SECURE STORAGE AND ACCELERATED TRANSMISSION OF INFORMATION OVER COMMUNICATION NETWORKS

• US 20100306524A1
• Filed: 05/28/2010
• Published: 12/02/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BitSpray Corporation
• Original Assignee: BitSpray Corporation
• Inventors: Watkins, Christopher D., Martin, Donald E., RUNKIS, Walter H.
• Granted Patent: US 8,700,890 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/150
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/80 in storage media based on magnetic or optical technology, e.g. disks with sectors preventing unauthorised reproduction or copying of disc-type recordable media G11B20/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/30 Compression, e.g. Merkle-Damgard construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0471 applying encryption by an intermediary, e.g. receiving clear information at the intermediary and encrypting the received information at the intermediary before forwarding
• 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 9/065 Encryption by serially and continuously modifying data stream elements, e.g. stream cipher systems, RC4, SEAL or A5/3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/0894 Escrow, recovery or storing of secret information, e.g. secret key escrow or cryptographic key storage

Abstract

A system and method for securely storing and transmitting digital information includes a computing device connected to at least one of a network device or a storage device or both. The system and method also includes a communication network connected to the at least one of a network device or the at least one of a storage device, or both. The system and method may include the computing device being configured to receive and receiving at least a portion of one or more first bit streams from an input device, being configured to parse and parsing the at least a portion of the one or more bit streams to form one or more first datasets, being configured to compress and compressing the one or more first datasets to form one or more second datasets, being configured to encrypt and cryptographically modifying the one or more second data sets to form one or more third datasets, being configured to assemble and assembling the one or more third datasets to form at least one second bit stream; and being configured to disperse and dispersing the at least one second bit stream into multiple portions in such a manner that any minimum number of the total number of dispersed portions contains a complete second bit stream, and being configured to output and outputting the total number of dispersed portions to one or more of local and remote data storage devices.

Claims

1. A system for securely storing and transmitting digital information including:

a computing device connected to at least one of a network device or a storage device or both; and

a communication network connected to the at least one of a network device or the at least one of a storage device, or both;

wherein the computing device is configured to;

receive at least a portion of one or more first bit streams from an input device;

parse the at least a portion of the one or more bit streams to form one or more first datasets;

compress the one or more first data sets to form one or more second datasets;

cryptographically modify the one or more second data sets to form one or more third datasets;

and perform either;

(a) assemble the one or more third datasets to form at least one second bit stream; and

output the at least one second bit stream to one or more data storage devices;

or

(b) assemble the one or more third datasets to form at least one second bit stream; and

output the at least one second bit stream to one or more network data transmission devices;

or

(c) disassemble the one or more third datasets into multiple data blocks to form t volumes as part of at least one second bit stream such that m number of volumes contain a complete data set, wherein m<

t; and

disperse the t volumes across one or more transmission paths to store the t volumes across a plurality of distributed storage locations, such that no complete dataset is stored at a single storage location, or any combination of (a), (b), or (c).

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to:

overwrite one or more memory locations holding the at least a portion of one or more first bit streams with a random or non-random data pattern after the parsing;

overwrite one or more memory locations holding the one or more first datasets with a random or non-random data pattern after the compressing; and

overwrite one or more memory locations holding the one or more second datasets with a random or non-random data pattern after the cryptographic modifying.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to output the at least one second bit stream or disperse the t volumes to at least one of a wired network, a wireless network, a wired network node, or a wireless network node, or any combination thereof.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the formation of the at least one second bit stream and the at least one first, second, and third datasets includes modifying original information in the one or more first bit streams and the at least one first and second datasets such that the modified information includes characteristics different than those of the original information such that the integrity of the original information remains uncompromised.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to disperse the t volumes in a pseudorandom manner.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of distributed storage locations includes a plurality of local storage locations, a plurality of remote storage locations, or any combination thereof.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to select the plurality of distributed data storage locations in a random or pseudorandom manner.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is further configured to select the distributed data storage locations according to at feast one of storage space allocation considerations, traffic flow considerations, network congestion considerations, network routing considerations, file characteristics considerations, packet type considerations, communication protocol considerations, network management considerations, or any combination thereof.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein a transmission over one or more wired or wireless nodes occurs over at least one of a plurality of fiber optic strands, a plurality of lambdas within at least one fiber optic strand, a plurality of frequencies in at least one wireless access point, a plurality of electric power lines equipped with BPL (Broadband over powerline) transmission equipment, a plurality of frequencies in one or more BPL access points, or any combination thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein information transmitted and/or stored includes multimedia information.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein information transmitted and/or stored includes either:

(a) instructional programs and materials, distance learning study courses, and educational curricula;

(b) medical records and archives, prescriptions and prescription records, research data, and/or diagnostic images and information;

(c) data for financial transaction processing activities, financial transaction processing records, financial accounts, and financial archives;

(d) data for bidirectional audio and/or visual communications between globally distributed users and devices;

or

(e) data for bidirectional communications, control, and monitoring of remote devices and software;

or any combination of (a), (b), (c), (d), or (e).

