Patent Document ID: 20120110057
Application ID: 13378883
Patent Flag: 0

Claim One:
1. A method for searching for objects (K 54 ) located in nodes ( 301 - 308 ) interconnected in a structured peer-to-peer overlay communication network ( 500 ) and where each node ( 301 - 308 ) is assigned a range of object identifiers according to a distributed hash table algorithm, said method characterized by the steps of: assigning ( 401 ) in a first node ( 302 ) a probability value (P 1 , P 2 , P 3 ) to each established connection ( 312 , 313 , 314 ) between the first node ( 302 ) and at least two second nodes ( 303 , 304 , 306 ); receiving ( 402 ) at the first node ( 302 ) a search request ( 321 ) for an object (K 54 ) in the structured overlay network ( 500 ); determining ( 405 ) if the object (K 54 ) is located in the first node ( 302 ); sending ( 406 ) a corresponding reply ( 325 ) comprising information about the location of the object (K 54 ) if the object (K 54 ) is located in the first node ( 302 ); stochastically selecting ( 409 ) one of the established connections ( 314 ); forwarding ( 411 ) the search request ( 321 ) to the second node ( 306 ) over the selected connection ( 314 ).