METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING AND RECEIVING CONTENTS VIA NETWORK, METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BACKING UP DATA VIA NETWORK, BACKUP DATA PROVIDING DEVICE, AND BACKUP SYSTEM

• US 20110047190A1
• Filed: 08/23/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Keum-koo, SUNG, Ju-yun, KWAHK, Ji-young, KIM, Sun-ae, CHOO, Hee-jeong
• Granted Patent: US 9,521,193 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/803
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• 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 16/5866 using information manually generated, e.g. tags, keywords, comments, manually generated location and time information
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/587 using geographical or spatial information, e.g. location
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/84 Using snapshots, i.e. a logical point-in-time copy of the data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

Provided are methods and apparatuses for providing contents via a network, in which original data of contents provided via a network can be traced, and contents that are modified according to performance of a contents receiving device is provided. Location information of original contents is added to metadata of contents provided via the network to thereby increase convenience of access to the original contents and modify attributes of contents that are provided, to be suitable for the performance of the contents receiving device.

Claims

1. A content providing method performed via a network, the method comprising:

storing original contents in a predetermined storage device;

modifying attributes of the original contents to generate modified contents;

generating metadata including location information of the storage device in which the original contents are stored; and

providing the modified contents and the metadata to a device interconnected via the network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the location information comprises Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information of the storage device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the metadata further comprises original contents access rights information about access rights to the original contents.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the modified contents further comprises resizing the original contents based on at least one of a storage space and a resolution of a device interconnected via a network.

22. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing the method of claim 1.

5. A content receiving method performed via a network, the method comprising:

receiving predetermined contents;

extracting location information of original contents from metadata of the contents; and

receiving the original contents from a predetermined storage device interconnected via the network, using the extracted location information of the original contents.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the location information comprises Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information of the storage device.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

providing information about at least one of a storage space and a resolution of a device that receives the predetermined contents, to a device that provides the predetermined contents,

wherein the predetermined contents are generated by using the device that provides the predetermined contents by resizing the original contents based on at least one of the storage device and the resolution of the device that receives the predetermined contents.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the metadata further comprises original contents access rights information about access rights to the original contents.

23. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing the method of claim 5.

9. A content providing device for providing contents via a network, the device comprising:

an original content modifying unit that modifies attributes of original contents to generate modified contents;

a metadata generating unit that generates metadata including location information of a predetermined storage device in which the original contents are stored; and

a content providing unit that provides the modified contents and the metadata to a device interconnected via the network.

10. The device of claim 9, wherein the location information comprises Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information of the storage device.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the metadata further comprises original contents access rights information about access rights to the original contents.

12. The device of claim 9, wherein the original content modifying unit resizes the original contents based on at least one of a storage space and a resolution of a device interconnected via the network.

13. A content receiving device for receiving contents via a network, the device comprising:

a content receiving unit that receives predetermined contents; and

an additional data extracting unit that extracts location information of original contents from metadata of the contents,

wherein the content receiving unit receives the original contents from a predetermined storage device interconnected via the network by using the extracted location information of the original contents.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein the location information comprises Uniform Resource Locator (URL) information of the storage device.

15. The device of claim 13, further comprising a device information providing unit that provides information about at least one of a storage space and a resolution of the content receiving device to a device that provides the predetermined contents,

wherein the predetermined contents are generated by using the device that provides the predetermined contents by resizing the original contents based on at least one of the storage space and resolution of the device.

16. The device of claim 13, further comprising original contents access rights information about access rights to the original contents.

17. A content providing method performed via a network, the method comprising:

obtaining status information of a device to which contents are to be transferred;

modifying attributes of the contents that are to be provided to the device by using the status information of the device; and

providing the modified contents to the device.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the status information of the device comprises at least one of a resolution available in the device, a residual capacity of the device, and a file format supported by the device.

24. A computer readable recording medium having embodied thereon a program for executing the method of claim 17.

19. A content providing device for providing contents via a network, the device comprising:

a content storing unit that stores predetermined contents;

a communication unit that receives status information of a device to which the contents are to be transferred;

a device information storing unit that stores the received status information of the device; and

a content modifying unit that modifies attributes of the contents that are to be provided to the device by using the status information of the device.

20. A content receiving method performed via a network, the method comprising:

selecting contents to be received, among contents provided by a predetermined contents providing device;

transmitting status information of a device that receives the contents, to the contents providing device; and

receiving contents with attributes modified according to the status information of the device.

