Computing system for managing data

• US 9,479,581 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimchi, Gur, Barga, Roger, Gupta, Vinay, Apter, Zachary, Paparizos, Stelios
• Primary Examiner(s): Dalencourt, Yves
• Application Number:
  US14/880,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20160036907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 379 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0267 Wireless devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/104 Grouping of entities
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1046 Joining mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1068 Discovery involving direct consultation or announcement among potential requesting and potential source peers

Abstract

Various embodiments are described for systems and methods for managing data. The system may include a device group configured for peer-to-peer communications, the device group including a computing device and one or more peer computing devices. The system includes a cross device application programming interface (API) that is implemented as a device group API client executed on the computing device and each of the peer computing devices. Each device group API client includes a permissions module that is configured to determine whether a request satisfies a device-group-specific permission for access to data stored on any device associated with the device group. Upon authorization of the request, a file storage module is configured to retrieve and output the requested file.

Claims

1. A computing system for managing data comprising:

a computing device associated with a device group, the computing device comprising a processor; and

one or more peer computing devices associated with the device group,

wherein the processor is configured to;

discover the one or more peer computing devices associated with the device group, including dynamically discovering a non-member computing device not presently associated with the device group that satisfies at least one device group criterion, and add the non-member computing device to the device group;

engage in communications with the one or more peer computing devices of the device group;

access files stored in a distributed file store locally on the computing device and remotely on the one or more peer computing devices using the communications;

receive a request from a requesting program to access a requested file stored in the distributed file store;

determine whether the request satisfies a permission for access permission of data stored on any device associated with the device group, and if so, to authorize the request to access the requested file, else to deny the request to access the requested file; and

upon authorization of the request, retrieve the requested file from the distributed file store and output the requested file to the requesting program.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the device group is a first device group having a first set of device-group-specific permissions, and the processor is configured to determine whether the request satisfies the first set of device-group-specific permissions, and if so, to authorize the request to access the requested file, else to deny the request to access the requested file, the system further comprising a second device group having a second set of device-group-specific permissions, the computing device being a member of the second device group, wherein the processor is configured to determine whether the request satisfies the second set of device-group-specific permissions, and if so, to authorize the request to access the requested file, else to deny the request to access the requested file.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the requested file comprises user data from at least one of a plurality of user data categories, the user data categories selected from the group consisting of application usage history, browser history, media data, contact data, calendar data and social network data, and the processor is configured to allow a user to set a privacy setting for each of the user data categories.

4. The computing system of claim 3, wherein the processor is configured to gather aggregated user data from the computing device and at least one of the peer computing devices, send an ad request including the aggregated user data to an ad engine on a remote server, the aggregated user data authorized to be sent according to the permission, the processor also configured to receive an ad in response to the ad request, and display the ad on the computing device and/or the at least one of the peer computing devices.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to grant a partial access privilege to enable access to only a portion of the data in a file, and/or to enable access to the data in the file only for authorized uses, if the request satisfies the permission.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the requesting program is a media player and the requested file is a media file, and the processor is configured to search for the media file in the distributed file store, and, if the request satisfies the permission, stream the requested file to the media player.

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to allow an external web service to write a new application on the computing devices associated with the device group.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one device group criterion comprises a location of the non-member computing device being within a pre-defined range.

9. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one device group criterion comprises a social distance of a user of the non-member computing device being within a pre-defined distance.

10. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the at least one device group criterion comprises an ownership designation of the non-member computing device being associated with a user of the computing device or a user of one of the peer computing devices.

11. A computing device comprising a processor that is configured to:

form a device group that includes the computing device and at least one peer computing device;

establish peer-to-peer communication between the computing device and the at least one peer computing device;

store files in a distributed file store locally on the computing device and remotely on the at least one peer computing device;

receive a request from a requesting program to access a requested file stored in the distributed file store;

determine that the request satisfies a permission for access permission of data stored on any device associated with the device group;

in response to determining that the request satisfies the permission, retrieve the requested file from the distributed file store and output the requested file to the requesting program;

dynamically discover a non-member computing device that is not presently associated with the device group; and

if the non-member computing device satisfies at least one device group criterion, then add the non-member computing device to the device group.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the request is a first request, the requested file is a first requested file, the distributed file store is a first distributed file store, and the device group is a first device group having a first set of device-group-specific permissions for the first device group, the processor configured to:

form a second device group of which the computing device is a member, the second device group having a second set of device-group-specific permissions for access permission of data stored on any device associated with the second device group;

store files in a second distributed file store locally on the computing device and/or remotely on a peer computing device;

receive a second request from the requesting program to access a second requested file stored in the second distributed file store; and

determine whether the second request satisfies the second set of device-group-specific permissions and if so, then authorize the second request to access the second requested file, else deny the second request to access the second requested file.

13. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the requested file comprises user data from at least one of a plurality of user data categories, the user data categories selected from the group consisting of application usage history, browser history, media data, contact data, calendar data and social network data, and the processor is configured to set a privacy setting for each of the user data categories.

14. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to:

gather aggregated user data from the computing device and the at least one peer computing device;

authorize the aggregated user data to be sent according to the device-group-specific permission;

send an ad request including the aggregated user data to an ad engine on a remote server;

receive the ad in response to the ad request; and

display the ad on the computing device and/or the peer computing device.

15. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the requested file is a media file, and the processor is configured to:

receive the request from a media player;

search for the media file in the distributed file store; and

if the request satisfies the permission, then stream the media file to the media player.

16. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to allow an external web service to write a new application on the computing devices associated with the device group.

17. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one device group criterion comprises a location of the non-member computing device being within a pre-defined range.

18. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one device group criterion comprises a social distance of a user of the non-member computing device being within a pre-defined distance.

19. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the at least one device group criterion comprises an ownership designation of the non-member computing device being associated with a user of the computing device and/or the at least one peer computing device.

20. A computing device comprising a processor that is configured to:

form a first device group that includes the computing device and a first peer computing device;

form a second device group that includes the computing device and a second peer computing device;

establish peer-to-peer communication between the computing device and the first peer computing device;

establish peer-to-peer communication between the computing device and the second peer computing device;

store files in a first distributed file store locally on the computing device and remotely on the first peer computing device;

store files in a second distributed file store locally on the computing device and remotely on the second peer computing device;

receive a request from a requesting program to access a requested file located in the first distributed file store or the second distributed file store;

search for the requested file in the first distributed file store and the second distributed file store;

if the requested file is located in the first distributed file store, then determine whether the request satisfies a first device-group-specific permission for access permission of data stored on any device associated with the first device group, and if so, then authorize the request to access the requested file, else deny the request to access the requested file;

if the requested file is located in the second distributed file store, then determine whether the request satisfies a second device-group-specific permission for access permission of data stored on any device associated with the second device group, and if so, then authorize the request to access the requested file, else deny the request to access the requested file; and

if the request is authorized, then retrieve the requested file from the first distributed file store or the second distributed file store, and output the requested file to the computer program; and

dynamically discover a non-member computing device that is not presently associated with the first device group or the second device group, and that satisfies at least one device group criterion, and add the non-member computing device to the first device group.