Apparatus, systems and methods utilizing dispersive networking

• US 9,100,405 B2
• Filed: 10/09/2013
• Issued: 08/04/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dispersive Holdings Incorporated (Dispersive Networks, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dispersive Networks, Inc.
• Inventors: Twitchell, Robert W. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): BOUTAH, ALINA A
• Application Number:
  US14/049,290
• Publication Number:
  US 20140173058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 664 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/238, 709/230, 709/250, 709/203, 709/202, 709/217, 709/220, 709/221, 709/222, 709/224, 709/227, 709/243, 709/205, 709/228, 709/232, 709/242, 370/401, 726/3
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45562 Creating, deleting, cloning virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2009/45595 Network integration; Enabling network access in virtual machine instances
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/00 Arrangements for maintenance, administration or management of data switching networks, e.g. of packet switching networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/0896 Bandwidth or capacity management, i.e. automatically increasing or decreasing capacities flow or congestion control using dynamic resource allocation, e.g. in-call renegotiation, H04L47/76
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/028 by filtering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/586 of virtual routers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/125 by balancing the load, e.g. traffic engineering
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/15 in relation to multipoint traffic arrangements for broadcast or multicast in data networks H04L12/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2416 Real-time traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/141 Setup of application sessions admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/14 Multichannel or multilink protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/18 Multiprotocol handlers, e.g. single devices capable of handling multiple protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/32 Architecture of open systems interconnection [OSI] 7-layer type protocol stacks, e.g. the interfaces between the data link level and the physical level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/327 in the session layer [OSI layer 5]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

An electronic device configured for electronic communications utilizing virtual dispersive networking includes: a network interface for communicating over a network; an application loaded onto the electronic device programmed to communicate over a network; and virtual dispersive networking software configured to create, for such application, a virtual machine comprising a virtual interface for the network interface of the electronic device; select a network protocol out of a plurality of available network protocols based on current communication requirements of the application; and cause network communications of the application to occur via the virtual network interface of the electronic device using the determined network protocol.

Claims

1. A system in which requests for downloads from a client content server are fulfilled by transfer of content from end-user devices, comprising:

(a) a client content server;

(b) a control server; and

(c) end-user devices each configured for network communications with the client content server and with the control server, through which network communications the end-user devices request download of content from the content server and through which network communications the end-user devices update the control server with network contact information of the end-user devices, the control server maintaining the network contact information of the end-user devices in association with respective unique identifiers of the end-user devices for future reference;

(d) wherein the content server, the control server, and the end-user devices include respective software that collectively enable the transfer of content from one or more end-user devices to a particular first end-user device that has requested download of the content from the content server through,

(i) communication, by the content server to the control server, regarding a request for download of the content that the content server has received from the first end-user device,

(ii) determination by the control server of whether the request from the first-end user device may be fulfilled by transferring content from one or more other end-user devices, each of which having previously requested a download from the server that fulfills the request from the first end-user device,

(iii) communication to the content server that the request for download from the first end-user device will be fulfilled by the control server,

(iv) communication of connection information to the first-end user device and to the one or more other end-user devices for enabling an open network connection between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices,

(v) fulfillment of the request from the first end-user device by transferring content through each open network connection that is established, based on the connection information communicated by the control server, between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices, and

(vi) communication by the control server of the fulfillment of the request by the first end-user device to the content server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end-user device comprises a personal computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end-user device comprises a desktop computer.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end-user device comprises a portable computer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end-user device comprises a video game console.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end-user device comprises a laptop computer.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first end-user device comprises a notebook computer.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each open network connection that is established between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices is established using a respective spawned virtual machine at the first end-user device.

9. A system in which requests for downloads from a client content server are fulfilled by transfer of content from end-user devices, comprising:

(a) a client content server;

(b) a control server; and

(c) end-user devices each configured for network communications with the client content server and with the control server, through which network communications the end-user devices request download of content from the content server and through which network communications the end-user devices update the control server with network contact information of the end-user devices, the control server maintaining the network contact information of the end-user devices in association with respective unique identifiers of the end-user devices for future reference;

(d) wherein the content server, the control server, and the end-user devices include respective software that collectively enable the transfer of content from one or more end-user devices to a particular first end-user device comprising a mobile communications device that has requested download of the content from the content server through,

(i) communication, by the content server to the control server, regarding a request for download of the content that the content server has received from the first end-user device,

(ii) determination by the control server of whether the request from the first-end user device may be fulfilled by transferring content from one or more other end-user devices, each of which having previously requested a download from the server that fulfills the request from the first end-user device,

(iii) communication to the content server that the request for download from the first end-user device will be fulfilled by the control server,

(iv) communication of connection information to the first-end user device and to the one or more other end-user devices for enabling an open network connection between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices,

(v) fulfillment of the request from the first end-user device by transferring content through each open network connection that is established, based on the connection information communicated by the control server, between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices, and

(vi) communication by the control server of the fulfillment of the request by the first end-user device to the content server.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein each open network connection that is established between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices is established using a respective spawned virtual machine at the first end-user device.

11. A system in which requests for downloads from a client content server are fulfilled by transfer of content from end-user devices, comprising:

(a) a client content server;

(b) a control server; and

(c) end-user devices each configured for network communications with the client content server and with the control server, through which network communications the end-user devices request download of content from the content server and through which network communications the end-user devices update the control server with network contact information of the end-user devices, the control server maintaining the network contact information of the end-user devices in association with respective unique identifiers of the end-user devices for future reference;

(d) wherein the content server, the control server, and the end-user devices include respective software that collectively enable the transfer of content from one or more end-user devices to a particular first end-user device comprising a mobile phone that has requested download of the content from the content server through,

(i) communication, by the content server to the control server, regarding a request for download of the content that the content server has received from the first end-user device,

(ii) determination by the control server of whether the request from the first-end user device may be fulfilled by transferring content from one or more other end-user devices, each of which having previously requested a download from the server that fulfills the request from the first end-user device,

(iii) communication to the content server that the request for download from the first end-user device will be fulfilled by the control server,

(iv) communication of connection information to the first-end user device and to the one or more other end-user devices for enabling an open network connection between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices,

(v) fulfillment of the request from the first end-user device by transferring content through each open network connection that is established, based on the connection information communicated by the control server, between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices, and

(vi) communication by the control server of the fulfillment of the request by the first end-user device to the content server.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each open network connection that is established between the first end-user device and each of the other end-user devices is established using a respective spawned virtual machine at the first end-user device.