Virtual storage system and method of sharing access to the virtual storage system for adding electronic documents

• US 9,813,499 B2
• Filed: 07/23/2013
• Issued: 11/07/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virtual Strongbox, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Virtual Strongbox, Inc.
• Inventors: Daly, Jr., Ronald M., Giambalvo, Leonard, Smilie, Robert Jacob
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thu Ha
• Application Number:
  US13/948,194
• Publication Number:
  US 20150032840A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,568 Days
• Field of Search: 709213, 709216-217, 709219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• 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]

Abstract

A virtual storage system in data communication with a user computing device via a communication network and methods of sharing access to the virtual storage system that includes at least one processor that receives a request for granting share access of at least one electronic folder of a plurality of electronic folders, and for adding at least one electronic document therein, and input information including upload link information and expiration information corresponding to the share access of the electronic folder, as input by a user, and creates at least one upload link corresponding to the electronic folder based on the input information, for granting share access to a recipient of the at least one upload link. The virtual storage system also includes a plurality of redundant physical storage devices in data communication with the processor and storing the electronic document to be uploaded, and the upload link created.

Claims

1. A virtual storage system in data communication with a user computing device via a communication network, the virtual storage system comprising:

at least one processor configured to;

receive from the user computing device,

a request for granting share access of at least one electronic folder of a plurality of electronic folders associated with an account of at least one user of the virtual storage system, and for adding at least one electronic document therein, and

input information including upload link information and expiration information corresponding to the share access of the at least one electronic folder, that is input by an authorized user of an external system, wherein the expiration information comprises an expiration period for accessing the at least one electronic folder and for uploading electronic documents by a recipient, the external system is an online document retrieval and storage system residing on another communication network separate from the virtual storage system and the authorized user is different from the at least one user of the virtual storage system and the external system is different from the virtual storage system,

create at least one upload link corresponding to the at least one electronic folder based on the input information, for granting share access to the recipient of the at least one upload link, wherein the upload link information comprises a predetermined number of uploading times for uploading electronic documents via the recipient of the at least one upload link;

determine an access code to be input by the recipient to complete uploading of the at least one electronic document, wherein the access code is included in the at least one upload link created;

copy the at least one upload link created to a communication to the recipient or generating a communication to the recipient within the virtual storage system, for sending the at least one upload link created to the recipient; and

a plurality of redundant physical storage devices located in redundant data centers in data communication with the at least one processor and each configured to store the at least one electronic document to be uploaded, and the at least one upload link created.

2. The virtual storage system of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to:

receive and process the at least one electronic document uploaded by the recipient into the at least one electronic folder.

3. The virtual storage system of claim 1, further comprising:

a web interface configured to interface the virtual storage system with the external system and the user computing device, via at least one communication network.

4. The virtual storage system of claim 1, wherein the external system further comprises a web interface configured to interface the external system with the virtual storage system.

5. The virtual storage system of claim 1, wherein the user computing device comprises a web application configured to interface the user computing device with the virtual storage system, via the external system.

6. The virtual storage system of claim 1, wherein the user computing device comprises a native application configured to interface the user computing device directly with the virtual storage system.

7. The virtual storage system of claim 1, wherein the online document retrieval and storage system is a banking system.

8. A method implemented by computer system to effect the granting of share access of at least one electronic folder of a plurality of electronic folders within a virtual storage system including at least one processor in data communication via a communication network with a user computing device, and a plurality of redundant storage devices located in redundant data centers, the method comprising:

accessing the virtual storage system via the user computing device;

selecting and viewing the at least one electronic folder of the plurality of electronic to be shared with a recipient;

receiving from the user computing device by an authorized user of an external system comprising an online document retrieval and storage system residing on another communication network separate from the virtual storage system and, a request for granting share access of the at least one electronic folder;

determining, via the user computing device, upload link information corresponding to the share access of the at least one electronic folder, wherein determining upload link information comprises determining a number of uploading times for uploading electronic documents by the recipient and the authorized user of the external system is different from the user of the virtual storage system and the external system is different from the virtual storage system;

determining, via the user computing device, expiration information corresponding to the uploading of the at least one electronic documents to the at least one electronic folder, wherein determining expiration information comprises determining an expiration period for accessing the at least one electronic folder and for uploading electronic documents by the recipient;

creating at least one upload link corresponding to the share access of the at least one electronic folder based on the upload link information and the expiration information, for granting share access of the at least one electronic folder with a recipient;

storing, via the physical redundant storage devices, the at least one electronic document and the at least one upload link created;

determining an access code to be input by the recipient to complete uploading of the at least one electronic document, wherein the access code is included in the at least one upload link created; and

copying the at least one upload link created to a communication to the recipient or generating a communication to the recipient within the virtual storage system, for sending the at least one upload link created to the recipient.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing computer executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computing device to perform a method of granting share access of at least one electronic folder of a plurality of electronic folders within a virtual storage system including at least one processor in data communication via a communication network with a user computing device, and a plurality of redundant storage devices located in redundant data centers, the method comprising:

accessing the virtual storage system via the user computing device;

selecting and viewing the at least one electronic folder of the plurality of electronic folders to be shared with a recipient;

receiving from the user computing device by an authorized user of an external system comprising an online document retrieval and storage system residing on another communication network separate from the virtual storage system and, a request for granting share access of the at least one electronic folder;

determining, via a user computing device, upload link information corresponding to the share access of the at least one electronic folder, wherein determining upload link information comprises determining a number of uploading times for uploading of at least one electronic document by a recipient and the authorized user of the external system is different from the user computing device and the external system is different from the virtual storage system;

determining, via the user computing device, expiration information corresponding to the uploading of the at least one electronic document to the at least one electronic folder;

creating at least one upload link corresponding to the share access of the at least one electronic folder based on the upload link information and the expiration information, for granting share access of the at least one electronic folder with the recipient; and

storing, via the physical redundant storage devices, the at least one electronic document and the at least one upload link created;

determining an access code to be input by the recipient to complete uploading of the at least one electronic document, wherein the access code is included in the at least one upload link created; and

copying the at least one upload link created to a communication to the recipient or generating a communication to the recipient within the virtual storage system, for sending the at least one upload link created to the recipient.