Sharing electronic file metadata in a networked computing environment

• US 9,342,527 B2
• Filed: 04/23/2015
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated (Kyndryl Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Abuelsaad, Kelly, DeLuca, Lisa Seacat, Jang, Soobaek, Krook, Daniel C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleurantin, Jean B
• Application Number:
  US14/694,390
• Publication Number:
  US 20150227546A1
• Time in Patent Office: 390 Days
• Field of Search: 707/758, 707/827
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/235 Update request formulation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/907 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/908 using metadata automatically derived from the content
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide an approach for sharing electronic file metadata in a networked computing environment (e.g., a cloud computing environment). In a typical embodiment, metadata related to electronic files stored in a shared storage device is maintained and updated. Such metadata may be viewable via a user interface of one or more applications used to access the files (e.g., from a plurality of computerized/electronic devices). Among other things, the metadata may identify previous accesses of the files (e.g., by user, date/time, etc.), and may be provided in a list or the like.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for sharing file metadata in a networked computing environment, comprising:

detecting an opening of an electronic file while the electronic file is being stored in a cloud-based shared storage device of the networked computing environment;

updating a set of metadata associated with the electronic file to reflect the opening of the electronic file, wherein the updated set of metadata is represented as a list of recently accessed electronic files in the shared storage device, the list identifying the electronic file, and wherein the updated set of metadata identifies a user to last access the electronic file and a location where the electronic file was last accessed;

storing the updated set of metadata in the shared storage device and associating the updated set of metadata with the electronic file; and

providing access to the updated set of metadata via an application utilized to access the electronic file, wherein the updated set of metadata is filtered to provide a view of a file which at least one of;

the user was the last to access or was last accessed at a particular location.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the opening being attempted from a first computerized device.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, further comprising accessing the updated set of metadata from a second computerized device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the providing access to the updated set of metadata comprising displaying the updated set of metadata via a user interface associated with the application.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, the networked computing environment comprising a cloud computing environment, and the shared storage device comprising a cloud storage device.

6. A system for sharing file metadata in a networked computing environment, comprising:

a memory device comprising instructions;

a bus coupled to the memory device; and

a processor coupled to the bus that when executing the instructions causes the system to;

detect an opening of an electronic file while the electronic file is being stored in a cloud-based shared storage device of the networked computing environment;

update a set of metadata associated with the electronic file to reflect the opening of the electronic file, wherein the updated set of metadata is represented as a list of recently accessed electronic files in the shared storage device, the list identifying the electronic file, and wherein the updated set of metadata identifies a user to last access the electronic file and a location where the electronic file was last accessed;

store the updated set of metadata in the shared storage device and associate the updated set of metadata with the electronic file; and

provide access to the updated set of metadata via an application utilized to access the electronic file, wherein the updated set of metadata is filtered to provide a view of a file which at least one of;

the user was the last to access or was last accessed at a particular location.

7. The system of claim 6, the opening being attempted from a first computerized device.

8. The system of claim 7, the memory device further comprising instructions for causing the system to access the updated set of metadata from a second computerized device.

9. The system of claim 8, the networked computing environment comprising a cloud computing environment, and the shared storage device comprising a cloud storage device.

10. The system of claim 6, the memory device further comprising instructions for causing the system to display the updated set of metadata via a user interface associated with the application.

11. A computer program product for sharing file metadata in a networked computing environment, the computer program product comprising a computer readable hardware storage device, and program instructions stored on the computer readable hardware storage device, to:

detect an opening of an electronic file while the electronic file is being stored in a cloud-based shared storage device of the networked computing environment;

update a set of metadata associated with the electronic file to reflect the opening of the electronic file, wherein the updated set of metadata is represented as a list of recently accessed electronic files in the shared storage device, the list identifying the electronic file, and wherein the updated set of metadata identifies a user to last access the electronic file and a location where the electronic file was last accessed;

store the updated set of metadata in the shared storage device and associate the updated set of metadata with the electronic file; and

provide access to the updated set of metadata via an application utilized to access the electronic file, wherein the updated set of metadata is filtered to provide a view of a file which at least one of;

the user was the last to access or was last accessed at a particular location.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, the opening being attempted from a first computerized device.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, the computer readable hardware storage device further comprising instructions to access the updated set of metadata from a second computerized device.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, the computer readable hardware storage device further comprising instructions to display the updated set of metadata via a user interface associated with the application.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, the networked computing environment comprising a cloud computing environment, and the shared storage device comprising a cloud storage device.