Architecture for management of digital files across distributed network

• US 10,289,607 B2
• Filed: 06/25/2018
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Topia Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Topia Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Manzano, Michael R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Channavajjala, Srirama
• Application Number:
  US16/017,348
• Publication Number:
  US 20180307698A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/122 using management policies backup systems G06F11/1446; file migration policies for HSM systems G06F16/185
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/128 Details of file system snapshots on the file-level, e.g. snapshot creation, administration, deletion use of snapshots for error detection or correction G06F11/14, G06F11/16
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/14 Details of searching files based on file metadata
• 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 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24573 using data annotations, e.g. user-defined metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

In certain embodiments, automatic modification-triggered transfer of a file among two or more computer systems associated with a user. In some embodiments, a copy of a first file may be received, via a first application at a first computer system, from a second application at a second computer system associated with a user. The first file copy may be automatically received from the second application responsive to the user modifying a content of the first file, where the first file copy is a version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file. Responsive to receiving the first file copy from the second computer system, the first file copy may be automatically transferred via the first application to a third computer system associated with the user to replace an older version of the first file stored on the third computer system.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server system comprising one or more processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the server system to;

receive, over a network, a copy of a first file from a first client device associated with a user, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from the first client device responsive to the user modifying a content of the first file stored on the first client device, the copy of the first file being a version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file;

receive, from the first client device, first metadata associated with the version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file, the first metadata being assigned a first priority greater than a second priority assigned to the copy of the first file;

determine that the server system is not in communication with a second client device associated with the user;

store the copy of the first file on the server system;

automatically transfer the first metadata to the second client device based on the first priority being greater than the second priority such that the first metadata is transferred to the second client device prior to the copy of the first file being transferred to the second client device; and

automatically transfer, over a network, the copy of the first file to the second client device associated with the user to replace an older version of the first file stored on the second client device, responsive to (i) resuming communication with the second client device and (ii) receiving the copy of the first file from the first client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed, cause the server system to:

store the copy of the first file to a memory device associated with the server system, wherein the copy of the first file is stored on the memory device associated with the server system responsive to determining that the server system is not in communication with the second client device.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the server system or the first client device comprises a priority assignment configuration to assign greater priority to metadata associated with files than priority assigned to the files such that at least one of the server system or the first client device assigns the first priority to the first metadata and the second priority to the copy of the first file based on the priority assignment configuration.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein availability of the version of the first file is presented at the second client device based on the first metadata.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the server system is caused to:

receive a copy of a second file from the second client device associated with the user, wherein the copy of the second file is automatically received from the second client device responsive to the user modifying a content of the second file stored on the second client device, the copy of the second file being a version of the second file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the second file;

determine that the server system is in communication with the first client device associated with the user; and

automatically transfer the copy of the second file to the first client device associated with the user to replace an older version of the second file stored on the first client device, responsive to (i) determining that the server system is in communication with the first client device and (ii) receiving the copy of the second file from the second client device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer program instructions, when executed, cause the server system to:

periodically perform a pull request, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from the first client device responsive to (i) the pull request and (ii) the user modifying the content of the first file stored on the first client device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from the first client device responsive to (i) a push request of the first client device and (ii) the user modifying the content of the first file stored on the first client device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from a first application at the first client device, and wherein the first application comprises a runtime environment for one or more mobile-agent objects.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the first application is configured to create a first mobile object, and wherein the first mobile object is configured to create a proxy object at the server system.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the first mobile object is configured to provide the copy of the first file to the proxy object.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the proxy object is configured to store the copy of the first file on a memory device associated with the server system.

12. A method being implemented by a server system comprising one or more processors executing computer program instructions that, when executed, perform the method, the method comprising:

receiving, by the server system, over a network, a copy of a first file from a first client device associated with a user, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from the first client device responsive to the user modifying a content of the first file stored on the first client device, the copy of the first file being a version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file;

receiving, by the server system, from the first client device, first metadata associated with the version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file, the first metadata being assigned a first priority greater than a second priority assigned to the copy of the first file;

determining, by the server system, that the server system is not in communication with a second client device associated with the user;

store the copy of the first file on the server system;

automatically transferring, by the server system, the first metadata to the second client device based on the first priority being greater than the second priority such that the first metadata is transferred to the second client device prior to the copy of the first file being transferred to the second client device; and

