SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SHARING ONLINE STORAGE SERVICES AMONG MULTIPLE USERS

• US 20120110005A1
• Filed: 12/08/2010
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Original Assignee: Institute For Information Industry
• Inventors: Lee, Han-Chao, Kuo, Yen-Hung, Lee, Phoenix
• Granted Patent: US 8,756,247 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• 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 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

A system and a method for sharing online storage services among multiple users are provided. The system includes a user communication interface, a file processing module, and an online storage communication interface. The user communication interface is configured to connect to a client end corresponding to a first user. When the user communication interface receives a file upload request and a corresponding upload file from the client end, the file processing module searches for a personal online storage of the first user and a shared online storage of at least one related user of the first user and determines to upload the upload file to a partial online storage of the personal online storage and the shared online storage. The online storage communication interface transfers the upload file to the partial online storage determined by the file processing module.

Claims

1. A system for sharing online storage services among multiple users, comprising:

a user communication interface, for connecting to a client end corresponding to a first user;

a file processing module, coupled to the user communication interface, wherein when the user communication interface receives a file upload request and a corresponding upload file from the client end, the file processing module searches for a personal online storage of the first user and a shared online storage of at least one related user of the first user and determines to upload the upload file to a partial online storage of the personal online storage and the shared online storage; and

an online storage communication interface, coupled to the file processing module, for transferring the upload file to the partial online storage determined by the file processing module.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a group database, coupled to the file processing module, for recording at least one user group corresponding to the first user, a correspondence between the personal online storage of the first user and the at least one user group, and a sharing rule set of each user group,

wherein users in the same user group are related users, and the file processing module searches for shared online storages provided by the at least one related user in the at least one user group according to the sharing rule set of each user group and the correspondence between the personal online storage of the first user and the at least one user group.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the personal online storage of the first user is partitioned into a plurality of sub spaces, and in the personal online storage, each of the at least one user group is corresponding to one or more of the sub spaces.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein the first user belongs to more than one user group and the personal online storage is partitioned into a plurality of sub spaces, and in the personal online storage, each of the sub spaces is corresponding to one or more of the at least one user group, wherein a sub space among the sub spaces that is corresponding to multiple user groups has a priority when the file processing module searches for the shared online storage according to the sharing rule set of each user group.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein the sharing rule set comprises a system preset sharing rule set or a user customized sharing rule set.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein the sharing rule set comprises one or a combination of a sharing period rule, a sharing member rule, a sharing manner rule, a shared space capacity rule, a file privacy rule, and a sharing schedule rule.

7. The system according to claim 1 further comprising:

a virtual directory database, coupled to the file processing module for recording a virtual directory of the first user, wherein the virtual directory records online storages for storing files uploaded by the first user; and

a usage log database, coupled to the file processing module, for recording a usage log of the first user,

wherein the file processing module determines the partial online storage of the personal online storage and the shared online storage according to the usage log and the virtual directory, and the file processing module updates the virtual directory according to the partial online storage and stores the updated virtual directory into the virtual directory database.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein when the user communication interface receives a file download request from the client end, the file processing module searches for at least one source online storage currently storing a download file corresponding to the file download request according to the virtual directory, and the file processing module downloads the download file through the online storage communication interface and transfers the download file to the client end through the user communication interface.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein the file processing module further performs one or a combination of a file rename process and a file splitting/joining process, and the online storage communication interface performs one or a combination of a file encryption/decryption process and a file compression/decompression process.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein the personal online storage and the shared online storage are respectively provided by at least one online storage provider.

11. A method for sharing online storage services among multiple users, adaptable to a online storage service system, the method comprising:

receiving a file upload request and a corresponding upload file from a client end corresponding to a first user;

searching for a personal online storage of the first user and a shared online storage of at least one related user of the first user;

determining to upload the upload file to a partial online storage of the personal online storage and the shared online storage; and

transferring the upload file to the partial online storage.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first user belongs to at least one user group, users in the same user group are related users, the personal online storage of the first user and the at least one user group have a correspondence, each user group has a sharing rule set, and the step of searching for the shared online storage of the at least one related user of the first user comprises:

searching for the shared online storage provided by the at least one related user in the at least one user group according to the sharing rule set of each user group and the correspondence between the personal online storage of the first user and the at least one user group.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the personal online storage of the first user is partitioned into a plurality of sub spaces, and in the personal online storage, each of the at least one user group is corresponding to one or more of the sub spaces.

14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the first user belongs to more than one user group, the personal online storage is partitioned into a plurality of sub spaces, and in the personal online storage, each of the sub spaces is corresponding to one or more of the at least one user group, wherein a sub space among the sub spaces that is corresponding to multiple user groups has a priority when the shared online storage is searched according to the sharing rule set of each user groups.

15. The method according to claim 12, wherein the sharing rule set comprises a system preset sharing rule set or a user customized sharing rule set.

16. The method according to claim 12, wherein the sharing rule set comprises one or a combination of a sharing period rule, a sharing member rule, a sharing manner rule, a shared space capacity rule, a file privacy rule, and a sharing schedule rule.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of determining to upload the upload file to the partial online storage of the personal online storage and the shared online storage comprises:

determining the partial online storage of the personal online storage and the shared online storage for uploading the upload file according to a usage log and a virtual directory of the first user, wherein the virtual directory records online storages for storing files uploaded by the first user; and

updating the virtual directory according to the partial online storage.

18. The method according to claim 11 further comprising:

receiving a file download request from the client end;

searching for at least one source online storage currently storing a download file corresponding to the file download request according to a virtual directory of the first user; and

downloading the download file from the source online storage and transferring the download file to the client end.

19. The method according to claim 11 further comprising one or a combination of following steps:

performing a file rename process;

performing a file splitting/joining process;

performing a file encryption/decryption process; and

performing a file compression/decompression process.

20. The method according to claim 11, wherein the personal online storage and the shared online storage are respectively provided by at least one online storage provider.