Systems and Methods for Workspace Interaction with Cloud-Based Applications

• US 20130138810A1
• Filed: 09/07/2012
• Published: 05/30/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CloudOn Ltd. (Dropbox, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: CloudOn Ltd. (Dropbox, Inc.)
• Inventors: Binyamin, Shuki, Zaveri, Jay, Morgenstern, Meir, Gadekar, Milind
• Granted Patent: US 10,063,430 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements

Abstract

Various systems and methods described herein relate to server-based computing, where the systems and methods provide a client with access to an application executing remotely from the client device and having access to data (e.g., one or more files) residing on a cloud-based storage (e.g., provided by a third-party cloud-based storage service, such as Dropbox, Box, or Google® Docs). For some systems and methods, the application may be remotely executed and provided to the client such that the application has in-application/embedded access (hereafter, referred to as “native access”) to the cloud-based storage and files residing on the cloud-based storage.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a storage module configured to establish access to a cloud-based storage provided by a first cloud-based server over a network, the cloud-based storage comprising a file;

an application module configured to obtain a version of an application from a second cloud-based server;

a virtualization module configured to execute a virtualized application instance based on the version of the application in a virtual computing environment on a third cloud-based server, the virtualized application instance having access to the file on the cloud-based storage through the storage module, the virtualized application instance configured to interact with the first cloud-based server in response to a command from a native user application at a remote client device, and the native user application being native to an operating system of the first remote client device; and

a presentation module configured to transmit to the remote client device output data generated as a result of execution of the virtualized application instance.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtualization module is further configured to map access of the cloud-based storage from the storage module to the virtual computing environment, thereby providing the virtual application instance access to the cloud-based storage.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the output data comprises display data or audio data generated as the result of execution of the virtualized application instance.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the storage module establishes access to the cloud-based storage by a web-based application program interface (API) configured to perform file-based operations with the cloud-based storage.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a peripheral handler module configured to redirect an input data received from a peripheral, coupled to the remote client device, to the virtualized application instance.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the peripheral handler module is further configured to translate the input data from a first input type, native to an environment of the remote client device, to a second input type, native to an environment of the virtualized application instance.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a peripheral handler module configured to redirect the output data received from the virtualized application instance to a peripheral coupled to the remote client device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the virtualization module is further configured to generate a separate virtualized application instance for each user on the remote client device.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each user on the remote client device is provided with a separate application instance.

10. The system of claim 1, further comprising an access module configured to authenticate a user on the remote client device, and to use a user credential associated with the authenticated user to enable access to the cloud-based storage by the storage module.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an access module configured to authenticate a user on the remote client device, and to use a user credential associated with the authenticated user to enable access to the image of the application by the application module.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the cloud-based storage is provided by a third-party cloud-based storage provider.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the application module is further configured to provide the image of the application from a third-party cloud-based application provider.

14. A method, comprising:

establishing access to a cloud-based storage provided by a first cloud-based server over a network, the cloud-based storage comprising a file;

obtaining a version of an application from a second cloud-based server;

executing a virtualized application instance based on the version of the application in a virtual computing environment on a third cloud-based server, the virtualized application instance having access to the file on the cloud-based storage, the virtualized application instance configured to interact with the first cloud-based server in response to a command from a native user application at a remote client device, and the native user application being native to an operating system of the first remote client device; and

transmitting to the remote client device output data generated as a result of execution of the virtualized application instance.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising mapping access of the cloud-based storage from the storage module to the virtual computing environment, thereby providing the virtual application instance access to the cloud-based storage.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the output data comprises display data or audio data generated as the result of execution of the virtualized application instance.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein establishing access to the cloud-based storage comprises establishing access to the cloud-based storage by a web-based application program interface (API) configured to perform file-based operations with the cloud-based storage.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising redirecting an input data received from a peripheral, coupled to the remote client device, to the virtualized application instance.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising translating the input data from a first input type, native to an environment of the remote client device, to a second input type, native to an environment of the virtualized application instance.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising redirecting an output data received from the virtualized application instance to a peripheral coupled to the remote client device.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising generating a separate virtualized application instance for each user on the remote client device.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein each user on the remote client deviceis provided with a separate application instance.

23. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

authenticating a user on the remote client device; and

enabling access to the cloud-based storage using a user credential associated with the authenticated user.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

authenticating a user on the remote client device; and

enabling access to the image of the application using a user credential associated with the authenticated user.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein the cloud-based storage is provided by a third-party cloud-based storage provider.

26. The method of claim 14, wherein the image of the application is provided by a third-party cloud-based application provider.

27. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising executable instructions, the instructions executable by a processor to perform a method, the method comprising:

establishing access to a cloud-based storage provided by a first cloud-based server over a network, the cloud-based storage comprising a file;

obtaining a version of an application from a second cloud-based server;

executing a virtualized application instance based on the version of the application in a virtual computing environment on a third cloud-based server, the virtualized application instance having access to the file on the cloud-based storage, the virtualized application instance configured to interact with the first cloud-based server in response to a command from a native user application at a remote client device, and the native user application being native to an operating system of the first remote client device; and

transmitting to the remote client device output data generated as a result of execution of the virtualized application instance.

28. A system, comprising:

means for establishing access to a cloud-based storage provided by a first cloud-based server over a network, the cloud-based storage comprising a file;

means for obtaining a version of an application from a second cloud-based server;

means for executing a virtualized application instance based on the version of the application in a virtual computing environment on a third cloud-based server, the virtualized application instance having access to the file on the cloud-based storage, the virtualized application instance configured to interact with the first cloud-based server in response to a command from a native user application at a remote client device, and the native user application being native to an operating system of the first remote client device; and

means for transmitting to the remote client device output data generated as a result of execution of the virtualized application instance.