Systems and methods for providing continuing access to a remote computer program

• US 9,811,528 B2
• Filed: 12/15/2014
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yosef Benraz
• Original Assignee: Yosef Benraz
• Inventors: Benraz, Yosef
• Primary Examiner(s): Salad, Abdullahi E
• Application Number:
  US14/571,127
• Publication Number:
  US 20150169616A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,058 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1658 Data re-synchronization of a redundant component, or initial sync of replacement, additional or spare unit
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2094 Redundant storage or storage space G06F11/2056 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/2097 maintaining the standby controller/processing unit updated initialisation or re-synchronisation thereof G06F11/1658 and subgroups
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3006 where the computing system is distributed, e.g. networked systems, clusters, multiprocessor systems multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46; allocation of resources G06F9/50
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3419 by assessing time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for using a file-sharing service to identify, execute, and provide continuing access to remote computer programs. In certain embodiments, a list of files to be accessed remotely is provided to a first device, a selection is received from a user at the first device identifying a file from the provided list, and an application is executed on a second device to access a copy of the identified file, which is synchronized with a file-sharing service.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a first device configured to;

transmit a list of local applications that are candidates for remote execution;

a second device configured to;

receive the list of candidate applications;

associate at least one file-type identifier with at least one of the candidate applications in the received list;

store at least one device identifier associated with the first device;

store at least one application identifier associated with each one of the candidate applications;

provide a list of files to be accessed remotely;

a third device configured to;

receive a list of files from the second device or from a file-sharing service;

transmit a selection identifying at least one file from the received list;

wherein the second device is further configured to;

receive the selection identifying the at least one file;

determine a target file-type identifier associated with the identified at least one file based on the received selection;

select at least one of the stored device identifiers and at least one of the stored application identifiers based on the target file-type identifier;

transmit the identified at least one file or transmit the selected application identifier based on the selected device identifier; and

a fourth device, different from the third device, configured to;

receive the transmitted application identifier or the identified at least one file;

execute an application locally based on the received application identifier or the received identified at least one file; and

cause the executed application to access a copy of the identified at least one file, wherein the copy of the identified at least one file is synchronized with a file-sharing service.

2. An apparatus comprising a processor configured to:

receive a list of applications local to a first device that are candidates for remote execution;

associate at least one file-type identifier with at least one of the candidate applications in the received list;

store at least one device identifier associated with the first device;

store at least one application identifier associated with each one of the candidate applications;

provide to a second device a list of files to be accessed remotely;

receive a selection from a user at the second device identifying at least one file from the provided list;

determine a target file-type identifier associated with the identified at least one file based on the received user selection;

select at least one of the stored device identifiers and at least one of the stored application identifiers based on the target file-type identifier; and

cause at least one of the candidate applications that is associated with the at least one selected application identifier to;

execute locally on a selected device that is associated with the at least one selected device identifier and that is different from the second device, and

access a copy of the identified at least one file, wherein the copy of the identified at least one file is synchronized with a file-sharing service.

3. A method for executing a remote application, the method comprising:

receiving a list of applications local to a first device that are candidates for remote execution;

associating at least one file-type identifier with at least one of the candidate applications in the received list;

storing at least one device identifier associated with the first device;

storing at least one application identifier associated with each one of the candidate applications;

providing, to a second device, a list of files to be accessed remotely;

receiving a selection from a user at the second device identifying at least one file from the provided list;

determining a target file-type identifier associated with the identified at least one file based on the received user selection;

selecting at least one of the stored device identifiers and at least one of the stored application identifiers based on the target file-type identifier; and

causing at least one of the candidate applications that is associated with the at least one selected application identifier to;

execute locally on a selected device that is associated with the at least one selected device identifier and that is different from the second device, and

access a copy of the identified at least one file, wherein the copy of the identified at least one file is synchronized with a file-sharing service.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

detecting a failure of the selected device; and

in response to the detected failure, causing at least one of the candidate applications to;

execute locally on an alternative device that is different from both the second device and the selected device, and

access a copy of the identified at least one file that is synchronized with the file-sharing service.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving performance information pertaining to the first device; and

wherein the at least one stored device identifier is selected based on the received performance information.

6. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

periodically receiving performance information pertaining to the first device or an alternative device;

selecting an alternative stored device identifier based on the received performance information;

selecting an alternative stored application identifier based on the received performance information or the alternative stored device identifier; and

causing at least one of the candidate applications that is associated with the alternative application identifier to;

execute locally on an alternative device that is associated with the alternative device identifier and that is different from both the second device and the selected device, and

access a copy of the identified at least one file that is synchronized with the file-sharing service.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising terminating the application executing remotely on the selected device.

8. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving a selection from the user identifying a target device or a target application; and

wherein the at least one stored device identifiers and the at least one stored application identifiers are further selected based on the received user selection identifying a target device or target application.

9. The method of claim 3, further comprising determining whether a file-sharing service client is installed on the selected device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the file-sharing service client is installed, determining whether the file-sharing service client is stopped; and

in response to determining that the file-sharing service client is stopped, starting the file-sharing service client.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the file-sharing service client is installed, determining whether the file-sharing service client is stopped;

in response to determining that the file-sharing service client is stopped, copying the identified at least one file to the selected device; and

periodically synchronizing the copy of the identified at least one file using the file-sharing service or another file-sharing service.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

in response to determining that the file-sharing service client is not installed, copying the identified at least one file to the selected device; and

periodically synchronizing the copy of the identified at least one file using the file-sharing service or another file-sharing service.

13. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

receiving, from the first device, an icon associated with one of the candidate applications;

storing the icon; and

providing the icon to the second device for display to the user in connection with the provided list of files to be accessed remotely.