Network-based remote data storage system having multiple access interfaces

• US 20040210644A1
• Filed: 03/09/2004
• Published: 10/21/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/09/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitch Prust
• Original Assignee: Mitch Prust
• Inventors: Prust, Mitch
• Granted Patent: US 6,952,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/10 File systems; File servers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A data storage system is described that provides seamless access to remote data storage areas via a global computer network. The data storage system includes one or more storage servers coupled to one or more storage devices. The storage devices provide a plurality of virtual storage areas, where each virtual storage area is assigned to a user. Access to the virtual storage areas is fully integrated with an operating system executing on a client computer such that the user, or software applications executing on the client computer, can seamlessly access the corresponding virtual storage area using standard file management routines provided by the operating system. In addition, the invention provides a wide range of other remote access methods to the virtual data storage areas.

Claims

1. A data storage system comprising:

a storage server that maintains a plurality of remote storage areas associated with respective users; and

a plurality of software applications executing on the storage server to provide a plurality of different access interfaces for accessing the remote storage areas, wherein the access interfaces comprise;

a first access interface to provide access to a target one of the plurality of remote storage areas in response to access requests from a client computer in which an operating system of the client computer, wherein the API supports Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning (WebDAV) for accessing data files within the target one of the plurality of user-assignable storage area using extensions to the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to present the target one of the plurality of remote storage areas to software applications executing on the client computer as if the data files were local to the client computer,

a second access interface to directly service access requests from at least one communication software application executing on the client computer to automatically backup files from the client computer to the data storage system,

a third access interface to allow a web browser executing on the client computer to browse the target one of the plurality of remote storage areas, and

a fourth access interface operable to receive an electronic mail message and automatically access the target one of the plurality of remote storage areas in response to the e-mail.

2. The data storage system of claim 1, wherein the electronic mail message contains at least one attached data file, and the fourth access interface analyzes the electronic mail message to identify the target one of the plurality of remote storage areas, and stores the attached data file within the identified target one of the plurality of remote storage areas.

3. The data storage system of claim 2, wherein the electronic mail message includes text and the fourth access interface parses the text to determine the target one of the plurality of remote storage areas.