Auto File Locker

• US 20130151850A1
• Filed: 12/09/2011
• Published: 06/13/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: CenturyLink Intellectual Property LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Embarq Holdings Company LLC (Lumen Technologies, Inc.)
• Inventors: Bugenhagen, Michael K.
• Granted Patent: US 8,631,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/165
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6209 to a single file or object, e.g. in a secure envelope, encrypted and accessed using a key, or with access control rules appended to the object itself
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6218 to a system of files or objects, e.g. local or distributed file system or database
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2221/2107 File encryption
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources

Abstract

Novel tools and techniques to provide an online file locker system. Some such tools can employ a USB memory drive, a residential gateway, and/or a data server over a network. In some cases, when the USB memory drive is inserted into a USB port of the RG, data stored on the USB memory drive is automatically uploaded to, and/or synchronized with data stored on, the data server, which is in communication with the RG over the network. In other cases, data deletion is accomplished in a similar manner, for example, upon removal of the USB drive and/or upon detection of files deleted from the USB drive.

Claims

1. A system for uploading and synchronizing data, comprising:

a data server in an ISP network; and

a residential gateway that is in communication with the data server over the ISP network, the residential gateway comprising at least one USB port configured to receive a USB memory drive,

wherein the residential gateway is configured to establish a connection between the ISP network and a residential network, and to upload data stored on the USB memory drive to the data server; and

wherein the data server is configured to synchronize data on the data server with the data stored on the USB memory drive.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the residential gateway being configured to upload data stored on the USB memory drive to the data server comprises the residential gateway being configured to:

detect the presence of a USB memory drive connected to the at least one USB port; and

send a notification to the data server indicating that data stored on the USB memory drive is ready for uploading to, or synchronizing with data on, the data server,

wherein the data server, upon receiving said notification from the residential gateway, is configured to initiate uploading of all the data on the USB memory drive to the data server.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein

the residential gateway is further configured to:

detect the removal of the USB memory drive from the at least one USB port; and

send a notification to the data server that the USB drive has been removed; and

the data server is further configured to;

delete the data on the data server, in response to receiving the notification that the USB drive has been removed.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data server, when synchronizing data on the data server with the data stored on the USB memory drive, is further configured to delete data from the data server corresponding to data that has been deleted from the USB memory drive.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the data stored on the USB memory drive includes at least one of public data, semi-private data, and very private data, wherein public data is data that is accessible by anyone, semi-private data is data that is accessible by a single access key that may be shared with anyone, and very private data is data that is only accessible by one or more customer keys each of which correspond to only a single user.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein when the USB port uploads data to the data server that is not currently stored on the data server, the data server is configured to:

determine whether the data stored on the USB memory drive is public data, semi-private data, or very private data;

create at least one public folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes public data;

create at least one semi-private folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes semi-private data, wherein the at least one semi-private folder is accessible by the single access key; and

create at least one very private folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes very private data, wherein the at least one very private folder is accessible by the one or more customer keys.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data server is further configured to:

generate a URL corresponding to each public folder, semi-private folder, or very private folder that is created on the data server; and

perform at least one of;

downloading each generated URL to the USB memory drive via the ISP network, and store said each generated URL on the USB memory drive; and

sending via e-mail each generated URL to at least one e-mail address corresponding to each user associated with the residential gateway or to at least one e-mail address corresponding to each user associated with the USB memory drive.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data server includes a user web interface accessible by the URL, wherein the user web interface is configured to allow a user to perform at least one of:

checking status of data upload, data synchronization, or data deletion;

accessing the data stored on the data server; and

managing user options including passwords or access keys;

security access to particular folders;

folder creation and folder name preferences;

transfer preferences including data upload, synchronization, and deletion preferences;

notification preferences for e-mailing and/or downloading the URL; and

updating user profile information including e-mail addresses.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the data server includes a file transfer protocol (FTP) server, and wherein the URL includes an FTP file address.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one USB port includes:

a first USB port configured to act as a USB memory drive, wherein when a user computer is connected to the first USB port, the residential gateway is configured to perform at least one of sending a notification to the data server indicating that data stored on the user computer is ready for uploading to, or synchronizing with data on, the data server, and uploading the data stored on the user computer to the data server; and

a second USB port configured to receive a USB memory drive, wherein the residential gateway is configured to perform at least one of sending a notification to the data server indicating that data stored on the USB memory drive is ready for uploading to, or synchronizing with data on, the data server, and uploading the data stored on the USB memory drive to the data server.

