Peer-to-peer file transfer between computer systems and storage devices

• US 8,838,697 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lashkari, Hassan, Le, Huy B., Borges, Daniel R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M
• Application Number:
  US13/415,664
• Publication Number:
  US 20130238711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 922 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-205, 709217-227, 709/211, 710/2, 710/13, 710/15, 710/19, 710/301, 710/302
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0605 by facilitating the interaction with a user or administrator
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0632 by initialisation or re-initialisation of storage systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0635 by changing the path, e.g. traffic rerouting, path reconfiguration
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0655 Vertical data movement, i.e. input-output transfer; data movement between one or more hosts and one or more storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/067 Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1097 for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds

Abstract

The disclosed embodiments provide a system that facilitates communication with a storage device. During operation, the system provides a physically operated mechanism for enabling detection of the storage device in proximity to a computer system using a discovery protocol. If detection of the storage device using the discovery protocol is enabled, the system uses the physically operated mechanism to establish a wireless peer-to-peer connection between the storage device and the computer system. The system then uses the wireless peer-to-peer connection to transfer a file between the storage device and the computer system.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for facilitating communication with a storage device, comprising:

based on a connection of a physically operated mechanism to a communication port of the storage device, enabling, by the physically operated mechanism, the detection of the storage device by a computer system in proximity to the storage device using a discovery protocol; and

based on the enablement of the detection of the storage device by the physically operated mechanism;

establishing a wireless peer-to-peer connection between the storage device and the computer system; and

using the wireless peer-to-peer connection to transfer a file between the storage device and the computer system.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

using an infrastructure connection to transfer the file between the storage device and the computer system if the infrastructure connection is more robust than the wireless peer-to-peer connection.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the physically operated mechanism comprises:

a peripheral device separate from the storage device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the physically operated mechanism comprises at least one of:

a radio;

a processor; and

a memory.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein enabling detection of the storage device by the computer system using the discovery protocol involves:

by the physically operated mechanism, advertising a file-transfer capability of the storage device using the discovery protocol.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the storage device is at least one of an internal hard disk drive (HDD), an external HDD, a thumb drive, and a memory card.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the wireless peer-to-peer connection is initiated upon receiving a request to transfer the file.

8. A system for facilitating communication with a storage device, comprising:

a physically operated mechanism configured to be connected to a communication port of the storage device, the connecting causing the physically operated mechanism to enable the detection of the storage device by a computer system in proximity to the storage device using a discovery protocol; and

a communication apparatus in the physically operated mechanism configured to;

based on the enablement of the detection of the storage device by the physically operated mechanism, establish a wireless peer-to-peer connection between the storage device and the computer system; and

use the wireless peer-to-peer connection to transfer a file between the storage device and the computer system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the communication apparatus is further configured to:

use an infrastructure connection to transfer the file between the storage device and the computer system if the infrastructure connection is more robust than the wireless peer-to-peer connection.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the physically operated mechanism comprises:

a peripheral device separate from the storage device.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein enabling detection of the storage device by the computer system using the discovery protocol involves:

advertising a file-transfer capability of the storage device using the discovery protocol.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the storage device is at least one of an internal hard disk drive (HDD), an external HDD, a thumb drive, and a memory card.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the wireless peer-to-peer connection is initiated upon receiving a request to transfer the file.

14. A computer-readable storage medium storing instructions that, when executed by a physically operated mechanism, cause the physically operated mechanism to perform a method for facilitating communication with a storage device, the method comprising:

based on a connection of the physically operated mechanism to a communication port of the storage device, enabling, by the physically operated mechanism, the detection of the storage device by a computer system in proximity to the storage device using a discovery protocol; and

based on the enablement of the detection of the storage device by the physically operated mechanism;

establishing a wireless peer-to-peer connection between the storage device and the computer system; and

using the wireless peer-to-peer connection to transfer a file between the storage device and the computer system.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, the method further comprising:

using an infrastructure connection to transfer the file between the storage device and the computer system if the infrastructure connection is more robust than the wireless peer-to-peer connection.

16. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the physically operated mechanism comprises:

a peripheral device separate from the storage device.

17. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the physically operated mechanism comprises at least one of:

a radio;

a processor; and

a memory.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein enabling detection of the storage device by the computer system using the discovery protocol involves:

by the physically operated mechanism, advertising a file-transfer capability of the storage device using the discovery protocol.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the storage device is at least one of an internal hard disk drive (HDD), an external HDD, a thumb drive, and a memory card.