Optimizing internet data transfers using an intelligent router agent

Abstract

A method and system for optimizing data transfers includes generating a hash signature for a requested data file using a router agent of a Local Area Network (LAN), in response to an initiating user requesting the requested data file using a computer on a LAN communicating with a WAN/Internet, and the router agent configuring a file byte-stream for requested data files from the Wide Area Network (WAN/Internet). The generated hash signature of the requested data file is compared with an existing hash signature of an existing data file accessible using the local area network (LAN). The requested data file can be downloaded locally if a user accepts a local download of the requested data file being accessible using the LAN, in response to the generated hash signature matching the hash signature of the existing data file.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for optimizing data file transfers utilizing a router agent, comprising:
 generating a hash signature for a requested data file(s) using a router agent of a Local Area Network (LAN), the LAN including an initiating computer device, and one or more LAN user computer devices communicating using a LAN communications network, the router agent including at least one module for generating the hash signature for the requested data file, wherein the at least one module is selected from the group consisting of: an agent indexing module, a hash signature comparison module, a hash signature generation module, a communication module, a routing module, a download module and a byte stream module; and the hash signature being generated based on an initially received file byte-stream, the initially received file byte-stream being received by a router in the LAN in response to the initiating user requesting the requested data file using a computer on the (LAN) communicating with a Wide Area Network (WAN/Internet), the requested data file being stored on a remote computer readable storage medium accessible using the WAN/Internet, the generating of the hash signature including:
 the router agent configuring the initially received file byte-stream for the requested data file from the WAN/Internet which includes determining a size in bytes of the requested data file; and 
 assigning the hash signature to the requested data file using the router agent, after determining the size in bytes of the requested data file, and the router agent generating the hash signature as a unique output represented as a number of bytes based on the initially received file byte-stream and the size in bytes of the requested data file; 
   comparing the generated hash signature of the requested data file with an existing hash signature of the existing data file stored on a local computer readable storage medium accessible using the LAN, the comparison being accomplished using the agent indexing module, the agent indexing module maintaining a local record of the existing hash signature mapped to the existing data file;   prompting the initiating user to accept a local download using the LAN of the existing data file on the local computer readable storage medium, in response to the generated hash signature matching the existing hash signature of the existing data file, whereby the existing data file is a copy of the requested data file, the local download of the existing data file being accomplished by a file transfer technology, the file transfer technology being selected from the group consisting of: peer to peer (P2P) file transfer, and file transfer protocol (FTP);   the router agent synchronizing a database of the LAN with a file system of a LAN user;   parsing the file system using the router agent to determine when an existing data file in the database has been deleted by the LAN user in the file system;   when the existing data file is determined to be removed from the file system, matching the existing data file to an associated record located in the LAN database; and   deleting the associated record in the LAN database.