Cloud-To-Cloud Peering

• US 20130054634A1
• Filed: 08/29/2011
• Published: 02/28/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Atlassian US, Inc. (Atlassian Corporation)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Chakraborty, Soumyajit, Beattie, James Gordon Jr., Griesmer, Stephen J., Bruno, Nicholas
• Granted Patent: US 9,432,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/769
• 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 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/104 Peer-to-peer [P2P] networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1091 Interfacing with client-server systems or between P2P systems

Abstract

A method includes receiving an input at a first cloud from a first device associated with a first user. The input indicates that an item stored in the first cloud is accessible to a second device associated with a second user via a second cloud that is coupled to the first cloud. The first cloud is associated with the first user and the second cloud is associated with the second user.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving an input at a first cloud from a first device associated with a first user, wherein the input indicates that an item stored in the first cloud is accessible to a second device associated with a second user via a second cloud that is coupled to the first cloud, wherein the first cloud is associated with the first user and wherein the second cloud is associated with the second user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first cloud comprises computing and data resources and includes a plurality of items stored in the first cloud that are accessible to a plurality of devices of the first user via a first network, wherein the plurality of devices of the first user include a mobile device, a set-top box device, a computer, a gaming device, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second cloud comprises computing and data resources and includes a second plurality of items stored in the second cloud that are accessible to a plurality of devices of the second user via a second network, wherein the plurality of devices of the second user include a mobile device, a set-top box device, a computer, a gaming device, or any combination thereof.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

accessing a profile associated with the first cloud, wherein the profile comprises a plurality of attributes and wherein a subset of the plurality of attributes are associated with the plurality of items stored in the first cloud;

modifying an attribute of the item in a peer access table of the profile in response to receiving the input, the attribute corresponding to the second cloud, wherein the peer access table identifies items stored in the first cloud and indicates whether each item is accessible to the plurality of devices of the second user via the second cloud, and wherein the item is accessible to the plurality of devices of the second user via the second cloud after the modification; and

saving the modified attribute in the profile.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of items stored in the first cloud includes at least one of a multimedia file, a video game, an application, an image, an output device, a shared storage partition, a database, and a file.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the first cloud via the first device, wherein the first device is a mobile device and wherein the mobile device accesses the first cloud via a wireless network;

receiving a notification message at the first cloud from the second cloud, wherein the notification message is displayed in a graphical user interface at the mobile device, and wherein the notification message indicates that the second user is viewing a multimedia file stored at the second cloud; and

in response to receiving a second input at the first cloud from the mobile device, displaying the multimedia file stored at the second cloud at the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the first cloud is coupled to the second cloud via a peer-to-peer connection, and wherein the multimedia file is streamed from the second cloud to the first cloud via the peer-to-peer connection.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

generating a notification message indicating that the item is accessible to the second device via the second cloud; and

communicating the notification message from the first cloud to the second cloud via a peer-to-peer connection, wherein the notification message is displayed at the second device in a graphical user interface associated with the second cloud.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the notification message is generated based on peer notification settings stored at the first cloud, wherein the peer notification settings comprise options to send notifications based on a selection of one or more peers, based on a selection of one or more groups of peers, based on a type of a particular item stored at the first cloud, based a location of the particular item in the first cloud, or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the input indicates that the item is accessible to a third device via a third cloud corresponding to a third user and wherein the third cloud is accessible to a plurality of devices of the third user via a third network, wherein the plurality of devices of the third user includes a mobile device, a set-top box device, a computer, a gaming device, or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second input at the first cloud from the first device, wherein the first device is a set-top box device, and wherein the second input indicates that a second item stored in the first cloud is accessible to the plurality of devices of the second user via the second cloud; and

in response to receiving the second input, storing a copy of the second item in the second cloud.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request from a third cloud to establish a peer-to-peer connection between the first cloud and the third cloud that is associated with a third user;

receiving a second input at the first cloud from the first device, wherein the second input indicates an acceptance of the request; and

