Patent ID: 8145698
Filing Date: 2012-03-27
Classification: H04L

Abstract:
1. A method comprising: at a first peer device, establishing a session with a second peer device; exchanging information with said second peer device via the established session regarding additional peer devices capable of providing one or more portions of one or more files, said exchanging the information with the second peer device including providing the second peer device information to locate one or more additional peer devices that are known to the first peer device but are not known to the second peer device and receiving from the second peer device information to locate one or more additional peer devices that are known to the second peer device but are not known to the first peer device; communicating with said second peer device via the established session regarding specific portions of files available from said second peer device; identifying a group of one or more additional peer devices available for communication based at least in part on the exchanged information; communicating with one or more of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices, at least in part, to transmit one or more portions of one or more files; intermittently communicating with at least one of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices; exchanging information with the at least one of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices via the intermittent communications regarding other additional peer devices that are capable of providing one or more portions of one or more files, said intermittently exchanging the information with the at least one of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices including providing the at least one of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices information to locate one or more additional peer devices that are currently known to the first peer device but are not currently known to the at least one of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices and receiving from the at least one of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices information to locate one or more additional peer devices that are currently known to the at least one of the identified group of one or more additional peer devices but are not currently known to the first peer device; and communicating with at least one of said other additional peer devices at least in part to gather information relating to portions of files available at one or more of the other additional peer devices.