Peer-to-peer email with video and advertising aspects

摘要

A Peer-to-Peer (“P2P”) email and social networking system for use by plural users to exchange emails and attachments includes a mesh network that includes plural node computers, each running a P2P email client, and each constructed to transmit and receive emails. The emails are stored in mailboxes residing on each node computer, and may be encrypted during transmission, and may remain encrypted while stored at each node computer.

主权项

1. A method for facilitating peer-to-peer email exchange, the method comprising the steps of:
implementing a plurality of node computers in selective communication with one another, thereby forming a network, each of said node computers configured for sending an at least one email message to a select at least one of the other node computers; implementing an at least one cache server in selective communication with the node computers and configured for temporarily storing at least a portion of the at least one email message; implementing an email client in memory on each node computer, said email client configured for allowing a user to draft, send and receive email messages; implementing a local email store in memory on each node computer, said email store configured for storing email messages and any file attachments thereto; implementing an email agent in memory on each node computer, each said email agent configured for communicating with email agents of other node computers, thereby allowing for the transmission of the email messages and any file attachments thereto directly between the email clients of two or more node computers; and upon a sending user of a first one of the node computers desiring to send an email message, including any file attachments thereto, to an at least one receiving user of another one of the node computers:
determining whether the node computer of each of the at least one receiving user is online;for each of the at least one receiving user, upon determining that the node computer of said receiving user is online:
transmitting the email message and any file attachments thereto directly to the online node computer of said receiving user; andupon receipt, storing the email message and any file attachments thereto in memory on the online node computer of said receiving user;for each of the at least one receiving user, upon determining that the node computer of said receiving user is not online:
transmitting the email message to at least one of the at least one cache server and the online node computer of at least one other receiving user for later retrieval;transmitting any file attachments thereto having a size less than a predefined maximum size to at least one of the at least one cache server and the online node computer of at least one other receiving user for later retrieval;storing any file attachments thereto having a size greater than the predefined maximum size in memory on the node computer of the sending user;upon the node computer of said receiving user subsequently going online, notifying said node computer of the existence and locations of the pending email message and any file attachments thereto; andretrieving from at least one of the online node computer of the sending user, the at least one cache server and the online node computer of at least one other receiving user the email message and any file attachments thereto and storing said email message and file attachments in memory on the node computer of said receiving user; andrequiring each of the at least one receiving user to view advertising content prior to allowing access to the email message and any file attachments thereto.