Patent ID: 6098091
Filing Date: 2000-08-01
Classification: G06F

Abstract:
A system for peer-to-peer wide area network computing comprising:a communications link;a plurality of computers coupled to said communications link in communication with each other, said plurality of computers including a central computer and a remote computer, where said central computer and said remote computer operate in one of a plurality of relationships comprising a subscriber relationship and a contractor relationship;a polling program that executes on said central computer, said polling program transmitting via said communication link a query to inquire about available times when said remote computer can operate in the contractor relationship and computational capabilities of said remote computer, said remote computer responding to said query by sending a reply to said central computer, said reply indicating said abailable times and computational capabilities of said remote computer; andan assignment program that executes on said central computer to assign tasks to be completed by said remote computer based on said available times and said computational capabilities of said remote computer.