STORAGE MEDIA TRACKING AND MANAGMENT

• US 20080256110A1
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Published: 10/16/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sen, Vijay, Anand, Karandeep Singh
• Granted Patent: US 7,882,366 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Managing removable computer-readable media transporting across various locations. Data is stored on the computer-readable media at an on-site location. Each of the computer-readable media is associated with a tracking device. The tracking device has a storage medium. An intent expression is defined for each of the computer-readable media. The defined intent expression includes conditions for managing each of the computer-readable media. The defined intent expression for each of the computer-readable media is stored on the storage medium of the tracking device. The computer-readable media are transported from the on-site location to an offsite location. The stored intent expression is obtained for each of the computer-readable media on the tracking device at the offsite location to manage the computer-readable media based on the defined intent expression.

Claims

1. A method for managing removable computer-readable media transporting across various locations, said method comprising:

storing data on the computer-readable media at an on-site location;

associating each of the computer-readable media with a tracking device, said tracking device having a storage medium;

defining an intent expression for each of the computer-readable media, said defined intent expression including conditions for managing each of the computer-readable media;

storing the defined intent expression for each of the computer-readable media on the storage medium of the tracking device;

wherein said computer-readable media are transported from the on-site location to an offsite location;

obtaining the stored intent expression for each of the computer-readable media on the tracking device at the offsite location; and

managing the computer-readable media based on the obtained intent expression.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the included conditions of the obtained intent expression have been satisfied at the offsite location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining comprises determining whether the included conditions of the obtained intent expression have been satisfied at the offsite location at a predetermined time interval.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising issuing a notification to a user as a function of the determined condition.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein managing comprises modifying all or a portion of the obtained intent expression as a function of the determining.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the intent expression comprises defining the intent expression to include a condition describing at least one of the following:

locations associated with computer-readable media, an expected time of arrival of the computer-readable media, duration of stay at each of the locations, a retention period of the stored data, an expiry action to be performed on the stored data, a duration within which expiry action is to be executed, and a probability value for recalling the computer-readable media.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an identity, a data description and location information identifying one or more locations as a function of the intent expression for each of the computer-readable media on the tracking device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein obtaining the stored intent expression comprises obtaining the stored intent expression of each of the computer-readable media on the tracking device at the offsite location.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

10. A computer-readable medium having a data structure stored thereon for managing removable computer-readable medium transporting across various locations, said data structure comprising:

a first data field storing information identifying the removable computer-readable medium;

a second data field storing information describing data stored on the removable computer-readable medium identified in the first data field; and

a third data field defining information identifying an intent expression, said intent expression including a condition for managing the data stored on the removable computer-readable medium across the various locations.

11. The computer-readable media of claim 10, further comprising a fourth data field for storing information identifying one or more locations as a function of the intent expression described in the third data field.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the third data field storing information includes at least one of the following conditions in the intent expression:

an expected time of arrival of the computer-readable media, duration of stay at each of the locations, a retention period of the stored data, an expiry action to be performed on the stored data, a duration within which expiry action is to be executed, and a probability value for recalling the computer-readable media.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 10, wherein the third data field includes information defining the intent expression in one or more of the following forms:

computer-executable instructions and markup-based language format.

14. A system for managing removable computer-readable media transporting across various locations, said system comprising:

a first server configured for storing backup data on a removable computer-readable medium;

a tracking device associated with the removable computer-readable medium, said tracking device having a storage medium having an intent expression stored on the storage medium, said intent expression including conditions for managing the backup data on the removable computer-readable medium;

one or more location data readers for reading the intent expression on the storage medium of the tracking device associated with the removable computer-readable medium as the removable computer-readable medium being transported across various locations;

a second server for processing the read intent expression; and

a user interface for providing an event notification to a user in response to the processed intent expression.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second processor is further configured to determine whether the included conditions of the read intent expression have been satisfied at an offsite location.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second processor is configured to determine whether the included conditions of the read intent expression have been satisfied at the offsite location at a predetermined time interval.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user interface is further configured to issue a notification to the user as a function of the determined condition.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the tracking device defines the intent expression to include a condition describing at least one of the following:

locations associated with computer-readable media, an expected time of arrival of the computer-readable media, duration of stay at each of the locations, a retention period of the stored data, an expiry action to be performed on the stored data, a duration within which expiry action is to be executed, and a probability value for recalling the computer-readable media.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage medium of the tracking device associating with each of the removable computer-readable media includes an identity, a data description and location information identifying one or more locations as a function of the intent expression for each of the computer-readable media associated with the tracking medium.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the second server is configured to process the read intent expression of the computer-readable medium on the tracking device at the offsite location in a periodic interval.