Managing a message communication and file system

• US 20050050007A1
• Filed: 10/08/2004
• Published: 03/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Scott E. Sampson
• Original Assignee: Scott E. Sampson
• Inventors: Sampson, Scott E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,233,961 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/04 Payment circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/12 specially adapted for electronic shopping systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/389 Keeping log of transactions for guaranteeing non-repudiation of a transaction
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/02 Banking, e.g. interest calculation or account maintenance credit or loans G06Q40/03
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

A file system or other system that manages information entities includes a sub-system to store one or more tokens, as well as a token action log to associate each token with a customizable set of one or more actions, where each token is to trigger the associated set of one or more actions in response to accompanying a file-system/information entity that experiences an event. The file system also includes a token log manager, which initiates the appropriate actions corresponding to file-system entities that experience an event.

Claims

1. A method for managing a message communication and filing system comprising:

providing a token log as a data structure that contains a user-extensible set of tokens and conditions under which specific tokens are considered valid;

creating a new token as a set of symbols;

storing the new token in the token log together with information that implies one or more conditions under which the token is considered valid;

distributing the new token to one or more external entities; and

providing a system operator with the ability to change a validity status of the token.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein distributing the new token to one or more external entities comprises including the new token with one or more outgoing messages that are sent to the one or more external entities.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions under which the token is considered valid includes one or more addresses from which incoming messages including the specific token may be received.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions under which the token is considered valid includes a particular number of times the specific token may be included with an incoming messages.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions under which the token is considered valid includes a particular time period during which the specific token may be included with incoming messages.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more conditions under which the token is considered valid includes that the token is still recorded in the token log at the time an incoming message with the specific token attached is received.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving an incoming message with the new token attached; and

determining thea validity status of the new token by looking it up in the token log and checking the one or more conditions for use.

8. The method of claim 7 further comprising rejecting the message because the new token was determined to no longer be valid.

9. The method of claim 7 further comprising accepting the message because the new token was determined to still be valid.

10. A method for managing a message communication and file system comprising:

providing a token action log as a data structure that contains a user-extensible set of tokens, each token being a set of symbols;

storing a new entry in the token action log comprising;

a) a new token as a set of symbols, and

b) one or more actions associated with the new token, which actions are to be automatically executed at the event of receiving a file-system entity that has the new token attached via a communication network;

distributing the new token to one or more other entities by including the new token with one or more outgoing messages that are sent to the one or more other entities;

receiving an incoming message from another entity via a communication network, which message has an attached token from the set of tokens previously stored in the token action log;

identifying the token that is attached to the received message;

retrieving from the token action log the one or more actions which correspond to the identified token and the detected event; and

executing the retrieved actions.

11. A method for managing a file system comprising:

providing a token action log as a data structure that contains a user-extensible set of tokens, each token being a set of symbols;

storing a new entry in the token action log comprising;

a) a new token as a set of symbols, and

b) one or more actions associated with the new token, which actions are to be automatically executed at the event of receiving a file-system entity that has the new token attached via a communication network;

attaching the new token to one or more file-system entities such that the token is stored together with each attached file-system entity;

detecting an event involving receiving a file-system entity that has an attached token via a communication network, which token is from the set of tokens previously stored in the token action log;

identifying the attached token stored with the file-system entity involved in the detected event;

retrieving from the token action log the one or more actions which correspond to the identified token and the detected event; and

executing the retrieved actions.