System and Method for Managing Information Retrievals for Integrated Digital and Analog Archives on a Global Basis
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for managing information retrievals from all of an enterprises'"'"' archives across all operating locations. The archives include both digital and analog archives. A single “virtual archive” is provided which links all of the archives of the enterprise, regardless of the location or configuration of the archive. The virtual archive allows for data aggregation (regardless of location) so the a user can have data from multiple physical locations on a single screen in a single view. A single, consistent and user friendly interface is provided through which users are able to access multiple applications through a single sign-on and password. Logical tables that are used to direct information retrieval requests to the physical archives. The retrieved information is reformatted and repackaging to resolve any incompatibility between the format of the stored information and the distribution media.
24 Citations
50 Claims
-
1-22. -22. (canceled)
-
23. A method for accessing and implementing a data storage system that provides access to remote storage areas, the method comprising;
-
presenting a plurality of access interfaces for providing access to the remote storage areas for user computers via a plurality of software applications executing on a storage server of the data storage system; servicing access requests from at least one user computer with an access interface providing access to a target one of the plurality of remote storage areas, wherein the user computer implements an application programming interface (API) that presents information from the target one of the remote storage areas to software applications executing on the user computer; servicing access requests from at least one application executing on the user computer with a second access interface to provide access to the target one of the remote storage areas; and processing an electronic message to provide access to a target one of the plurality or remote storage areas. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 46)
-
-
32. A data management and storage system comprising:
-
a storage server that maintains a plurality of remote storage areas; a plurality of software applications executing on the storage server to provide a plurality of different access interfaces for accessing the remote storage areas, wherein the plurality of access interfaces comprise; a first access interface to provide access to a target one of the plurality of remote storage areas in response to access requests from a user computer in which an operating system of the user computer includes application programming interface (API) routines that provide access to the target one of the plurality of remote storage areas to software applications executing on the client computer; and a second access interface receiving information requests via a messaging system executing on the user computer.
-
-
33. A data storage and management system comprising:
-
at least one user computer; a storage server communicatively coupled to the user computer via a network, wherein the storage server provides access for the user computer to a remote storage area in response to an access request received from the user computer over the network; a plurality of software applications executing on the storage server to provide a plurality of different access interfaces for accessing the remote storage area; an operating system executing on at least one of the user computers and including an application programming interface that communicates with at least one of the access interfaces of the storage server to retrieve data files within the remote storage area; and a communication software application executing on at least one of the user computers to directly communicate with another of the access interfaces of the storage server without invoking the application programming interface of the operating system. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38)
-
-
39. A method for accessing data files stored in remote storage areas from a remote computer, the method comprising:
-
selecting one of a set of remote storage areas provided by a storage server for a user in response to a request received via a computer network, wherein the storage server provides a plurality of software applications to present a plurality of different access interfaces for accessing the set of remote storage areas; receiving an access request via one of (1) an application programming interface routine provided by a client computer that communicates with an access interface presented by the software applications of the storage server to manage remote data files within the remote storage areas, and (2) a communication software application executing on the user computer to request remote data files within the remote storage areas; and communicating the access request to the storage server via the computer network and one of the provided access interfaces; and accessing the files from the remote storage areas with the storage server for user viewing. - View Dependent Claims (40, 41, 42, 43, 44)
-
-
45. A data storage and access system comprising
at least one storage server including, the storage server maintaining and communicating with a plurality of remote storage areas; a plurality of software applications executing on the storage server to provide a plurality of different access interfaces for accessing the remote storage areas, wherein the access interfaces comprise; a user interface for receiving requests for archived data in the remote storage areas from user computers and for transmitting the requested data back to the user computers after the data is accessed from a corresponding remote storage area; an access interface for allowing a web browser executing on the client computer to access the server and connect with the remote storage areas; and a messaging interface operable to receive an electronic message and access a remote storage area in response to the message. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50)
Specification