Methods and Apparatus for Identifying and Facilitating a Social Interaction Structure over a Data Packet Network

Abstract

A software suite for managing the publishing and consumption of information and payload data across one or more transport protocols supported by a data-packet-network includes a posting application for publishing the information and payload data, and a consuming application for accessing and consuming the information and payload data. In a preferred embodiment the posting application enables posting of information that is consumable separately from the payload data wherein the information richly describes the payload data including provision of instructions for sampling the payload data before consuming the payload data.

1 . A software suite for managing the publishing and consumption of information and payload data across one or more transport protocols supported by a data-packet-network comprising:
 a posting application for publishing the information and payload data; and   a consuming application for accessing and consuming the information and payload data;   characterized in that the posting application enables posting of information that is consumable separately from the payload data wherein the information richly describes the payload data including provision of instructions for sampling the payload data before consuming the payload data.   
     
     
         2 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the data-packet-network is the Internet network. 
     
     
         3 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the posting application is used to post a binary series comprising the payload data and the transport protocol is network news transport protocol (NNTP). 
     
     
         4 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the consuming application is a network newsreader adapted with a collector component for finding and collecting the posted payload data using the NNTP protocol. 
     
     
         5 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the information is a binary series index message describing the contents of the payload data and further providing instructions for sampling the data. 
     
     
         6 . The software suite of  claim 5  wherein the payload data is one of or a combination of pictures, movies, sound files, applications, or text documents. 
     
     
         7 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the consumer application is divided into two separate components, that of a newsreader for consuming text and that of a collector for consuming multi-media. 
     
     
         8 . The software suite of  claim 5  wherein the binary series index message is an XML-based message. 
     
     
         9 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the transport control protocols include but are not limited to network news transport protocol, file transport protocol, rich site summary protocol, universal discovery description and integration protocol, lightweight directory access protocol, multipurpose Internet mail protocol, post office protocol, simple message access protocol, Internet mail access protocol, and hypertext transport protocol. 
     
     
         10 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the information includes XML-based description of one or more of a host server identity, a poster identity, a newsgroup identity, and one or more contact identities. 
     
     
         11 . The software suite of  claim 1  integrated with an identity oriented management firewall. 
     
     
         12 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the data-packet-network is part of a peer-to-peer network hosted by a service provider. 
     
     
         13 . The software suite of  claim 1  where in payload description includes but is not limited to message count, message size, media type, file size, file count, play duration, picture resolution, file name, file date of creation, number of accesses, indication of sample files, indication of poster commentary, indication of commerce-related data, reference to classification parts, and indication of file priority for sampling. 
     
     
         14 . The software suite of  claim 4  wherein the collector component manages files stored locally on the station of the consumer using the information as a base for file organization and presentation. 
     
     
         15 . The software suite of  claim 14  wherein the information is reused for reposting a consumed series. 
     
     
         16 . The software suite of  claim 1  provided as a browser plug-in. 
     
     
         17 . The software suite of  claim 1  wherein the information and payload data published is consumable only by consumers approved for consumption.