SHARING AND SYNCHRONIZING DATA ACROSS USERS OF CLOUD COMPUTING SYSTEMS

• US 20140075130A1
• Filed: 09/26/2012
• Published: 03/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Dave, Swapnil R., Varoglu, Devrim, Bansal, Monika
• Granted Patent: US 9,069,469 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/153
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/192 Implementing virtual folder structures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0667 at data level, e.g. file, record or object virtualisation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that processes data from a user. During operation, the system obtains, at a cloud computing system, a set of data-sharing preferences for the user. Next, the system creates a set of virtual storage partitions for the user with the cloud computing system based on the data-sharing preferences. Upon receiving data from the user to the cloud computing system, the system associates the data with a virtual storage partition from the set of virtual storage partitions based on the data-sharing preferences and a set of data attributes for the data. Finally, the system manages access to the virtual storage partition by one or more other users based on the data-sharing preferences.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing data from a user, comprising:

obtaining, at a cloud computing system, a set of data-sharing preferences for the user;

creating a set of virtual storage partitions for the user with the cloud computing system based on the data-sharing preferences;

upon receiving data from the user to the cloud computing system, associating the data with a virtual storage partition from the set of virtual storage partitions based on the data-sharing preferences and a set of data attributes for the data; and

managing access to the virtual storage partition by one or more other users based on the data-sharing preferences.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein associating the data with the virtual storage partition based on the data-sharing preferences and the set of data attributes involves:

matching a subset of the data-sharing preferences to one or more of the data attributes; and

identifying the virtual storage partition associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein managing access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users based on the data-sharing preferences involves:

enabling access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users if the one or more other users are associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences; and

denying access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users if the one or more other users are not associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein enabling access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users involves at least one of:

automatically transmitting the data to the one or more other users; and

enabling queries from the one or more other users to the cloud computing system for the data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users is associated with at least one of:

an invitation from the user to the one or more other users; and

a request from the one or more other users to access the data.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the data-sharing preferences are obtained with the data or separately from the data.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of data-sharing preferences comprises at least one of:

a data type;

a data source;

an electronic device associated with the user;

a location of the user;

a time span; and

the one or more other users.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the set of data attributes comprises at least one of:

a data type;

a data source;

an identifier for the data;

a timestamp;

a location; and

an electronic device associated with the data.

9. A system for processing data from a user, comprising:

a storage-management apparatus configured to;

obtain, at a cloud computing system, a set of data-sharing preferences for the user; and

create a set of virtual storage partitions for the user with the cloud computing system based on the data-sharing preferences; and

a synchronization apparatus configured to;

associate data from the user to the cloud computing system with a virtual storage partition from the set of virtual storage partitions based on the data-sharing preferences and a set of data attributes for the data; and

manage access to the virtual storage partition by one or more other users based on the data-sharing preferences.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein associating the data with the virtual storage partition based on the data-sharing preferences and the set of data attributes involves:

matching a subset of the data-sharing preferences to one or more of the data attributes; and

identifying the virtual storage partition associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein managing access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users based on the data-sharing preferences involves:

enabling access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users if the one or more other users are associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences; and

denying access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users if the one or more other users are not associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein enabling access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users involves at least one of:

automatically transmitting the data to the one or more other users; and

enabling queries from the one or more other users to the cloud computing system for the data.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users is associated with at least one of:

an invitation from the user to the one or more other users; and

a request from the one or more other users to access the data.

14. The system of claim 9, wherein the data-sharing preferences are obtained with the data or separately from the data.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of data-sharing preferences comprises at least one of:

a data type;

a data source;

an electronic device associated with the user;

a location of the user;

a time span; and

the one or more other users.

16. The system of claim 9, wherein the set of data attributes comprises at least one of:

a data type;

a data source;

an identifier for the data;

a timestamp;

a location; and

an electronic device associated with the data.

17. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method for processing data from a user, the method comprising:

obtaining, at a cloud computing system, a set of data-sharing preferences for the user;

creating a set of virtual storage partitions for the user with the cloud computing system based on the data-sharing preferences;

upon receiving data from the user to the cloud computing system, associating the data with a virtual storage partition from the set of virtual storage partitions based on the data-sharing preferences and a set of data attributes for the data; and

managing access to the virtual storage partition by one or more other users based on the data-sharing preferences.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein associating the data with the virtual storage partition based on the data-sharing preferences and the set of data attributes involves:

matching a subset of the data-sharing preferences to one or more of the data attributes; and

identifying the virtual storage partition associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein managing access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users based on the data-sharing preferences involves:

enabling access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users if the one or more other users are associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences; and

denying access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users if the one or more other users are not associated with the subset of the data-sharing preferences.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein enabling access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users involves at least one of:

automatically transmitting the data to the one or more other users; and

enabling queries from the one or more other users to the cloud computing system for the data.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein access to the virtual storage partition by the one or more other users is associated with at least one of:

an invitation from the user to the one or more other users; and

a request from the one or more other users to access the data.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the data-sharing preferences are obtained with the data or separately from the data.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the set of data-sharing preferences comprises at least one of:

a data type;

a data source;

an electronic device associated with the user;

a location of the user;

a time span; and

the one or more other users.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the set of data attributes comprises at least one of:

a data type;

a data source;

an identifier for the data;

a timestamp;

a location; and

an electronic device associated with the data.