creating an entry in a peer list stored at the first cloud, wherein the peer list identifies a cloud that is coupled to the first cloud via a peer-to-peer connection, a group of clouds that is coupled to the first cloud via one or more peer-to-peer connections, or any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

associating the third cloud with the second cloud to form a group of clouds based on a third input received at the first cloud from the first device, wherein the second cloud is identified in a second entry in the peer list;

receiving a fourth input at the first cloud from the first device that indicates a third item stored in the first cloud is accessible to members of the group of clouds; and

modifying an attribute of the third item in a group access table of a profile in response to receiving the fourth input, wherein the group access table identifies each item of the plurality of items stored in the first cloud, wherein an attribute of each item indicates whether each item is accessible to members of the group of clouds, and wherein the third item is accessible to the members of the group of clouds after the modification of the attribute; and

saving the modified attribute in the group access table of the profile.

14. A server comprising:

a processor;

a search module executable by the processor to;

receive a search request from a first cloud of a plurality of clouds, wherein the first cloud is associated with a first user and wherein the first cloud comprises a plurality of items stored in the first cloud that are accessible to a plurality of devices of the first user via a first network;

identify information relevant to the search request that is accessible via a second cloud of the plurality of clouds; and

communicate the information relevant to the search request to the first cloud.

15. The server of claim 14, further comprising:

a sharing module comprising a shared items database, wherein the shared items database includes a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of items accessible to a plurality of devices via the plurality of clouds, wherein a particular entry corresponds to a particular item stored in a particular cloud, wherein the particular item is accessible to the plurality of devices of the first user via the particular cloud, and wherein the sharing module is executable by the processor to;

receive a query from the search module, wherein the query includes the search request received from the first cloud;

determine that one or more entries of the plurality of entries included in the shared items database are relevant to the query; and

provide the one or more entries that are relevant to the query to the search module.

16. The server of claim 14, wherein the response to the search request indicates that the particular item is accessible to the plurality of devices of the first user via the second cloud, wherein the plurality of devices of the first user includes a mobile device, a set-top box device, a computer, a gaming device, or any combination thereof.

17. The server of claim 14, further comprising a monitoring module executable by the processor to monitor one or more activities of the plurality of clouds, wherein the one or more activities correspond to at least one of an application at a particular cloud being executed, a game at the particular cloud being played, a multimedia file at the particular cloud being viewed, a file being shared by the particular cloud, or any combination thereof.

18. A computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

provide access to a first cloud via a graphical user interface displayed at a first device of a first user, wherein the first cloud comprises a plurality of items stored in the first cloud that are accessible to a plurality of devices of the first user, and wherein the graphical user interface comprises;

a status window configured to display information associated with one or more activities of a second cloud associated with a second user, wherein the second cloud comprises a second plurality of items stored in the second cloud;

a search button operable to present a search menu at the graphical user interface;

a profile button operable to present a plurality of attributes of a profile of the first cloud; and

one or more additional buttons associated with the plurality of items stored in the first cloud, wherein a first button of the one or more additional buttons is a files button operable to present a files menu, the files menu providing access to an image library, a video library, applications, games, output devices, a shared storage partition of the first cloud, or any combination thereof, and wherein a second button of the one or more additional buttons presents a peer menu, the peer menu providing access to a peer list, a group of peers list, available peer items, notifications, a shared storage partition of one or more peer clouds, or any combination thereof.

19. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

present the search menu in response to a selection of the search button;

receive a search term at the search menu from the first device via a network;

communicate a query to a server associated with the first cloud, wherein the query includes the search term;

receive a response to the query from the server that indicates information relevant to the search term is accessible to the plurality of devices of the first user via the second cloud; and

present the response to the query at the search menu of the graphical user interface.

20. The computer-readable medium of claim 18, further comprising instructions executable by the processor to:

communicate a connection request to a second cloud requesting access to an item stored in the second cloud;

establish a peer-to-peer connection between the first cloud and the second cloud in response to receiving an acceptance of the connection request from the second cloud; and

access the item at the second cloud from the first device via the peer-to-peer connection, wherein the first device is a set-top box device and wherein the graphical user interface is displayed at a display device coupled to the set-top box device.