Use of wireless devices' external storage

• US 20100005153A1
• Filed: 12/04/2003
• Published: 01/07/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SynKloud Technologies, LLC (SY Ventures)
• Original Assignee: Sheng Tsao
• Inventors: Tsao, Sheng (Ted)
• Granted Patent: US 8,606,880 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 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1824 implemented using Network-attached Storage [NAS] architecture distributed or networked storage systems G06F3/067; protocols for distributed storage of data in a network H04L67/1097
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/04 Wireless resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup

Abstract

Adapting web-based external storage, wireless device can posses huge amount of storage that current any wireless device'"'"'s internal storage can not provide. To effectively let the storage server providing external storage (file system) for wireless device, the storage of a storage server need to be partitioned into multiple small storage volume and need to be exported to each specific wireless device. The console support software coupled with web-server software of a server provides both users of wireless device and console through web-browser to perform tasks of creating and utilizing external storage (file system). To support larger number of wireless devices with external storage, a central controlled distributed scalable virtual machine infrastructure can be deployed. The larger number of storage server controlled by a central control system can satisfy unlimited wireless devices external storage needs.

Claims

1-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A method of out-band downloading a file from a web-site to a targeted system comprising:

facilitating a user from a web-browser of a system via a network of LAN, Intranet or Internet to accesses a web-page on a remote web site, where the web-page contains file download information including the file path, the IP address of the remote web site, and related information for downloading;

instructing the system to obtain the file download information contained in the web page from the cached web page on the system;

instructing the system to send the obtained file download information to a permitted targeted system via the network;

instructing the targeted system to receive said file download information and send a download request to the remote web site via the network; and

instructing the targeted system to receiving the downloading file stream from the remote web-site directly into a designated file system of the targeted system without goes through said system.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein said web browser of a system and the targeted system further includes:

provide the user from a wireless device'"'"'s web browser to access the web page, provide the user from a personal desktop or laptop to access the web page, and provide user from a server'"'"'s web browser to access the web page; and

provide another remote laptop, desktop, or server as the targeted system.

33. A system provides external storage for wireless devices that comprises:

a server unit connects to a network and to be accessed by one or more users from each of their own web browser via the network of LAN, Intranet or Internet;

the server unit is configured with one or more storage devices, which to be partitioned by one or more administration users from each of their own web browser over the network, and be assigned to each wireless device as its external storage; and

the server unit facilitates each user of the wireless devices from his/her web browser to perform tasks of accessing and managing the files and file-folders in the wireless device'"'"'s assigned external storage, where the tasks include downloading files from remote web sites into the assigned external storage on the server unit; and

the server unit also facilitates each user'"'"'s one or more tasks to be run concurrently in the user'"'"'s web browser.

34. The system of the claim 33, wherein the server unit facilitates each administration user from a web browser to select one storage device at time from the displayed a list of one or more storage devices on the server unit to partition the selected storage device into one or more storage volumes for all storage devices on the list in response to the requirement of providing desired sized external storage to each wireless device.

35. The system of the claim 34, wherein the server unit also facilitates each administration user from a web browser to create one file system on a corresponding storage volume at a time for all storage volumes;

and for all file systems, to assign a file system to a corresponding user'"'"'s wireless device for the user from the wireless device'"'"'s web browser to access and manage files and file-folders on the assigned external storage.

36. The claim 35, wherein said user from wireless device'"'"'s web browser to access and manage the files and file-folders on the assigned external storage further includes:

creating file folders and directories structure on the assigned storage, storing files on the wireless device into the assigned storage, performing data management tasks for the assigned storage including deleting, renaming, moving, and copying file-folders, directories and files, and including accessing and retrieving files from the assigned external storage to the user'"'"'s wireless device;

wherein said files includes streaming video, audio, digital picture, and message file.

37. The system of claim 33, wherein said downloading files from a remote web site to the assigned storage on the server unit further includes:

facilitating a user from a wireless device'"'"'s web-browser via a network to select one remote web site at a time for accessing a web-page on a remote web site, where the web-page contains a file download information including file path, and IP address of the remote web site for downloading;

instructing the wireless device to obtain the file download information contained in the web page from the cached web page data on the wireless device;

instructing the wireless device to send the obtained file download information to the server unit via the network;

instructing the server unit to receive said file download information and send a download request to the remote web site via the network; and

instructing the server unit to receiving the downloading file stream from the remote web-site directly into the user'"'"'s wireless device'"'"'s assigned external storage without goes through the wireless device.

38. The system of claim 33, wherein said facilitates user from wireless device'"'"'s web browser to perform tasks further includes:

the server unit facilitates to

display one or more storage devices of the server unit into administration user'"'"'s web browser in response to the requirement for the user to perform partitioning each storage device into one or more storages volume;

display one or more storage volumes of the server unit into administration user'"'"'s web browser in response to the requirement for the user to perform creating a file system for each corresponding storage volume; and

display assigned external file system into a corresponding user'"'"'s wireless device'"'"'s web browser in response to the user of the wireless device to perform tasks of accessing and managing one or more files and file-folder in the assigned external storage.

