Real time backup system for computer users

• US 8,423,510 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2011
• Issued: 04/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Zlatsin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen, Syling
• Application Number:
  US13/085,106
• Publication Number:
  US 20110191293A1
• Time in Patent Office: 735 Days
• Field of Search: 707/610, 707/611, 707/618, 707/620, 707/626, 707/634, 707/640, 707/661, 707/674, 707/675, 707/678, 707/683, 707/684, 707/999.202, 707/999.203, 707/999.204, 714/6, 714/25, 380/283, 382/181
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

This invention involves tracking and backing all the information that a user generates on its computer devices (including embedded devices) in real time. The local user server records all user actions and gestures (via various means that include TV cameras). All of this information (user actions and saved files in a computer) is then sent to a remote server via the Internet. This remote server has a virtual map of all the embedded devices on a computer that the person uses. The remote server immediately starts to interpret the user'"'"'s actions (including user gestures). In one implementation, the invention stores user actions that are related to data generation (e.g. actions that called some links where data is stored, or executed some programs that generated data). In another variant the remote server generates and downloads the same files that are downloaded on the local user computer devices. For example, if a person begins to download a program, the server may also download the same program on a remote backup server. This way, if the user loses this program, it can be retrieved automatically through a provided server on the Internet. If user'"'"'s files are backed up by regular backup periodically, relevant data that were stored by real time backup servers can be eliminated.

Claims

1. A method for handling data in a real-time data back up system, comprising:

performing a regular back up of defined data used by a user in a computer system by storing the defined data in a backup server, wherein at least some of the data were obtained by the user by using action to call links to a plurality of websites;

storing said actions by the user and the links to said plurality of websites;

the back up server using said actions to call the links to the websites to obtain additional data for the back up server through the

websites instead of the user to save time; and

determining whether data should be removed or not from the backup server by the following circumstances;

how old the data are, if there are newer versions of this data, and how often the data are being used;

wherein the only condition where a file cannot be removed is where another database has a link to a file that another database needs.

2. A method of establishing a database of programs and using said programs in a computer backup system for backing up data used by a group of users, the method comprising:

listing in a first column the programs used;

listing in a second column the names of the users for each program;

using a third column for keeping track of the time for generation of data and changes;

also using the third column for keeping track of data history;

listing in a fourth column commands used to control the programs;

listing in a fifth column the operating system used to hold data;

listing in a sixth column the devices that were used by the programs;

listing in a seventh column the sources that were used to obtain data;

using an eighth column as an index showing where data is to be stored;

one or more of the users entering one or more of the commands listed in the fourth column to use one or more of the programs listed in the first column to obtain files and data and a backup server entering said one or more of the commands listed in the fourth column to use the one or more programs listed in the first column to restore said files and data in the backup server.

3. A method of using a database to explain the history of user'"'"'s actions performed to generate data, the method comprising:

using a first column to records the actions that are inputted to control a program by a user to cause the program to perform specified functions to generate specified data, wherein each of the actions fits under a designated class based on the specified function said each of the actions causes the program to perform;

showing in a second column the class in which each action is placed;

using a third column to keep a count of how often a class is formed by similar actions;

if one or more of the actions fall into a one of the classes in the second column, automatically withdrawing said one or more of the actions from the input column;

using a fourth column to show a tree of the order a group of the actions that took place when the program was being used;

using a fifth column for placing an index to a file from the tree index; and

a backup server using said tree to generate data and storing in the file indexed from the tree the data generated from using said tree.

4. A method of operating a real-time data backup system, comprising:

recording a user'"'"'s actions;

identifying the actions;

interpreting the user actions in a user media recognizer;

labeling the actions as commands or data generators;

labeling the commands that are related to data generation;

storing data in a backup server;

storing links to data programs and the commands that generate data;

when one of the users uses a plurality of the commands to obtain defined data using one of the data programs, the backup server using the links to the data programs and the commands to obtain the same data obtained by said one of the users; and

removing the data and the links if predefined conditions are satisfied.

5. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform a method for operating a real-time data backup system, the method comprising:

recording a user'"'"'s actions;

identifying the actions;

interpreting the user actions in a user media recognizer;

labeling the actions as commands or data generators;

labeling the commands that are related to data generation;

storing data in a backup server;

storing links to data programs and the commands that generate data;

when one of the users uses a plurality of the commands to obtain defined data using one of the data programs, the backup server using the links to the data programs and the commands to obtain the same data obtained by said one of the users; and

removing the data and the links if predefined conditions are satisfied.

6. A program storage device according to claim 5, wherein the removing step includes the step of

determining whether data should be removed or not by the following circumstances:

how old the data are, if there are newer versions of this data, and how often the data are being used;

wherein the only condition where a file cannot be removed is where another database has a link to a file that another database needs.