Moveable storage

• US 8,700,666 B2
• Filed: 02/21/2012
• Issued: 04/15/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Comcast Cable Communications LLC (Comcast Corporation)
• Inventors: Bevan, Frances, Markowitz, David, Rekstad, Michael, Sim, Jae, Stone, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo, Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US13/401,294
• Publication Number:
  US 20130218838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 707600-899
• US Class Current: 707/791
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/17 Details of further file system functions
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 7/01 Probabilistic graphical models, e.g. probabilistic networks

Abstract

A mobile storage system is disclosed that in one aspect identifies a geographical location change of a user, such as movement from a first geographical location to a second geographical location. In response, the mobile storage system may move the user'"'"'s information to a storage device associated with the second geographical location so that the user'"'"'s information may be accessed by the user more efficiently.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

identifying a plurality of storage devices;

providing, to a user, at least one of proximity information, cost information, availability information, or speed information associated with the plurality of storage devices;

receiving, from the user, a selection of a storage device from the plurality of storage devices;

identifying, in a location schedule for the user, the selected storage device as a first storage device;

identifying information associated with the user; and

moving the information associated with the user from a second storage device to the first storage device identified in the location schedule, wherein the first storage device and the second storage device correspond to different geographical locations.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

using the location schedule to anticipate a geographical location change of the user, wherein moving the information associated with the user occurs in response to anticipating the geographical location change.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the second storage device corresponds to a geographical location, the method further comprising:

identifying a second plurality of storage devices corresponding to the geographical location; and

selecting the second storage device based on one or more of its proximity, cost, availability, or speed.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the user, location information and time frame information for a geographical location;

associating action information with the location information and time frame information, the action information identifying one or more of a storing action and a transfer action; and

storing, in the location schedule, the location information, time frame information, and action information.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the first storage device is unavailable, moving the information associated with the user to a temporary storage device;

periodically determining whether the first storage device is available; and

in response to determining that the first storage device is available, moving the information associated with the user from the temporary storage device to the first storage device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the temporary storage device comprises at least one of a mobile device associated with the user and a stationary local device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying a time frame during which the user changes geographical locations,

wherein moving the information associated with the user from the second storage device to the first storage device comprises initiating movement during the identified time frame.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the identified time frame is associated with a time frame during which the user travels from a second geographical location to a first geographical location corresponding to the first storage device.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a likelihood that the user will access the information associated with the user during a time frame is less than a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the likelihood is less than the predetermined threshold, initiating, during the time frame, moving the information associated with the user from the second storage device to the first storage device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifying the selected storage device as the first storage device is performed in response to the receiving, from the user, the selection of the storage device.

11. A method, comprising:

identifying, for a user, a geographical location change from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;

identifying a first potential routing path and a plurality of network nodes associated with the first potential routing path;

in response to determining that the plurality of network nodes includes one or more network nodes to avoid, identifying a second routing path to route information of the user from a first storage device associated with the first geographical location to a second storage device associated with the second geographical location, wherein the second routing path does not include the one or more network nodes to avoid; and

in response to identifying the geographical location change, transferring the information of the user using the second routing path.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of storage devices that correspond to the second geographical location; and

selecting the second storage device based on one or more of the second storage device'"'"'s proximity, cost, availability, or speed.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

in response to determining that the second storage device is unavailable, transferring the information of the user to a temporary storage device;

periodically determining whether the second storage device is available; and

in response to determining that the second storage device is available, transferring the information of the user from the temporary storage device to the second storage device.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a time frame during which the user is not located in the first geographical location or the second geographical location,

wherein the transferring the information of the user using the second routing path comprises initiating transfer during the identified time frame.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining that a likelihood that the user will access the information of the user during a time frame is less than a predetermined threshold; and

in response to determining that the likelihood is less than the predetermined threshold, initiating, during the time frame, transferring the information of the user using the second routing path.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a plurality of potential routing paths to use to transfer the information of the user;

providing, to the user, at least one of a cost information, speed information, or information identifying a number of nodes to avoid for at least one routing path of the plurality of potential routing paths;

receiving, from the user, a selection of a preferred routing path from the plurality of routing paths; and

identifying the preferred routing path as the second routing path.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

identifying a device associated with the user changing geographical locations; and

identifying information incompatible with the device,

wherein the information transferred to the second storage device excludes information incompatible with the device.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein the transferring the information of the user further comprises:

identifying additional information associated with the information of the user, the additional information previously being accessed by the user within a predetermined time period from accessing the information of the user; and

in response to identifying the additional information, transferring the additional information from the first storage device to the second storage device with the information of the user.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the second routing path includes a plurality of network nodes and communication lines, the first storage device comprises a first cache storage, and the second storage device comprises a second cache storage.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein the first potential routing path connects the first storage device to the second storage device.

21. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to;

identify, for a user, a geographical location change from a first geographical location to a second geographical location;

identify a first potential routing path and a plurality of network nodes associated with the first potential routing path;

in response to determining that the plurality of network nodes includes one or more network nodes to avoid, identify a second routing path to route information of the user from a first storage device associated with the first geographical location to a second storage device associated with the second geographical location, wherein the second routing path does not include the one or more network nodes to avoid; and

in response to identifying the geographical location change, transfer the information of the user using the second routing path.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first potential routing path connects the first storage device to the second storage device.

23. The apparatus of claim 21, the memory storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the apparatus to:

in response to determining that the second storage device is unavailable, transfer the information of the user to a temporary storage device;

determine whether the second storage device is available; and

in response to determining that the second storage device is available, transfer the information of the user from the temporary storage device to the second storage device.