21. A content receiving device for receiving contents via a network, the device comprising:

a user interface via which contents to be received among contents provided by a predetermined content providing device is selected; and

a communication unit that transmits status information of a device that receives the contents, to the content providing device, and receives contents with attributes modified according to the status information of the device.

25. A data backup method via a network, comprising:

determining whether a first storage device connected to a data providing device via a network is available to store data;

transferring the data stored in the data providing device to a second storage device that is connected via the network and is available to store the data, if the first storage device is unavailable to store the data;

storing the transferred data in the second storage device; and

determining whether the first storage device is available to store the data and transferring the data stored in the second storage device to the first storage device to store the data in the first storage device if the first storage device is available to store the data.

26. The data backup method of claim 25, wherein determining whether the first storage device is available to store the data comprises comparing a residual storage capacity of the first storage device and a size of the data stored in the data providing device.

27. The data backup method of claim 25, further comprising:

searching for at least one third storage device that is connected via the network and is available to store the data;

dividing the data stored in the data providing device based on the residual storage capacities of the second storage device and the third storage device; and

storing the divided data in the second storage device and the third storage device in a distributed manner.

28. The data backup method of claim 25, further comprising:

transferring the data stored in the second storage device to the first storage device and converting the transferred data by compression;

generating metadata including location information of the second storage device; and

deleting the data originally stored in the data providing device and storing the converted data and the metadata in the data providing device.

29. A data backup system for backing up data via a network, comprising:

a data providing device providing backup data;

a plurality of storage devices connected to the data providing device via the network; and

a backup control unit that controls the operations of determining whether a first storage device selected from among the plurality of storage devices is available to store the backup data, storing the backup data provided by the data providing device in a second storage device selected from among the plurality of storage device if the first storage device is unavailable to store the backup data; and

transferring and storing the backup data stored in the second storage device in the first storage device if the first storage device becomes available to store the backup data.

30. A data providing device comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with a plurality of storage devices connected via a network;

a storage unit that stores backup data; and

a control unit that controls the operations of determining whether a first storage device selected from among the plurality of storage devices is available to store the backup data, and transferring the backup data stored in the storage unit to a second storage device selected from among the plurality of storage device via the communication unit if the first storage device is unavailable to store the backup data.

31. The data providing device of claim 30, wherein the control unit controls searching for at least one third storage device that is connected via the network and is available to store the backup data, dividing the backup data stored in the data providing device based on the residual storage capacities of the second storage device and the third storage device, and storing the divided data in the second storage device and the third storage device in a distributed manner.

32. The data providing device of claim 30, further comprising a conversion unit that converts the backup data transferred from the data providing device to the second storage device by compression and generates metadata including location information of the second storage device;

and

wherein the control unit deletes the backup data originally stored in the data providing device and stores the converted data and metadata in the storage unit.

33. A data backup system comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with at least one storage device and a data providing device connected via a network;

a storage unit that stores data provided via the communication unit; and

a control unit that controls receiving and storing data in the storage unit if the at least one storage device is unavailable to store the data, determining whether the at least one storage device is available to store the data, and transferring the data stored in the storing unit to the at least one storage device via the communication unit if the at least one storage device becomes available to store the data.

34. The data backup system of claim 33, wherein the control unit controls notifying the data providing device that the data in the storage unit is transferred to the at least one storage device if the transfer of the data in the storage unit to the at least one storage device is completed.

35. The data backup system of claim 33, wherein the control unit controls providing a list of the data stored in the storage unit to the at least one storage device and the data providing device via the communication unit to prevent overlapping storage of the data.

36. A data backup system comprising:

a communication unit that communicates with at least one storage device and a data providing device connected via a network;

a storage unit that stores data provided via the communication unit; and

a control unit that controls notifying the at least one storage device and the data providing device via the communication unit that the storage unit is unavailable to store the data provided by one of the at least storage device and the data providing device, notifying the at least one storage device and the data providing device via the communication unit that the storage unit becomes available to store the data, and storing the data provided via the communication unit in the storage unit.

37. The data backup system of claim 36, wherein the control unit controls notifying the data providing device via the communication unit that the data is stored in the storage unit if the storage of the data in the storage unit is completed.

38. The data backup system of claim 36, wherein the control unit controls providing a list of the data stored in the storage unit to the at least one storage device and the data providing device via the communication unit to prevent overlapping storage of the data.