System and Method for Group Collaboration Using a Distributed Network File Repository

A computing device, comprising:

• a first collaboration memory;
• a processor coupled to the first collaboration memory, wherein the processor is configured with processor-executable instructions to perform operations comprising:
• determining whether the computing device is associated with a first collaboration group;
• determining whether a second computing device is associated with the first collaboration group;
• establishing a peer-to-peer communication link to the second computing device in response to determining that the computing device and the second computing device are both associated with the first collaboration group;
• exchanging a hints list for an object list that identifies documents stored in a second collaboration memory of the second computing device that are possibly not stored in the first collaboration memory and which identifies a state of the second collaboration memory at various randomly chosen points in an ordered list of objects;
• comparing the object list with the objects present in the first collaboration memory to determine that a document is stored in the second collaboration memory and not stored in the first collaboration memory;
• sending a document request message to the second computing device to request the document;
• receiving the requested document from the second computing device in response to sending the document request message;
• and
• storing the received document in the first collaboration memory.

A computing device, comprising:

• means for determining whether the computing device is associated with a first collaboration group;
• means for determining whether a second computing device is associated with the first collaboration group;
• means for establishing a peer-to-peer communication link to the second computing device in response to determining that the computing device and the second computing device are both associated with the first collaboration group;
• means for exchanging a hints list for an object list that identifies documents stored in a second collaboration memory of the second computing device that are possibly not stored in a first collaboration memory and which identifies a state of the second collaboration memory at various randomly chosen points in an ordered list of objects;
• means for comparing the object list with the objects present in the first collaboration memory to determine that a document is stored in the second collaboration memory and not stored in the first collaboration memory;
• means for sending a document request message to the second computing device to request the document;
• means for receiving the requested document from the second computing device in response to sending the document request message;
• and
• means for storing the received document in the first collaboration memory.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon processor-executable software instructions configured to cause a processor of a computing device to perform operations for communicating documents in a communication system that includes a plurality of computing devices, the operations comprising:

• determining whether the computing device is associated with a first collaboration group;
• determining whether a second computing device is associated with the first collaboration group;
• establishing a peer-to-peer communication link between the computing device and the second computing device in response to determining that the computing device and the second computing device are both associated with the first collaboration group;
• exchanging a hints list for an object list that identifies documents stored in a second collaboration memory of the second computing device that are possibly not stored in a first collaboration memory and which identifies a state of the second collaboration memory at various randomly chosen points in an ordered list of objects;
• comparing the object list with the objects present in the first collaboration memory to determine that a document is stored in the second collaboration memory and not stored in the first collaboration memory;
• sending a document request message to the second computing device to request the document;
• receiving the requested document from the second computing device in response to sending the document request message;
• and
• storing the received document in the first collaboration memory.