SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR ESTABLISHING AND MAINTAINING VIRTUAL COMPUTING CLOUDS

• US 20120166516A1
• Filed: 07/27/2011
• Published: 06/28/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Admiemobile LLC
• Original Assignee: Admiemobile LLC
• Inventors: Simmons, David, Conrad, Jonathan M.
• Granted Patent: US 8,880,580 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Networking systems and methods for establishing and maintaining virtual computing clouds are disclosed. A networking system can comprise a server and various instances of a software agent, each agent being installed on a computing device participating in a virtual computing cloud. The server can maintain account setting for a user, wherein the settings can indicate which files on indicated computing devices are included in the virtual computing cloud. The networking system can selectively synchronize data between the computing devices automatically and in a secure manner, and can transmit data in real time to simulate local storage when synchronization of certain files is inappropriate in light of file incompatibility. As a result, the networking system can provide the user with a seamless, automatic system and method for accessing a total computing environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving indications of a plurality of files;

receiving indications of two or more computing devices;

transmitting two or more software agents to the computing devices, each software agent being transmitted to a corresponding one of the computing devices;

receiving from the software agents updates relating to the plurality of files on the computing devices;

receiving a request from a first software agent at a first computing device to access a first file of the plurality of files; and

identifying a preferred version of the first file from among the computing devices, in respond to the request to access the first file.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing each of the computing devices with access to the each of the plurality of files.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically transmitting the preferred version of the first file to the first software agent in response to the request to access the first file.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting that the first computing device is incapable of sufficiently accessing the first file; and

instructing the first software agent to remotely control an application for accessing the first file on at least one of the other computing devices, automatically in response to detecting that the first computing device is incapable of sufficiently accessing the first file.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving from the software agents updates relating to the plurality of files on the computing devices comprises receiving from the first software agent an indication of a first edit to the first file.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein receiving from the software agents updates relating to the plurality of files on the computing devices comprises receiving from a second software agent at a second computing device an indication of a second edit to the first file, and further comprising comparing a timestamp of the first edit to a timestamp of the second edit to identify the preferred version of the first file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving from the software agents updates relating to the plurality of files on the computing devices comprises receiving information related to a new file to be added to the plurality of files.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising posting a notification of the new file to a social network.

9. A computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising an algorithm adapted to effectuate a method, the method comprising:

receiving an indication of a plurality of files;

transmitting information on the plurality of files to a central server;

receiving a request to access a first file of the plurality of files;

communicating the request for the first file to the central server, automatically in response to receiving the request;

receiving over a network access to a preferred version of the first file in response to communicating the request; and

providing access to the preferred version of the first file in response to the request.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein transmitting information on the plurality of files to a central server occurs periodically.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein transmitting information on the plurality of files to a central server occurs automatically upon an update to the plurality of files.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, the method further comprising:

detecting that a first computing device is incapable of sufficiently accessing the first file;

wherein receiving over a network access to the preferred version of the first file comprises remotely controlling a second computing device that is capable of sufficiently accessing the first file.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, the method further comprising displaying a virtual link to the first file, wherein receiving the request to access a first file comprises receiving a selection of the virtual link.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein receiving over a network access to a preferred version of the first file comprises receiving a copy of an updated version of the first file.

15. A system comprising:

a user account associated with a predetermined plurality of computing devices and a predetermined plurality of files;

a plurality of managing agents configured to run on the plurality of computing devices;

a first managing agent of the plurality of managing agents, the first managing agent being configured to run on a first computing device, of the plurality of computing devices, and configured to monitor the plurality of files; and

a second managing agent of the plurality of managing agents, the second managing agent being configured to run on a second computing device, of the plurality of computing devices, and configured to monitor the plurality of files;

the second managing agent automatically requesting a preferred version of a first file from among the plurality of computing devices, in response to receiving a request to access the first file of the plurality of files.

16. The system of claim 15, the first managing agent transmitting the preferred version of the file to the second managing agent, in response to the request to access the first file, if the preferred version of the file is on the first computing device.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a central server in communication with the first managing agent and the second managing agent, wherein the first managing agent and the second managing agent provide to the central server updates relating to the plurality of files.

18. The system of claim 17, the central server identifying the preferred version of the first file from among the plurality of computing devices.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein further in response to the request to access the first file:

the second managing agent determines whether the second computing device is capable of sufficiently accessing the first file; and

if the second computing device is incapable of displaying the first file, the second managing agent remotely controls an application for accessing the preferred version of the first file on at least one of the plurality of computing devices other than the second computing device.

20. The system of claim 15, further comprising a central server for providing to the second computing device each of the plurality of files that the computing device is capable of sufficiently accessing.

21. The system of claim 20, the second managing agent providing a virtual file for each of an inaccessible subset of the plurality of files that the second computing device is incapable of sufficiently accessing.

22. The system of claim 21, the second managing agent being configured to remotely control another of the plurality of computing devices to provide sufficient access to at least one of the inaccessible subset of the plurality of files.