System and method for socially organized storage and shared access to storage appliances
First Claim
1. A computer program product for propagating, over a wide area network, a change, to data in a local storage appliance under control of a first computing device of a first user, to remote storage appliances under control of computing devices of other users, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, wherein the computer readable program code, when being run by a processor in the local appliance, is configured to cause the local storage appliance to perform computer processes comprising:
- receiving a change to data in a virtual container associated with the local storage appliance, the local storage appliance being under control of the first computing device of the first user;
responsive to the change, sending a request over a wide area network to a central server for information regarding the virtual container, the central server storing a set of relationships, each relationship identifying a distinct remote storage appliance that has been granted sharing privileges for the virtual container and is thus linked to the virtual container;
in response to the request, receiving over the wide area network from the central server identifying information for a set of remote storage appliances, corresponding to the set of relationships with respect to the virtual container, wherein the set of remote storage appliances is controlled via computing devices of users other than the first user; and
transmitting, over the wide area network, a data update corresponding to the change from the local storage appliance to the set of remote storage appliances, on a peer-to-peer basis, so that the set of remote storage appliances are updated to reflect the change.
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Abstract
In various embodiments, the present invention relates to systems and methods for managing user data in a plurality of storage appliances coupled to a wide area network. In some embodiments, the present invention relates to systems and methods that allow users to view and manipulate files in a shared virtual container. In other embodiments, the present invention also relates to systems and methods that allow users to access virtual containers located on storage appliances that are owned by other users.
63 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A computer program product for propagating, over a wide area network, a change, to data in a local storage appliance under control of a first computing device of a first user, to remote storage appliances under control of computing devices of other users, the computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable program code stored thereon, wherein the computer readable program code, when being run by a processor in the local appliance, is configured to cause the local storage appliance to perform computer processes comprising:
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receiving a change to data in a virtual container associated with the local storage appliance, the local storage appliance being under control of the first computing device of the first user; responsive to the change, sending a request over a wide area network to a central server for information regarding the virtual container, the central server storing a set of relationships, each relationship identifying a distinct remote storage appliance that has been granted sharing privileges for the virtual container and is thus linked to the virtual container; in response to the request, receiving over the wide area network from the central server identifying information for a set of remote storage appliances, corresponding to the set of relationships with respect to the virtual container, wherein the set of remote storage appliances is controlled via computing devices of users other than the first user; and transmitting, over the wide area network, a data update corresponding to the change from the local storage appliance to the set of remote storage appliances, on a peer-to-peer basis, so that the set of remote storage appliances are updated to reflect the change. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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12. A method of providing to a new user access to a given storage appliance that is (1) under control of a computer device of another user and (2) coupled to a computer network, the method comprising:
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managing, at a server, a database system having owner account data governing access to storage appliances that are registered in the database system, wherein (i) each storage appliance is associated in the database system with at least one owner, (ii) the given storage appliance is one of the registered storage appliances and has a registered owner, (iii) the database system stores a set of relationships that identify users, in addition to the registered owners, who have been granted sharing privileges to storage appliances and their associated virtual containers, and (iv) the storage appliances are configured to share data with each other on a peer-to-peer basis in accordance with the set of relationships that are stored in the database system; receiving at the server, from a computing device of the new user, a request for a list of virtual containers and storage appliances for which the new user has been granted sharing privileges; in response to the request, determining, by the server, that a registered owner of the given storage appliance has configured a virtual container on the given storage appliance to be shared with the new user; and sending, by the server, an identifier of the given storage appliance of the registered owner to the computing device of the new user, so that the computing device can access data on the given storage appliance on a peer-to-peer basis in accordance with the sharing privileges stored in the database system. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification