the peer computing device of the selected one of the files from the remote computing device for delivery to the peer computing device.

Claims

1. A method of short range wireless peer-to-peer file sharing comprising:

establishing a short range wireless communications link between a local computing device and a peer computing device;

transmitting to the peer computing device over the short range wireless communications link a consolidated catalog of accessible files stored locally in the local computing device and remotely in a remote computing device;

receiving from over the short range wireless communications link a request by the peer computing device to retrieve a selected one of the files; and

responsive to a determination that the selected one of the files is stored remotely in the remote computing device, facilitating the retrieval by the peer computing device of the selected one of the files from the remote computing device for delivery to the peer computing device,

wherein the local computing device facilitates the retrieval of the selected one of the media files from the remote computing device for delivery to the peer computing device by;

disconnecting the short range wireless communications link;

recording a reference to the request in the local computing device;

establishing a communicative connection to the remote computing device;

retrieving the selected one of the files from the remote computing device;

re-establishing the short range wireless communications link with the peer computing device; and

transmitting the retrieved selected one of the files to the peer computing device over the re-established short range wireless communications link.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference is recorded if a peer associated with the peer computing device is present in a contact list of the local computing device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the reference is recorded if the peer computing device is determined to frequently communicate with the local computing device.

4. A local computing device configured for short range wireless peer to peer file sharing, the device comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor;

a file sharing application in the memory configured to be executed by the processor to enable the local computing device to;

transmit to a peer computing device over a short range wireless communications link a consolidated catalog of accessible files stored locally in the local computing device and remotely in a remote computing device;

receive from over the short range wireless communications link a request by the peer computing device to retrieve a selected one of the files, and

respond to a determination that the selected one of the files is stored remotely in the remote computing device by facilitating the retrieval by the peer computing device of the selected one of the files from the remote computing device for delivery to the peer computing device,

wherein the local computing device facilitates the retrieval of the selected one of the files from the remote computing device for delivery to the peer computing device by;

disconnecting the short range wireless communications link;

recording a reference to the request in the local computing device;

establishing a communicative connection to the remote computing device;

retrieving the selected one of the files from the remote computing device;

re-establishing the short range wireless communications link with the peer computing device; and

transmitting the retrieved selected one of the files to the peer computing device over the re-established short range wireless communications link.

5. The local computing device of claim 4, wherein the reference is recorded if a peer associated with the peer computing device is present in a contact list of the local computing device.

6. The local computing device of claim 4, wherein the reference is recorded if the peer computing device is determined to frequently communicate with the local computing device.

7. A computer program product for short range wireless peer-to-peer file sharing, the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code for establishing a short range wireless communications link between a local computing device and a peer computing device;

computer readable program code for transmitting, by the local computing device, to the peer computing device over the short range wireless communications link a consolidated catalog of accessible files stored locally in the local computing device and remotely in a remote computing device;

computer readable program code for receiving, by the local computing device, from over the short range wireless communications link a request by the peer computing device to retrieve a selected one of the files; and

computer readable program code for responding, by the local computing device, to a determination that the selected one of the files is stored remotely in the remote computing device by facilitating the retrieval by the peer computing device of the selected one of the files from the remote computing device for delivery to the peer computing device,

wherein the local computing device facilitates the retrieval of the selected one of the files from the remote computing device for delivery to the peer computing device by;

disconnecting the short range wireless communications link;

recording a reference to the request in the local computing device;

establishing a communicative connection to the remote computing device;

retrieving the selected one of the files from the remote computing device;

re-establishing the short range wireless communications link with the peer computing device; and

transmitting the retrieved selected one of the files to the peer computing device over the re-established short range wireless communications link.

8. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the reference is recorded if a peer associated with the peer computing device is present in a contact list of the local computing device.

9. The computer program product of claim 7, wherein the reference is recorded if the peer computing device is determined to frequently communicate with the local computing device.