39. The system of claim 33 further includes:

provide administration user from wireless device'"'"'s web browser to perform tasks including partitioning the storage devices and creating file systems for the server unit;

provide administration user from laptop/desktop'"'"'s web browser to perform tasks including partitioning the storage devices and creating file systems for the server unit; and

provide administration user from server unit'"'"'s web browser to perform tasks including partitioning the storage devices and creating file systems for the server unit.

40. A virtual server provides external storage for one or more wireless devices that comprises:

one or more server units, where each server unit configured with one or more storage devices; and

a control system connects and controls said one or more server units via a network of LAN, Intranet or Internet to form a central controlled distributed scalable virtual machine (“

CCDSVM”

) to be accessed by one or more users, wherein

the control system facilitates each administration user from a web browser over the network to partition one or more storage devices on each server unit and to assign each partitioned storage volume of each storage device to a corresponding user'"'"'s wireless devices as external storage; and

wherein

the control system also facilitates each user from a wireless device'"'"'s web browser via the network to perform tasks of accessing and managing one or more files and file-folders on the assigned external storage of a assigned server unit, and the control system also facilitates each user'"'"'s one or more tasks to be run concurrently in the user'"'"'s web browser; and

wherein

each server unit provides the services and data to each assigned wireless devices in dependent of other server units and without going through the control system in response to the user of each wireless device performing said tasks.

41. The virtual server of the claim 40, wherein the control system facilitates each administration user from a web browser to partition each storage device of each server unit into one or more storage volumes for all storage of the virtual server in response to the requirement of providing desired sized external storage to each user'"'"'s wireless device.

42. The virtual server of the claim 40, wherein the control system also facilitates each administration user from a web browser to create one file system on a corresponding storage volume at a time for all storage devices on each server unit;

and further to create one or more file-folders/directories structure on each file system.

43. The virtual server of the claim 40, wherein the control system also facilitates to assign each file system to a corresponding wireless device, and facilitates the user of each wireless device from its web browser to access and manage one or more files and file-folders on the assigned external storage.

44. The claim 43, wherein said provide the user from wireless device'"'"'s web browser to access and manage assigned external storage includes:

creating file folders and directories structure on the assigned storage, storing files on the wireless device into the assigned external storage, performing data management tasks for the assigned storage including deleting, renaming, moving, and copying file- folders/directories and files, and including accessing and retrieving files from assigned external storage to the user'"'"'s wireless device via the web browser;

wherein said files includes streaming video, audio, digital picture, and message file.

45. The claim 43, wherein said provide the user from wireless device to access and manage assigned external storage further includes:

facilitating a user from a wireless device'"'"'s web-browser via a network to select one remote web site at a time for accessing a web-page on a remote web site, where the web-page contains a file download information including file path, and IP address of the remote web site for downloading;

instructing the wireless device to obtain the file download information from the cached web page on the wireless device;

instructing the wireless device to send the obtained file download information to its assigned server unit in the virtual server via the network;

instructing the assigned server unit to receive said file download information and send a download request to the remote web site via the network; and

instructing the assigned server unit to receive and deposit the downloading file stream from the remote web-site directly into the user'"'"'s assigned file system on the server unit without goes through the wireless device.

46. The virtual server of claim 40, wherein the control system further facilitates

displaying one or more server units and each server unit'"'"'s one or more storage devices into each administration user'"'"'s web browser in response to the requirement for the user to perform tasks of partitioning each storage device into one or more storages volume;

displaying one or more storage volumes of each server unit into administration user'"'"'s web browser in response to the requirement for the user to perform tasks of creating a file system for each corresponding storage volume; and

displaying assigned external file system on the assigned system unit into a corresponding wireless device'"'"'s web browser in response to the user of the wireless device to perform tasks of accessing and managing the assigned external storage.

47. The claim 46, wherein the control system also facilitates each user including the administration user from web browser to specify the task information for performing each task, and to transmit each task information from the web browser to the control system.

48. The claim 47 further includes:

provide the control system to receive, identify and runs each task in the background, distribute each task to a corresponding server unit for actual executing, and provide task status or result back to administration user'"'"'s web browser in response to each user'"'"'s tasks.

49. The claim 47 further includes:

provide each server unit delivers the requested application service and data directly back to the corresponding user'"'"'s wireless devices without going through the control system and independent of other server units in response to each user'"'"'s performed tasks of accessing application and data service.

50. The virtual server of claim 40 further includes:

form a virtual server on a LAN to be accessed by one or more users including the administration user from each of their own web browser via said network;

form a virtual server over a Intranet to be accessed by one or more users including the administration user from each of their own web browser via said network; and

form a virtual server over the Internet to be accessed by one or more users including the administration user from each of their own web browser via said network;

51. The virtual claim 50 further includes:

provide administration user from wireless device'"'"'s web browser to perform tasks including partitioning the storage devices and creating file systems for the server unit;

provide administration user from laptop/desktop'"'"'s web browser to perform tasks including partitioning the storage devices and creating file systems for the server unit; and

provide administration user from server unit'"'"'s web browser to perform tasks including partitioning the storage devices and creating file systems for the server unit.