AUTOMATIC USER DEVICE BACKUP

• US 20110238626A1
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Published: 09/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: HUANG, Jian, YE, Baoqing, ZHOU, Haiyan, HAO, Jack Jianxiu
• Application Number:
  US12/730,765
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238626A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/644
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments

Abstract

A user device connects to a global server via a public network and to a local server via a private network. The user device is configured to store information and preferences, where the preferences include information regarding a type of backup permitted by a user of the user device; determine that the preferences permit a local backup to the local server; determine whether a connection, to the local server, can be established, via the private network, based on the determination that the preferences permit the local backup; send at least some of the information to the local server and via the connection through the private network, when the connection to the local server can be established; and send, the at least some of the information to the local server, via the global server and the public network, when the connection to the local server cannot be established.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user device connected to a global server via a public network and connected to a local server via a private network, the method comprising:

storing, in a memory, a plurality of information and user preferences, the user preferences including information regarding a type of backup operation permitted by a user of the user device;

determining, by the user device, that the user preferences permit a local backup operation to the local server;

determining, by the user device, whether a connection, to the local server, can be established, via the private network, based on the determination that the user preferences permit the local backup operation;

sending, at least some of the information, stored in the memory, to the local server and via the connection through the private network, when the connection to the local server can be established; and

sending, the at least some of the information, stored in the memory, to the local server via the global server and the public network, when the connection to the local server cannot be established.

2. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the connection, to the local server, can be established, via the private network, includes:

sending, to the global server and via the public network, a request to perform the local backup operation to the local server; and

receiving, from the global server and via the public network, a notification that the local server is online, the notification including data that permits the user device to send the at least some of the information, stored on the user device, to the local server via the private network.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user preferences permit a remote backup operation; and

sending, the at least some of the information, stored in the memory, to the global server and via the public network, based on the determination that the user preferences permit the remote backup operation.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user preferences permit a remote backup operation;

sending, to the global server and via the public network, a request to perform the remote backup operation to the global server;

receiving, from the global server, a notification that a backup server is online, the notification including data that permits the user device to send the at least some of the information, stored on the user device, to the backup server; and

sending, to the backup server and via the public network, the at least some of the information based on the notification that the backup server is online.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the user preferences permit the local backup operation to be performed via the private network or via the public network; and

performing the local backup operation, via the private network, when the connection, to the local server, can be established, based on the determination that the user preferences permit the local backup operation to be performed via the private network or via the public network.

6. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the connection, to the local server, can be established, includes:

sending, to the private network, a hello notification to determine whether the private network is available; and

receiving, from the private network and in response to the hello notification, a return hello notification indicating that the private network is available.

7. The method of claim 1, where determining whether the connection, to the local server, can be established, via the private network, includes:

sending, to the global server and via the public network, a request to perform the local backup operation to the local server;

receiving, from the global server, a notification that the local server is offline; and

determining whether the user preferences permit a temporary global backup operation to the global server; and

sending, the at least some of the information, stored in the memory, to the global server and via the public network, when the user preferences permit the temporary global backup operation to the global server.

8. The method of claim 1, where the memory stores information associated with a user preferences user interface, the method further comprising:

receiving a request to specify the user preferences;

retrieving, from the memory, the information associated with the user preferences user interface;

presenting, to a display device, the information associated with the user preferences user interface;

receiving the user preferences via the user preferences user interface; and

sending the user preferences to the global server.

9. The method of claim 1, where sending, the at least some of the information, stored in the memory, to the local server and via the connection through the private network, includes:

sending, to the local server and via the connection, an upload list, the upload list containing a plurality of file identifiers;

receiving, from the local server and via the connection, a particular file identifier of the plurality of file identifiers; and

retrieving, from the memory, the at least some of the information corresponding to the particular file identifier.

10. The method of claim 1, where sending, the at least some of the information, stored in the memory, to the local server and via the connection through the private network, includes:

reading, from the memory, timestamp information that includes a particular time when a previous backup operation was performed; and

retrieving, from the memory, the at least some information that was stored, in the memory, after the particular time.

11. A server device comprising:

a memory to store user preferences, the user preferences including information regarding a type of backup operation permitted by a user of a user device; and

a processor to;

receive a request to perform a backup operation of information stored on the user device,

determine, in response to the request, whether the user preferences permit a local backup operation to a local server or a remote backup operation to the server device,

identify a status of the local server based on a determination that the user preferences permit the local backup operation,

determine whether the user preferences permit a temporary remote backup operation, to the server device, when the status of the local server indicates that the local server is unavailable,

perform an upload operation to obtain a particular file from the user device,

temporarily store the particular file in the memory, and

provide the particular file to the local server when the local server later becomes available.

