Patent ID: 7577721

Claim:
A peer-to-peer computer network comprising: a pattern file server storing a latest pattern file for an antivirus program; a plurality of customer computers, each of the plurality of customer computers including the antivirus program and an old pattern file for the antivirus program, the old pattern file to be replaced by the latest pattern file; a registration server configured to randomly, according to an algorithm, assign each customer computer in the plurality of customer computers to a level in a multi-level peer-to-peer network having a tree structure, each level in the peer-to-peer network having fewer customer computers than a lower level; wherein each customer computer in the plurality of customer computers is configured to push the latest pattern file to another customer computer in a lower level of the peer-to-peer network; and to continue pushing the latest pattern file to computers on lower levels of the peer-to-peer network until the latest pattern file is received in computers on a lowest level of the peer-to-peer network.