Method and apparatus for automatically disseminating information over a network
First Claim
1. A method for disseminating information stored in a plurality of nodes connected via a common communication medium, the method comprising:
- (a) supplying the information to be disseminated to a first node; and
(b) causing the first node to automatically disseminate the information to a first plurality of nodes which are immediately known to the first node when the information is updated, wherein the immediate family of nodes is a subset of the plurality of nodes connected via the communication medium.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An information distribution program (36) is provided for automatically distributing information over a network (24) connecting a plurality of computers (15). Each computer (15) is installed with the information distribution program (36), which comprises a family construction module (44), a publication module (40), a subscription module (42), and an information tree (46). The information tree (46) stores the most recent information available to the computer (15). The family construction module (44) organizes the various computers (15) connected to the network (24) into immediate and extended families of related computers (15). The publication module (40) automatically distributes, “publishes” or “pushes” the information to the immediate and extended family members of a computer (15) which have shown an interest in the information. The subscription module (42) provides a computer (15) with the ability to show interest in or “subscribe” to information located on the computers (15) connected to the network (24).
38 Citations
7 Claims
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1. A method for disseminating information stored in a plurality of nodes connected via a common communication medium, the method comprising:
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(a) supplying the information to be disseminated to a first node; and
(b) causing the first node to automatically disseminate the information to a first plurality of nodes which are immediately known to the first node when the information is updated, wherein the immediate family of nodes is a subset of the plurality of nodes connected via the communication medium. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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Specification