11. A method of uploading data to, and synchronizing data with, a data server in an ISP network, the method comprising:

establishing, by a residential gateway, a connection between the ISP network and a residential network, wherein said residential gateway is in communication with the data server over the ISP network;

receiving, at least one USB port of the residential gateway, a USB memory drive; and

performing at least one of;

uploading, by the residential gateway, data stored on the USB memory drive to the data server; and

synchronizing, by the data server, data on the data server with the data stored on the USB memory drive.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein uploading, by the residential gateway, data stored on the USB memory drive to the data server comprises:

detecting, by the residential gateway, the presence of a USB memory drive connected to the at least one USB port;

sending, by the residential gateway, a notification to the data server indicating that data stored on the USB memory drive is ready for uploading to, or synchronizing with data on, the data server; and

uploading, by the data server, all the data on the USB memory drive to the data server, upon receiving said notification from the residential gateway.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein synchronizing data on the data server with the data stored on the USB memory drive includes deleting, by the data server, data from the data server corresponding to data that has been deleted from the USB memory drive.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein the data stored on the USB memory drive includes at least one of public data, semi-private data, and very private data, wherein public data is data that is accessible by anyone, semi-private data is data that is accessible by a single access key that may be shared with anyone, and very private data is data that is only accessible by one or more customer keys each of which correspond to only a single user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein when the USB port uploads data to the data server that is not currently stored on the data server, the method further comprises:

determining, by the data server, whether the data stored on the USB memory drive is public data, semi-private data, or very private data;

creating, by the data server, at least one public folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes public data;

creating, by the data server, at least one semi-private folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes semi-private data, wherein the at least one semi-private folder is accessible by the single access key; and

creating, by the data server, at least one very private folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes very private data, wherein the at least one very private folder is accessible by the one or more customer keys.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

generating, by the data server, a URL corresponding to each public folder, semi-private folder, or very private folder that is created on the data server; and

performing at least one of;

downloading, by the data server, each generated URL to the USB memory drive via the ISP network, and storing said each generated URL on the USB memory drive; and

sending via e-mail, by the data server, each generated URL to at least one e-mail address corresponding to each user associated with the residential gateway or to at least one e-mail address corresponding to each user associated with the USB memory drive.

17. Computer software stored on a residential gateway that when executed by the residential gateway causes the residential gateway to:

establish a connection between the ISP network and a residential network, wherein said residential gateway is in communication with the data server over the ISP network;

determine that a USB memory drive has been connected to at least one USB port on the residential gateway; and

send a notification to the data server over the ISP network, said notification indicating that data stored on the USB memory drive is ready for uploading to, or synchronizing with data on, the data server.

18. Computer software stored on a data server in an ISP network that when executed by the data server causes the data server to:

determine whether data stored on a USB memory drive connected to at least one USB port at a residential gateway, is ready to be uploaded to the data server via the residential gateway over the ISP network;

determine whether the data that is ready to be uploaded to the data server from the USB memory drive is not currently stored on the data server;

determine whether the data stored on the USB memory drive that is not currently stored on the data server is public data, semi-private data, or very private data, wherein public data is data that is accessible by anyone, semi-private data is data that is accessible by a single access key that may be shared with anyone, and very private data is data that is only accessible by one or more customer keys each of which correspond to only a single user;

create at least one public folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes public data, upload the public data from the USB memory drive, and store, in the at least one public folder, said public data uploaded from the USB memory drive;

create at least one semi-private folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes semi-private data, wherein the at least one semi-private folder is accessible by the single access key, upload the semi-private data from the USB memory drive, and store, in the at least one semi-private folder, said semi-private data uploaded from the USB memory drive; and

create at least one very private folder on the data server if it is determined that the data includes very private data, wherein the at least one very private folder is accessible by the one or more customer keys, upload the very private data from the USB memory drive, and store, in the at least one very private folder, said very private data uploaded from the USB memory drive.

19. The computer software of claim 18, that when executed by the data server further causes the data server to:

determine whether data has been deleted from the USB memory drive that is currently stored on the data server;

delete the data from the data server corresponding to the data that has been deleted from the USB memory drive, based on said determination.

20. The computer software of claim 19, that when executed by the data server further causes the data server to:

generate a URL corresponding to each public folder, semi-private folder, or very private folder that is created on the data server; and

perform at least one of;

downloading each generated URL to the USB memory drive via the ISP network, and storing said each generated URL on the USB memory drive; and

sending via e-mail each generated URL to at least one e-mail address corresponding to each user associated with the residential gateway or to at least one e-mail address corresponding to each user associated with the USB memory drive.

21. The computer software of claim 20, that when executed by the data server further causes the data server to generate a user web interface accessible by the URL, wherein the user web interface is configured to allow a user to perform at least one of:

checking status of data upload, data synchronization, or data deletion;

accessing the data stored on the data server; and

managing user options including passwords or access keys;

security access to particular folders;

folder creation and folder name preferences;

transfer preferences including data upload, synchronization, and deletion preferences;

notification preferences for e-mailing and/or downloading the URL; and

updating user profile information including e-mail addresses.