Data file forwarding storage and search

• US 7,877,456 B2
• Filed: 04/08/2008
• Issued: 01/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Distributed Media Solutions, LLC (IP Investments Group LLC)
• Original Assignee: Post Dahl Co LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Merritt, Edward, Fein, Gene
• Primary Examiner(s): Lin; Kenny S
• Application Number:
  US12/099,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20090254567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,022 Days
• Field of Search: 709/212, 709/213
• US Class Current: 709/212
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/148 File search processing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• 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

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for data forwarding storage and search. A method includes, in a network of interconnected computer systems, receiving a request from a source system in the network to store a data file, directing the data file to a computer memory of a first computer system in a network, saving a file name of the data file in an index file associated with a central server in the network, scrambling a copy of the data file, saving the copied scrambled data in a database of scrambled data files associated with the central server, and continuously forwarding the data file from the first computer memory to other computer memories in the network without storing on any physical storage device in the first network.

Claims

1. A computerized method of storing a data file in a network of computer systems, the method comprising:

receiving a request from a source system to store a data file comprising a plurality of data elements arranged in a first order, wherein the source system is outside of a network of interconnected computer systems;

directing the data file to a random access memory of a computer system in the network;

saving a file name of the data file in an index file;

generating a scrambled data file comprising each of the plurality of data elements arranged in a second order that is different than the first order;

saving the scrambled data file on a storage device, wherein the storage device stores a plurality of scrambled data files; and

continuously forwarding the data file among random access memories of respective computer systems in the network without storing the data file on any fixed physical storage device of the computer systems in the network, wherein fixed physical storage devices include hard disks, magnetic disks, magneto optical disk, and optical disks.

2. The computerized method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a query from the source system in the network to retrieve a requested data file being continuously forwarded, the query including one or more keywords; and

searching the plurality of scrambled data files for a match of one or more of the keywords; and

if a match of one or more of the keywords is found among the scrambled data files, generating a list of filenames containing the one or more keywords.

3. The computerized method of claim 2 wherein the list of filenames comprises file information including filenames, file types, dates files were modified, and dates files were saved.

4. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium configured to store software code that is readable by a computing system, wherein the software code is executable on the computing system in order to cause the computing system to perform operations comprising:

receiving a request to store a data file from a source system, the data file comprising a plurality of data elements in a first order;

storing a file name of the data file in a data structure;

generating a scrambled copy of the data file, wherein the scrambled cony of the data file includes the same plurality of data elements of the data file arranged in a second order that is different than the first order;

storing the scrambled copy of the data file on a storage device, wherein the storage device stores a plurality of scrambled data files; and

continuously forwarding the data file between random access memories of the computer systems in the network without storing the data file on any fixed physical storage device of the computer systems in the network.

5. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 4, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a query to retrieve a particular data file, the query including one or more keywords;

searching the plurality of scrambled data files for a match of the one or more keywords; and

if a match of the one or more keywords is found in one or more scrambled data files, generating a list of filenames corresponding to the matched one or more scrambled data files.

6. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises:

displaying the list of filenames on an input/output device; and

receiving a selection of one of the filenames in the displayed list of filenames.

7. The non-transitory machine readable storage medium of claim 6 wherein the method further comprises retrieving the data file associated with the selected one of the filenames from a random access memory of a computer system of the network.

8. A computer system for storing data files in a network of interconnected computers, the computer system comprising:

a memory device;

at least one network interface configured to allow the computer system to communicate with a network of interconnected computer systems, each of the computer systems in the network comprising a random access memory; and

a processor configured to

initiate continuous forwarding of a data file between random access memories of the computer systems of the network such that the data file is not stored on any fixed physical storage device of the computer systems of the network, wherein the data file comprises a plurality of data elements in a first order;

generate a scrambled copy of the data file, wherein the scrambled copy of the data file includes the same plurality of data elements of the data file arranged in a second order that is different than the first order; and

store the scrambled copy of the data file in a data structure of scrambled data files, wherein the data structure indicates an association between the scrambled copy of the data file and the data file.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to identify any scrambled data files matching a search query.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to retrieve respective data files associated with any identified scrambled data files from the network of computer systems.

11. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the data file is received from a source computer system that is outside of the network of computer systems.

12. The computer system of claim 8, wherein generating a scrambled copy of the data file comprises:

copying the data file;

identifying data file segments of the copied data file; and

altering an order of the data file segments of the copied data file.

13. The computer system of claim 12, wherein at least one data file segments comprises a text word.

14. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the data file comprises a plurality of text words and the scrambled copy of the data file comprises the same text words as the data file in an order that is different than the data file.

15. The computer system of claim 8, further comprising encrypting the data file so that only the computer system associated with the random access memory receiving the data file can decrypt the data file.

16. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the data file comprises a forwarding path and a payload, wherein the forwarding path is decoupled from and encrypted separately from the payload.

17. The computer system of claim 8 wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a query to retrieve a data file being continuously forwarded between the random access memories of the computer systems of the network, the query including one or more keywords;

search the data structure of scrambled data files for a match of the one or more keywords;

in response to matching one or more keywords in at least one scrambled data file, generate a list of filenames associated with the at least one matched scrambled data file containing the one or more keywords;

receive a selection of a filename from the list of filenames; and

retrieve the data file corresponding to the selected filename.

18. A computerized method of storing data in a network of computer systems, the method comprising:

receiving a data file from a source computer system, the data file comprising a plurality of data elements in a first order;

saving file identification information associated with the data file;

generating a scrambled copy of the data file, the scrambled copy of the data file including the same plurality of data elements of the data file arranged in a second order that is different than the first order; and

continuously forwarding the data file among the computer systems of the network so that the data file is not stored on any fixed physical storage devices of the computer systems of the network.

19. The computerized method of claim 18, wherein the file identification information comprises one or more of a file name, a file type, a file size, a date saved, and a date last modified.

20. The computerized method of claim 18, further comprising:

detecting the addition of a new computer system to the network; and

continuously forwarding the data file among the computer systems of the network, including the new computer system, without storing the data file on any fixed physical storage device of the computer systems of the network.

21. The computerized method of claim 18, further comprising:

adding the new computer system to a data forwarding sequence; and

continuously forwarding the data file among the computer systems of the network according to the data forwarding sequence.