Multi-tier data storage system
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A multi-tier data storage system to support photographic printing of uploaded digital images, comprising:
- a first data storage unit for storing digital images uploaded over a network;
a second data storage unit coupled to the first data storage unit for archiving digital images residing on the first data storage unit for more than a predetermined period;
a third data storage unit coupled to the second data storage unit, the third data storage unit caching a requested digital image from the second data storage unit if the requested digital image is unavailable on the first data storage unit; and
, a printer coupled to one of the first, second or third data storage units, the printer accessing a digital image from one of the data storage units to produce a print.
11 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A multi-tier data storage system includes a first data storage unit for storing recently loaded data files; a second data storage unit coupled to the first data storage unit for archiving data files residing on the first data storage unit for more than a predetermined period of time; and, a third data storage unit coupled to the second data storage unit, the third data storage unit caching files archived in the second data storage unit if the data file is unavailable on the first data storage unit.
184 Citations
89 Claims
-
1. A multi-tier data storage system to support photographic printing of uploaded digital images, comprising:
-
a first data storage unit for storing digital images uploaded over a network;
a second data storage unit coupled to the first data storage unit for archiving digital images residing on the first data storage unit for more than a predetermined period;
a third data storage unit coupled to the second data storage unit, the third data storage unit caching a requested digital image from the second data storage unit if the requested digital image is unavailable on the first data storage unit; and
,a printer coupled to one of the first, second or third data storage units, the printer accessing a digital image from one of the data storage units to produce a print. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16, 17, 18, 19)
-
- 10. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the unique identification encoding includes a location value.
-
20. A method for managing a multi-tier data storage system, the method comprising:
-
storing uploaded image data files in a first data storage unit;
archiving in a second data storage unit data files residing on the first data storage unit for more than a predetermined period;
caching in a third data storage unit a data file stored in the second data storage unit if the data file is unavailable on the first data storage unit; and
producing a print from an image data file stored in one of the first, second or third data storage units.
-
- 21. The method of claim 21, wherein the first data storage unit comprises an available data storage system.
- 26. The method of claim 26, wherein the unique identification encoding includes a location value.
- 31. The method of claim 31, wherein the three-tiered directory lay-out schema includes a tier based on the year, the month, and the day when an image is submitted.
-
36. A method for generating a path name directory, comprising:
-
generating a unique file identification value based on a location value, a user identification value, a timestamp, and an image type;
storing data files based on generated unique identification values; and
producing a print from a data file stored in one or more data storage units in accordance with the unique file identification value.
-
- 37. The method of claim 37, wherein each data storage unit has a three-tiered directory lay-out schema.
- 38. The method of claim 38, wherein the three-tiered directory lay-out schema includes a tier based on the year, the month, and the day when an image is submitted.
-
43. The method of claim 43, wherein the file is retrieved without referencing a file name database.
-
44. A computer-implemented method for managing a digital image data storage system, the method comprising:
-
storing a digital image in a first image storage tier having predetermined performance characteristics; and
moving the digital image from the first image storage tier to one or more other image storage tiers based on a predetermined criterion including a third tier caching a requested digital image from a second tier if the requested digital image is unavailable on the first tier, the other image storage tiers having performance characteristics different from the first image storage tier'"'"'s performance characteristics; and
producing a print from the digital image stored in one of the image storage tiers.
-
- 45. The computer-implemented method of claim 45, wherein the other storage tiers comprise a second image storage tier and a third image storage tier, each having different performance characteristics.
-
50. A computer-implemented method for storing digital images, the method comprising:
-
distributing digital images across a plurality of interconnected image storage tiers, including a third tier caching a requested digital image from a second tier if the requested digital image is unavailable on a first tier, each tier having a combination of reliability and availability characteristics that differs from the other image storage tiers, based on predetermined storage policy criteria; and
producing a print from a digital image stored in one of the image storage tiers.
-
- 51. The computer-implemented method of claim 51, wherein the other storage tiers comprise a second image storage tier and a third image storage tier, each having different performance characteristics.
-
54. The computer-implemented method of claim 54, wherein the performance characteristics of the third image tier include availability and intermediate cost between the first and second image tiers.
-
55. The computer-implemented method of claim 55, further comprising:
-
storing loaded data files in the first data storage unit;
storing in the second data storage unit data files residing on the first data storage unit for more than a predetermined period of time; and
,storing in the third data storage unit a data file stored in the second data storage unit if the data file is unavailable on the first data storage unit.
-
-
56. A digital image storage system comprising:
-
a plurality of interconnected image storage tiers and including a third tier caching a requested digital image from a second tier if the requested digital image is unavailable on a first tier, each tier having a combination of reliability and availability characteristics that differs from the other image storage tiers;
a plurality of predetermined image storage policies;
a controller for moving digital images among different image storage tiers based on the plurality of predetermined image storage policies; and
a printer coupled to the image storage tiers, the printer producing a print from a digital image stored in one of the image storage tiers.
-
- 57. The system of claim 57, wherein the other storage tiers comprise a second image storage tier and a third image storage tier, each having different performance characteristics.
-
61. The system of claim 61, further comprising:
-
storing loaded data files in the first data storage unit;
storing in the second data storage unit data files residing on the first data storage unit for more than a predetermined period of time; and
,storing in the third data storage unit a data file stored in the second data storage unit if the data file is unavailable on the first data storage unit.
-
-
62. A protocol for managing a digital image storage system, the protocol comprising:
-
a unique file identification value based on a location value, a user identification value, a timestamp, and an image type; and
data files that are stored based on generated unique identification values, the data files adapted to be used in producing a print.
-
- 63. The protocol of claim 63, wherein each data storage unit has a three-tiered directory lay-out schema.
-
67. The protocol of claim 67, wherein the unique identification value comprises an image identification value.
-
68. The protocol of claim 68, wherein a file is retrieved based on the unique identification value.
-
70. A protocol for managing a digital image storage system, the protocol comprising:
-
storing loaded data files in a first data storage unit;
storing in a second data storage unit data files residing on the first data storage unit for more than a predetermined period of time; and
,storing in a third data storage unit a data file stored in the second data storage unit if the data file is unavailable on the first data storage unit; and
producing a print from a digital image data file stored in one of the data storage units.
-
- 71. The protocol of claim 71, wherein the first data storage unit comprises an available data storage system.
-
75. A computer-implemented method for managing a digital image storage system, the method comprising:
-
storing, upon receipt, a received digital image in a first image storage tier;
detecting that the digital image has resided on the first image storage tier for a predetermined period of time;
moving the digital image from the first image storage tier to a second image storage tier;
detecting that an attempt to access the digital image on the first image storage tier was unsuccessful;
moving the digital image from the second image storage tier to a third image storage tier; and
producing a print from a digital image stored in one of the image storage tiers.
-
- 76. The method of claim 76, further comprising providing access to digital image on third tier.
- 78. The method of claim 78, wherein the unique identification encoding includes a location value.
- 83. The method of claim 83, wherein the three-tiered directory lay-out schema includes a tier based on the year, the month, and the day when an image is submitted.
-
86. A method for managing a digital image storage system, comprising:
-
generating a functional path name directory based on a unique file identification value;
storing data files based on generated unique identification values; and
accessing a digital image based on the functional path name directory and producing a print from the digital image.
-
- 87. The method of claim 87, wherein the unique file identification is generated based on a location value, a user identification value, a timestamp, and an image type.
-
89. The method of claim 89, wherein the three-tiered directory lay-out schema includes a tier based on the year, the month, and the day when an image is submitted.
Specification