Patent US6240451B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6240451B1
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US
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Method and apparatus for automatically disseminating information over a network
Assignee: DEEP9 Corp
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Filing: 1997-11-12
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Granted: 2001-05-29
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Expires: 2017-11-12
Abstract
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 ).
Inventors
- 👤 R. David L. Campbell
- 👤 Roland Faragher-Horwell
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 18:26
CPC Classifications
G; G06; G06F; G06F16/00; G06F16/20; G06F16/27; G06F16/275
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 37
Claim 1
Independent Claim
205 words
Apparatus, included in each of a plurality of devices communicating with one another via a common communication medium, for distributing a module block of information stored in a storage medium of at least one of the plurality of devices, the apparatus comprising: (a) storage medium for storing program instructions for distributing the module block of information; (b) an interface for communicating via the communication medium; (c) a processing unit electronically coupled to the storage medium and the interface for executing program instructions that cause the module block of information to be distributed by: (i) receiving a module block of information from an outside agent; (ii) determining if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than a corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device; and (iii) transmitting the module block of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the device and connected to the communication medium, wherein the immediate family of devices is a subset of the plurality of devices connected to the communication medium, if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information store in the storage medium.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
205 words
Apparatus, included in each of a plurality of devices communicating with one another via a common communication medium, for distributing a module block of information stored in a storage medium of at least one of the plurality of devices, the apparatus comprising: (a) storage medium for storing program instructions for distributing the module block of information; (b) an interface for communicating via the communication medium; (c) a processing unit electronically coupled to the storage medium and the interface for executing program instructions that cause the module block of information to be distributed by: (i) receiving a module block of information from an outside agent; (ii) determining if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than a corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device; and (iii) transmitting the module block of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the device and connected to the communication medium, wherein the immediate family of devices is a subset of the plurality of devices connected to the communication medium, if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information store in the storage medium.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
69 words
The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the module block to be distributed by storing the module block of information received from the outside agent in the storage medium of the device, if the module block received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
72 words
The apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the module block to be distributed by returning the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device to the outside agent, if the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device is more recent than the module block of information received from the outside agent.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the module block of information is transmitted to the devices within the immediate family of devices which have previously shown an interest in the module block of information.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
106 words
The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the processing unit further executes program instructions that cause the device to show interest in a desired module of information by: (a) receiving a show of interest in the desired module of information from an outside agent; and (b) if the module of information is stored in the storage medium of the device: (i) adding the identity of the device and any intermediary devices who have received the show of interest in the desired module of information, to a list of devices interested in the desired module of information; and (ii) returning the desired module to the outside agent.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
35 words
The apparatus of claim 5 , wherein if the module of information is not stored in the storage medium of the device, the show of interest is transmitted to the immediate family of the device.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus of claim 6 , wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the show of interest in information transmitted by the device, the processing unit executes program instructions that cause the device to transmit the show of interest to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
30 words
The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein a plurality of modules and module blocks of information are organized into an information hierarchy stored in the storage medium of the device.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
70 words
The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein determining if the module block of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information stored in the storage medium of the device comprises comparing the module block of information received from the outside agent to a corresponding module block of information in the information hierarchy to determine which module block of information is more recent.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
63 words
The apparatus of claim 9 , wherein storing the module block of information received from the outside agent in the storage medium of the device comprises replacing the corresponding module block in the information hierarchy with the module block received from the outside agent, if the module block received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module block of information.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
52 words
The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein storing the module block of information received from the outside agent in the storage medium of the device comprises adding the module block received from the outside agent to the information hierarchy, if a corresponding module block information is not present in the information hierarchy.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
59 words
The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the module block of information transmitted by the device, the processing unit executes program instructions that cause the device to transmit the module block of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
46 words
The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the module block can be at least one of a plurality of module blocks comprising a module of information; and wherein the module block can be a module of information containing a plurality of other module blocks of information.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
80 words
The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the processing unit further executes program instructions that cause the device to identify the immediate family to which the device transmits the module of information by: (a) receiving a request from another device connected to the communication medium to be adopted into the immediate family of the device; and (b) adding the requesting device to the immediate family of the device, if a maximum capacity for the immediate family has not been reached.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
52 words
The apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the device to identify the immediate family by transmitting the request for adoption from the other device to the devices in the immediate family of the device, if a maximum family capacity has been reached.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
72 words
The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the program instructions executed by the processing unit further cause the device to request adoption by: (a) sending a request to be adopted to the other device via the communication medium; (b) receiving a response from a device capable of adopting the requesting device; and (c) adding the devices in the immediate family of the adopting device to the immediate family of the requesting device.