12. The server device of claim 11, where, when performing the upload operation, the processor is to:

receive, from the user device, a plurality of file identifiers,

determine whether any file identifiers, of the plurality of file identifiers, match one or more file identifiers stored in the memory, and

send, to the user device, a request to upload the particular file, corresponding to a particular file identifier, of the plurality of file identifiers, when the particular file identifier, of the plurality of file identifiers, does not match the one or more file identifiers stored in the memory.

13. The server device of claim 11, where the processor is further to:

send, to the user device, a message to perform the remote backup operation based on a determination that the user preferences permit the remote backup operation,

perform another upload operation to obtain one or more files from the user device,

store at least one file, of the one or more files in the memory,

send a notification, to the user device, indicating that the upload operation is complete, the notification including synchronization information that indicates that the at least one file, of the one or more files, was stored in the memory.

14. The server device of claim 11, where the processor is further to:

identify a status of a backup server when the user preferences permit the remote backup operation, and

send, to the user device, a message indicating that the backup server is available when the status of the backup server indicates that the backup server is available, the message including information that the user device can use to communicate with the backup server.

15. The server device of claim 11, where the processor is further to:

identify a status of a backup server when the user preferences permit the remote backup operation, and

perform the upload operation to obtain the particular file from the user device when the status of the backup server indicates that the backup server is unavailable.

16. The server device of claim 11, where the processor is further to:

determine that the local server is online when the notification is received, and

send, to the user device, a message indicating that the local server is online, the message including data that permits the user device to send information, stored on the user device, to the local server.

17. A system comprising:

a user device, connected to a global server via a public network and to a local server via a private network, to;

store, in a memory, user preferences and a plurality of files, the user preferences including information regarding which, of a plurality of types of backup operations, are specified by a user of the user device, where the plurality of types of backup operations include a remote backup operation and a local backup operation,

when the user specified the remote backup operation;

determine whether a backup server is available, via the public network,

send one or more files, of the plurality of files stored in the memory, to the backup server and via the public network, when the backup server is available, and

when the user specified the local backup operation;

determine whether a local server is available, via the private network,

send the one or more files, of the plurality of files stored in the memory, to the local server and via the private network, when the local server is available.

18. The system of claim 17, where, when the user specified the local backup operation, the user device is further to:

send the one or more files, of the plurality of files stored in the memory, to the global server and via the public network, when the local server is unavailable.

19. The system of claim 17, where, when determining whether the local server is available, via the private network, the user device is further to:

identify a status of the private network,

send a request, to perform the local backup operation, to the global server and via the public network when the status indicates that the private network is available, and

receive, from the global server and in response to the request, a notification indicating whether the local server is available.

20. The system of claim 17, where, when the user specified the remote backup operation, the user device is further to:

send the one or more files, of the plurality of files stored in the memory, to the global server and via the public network, when the backup server is unavailable.

21. The system of claim 17, where the user preferences information includes a user-specified time interval by which to perform a backup operation of the plurality of types of backup operations;

and

where, when the user specified the remote backup operation or when the user specified the local backup operation, the user device is further to;

read, from the user preferences, the user-specified time interval,

compute a time period from a particular time, when a previous backup operation, of the plurality of types of backup operations, was performed, to a present time, and

determine that the backup operation, of the plurality of types of backup operations, is to be performed when the computed time period is equal to or greater than the user-specified time interval.

22. The system of claim 17, where the user preferences information indicates that a backup operation, of the plurality of types of backup operations, is to be performed when a particular file is stored in the memory;

and

where, when the user specified the remote backup operation or when the user specified the local backup operation, the user device is further to;

receive or generate the particular file,

store, in an upload list, a particular file identifier, corresponding to the particular file, when the particular file is stored in the memory, and

determine, from the upload list, that the backup operation, of the plurality of types of backup operations, is to be performed when the upload list contains the particular file identifier.

23. The system of claim 17, where, when sending the one or more files, of the plurality of files stored in the memory, to the backup server and via the public network, when the backup server is available, the user device is further to:

send, to the backup server and via the public network, an upload list, the upload list containing a plurality of file identifiers corresponding to the plurality of files stored in the memory;

receive, from the backup server and via the public network, one or more file identifiers of the plurality of file identifiers,

retrieve, from the memory, the one or more files corresponding to the one or more file identifiers, and

send the one or more files to the backup server.

24. The system of claim 17, where, when sending the one or more files, of the plurality of files stored in the memory, to the local server and via the private network, when the local server is available, the user device is further to:

read, from the memory, timestamp information that includes a particular time when a previous backup operation, of the plurality of types of backup operations, was performed,

retrieve, from the memory, the one or more files, of the plurality of files, stored in the memory after the particular time, and

send the one or more files to the local server.

25. The system of claim 17, where, when the user specified the local backup operation, the user device is further to:

receive or transmit synchronization information that identifies at least one file that is not stored by both the local server and the user device,

when the at least one file is stored by the local server and not the user device, send a confirmation or a deletion request to the local server regarding the at least one file, and

when the at least one file is stored by the user device and not the local server, identify the at least one file for backup to the local server.