Storage media tracking and managment

• US 7,882,366 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2007
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Sen, Vijay, Anand, Karandeep Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Moazzami; Nasser
• Assistant Examiner(s): YALEW, FIKREMARIAM A
• Application Number:
  US11/735,716
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,387 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 713/193
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

Managing removable computer-readable media transporting across various locations. Data is stored on the computer-readable media at an on-site location. Each of the computer-readable media is associated with a tracking device. The tracking device has a storage medium. An intent expression is defined for each of the computer-readable media. The defined intent expression includes conditions for managing each of the computer-readable media. The defined intent expression for each of the computer-readable media is stored on the storage medium of the tracking device. The computer-readable media are transported from the on-site location to an offsite location. The stored intent expression is obtained for each of the computer-readable media on the tracking device at the offsite location to manage the computer-readable media based on the defined intent expression.

Claims

1. A method for managing removable computer-readable storage media being transported across various locations, said method comprising:

storing data on a plurality of removable computer-readable storage media at an on-site location;

associating each of the removable computer-readable storage media with a particular tracking device, said tracking device having a storage medium;

defining a specific intent expression applicable to each of the removable computer-readable storage media, said defined specific intent expression including conditions for managing its applicable removable computer-readable storage media, said conditions including one or more intent attributes that define a movement path for its applicable removable computer-readable storage media across the various locations and one or more intent attributes that define a period of time to complete the movement path, wherein the defined specific intent expression applicable to one of the storage media is different than the defined specific intent expression applicable to another one of the storage media;

storing the defined specific intent expression for its applicable removable computer-readable storage media on the storage medium of the particular tracking device associated with its applicable removable computer-readable storage media;

wherein said removable computer-readable storage media and the associated tracking device including the defined specific intent expression applicable to said storage media are transported from the on-site location to an offsite location;

obtaining the defined specific intent expression for each of the removable computer-readable storage media from the storage medium of the associated tracking device at the offsite location; and

managing the computer-readable storage media at the offsite location based on the obtained defined specific intent expression.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining whether the included conditions of the obtained intent expression have been satisfied at the offsite location.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein determining comprises determining whether the included conditions of the obtained intent expression have been satisfied at the offsite location at a predetermined time interval.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising issuing a notification to a user as a function of the determined condition.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein managing comprises modifying all or a portion of the obtained intent expression as a function of the determining.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein defining the intent expression further comprises defining the intent expression to include a condition describing at least one of the following:

locations associated with removable computer-readable storage media, an expected time of arrival of the removable computer-readable storage media, duration of stay at each of the locations, a retention period of the stored data, an expiry action to be performed on the stored data, and a duration within which expiry action is to be executed, and a probability value for recalling the removable computer-readable storage media.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an identity, a data description and location information identifying one or more locations as a function of the intent expression for each of the computer-readable storage media on the tracking device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein defining the intent expression comprises defining the intent expression to include a condition describing a probability value for recalling the removable computer-readable storage media.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein one or more computer-readable storage media have computer-executable instructions for performing the method of claim 1.

10. A tracking computer-readable storage medium not including a data signal having a data structure stored thereon for managing a removable computer-readable storage medium being transported across various locations, said data structure comprising:

a first data field storing information identifying the removable computer-readable storage medium;

a second data field storing information describing data stored on the removable computer-readable storage medium identified in the first data field;

readable storage media across the various locations and a defined period of time to complete the movement path, wherein the identified intent expression applicable to one of the storage media is different than the identified intent expression applicable to another one of the storage media and wherein the identified intent expression for each of the removable computer-readable storage media is obtained from the storage medium of the associated tracking device at the offsite location;

wherein the data structure comprises a defined specific intent expression, and wherein the defined specific intent expression is obtained from the tracking computer-readable storage medium at the various locations.

11. The computer-readable storage media of claim 10, further comprising a fourth data field for storing information identifying one or more locations as a function of the intent expression described in the third data field.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the third data field storing information includes at least one of the following conditions in the intent expression:

an expected time of arrival of the computer-readable storage media, duration of stay at each of the locations, a retention period of the stored data, an expiry action to be performed on the stored data, a duration within which expiry action is to be executed, and a probability value for recalling the computer-readable storage media.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the third data field includes information defining the intent expression in one or more of the following forms:

computer-executable instructions and markup-based language format.

14. A system for managing removable computer-readable storage media being transported across various locations, said system comprising:

a first server configured for storing backup data on a removable computer-readable storage medium;

a tracking device associated with the removable computer-readable storage medium, said tracking device having a storage medium having an intent expression stored on the storage medium, said intent expression including conditions for managing the backup data on the removable computer-readable storage medium, said conditions including one or more intent attributes that define a movement path for the removable computer-readable storage medium and a defined period of time to complete the movement path, wherein the intent expression applicable to one of the storage media is different than the intent expression applicable to another one of the storage media;

one or more location data readers for reading the intent expression on the storage medium of the tracking device associated with the removable computer-readable storage medium as the removable computer-readable storage medium and the associated tracking device are being transported across various locations wherein the intent expression for each of the removable computer-readable storage media is obtained from the storage medium of the associated tracking device at the offsite location;

a second server for processing the read intent expression; and

a user interface for providing an event notification to a user in response to the processed intent expression.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second processor is further configured to determine whether the included conditions of the read intent expression have been satisfied at an offsite location.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the second processor is configured to determine whether the included conditions of the read intent expression have been satisfied at the offsite location at a predetermined time interval.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the user interface is further configured to issue a notification to the user as a function of the determined condition.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the tracking device defines the intent expression to include a condition describing at least one of the following:

locations associated with removable computer-readable storage media, an expected time of arrival of the removable computer-readable storage media, duration of stay at each of the locations, a retention period of the stored data, an expiry action to be performed on the stored data, a duration within which expiry action is to be executed, and a probability value for recalling the removable computer-readable storage media.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the storage medium of the tracking device associated with each of the removable computer-readable storage media includes an identity, a data description and location information identifying one or more locations as a function of the intent expression for each of the removable computer-readable storage media associated with the tracking device.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the second server is configured to process the read intent expression of the computer-readable storage medium on the tracking device at the offsite location in a periodic interval.