US 11,146,415 B2Granted

Message-limited self-organizing network groups for computing device peer matching

AssigneeMicrosoft Technology Licensing, LLC

InventorsBrandon T. Hunt, Alexander Burba

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A message-limiting mechanism for enabling computing devices to self-organize into groups based on network proximity can entail the transmission of values based on hierarchical evaluation such that only a computing device having a most extreme value continues to transmit. The values utilized can be randomly generated and their broadcast can facilitate the identification of computing devices that are proximate, by network distance. Each computing device can retain a most extreme value received, unless a value generated by that computing device itself is more extreme, in which case the computing device can continue periodic broadcasts of its value. Each computing device can report its retained values, or its own value if no values were retained, and groupings can be generated based on the values reported by the computing devices. The grouping of computing devices can then facilitate the identification of peers, including for purposes of downloading content from such peers.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a first server computing device comprising:
one or more first server processing units;
and
one or more first server computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more first server processing units, cause the first server computing device to:
receive a first communication from a first client computing device, the first communication comprising a first value;
receive a second communication from a second client computing device, the second communication also comprising the first value;
associate both the first and second client computing devices with a first grouping of client computing devices based on both the first and second client computing devices transmitting the first value;
receive a request from the first client computing device for a first data;
search the first grouping of client computing devices for a computing device already having received the first data;
and
transmit, to the first client computing device, in response to the request, an identification of the second client computing device as a source from which the first client computing device is to obtain the first data;
wherein the first and second client computing devices each independently retain the first value by independently performing steps comprising:
generate a first random value;
receive a second random value that was broadcast by another computing device;
retain the second random value in a value store in response to determining that the second random value is greater than the first random value;
discard the second random value from the value store in response to the receiving the second random value having last occurred more than a first predetermined amount of time ago;
broadcast the first random value in response to:
(1) a broadcasting time occurring and (2) no greater value being retained in the value store at the broadcasting time;
and
not broadcast the first random value, despite the broadcasting time occurring, in response to a greater value being retained in the value store at the broadcast time.

17 more elements

A computing device comprising:

one or more processing units;
and
one or more computer storage media comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more processing units, cause the computing device to:
randomly generate a first value;
receive a second value that was broadcast by a second computing device;
retain the second value in a value store in response to determining that the second value is greater than the first value;
discard the second value from the value store in response to the receiving the second value having last occurred more than a first predetermined amount of time ago;
broadcast the first value in response to:
(1) a broadcasting time occurring and (2) no greater value being retained in the value store at the broadcasting time;
not broadcast the first value, despite the broadcasting time occurring, in response to a greater value being retained in the value store at the broadcast time;
and
generate a notification of an association between the computing device and at least one of:
the first value based on no value being retained in the value store or the second value based on the second value being retained in the value store.

10 more elements

A method of automatically grouping computing devices based on network proximity, the method comprising:

randomly generating a first value at a first computing device;
randomly generating a second value at a second computing device;
periodically broadcasting the first value from the first computing device;
retaining, in a value store of the second computing device, the first value and preventing initiation of periodic broadcasts of the second value from the second computing device in response to determining, at the second computing device, that the first value is greater than the second value;
commencing periodic broadcasts of the second value from the second computing device in response to determining, at the second computing device, that the first value is less than the second value;
and
retaining, in a value store of the first computing device, the second value and terminating the periodic broadcasting of the first value from the first computing device in response to determining, at the first computing device, that the first value is less than the second value.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/686,143Filed 16 Nov 2019
Published: US 2021/0152381 A120 May 2021
Granted: 12 Oct 2021
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

H04L 12/1886
For broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast: with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
H04L 12/185
For broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast: with management of multicast group membership
H04L 12/1854
For broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast: with non-centralised forwarding system, e.g. chaincast
H04L 12/1881
For broadcast or conference , e.g. multicast: with schedule organisation, e.g. priority, sequence management