SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING DATA VIA A WIRELESS HIGH SPEED LINK BETWEEN MOBILE COMPUTERS AND ARCHIVAL STORAGE DEVICES

• US 20130086217A1
• Filed: 11/27/2012
• Published: 04/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: CMS Products Incorporated
• Original Assignee: CMS Products Incorporated
• Inventors: Price, William Pat, Siden, James, Dietz, Randy, Burke, Ken, Streuter, Gary WIlliam
• Application Number:
  US13/686,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20130086217A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]

Abstract

Desktop and portable computers to backup their data can backup their storage device over a wireless link where the storage device and the computer are always communicating whenever the link is established. Unlike existing technologies that provide wireless access between computers and storage devices the present invention does not require the storage device to be aware of operating systems or file system. All intelligence for file system access and how the data is archived resides with the desktop or portable computer.

Claims

1. A radio frequency RF bi-directional digital data transfer system comprising:

a backup module comprising;

a storage unit,

a first software control program that executes on said backup module;

a backup server comprising;

a backup data storage unit,

a network coupled to said backup server and

a second software control program that executes on said backup ;

a communications link consisting of;

a first wireless access point coupled to said network and in communications with said backup server and

a first RF transceiver coupled to said backup module;

said first software control program configured to;

detect and connect to previously known wireless access points within range of said first RF transceiver and not to connect to unknown wireless access points within range of said first RF transceiver even if said wireless access points are not secured;

Said first software control program also configured such that;

when said first RF transceiver is connected to previously known wireless access points, said first software control program automatically backs up contents of said storage unit by sending information to said backup server when said known wireless access point is detected to be within range, but not to automatically backup contents of said storage unit by sending information to said backup server when said known wireless point is not detected to be within range.

2. The system of claim 1 where said backup server resides on a local area network.

3. The system of claim 1 where said backup server resides on the internet.

5. The computer as in claim 2 where:

a first external bus connects a first external data storage device to said computer and,

said first software program will detect when said previously known wireless access point is within range of said first RF transceiver and,

said first software control program will automatically backup contents of said first external data storage device or will resume a previous backup that was terminated by a previous loss of said communications link by sending information to said backup server but not attempt to automatically backup contents of said first external data storage device by sending information to said backup server when said previously known wireless access point is not detected to be within range.

4. A radio frequency bi-directional digital data transfer system comprising:

a first computer comprising;

a first RF transceiver,

a first internal data storage device and

a first software control program;

a wireless access point;

a backup server residing on a network comprising;

a backup data storage device and

a second software control program;

said backup server in communications with said wireless access point over said network;

said first software control program configured to;

detect and connect to a previously known wireless access point via said first RF transceiver when said previously known wireless access point is within range of said first RF transceiver, and not attempt to connect to any other wireless access point even if said other wireless access point not secured and is within range of said first RF transceiver;

said second software control program configured to;

manage a communications link between said first computer and said backup server via said first RF transceiver and said previously known wireless access point and to manage a file system resident on said backup data storage device;

once said first software control program detects that said previously known wireless access point is within range of said first RF transceiver;

said first software control program will automatically backup contents of said first internal data storage device or will resume a previous backup that was terminated by a previous loss of said communications link by sending information to said backup server but not attempt to automatically backup contents of said storage unit by sending information to said backup server when said previously known wireless access point is not detected to be within range.

6. A method for wirelessly backing up data from a computer system to a backup server on a network comprising the steps of:

automatically detecting a remote storage unit through a communications link between a RF transceiver coupled to said computer system and a previously known wireless access point;

establishing a wireless connection with said remote storage unit by detecting wirelessly when the remote storage unit is present and otherwise not attempting to establish the wireless connection with the remote storage unit when the remote storage unit is not detected to be present and providing responses to challenges from said remote storage unit if said remote storage unit requests responses to permit access to said remote storage unit by said computer;

automatically sending information indicative of files on said computer to said remote storage unit only when said remote storage unit is detected to be present and has granted access to said computer;

when all information indicative of files on said computer has been sent to said remote storage unit, informing said remote storage unit that a backup session is complete and said communications link is terminated.

7. A method for wirelessly backing up data from a computer system to a backup server on a network comprising the steps of:

automatically detecting a remote storage unit through a communications link between a RF transceiver coupled to said computer system and a previously known wireless access point;

establishing a wireless connection with said remote storage unit by detecting wirelessly when the remote storage unit is present and otherwise not attempting to establish the wireless connection with the remote storage unit when the remote storage unit is not detected to be present and providing responses to challenges from said remote storage unit if said remote storage unit requests responses to permit access to said remote storage unit by said computer;

automatically sending information indicative of files on said computer to said remote storage unit only when said remote storage unit is detected to be present and has granted access to said computer;

when the information indicative of a predetermined number of files on said computer has been sent to said remote storage unit, informing said remote storage unit that the current backup session is complete and said communications link is terminated.

8. A method for wirelessly backing up data from a computer system to a backup server on a network comprising the steps of:

automatically detecting a remote storage unit through a communications link between a RF transceiver coupled to said computer system and a previously known wireless access point;

establishing a wireless connection with said remote storage unit by detecting wirelessly when the remote storage unit is present and otherwise not attempting to establish the wireless connection with the remote storage unit when the remote storage unit is not detected to be present and providing responses to challenges from said remote storage unit if said remote storage unit requests responses to permit access to said remote storage unit by said computer;

automatically sending information indicative of files on said computer to said remote storage unit only when said remote storage unit is detected to be present and has granted access to said computer;

when the information indicative of a predetermined number of files on said computer have been sent to said remote storage unit, informing said remote storage unit that the current backup session is complete and said communications link is terminated after which, said communications link is reestablished and a subsequent backup session is initiated.