US 12,156,069 B2
Peer-to-peer data sharing for reduced network demand
Jessica Lyn Hile, Austin, TX (US); Alyssa Ambos, Austin, TX (US); and Ryan P. McBride, Chicago, IL (US)
Assigned to The Boeing Company, Arlington, VA (US)
Filed by The Boeing Company, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Oct. 28, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/452,691.
Prior Publication US 2023/0140819 A1, May 4, 2023
Int. Cl. H04W 28/02 (2009.01); H04W 4/08 (2009.01); H04W 84/12 (2009.01)
CPC H04W 28/021 (2013.01) [H04W 4/08 (2013.01); H04W 84/12 (2013.01)] 21 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus for acquiring digital content by a user device connected to a wireless local area network (WLAN) that is connected to a wider-area network over which the digital content is accessible from a server computer, the apparatus comprising:
a memory configured to store computer-readable program code; and
processing circuitry configured to access the memory, and execute the computer-readable program code to cause the apparatus to at least:
receive a request for the digital content at the user device;
perform a search of a peer-to-peer network that includes the user device and one or more peer devices running client software from which the peer-to-peer network is accessible, the search performed to determine if the digital content is also accessible from a peer device of the one or more peer devices;
request information from the peer device that indicates a version of the digital content that is also accessible from the peer device; and
access the digital content from the peer device over the peer-to-peer network and independent of the wider-area network when the search indicates the digital content is also accessible from the peer device and when the version of the digital content that is also accessible from the peer device is a latest-version of the digital content, and from the server computer over the WLAN and the wider-area network when the search indicates the digital content is inaccessible from the peer device or when the version of the digital content is not the latest-version of the digital content.