Claim 18
Independent Claim
135 words
A method for distributing information stored in modules to a plurality of devices coupled to a communication medium, wherein each device includes a processing unit and a memory, the method comprising: (a) receiving a module of information from an outside agent; (b) determining if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than a corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device; and (c) transmitting the module of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the device and coupled to the communication medium, wherein the immediate family of devices is a subset of the plurality of devices connected to the communication medium, if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information stored in the memory.
Claim 19
Independent Claim
135 words
A method for distributing information stored in modules to a plurality of devices coupled to a communication medium, wherein each device includes a processing unit and a memory, the method comprising: (a) receiving a module of information from an outside agent; (b) determining if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than a corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device; and (c) transmitting the module of information to an immediate family of devices directly related to the device and coupled to the communication medium, wherein the immediate family of devices is a subset of the plurality of devices connected to the communication medium, if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information stored in the memory.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 17 , further comprising storing the module of information received from the outside agent in the memory of the device, if the module received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
51 words
The method of claim 18 , further comprising returning the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device to the outside agent, if the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device is more recent than the module of information received from the outside agent.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
26 words
The method of claim 19 , wherein a plurality of modules of information are organized into an information hierarchy stored in the memory of the device.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
64 words
The method of claim 20 , wherein determining if the module of information received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information stored in the memory of the device comprises comparing the module of information received from the outside agent to a corresponding module of information in the information hierarchy to determine which module of information is more recent.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
57 words
The method of claim 21 , wherein storing the module of information received from the outside agent in the memory of the device comprises replacing the corresponding module in the information hierarchy with the module received from the outside agent, if the module received from the outside agent is more recent than the corresponding module of information.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
48 words
The method of claim 22 , wherein storing the module of information received from the outside agent in the memory of the device comprises adding the module received from the outside agent to the information hierarchy, if a corresponding module information is not present in the information hierarchy.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein the module is at least one of a plurality of module blocks comprising a another module of information.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
17 words
The method of claim 23 , wherein the module comprises a plurality of module blocks of information.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
33 words
The method of claim 17 , wherein the module of information is transmitted to the devices within the immediate family of devices which have previously shown an interest in the module of information.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
94 words
The method of claim 26 , further comprising showing interest in a desired module of information by: (a) receiving a show of interest in the desired module of information from an outside agent; and (b) if the module of information is stored in the memory of the device: (i) adding the identity of the device and any intermediary devices who have received the show of interest in the desired module of information, to a list of devices interested in the desired module of information; and (ii) returning the desired module to the outside agent.
Claim 30
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method of claim 27 , wherein if the module of information is not stored in the memory of the device, the show of interest is transmitted to the immediate family of the device.
Claim 31
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 28 , wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the show of interest in information transmitted by the device, the show of interest is transmitted to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.
Claim 32
Dependent Claim
37 words
The method of claim 27 , wherein the outside agents makes the show of interest in information by selecting the information from an inventory of information available from the plurality of devices coupled to the communication medium.
Claim 33
Dependent Claim
16 words
The method of claim 30 , wherein the inventory of information comprises a module of information.
Claim 34
Dependent Claim
69 words
The method of claim 17 , further comprising identifying the immediate family to which the device transmits the module of information by: (a) receiving a request from another device coupled to the communication medium to be adopted into the immediate family of the device; and (b) adding the requesting device to the immediate family of the device, if a maximum capacity for the immediate family has not been reached.
Claim 35
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 32 , wherein identifying the immediate family to which the device transmits the module of information further comprises transmitting the request for adoption from the other device to the devices in the immediate family of the device, if a maximum family capacity has been reached.
Claim 36
Dependent Claim
63 words
The method of claim 33 , further comprising requesting adoption into the immediate family of another device by: (a) sending a request to be adopted via the communication medium; (b) receiving a response from a device capable of adopting the requesting device; and (c) adding the devices in the immediate family of the adopting device to the immediate family of the requesting device.
Claim 37
Dependent Claim
49 words
The method of claim 17 , wherein if any of the devices in the immediate family of devices fails to process the module block of information transmitted by the device, the module block of information is transmitted to an immediate family of devices directly related to the failed device.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2004-05-28 | 2004-11-27 | 2005-05-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2008-05-28 | 2008-11-27 | 2009-05-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2012-05-28 | 2012-11-27 | 2013-05-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |