Distributed image storage architecture

• US 20020135801A1
• Filed: 12/10/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Media, Inc. (Verizon Communications Inc.), Yahoo Assets LLC
• Original Assignee: AOL LLC (Apollo Global Management, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lippert, Patrick D., Tessman, Gary Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 7,197,513 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/51 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/58 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/10 Protecting distributed programs or content, e.g. vending or licensing of copyrighted material protection in video systems or pay television H04N7/16 ; Digital rights management [DRM]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/31 User authentication
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2101 Auditing as a secondary aspect
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2149 Restricted operating environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/184 Intellectual property management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/04 Real-time or near real-time messaging, e.g. instant messaging [IM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/10 Multimedia information
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

System and techniques for storing digital images within a computer system by identifying a first storage facility and a directory within the first storage facility for storing a digital image; generating a first image identifier associated with the first storage facility and the directory; generating a second image identifier comprising a random number; generating a unique hash value by encrypting the first and second image identifiers; and identifying a storage path using the first and second image identifiers and the unique hash value such that related digital images have unrelated storage paths.

Claims

1. A method of storing digital images within a computer system comprising:

identifying a first storage facility and a directory within the first storage facility for storing a digital image;

generating a first image identifier associated with the first storage facility and the directory;

generating a second image identifier comprising a random number;

generating a unique hash value by encrypting the first and second image identifiers;

identifying a storage path using the first and second image identifiers and the unique hash value such that related digital images have unrelated storage paths.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the digital image is received from at least one of a subscriber of the computer system and a third party associated with the subscriber.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a storage path comprises extracting storage path information from at least one of the first image identifier and the second image identifier.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising translating the extracted storage path information.

5. The method of claim 3 wherein identifying a storage path comprises using the unique hash value as a filename.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising storing the digital image in the first storage facility at the identified storage path.

7. The method of claim 6 further comprising generating and storing lower resolution thumbnails at the identified storage path.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising identifying a second storage facility for storing metadata describing the digital image.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein identifying a second storage facility comprises encoding account information associated with the digital image.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the account information comprises a screen name associated with a subscriber.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising mapping the encoded account information to an appropriate storage space group containing second storage facility.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising storing metadata describing the digital image in the second storage facility.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising providing access to the stored digital image and the stored metadata.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein generating the unique hash value comprises applying at least on of the MD5 algorithm and the DEC algorithm to the first and second image identifiers.

17. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a disk.

18. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a client device.

19. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a host device.

20. The computer program of claim 16 wherein the computer readable medium comprises a propagated signal.

15. A digital image storage apparatus, comprising a host configured to:

identify a first storage facility and a directory within the first storage facility for storing a digital image;

generate a first image identifier associated with the first storage facility and the directory;

generate a second image identifier comprising a random number;

generate a unique hash value by encrypting the first and second image identifiers;

identify a storage path using the first and second image identifiers and the unique hash value such that related digital images have unrelated storage paths.

16. A computer program, stored on a computer readable medium, comprising instructions for:

identifying a first storage facility and a directory within the first storage facility for storing a digital image;

generating a first image identifier associated with the first storage facility and the directory;

generating a second image identifier comprising a random number;

generating a unique hash value by encrypting the first and second image identifiers;

identifying a storage path using the first and second image identifiers and the unique hash value such that related digital images have unrelated storage paths.

21. A method of storing digital images within a computer system comprising:

generating at least one image identifier associated with a first storage facility, a directory within the first storage facility, and a random number; and

identifying a storage path using the at least one image identifier such that related digital images have unrelated storage paths.

22. A method of monitoring digital images comprising:

receiving a complaint associated with a digital image from a first subscriber; and

regulating access of the first subscriber to the digital image.