SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DISTRIBUTING SHARED STORAGE FOR COLLABORATION ACROSS MULTIPLE DEVICES

• US 20110087738A1
• Filed: 03/16/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2002
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Colligo Networks, Inc. (Olbia Software Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Colligo Networks, Inc. (Olbia Software Inc.)
• Inventors: Blackstock, Michael Anthony, Bartram, Linda Ruth
• Application Number:
  US12/725,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087738A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1834 implemented based on peer-to-peer networks, e.g. gnutella p2p communication protocols H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A method and apparatus is described in which anchors are used to produce a shared store display. The anchors are pointers to objects which are distributively stored on a peer-to-peer network. Not all of the objects are copied to each of the units in the peer-to-peer network. Additionally, not all of the objects are stored in a central server. The peer-to-peer network software allows for collaborative networking of the objects in the shared store.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

producing a shared store display at a first computing device, the shared store display referencing one or more local objects at the first computing device and one or more remote objects at a second computing device;

if indicated by a first user control, copying a remote object from the second computing device and storing a copy of the remote object locally at the first computing device, the first and second computing devices communicatively coupled via a network; and

setting one or more permissions on a local object in the first computing device, the one or more permissions determining whether the local object will be visible to the second computing device, objects deleted from a shared store of the first computing device being deleted from the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying which user last modified the remote object in the shared store display.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating by a second user control when one or more synchronization conflicts occur between a copy of the object on the first computing device and the second computing device; and

if indicated by the second user control, selecting whether a local copy or a remote copy is to become a new version in the shared store.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

indicating by a second user control when one or more synchronization conflicts occur between a copy of the object on the first computing device and the second computing device; and

if indicated by the second user control, selecting whether a local copy or a remote copy is to become a new version in the shared store.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

if indicated by a third user control, invoking an object editing application on the second computing device to reconcile changes between the local version and the remote version of the object.

6. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

if indicated by a third user control, invoking an object editing application on the second computing device to reconcile changes between the local version and the remote version of the object.

7. An apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

a processor configured to;

produce a shared store display at a first computing device, the shared store display referencing one or more local objects at the first computing device and one or more remote objects at a second computing device;

if indicated by a first user control, copy a remote object from the second computing device and storing a copy of the remote object locally at the first computing device, the first and second computing devices communicatively coupled via a network; and

set one or more permissions on a local object in the first computing device, the one or more permissions determining whether the local object will be visible to the second computing device, objects deleted from a shared store of the first computing device being deleted from the second computing device.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to display which user last modified the remote object in the shared store display.

9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the processor is further configured to:

indicate by a second user control when one or more synchronization conflicts occur between a copy of the object on the first computing device and the second computing device; and

if indicated by the second user control, select whether a local copy or a remote copy is to become a new version in the shared store.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured to:

indicate by a second user control when one or more synchronization conflicts occur between a copy of the object on the first computing device and the second computing device; and

if indicated by the second user control, select whether a local copy or a remote copy is to become a new version in the shared store.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processor is further configured to:

if indicated by a third user control, invoke an object editing application on the second computing device to reconcile changes between the local version and the remote version of the object.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the processor is further configured to:

if indicated by a third user control, invoke an object editing application on the second computing device to reconcile changes between the local version and the remote version of the object.

13. An apparatus comprising:

means for producing a shared store display at a first computing device, the shared store display referencing one or more local objects at the first computing device and one or more remote objects at a second computing device;

means for if indicated by a first user control, copying a remote object from the second computing device and storing a copy of the remote object locally at the first computing device, the first and second computing devices communicatively coupled via a network; and

means for setting one or more permissions on a local object in the first computing device, the one or more permissions determining whether the local object will be visible to the second computing device, objects deleted from a shared store of the first computing device being deleted from the second computing device.

14. A program storage device readable by a machine, embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method, the method comprising:

producing a shared store display at a first computing device, the shared store display referencing one or more local objects at the first computing device and one or more remote objects at a second computing device;

if indicated by a first user control, copying a remote object from the second computing device and storing a copy of the remote object locally at the first computing device, the first and second computing devices communicatively coupled via a network; and

setting one or more permissions on a local object in the first computing device, the one or more permissions determining whether the local object will be visible to the second computing device, objects deleted from a shared store of the first computing device being deleted from the second computing device.