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to cryptographically modify the t volumes after the formation of the t volumes.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to randomize an assignment of storage locations for the t volumes such that no individual volume of the t volumes is stored at a storage location from where it originates.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing device is configured to relocate the t volumes amongst a plurality of storage locations at randomly or deterministically determined intervals.

15. A system for conserving bandwidth during the transmission of data between a plurality of networked devices including:

a first networked device including;

at least one memory component configured to store data in one or more data arrays;

the first networked device being configured to;

form a pointer referencing data in the corresponding data array; and

transfer the pointer to a second networked device across a communication network, wherein the second networked device is configured to reference data stored in one or more data arrays stored at the second networked device using the transferred pointer.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more data arrays include at least one of:

a string of fixed length;

a pointer to a string of variable length;

an integer;

a real number;

an internal pointer;

an external pointer to another data array;

external pointer to a software program;

a code block;

an element of a code block;

an executable instruction;

an element of an executable instruction;

one or more parameters and/or arguments to initialize a code block or executable instruction;

or any combination thereof.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the pointer formed is a two dimensional pointer.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the pointer formed and transmitted conveys at least one instruction to control and/or monitor a remote device and/or software.

19. A method for securely storing and transmitting digital information including:

receiving, from an input device, at least a portion of one or more first bit streams;

parsing, with a parsing module, the at least a portion of the one or more bit streams to form one or more first datasets;

compressing, with a compressing module, the one or more first datasets to form one or more second datasets;

cryptographically modifying, with an encryption module, the one or more second data sets to form one or more third datasets; and

performing either;

(a) assembling, using an assembly module, the one or more third datasets to form at least one second bit stream and outputting the at least one second bit stream to one or more data storage devices;

or

(b) assembling, using an assembly module, the one or more third datasets to form at least one second bit stream; and

output the at least one second bit stream to one or more network data transmission devices;

or

(c) disassembling, using a disassembly module;

the one or more third datasets into multiple data blocks to form “

t”

volumes as part of at least one second bit stream such that “

m”

number of volumes contain a complete data set, wherein m<

t, and

dispersing, using a dispersal module, the t volumes across one or more transmission paths to the store the t volumes across a plurality of distributed storage locations, such that no complete dataset is stored at a single storage location, or both.

20. The method of claim 19 whereby the compressing, cryptographically modifying, disassembling, and dispersing routines are accomplished by a single routine or module.

21. The method of claim 19 further including:

overwriting one or more memory locations holding the at least a portion of one or more first bit streams with a random or non-random data pattern, after the parsing;

overwriting one or more memory locations holding the one or more first datasets with a random or non-random data pattern after the compressing; and

overwriting one or more memory locations holding the one or more second datasets with a random or non-random data pattern after the cryptographic modifying.

22. The method of claim 19, further including outputting the at least one second bit stream or dispersing the t volumes to at least one of a wired network, a wireless network, a wired network node, or a wireless network node, or any combination thereof.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein the forming the at least one second bit stream and the at least one first, second, and third datasets includes modifying original information in the one or more first bit streams and the at least one first and second datasets such that the modified information includes characteristics different than those of the original information such that an integrity of the original information remains uncompromised.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein the dispersing of the t volumes occurs in a pseudorandom manner.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein the plurality of distributed storage locations includes a plurality of local storage locations, a plurality of remote storage locations, or any combination thereof.

26. The method of claim 19, further including selecting, using a selection module, the distributed data storage locations according to at least one of storage space allocation considerations, traffic flow considerations, network congestion considerations, network routing considerations, file characteristics considerations, packet type considerations, communication protocol considerations, network management considerations, or any combination thereof.

27. The method of claim 19, wherein the cryptographic modifying occurs after the disassembling of the one or more third datasets into multiple data blocks to form “

t”

volumes.

28. A method for conserving bandwidth during the transmission of data between a plurality of networked devices including:

storing one or more data arrays in at least one memory component of a first networked device connected with a communication network;

forming a pointer referencing data in the corresponding data array; and

transferring the pointer to a second networked device across the communication network, wherein the second networked device is configured to reference data stored in one or more data arrays stored at the second networked device using the transferred pointer.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the pointer formed and transmitted conveys at least one instruction to control and/or monitor a remote device and/or software.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein the one or more data arrays include at least one of:

a string of fixed length;

a pointer to a string of variable length;

an integer;

a real number;

an internal pointer;

an external pointer to another data array;

external pointer to a software program;

a code block;

an element of a code block;

an executable instruction;

an element of an executable instruction;

one or more parameters and/or arguments to initialize a code block or executable instruction;

or any combination thereof.

31. The method of claim 28, wherein the pointer formed is a two dimensional pointer.