automatically transferring, by the server system, over a network, the copy of the first file to the second client device associated with the user to replace an older version of the first file stored on the second client device, responsive to (i) resuming communication with the second client device and (ii) receiving the copy of the first file from the first client device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

storing, by the server system, the copy of the first file to a memory device associated with the server system, wherein the copy of the first file is stored on the memory device associated with the server system responsive to determining that the server system is not in communication with the second client device.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the server system or the first client device comprises a priority assignment configuration to assign greater priority to metadata associated with files than priority assigned to the files such that at least one of the server system or the first client device assigns the first priority to the first metadata and the second priority to the copy of the first file based on the priority assignment configuration.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from a first application at the first client device, wherein the first application comprises a runtime environment for one or more mobile-agent objects, and wherein the first application is configured to create a first mobile object, and the first mobile object is configured to create a proxy object at the server system and to provide the copy of the first file to the proxy object.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the proxy object is configured to store the copy of the first file on a memory device associated with the server system.

17. A system comprising:

a server system comprising one or more processors programmed with computer program instructions that, when executed, cause the server system to;

receive, over a network, a copy of a first file from a first client device associated with a user, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from the first client device responsive to the user modifying a content of the first file stored on the first client device, the copy of the first file being a version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file;

receive, from the first client device, first metadata associated with the version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file, the first metadata being assigned a first priority greater than a second priority assigned to the copy of the first file, wherein at least one of the server system or the first client device comprises a priority assignment configuration to assign greater priority to metadata associated with files than priority assigned to the files such that at least one of the server system or the first client device assigns the first priority to the first metadata and the second priority to the copy of the first file based on the priority assignment configuration;

determine that the server system is not in communication with a second client device associated with the user;

store the copy of the first file on the server system;

automatically transfer the first metadata to the second client device based on the first priority being greater than the second priority such that the first metadata is transferred to the second client device prior to the copy of the first file being transferred to the second client device; and

automatically transfer, over a network, the copy of the first file to the second client device associated with the user, responsive to (i) resuming communication with the second client device and (ii) receiving the copy of the first file from the first client device,

wherein, responsive to transferring the copy of the first file to the second client device, an older version of the first file stored on the second client device is automatically caused to be replaced with the copy of the first file such that the copy of the first file is stored on the second client device in lieu of the older version of the first file.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from a first application at the first client device, wherein the first application comprises a runtime environment for one or more mobile-agent objects, and wherein the first application is configured to create a first mobile object, the first mobile object is configured to create a proxy object at the server system and to provide the copy of the first file to the proxy object, and the proxy object is configured to store the copy of the first file on a memory device associated with the server system.

19. One or more non-transitory machine-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a server system, cause operations comprising:

receiving, by the server system, over a network, a copy of a first file from a first client device associated with a user, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from the first client device responsive to the user modifying a content of the first file stored on the first client device, the copy of the first file being a version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file;

receiving, by the server system, from the first client device, first metadata associated with the version of the first file that is generated from the user modifying the content of the first file, the first metadata being assigned a first priority greater than a second priority assigned to the copy of the first file;

determining, by the server system, that the server system is not in communication with a second client device associated with the user;

storing, by the server system, the copy of the first file on the server system;

automatically transferring, by the server system, the first metadata to the second client device based on the first priority being greater than the second priority such that the first metadata is transferred to the second client device prior to the copy of the first file being transferred to the second client device; and

automatically transferring, by the server system, over a network, the copy of the first file to the second client device associated with the user to replace an older version of the first file stored on the second client device, responsive to (i) resuming communication with the second client device and (ii) receiving the copy of the first file from the first client device.

20. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 19, wherein at least one of the server system or the first client device comprises a priority assignment configuration to assign greater priority to metadata associated with files than priority assigned to the files such that at least one of the server system or the first client device assigns the first priority to the first metadata and the second priority to the copy of the first file based on the priority assignment configuration.

21. The one or more non-transitory machine-readable media of claim 19, wherein the copy of the first file is automatically received from a first application at the first client device, wherein the first application comprises a runtime environment for one or more mobile-agent objects, and wherein the first application is configured to create a first mobile object, the first mobile object is configured to create a proxy object at the server system and to provide the copy of the first file to the proxy object, and the proxy object is configured to store the copy of the first file on a memory device associated with the server system.