Patent ID: 7689720

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for maintaining a shared concept of time between nodes in a graph that comprises a peer to peer, serverless network wherein the nodes are peers on the network, the method comprising: at a first node in a graph in the peer to peer network, maintaining a perceived graph time representing a perception of a shared concept of time for the graph; at a second node in the graph in the peer to peer network, receiving information about the perceived graph time wherein receiving information occurs responsive to a connection request to join the peer to peer network by the second node and wherein the connection request is made to the first node, and calculating a local delta representative of a difference between the perceived graph time and a system time for the second node wherein calculating the local delta by the second node comprises assuming that a lag time in receiving the perceived graph time from the first node is one-half of a lag time between a time of the request for the connection by the second node and a time of a receipt of the perceived graph time by the second node; if a previous local delta has been calculated for the second node, the local delta is calculated as a weighted average of a neighbor delta wherein the neighbor delta is representative of a difference between the perceived graph time and a system time for the second node and wherein the calculation for the neighbor delta comprises adding the perceived graph time to one-half of the lag time to arrive at a sum, and subtracting the sum from a system time of the second node at the time of the receipt and the previous local delta wherein the weighted average is calculated using the following formula: local delta=previous local delta*(( x− 1)/ x )+(neighbor delta)*(1 /x )); wherein x is a positive integer between 4 and 16, inclusive; and wherein previous local delta equals a previously calculated local delta and wherein the neighbor delta equals system time less graph time plus half delay wherein the delay equals system welcome time less system connect time; if a previous local delta has not been calculated for the second node, the local delta is equal to the neighbor delta.