Content manager

• US 8,180,737 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2010
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panstoria, Inc. (Forever Inc)
• Original Assignee: Panstoria, Inc. (Forever Inc)
• Inventors: Carroll, Michael Lee, Schweizer, Paul Thomas
• Primary Examiner(s): MORRISON, JAY A
• Application Number:
  US12/701,226
• Publication Number:
  US 20100138392A1
• Time in Patent Office: 830 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/661
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/41 Indexing; Data structures therefor; Storage structures

Abstract

An archive for digital content comprises archive storage, an archive service and a manifest. The archive storage is a unified storage structure for storing items, such a directory having a plurality of subdirectories. The manifest is stored within the archive storage when the archive storage is loaded onto a storage device, and may comprise an index of items stored in the unified structure of the archive and/or an organizational structure that supports defined categories that characterize items stored in the unified structure and/or at least one backup queue that temporarily queues a list of items that satisfy predetermined backup criteria by have not been backed up. The archive service serves as an intermediate between users, e.g., operators, software modules, programs, services, etc., and the archive storage to control requests for access to items stored in the unified storage structure.

Claims

1. A computer-readable storage memory with an executable program to archive digital content stored thereon, wherein the program comprises instructions for a microprocessor to perform:

implementing an archive storage area having a unified storage structure including a unitary archive folder such that all items stored in the archive storage are logically contained within the unitary archive folder;

implementing a manifest that is stored within the archive storage area when the archive storage area is loaded onto a storage device, the manifest comprising;

an index of items stored in the unified structure of the archive; and

an organizational structure that maintains user-defined categories where the user-defined categories each support an organization of items in the archive storage; and

implementing an archive service that serves as an intermediary to the archive storage, where the archive service;

controls requests for access to items stored in the unified storage structure;

locates requested items using the manifest;

interacts with, and correspondingly updates the index of the manifest as items are retrieved from, and stored in the unified storage structure; and

provides an interface that interacts with a user to;

create and edit the user-defined categories of the organizational structure; and

interact with the user to associate specific ones of the items in the archive storage to at least one corresponding user-defined category.

2. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein implementing a manifest further comprises:

constructing the manifest in an open standard format.

3. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein implementing an archive service further comprises:

maintaining the manifest such that, as files are added to, edited and removed from the archive storage area, the manifest is updated by the archive service.

4. The storage memory of claim 3, wherein maintaining the manifest further comprises:

saving the entire manifest in an atomic operation each time the manifest is updated.

5. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein the instructions further comprise:

saving a copy of the current state of the manifest to a file upon an occurrence of a predetermined event such that multiple generations of the manifest are saved within the unified storage structure.

6. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein implementing an archive service further comprises:

providing a user with one or more different views of the items stored in the archive storage area by maintaining corresponding lists of related or otherwise associated items.

7. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein implementing an archive service further comprises:

providing an interface for providing searching and browsing to facilitate user interaction with the archive storage area.

8. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein implementing a manifest further comprises:

implementing a check feature, which defines a message digest of item list information and secret information so as to throttle archive storage usage based on the activation state of the application and prevent tampering with the archive.

9. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein implementing a manifest further comprises:

maintaining;

a main manifest tag that contains the identity of the archive in addition to a checksum and identification information; and

a backup queue section that supports a plurality of backup queues.

10. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein at least one of the user-defined categories of the organizational structure further includes a root category.

11. The storage memory of claim 10, wherein the root category further includes a sub-category.

12. The storage memory of claim 11, wherein the sub-category includes a container item, which is an item in the archive storage area that is a list of other items within the archive storage area.

13. The storage memory of claim 10, wherein the root category includes a container item, which is an item in the archive storage area that is a list of other items within the archive storage area.

14. The storage memory of claim 1, wherein the interface that interacts with the user further allows the user to associate a user-defined date with at least one item stored in the archive storage.

15. The storage memory of claim 14, wherein the date associated with at least item stored in the archive storage is a precise date.

16. The storage memory of claim 14, wherein the date associated with at least item stored in the archive storage is a fuzzy date.

17. The storage memory of claim 14, wherein the interface that interacts with the user further allows the user to associate a time of day with at least one item stored in the archive storage.