Method and system for sharing storage space on a computer
DCFirst Claim
1. A software application comprising computer executable instructions stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium to be executed by a first computer connected to the Internet for transferring back-up copies of files from the first computer to a second computer connected to the Internet, wherein said first and second computers are linked via the Internet, said software application comprising:
- designating instructions executed by the first computer for designating files from the first computer for which back-up copies will be transferred to the second computer, said the first computer and said second computer being Internet-enabled;
identifying instructions executed by the first computer for identifying the the Internet address of the second computer; and
transferring instructions executed by the first computer for transferring back-up copies of the designated files from the first computer to the second computer at the identified location via the Internet wherein the designated files are directly transferred via the Internet;
wherein the designating instructions includeinstructions for designating the one or more files to be transferred to the second computer;
instructions for designating a destination identifier associated with the second computer;
instructions for designating storage schedule data for back-up copies; and
instructions for storing back-up copies of the designated one or more files, the designated destination identifier, and/or the designated storage schedule data in an originating database;
wherein the transferring instructions include retrieving storage schedule data to identify one or more back-up times for transferring back-up copies of the designated files from the first computer to the second computer via the Internet,wherein the identifying instructions include;
instructions for retrieving the destination identifier for querying a server database to identify an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second computer, said server database being located on a server linked to the first and second computer via the Internet, andwherein the transferring instructions as executed by the first computer use the identified IP address to initiate a communication session with the second computer via the Internet and to transfer the designated files at the designated back-up times.
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Abstract
An application and method for transmitting copies of data to a remote back-up site for storage, and for retrieving copies of the previously stored data from the remote back-up site. A user designates files from an originating computer for which to transfer copies to a destination computer. A uniquely assigned application ID is used to identify the location of the second computer. The originating computer submits a transfer request to the destination computer. The destination computer authenticates the transfer request. If the request is authenticated, the originating computer transfers copies of the designated files to the destination computer at the identified location via a communication network. Alternatively, a user designates previously stored files to retrieve from the destination computer. The originating computer submits a retrieval request to the destination computer for the designated back-up copy files. The destination computer authenticates the retrieval request. If the request is authenticated, the destination computer transfers the requested files to the originating computer.
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Citations
12 Claims
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1. A software application comprising computer executable instructions stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium to be executed by a first computer connected to the Internet for transferring back-up copies of files from the first computer to a second computer connected to the Internet, wherein said first and second computers are linked via the Internet, said software application comprising:
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designating instructions executed by the first computer for designating files from the first computer for which back-up copies will be transferred to the second computer, said the first computer and said second computer being Internet-enabled; identifying instructions executed by the first computer for identifying the the Internet address of the second computer; and transferring instructions executed by the first computer for transferring back-up copies of the designated files from the first computer to the second computer at the identified location via the Internet wherein the designated files are directly transferred via the Internet; wherein the designating instructions include instructions for designating the one or more files to be transferred to the second computer; instructions for designating a destination identifier associated with the second computer; instructions for designating storage schedule data for back-up copies; and instructions for storing back-up copies of the designated one or more files, the designated destination identifier, and/or the designated storage schedule data in an originating database; wherein the transferring instructions include retrieving storage schedule data to identify one or more back-up times for transferring back-up copies of the designated files from the first computer to the second computer via the Internet, wherein the identifying instructions include; instructions for retrieving the destination identifier for querying a server database to identify an Internet Protocol (IP) address of the second computer, said server database being located on a server linked to the first and second computer via the Internet, and wherein the transferring instructions as executed by the first computer use the identified IP address to initiate a communication session with the second computer via the Internet and to transfer the designated files at the designated back-up times. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A software application comprising computer executable instructions stored on a tangible computer readable storage medium to be executed by a first computer connected to the Internet for storing copies of designated files from the first computer to a second computer connected to the Internet, wherein said first and second computers are linked via the Internet, said software application comprising:
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authentication instructions executed by the second computer for authenticating a transfer request received by the second computer from the first computer, file storage instructions executed by the second computer for storing the designated files on the second computer received in connection with an authenticated transfer request from the first computer, retrieval instructions executed by the first computer providing a retrieval request to the second computer for transferring one or more stored files from the second computer back to the first computer via the Internet wherein the retrieval instructions include identifying instructions executed by the first computer identifying the Internet address of the second computer; and second transferring instructions executed by the second computer for transferring one or more stored files from the second computer back to the first computer via the Internet in response to the retrieval request received from the first computer via the Internet. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11)
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12. A system comprising:
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A first computer transferring backup copies of its files via the Internet; A second computer receiving the transferred backup copies of its files via the Internet; a server for facilitating the connection between the first computer and the second computer, wherein the server, the first computer, and the second computer are linked via the Internet, and wherein the first computer transfers back-up copies of files from the first computer to the second computer directly via the Internet and not via the server and wherein back-up copies of files on the second computer are restored by transferring back-up copies from the second computer to the first computer directly and not via the server, said server, comprising; an assigning routine for assigning a unique identification code to each of the first and second computers; a database for storing the unique identification codes assigned to each of the first and second computers, and for storing a corresponding an Internet Protocol (IP) address of each of the first and second computers, wherein said IP addresses are identified at the time the unique identification codes are assigned and during subsequent connections with the server; and an identification routine responsive to input data received from the first computer for identifying the IP address of each of the first and second computers as a function of the input data, wherein said input data is the unique identification code of the second computer and wherein said identification routine queries the database to identify the IP address of the second computer, and wherein the first and second computers use the identified IP addresses for initiating a communication session and for transferring back-up copies of files therebetween.
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Specification