Real time backup system for computer users

• US 7,991,739 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2008
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kanevsky, Dimitri, Zlatsin, Alexander
• Primary Examiner(s): Yen; Syling
• Application Number:
  US12/124,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20080228678A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204, 707/610, 707/611, 707/618, 707/620, 707/626, 707/634, 707/640, 707/661, 707/674, 707/675, 707/678, 707/683, 707/684, 707/999.202, 707/999.203, 707/999.204, 714/6, 714/25, 380/283, 382/181
• US Class Current: 707/634
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1446 Point-in-time backing up or restoration of persistent data
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1471 involving logging of persistent data for recovery
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/21 Design, administration or maintenance of databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/80 Database-specific techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2201/805 Real-time
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

This invention involves tracking and backing all the information that a user generates on its computer devices (including embedded devices) in real time. The local user server records all user actions and gestures (via various means that include TV cameras). All of this information (user actions and saved files in a computer) is then sent to a remote server via the Internet. This remote server has a virtual map of all the embedded devices on a computer that the person uses. The remote server immediately starts to interpret the user'"'"'s actions (including user gestures). In one implementation, the invention stores user actions that are related to data generation (e.g. actions that called some links where data is stored, or executed some programs that generated data). In another variant the remote server generates and downloads the same files that are downloaded on the local user computer devices. For example, if a person begins to download a program, the server may also download the same program on a remote backup server. This way, if the user loses this program, it can be retrieved automatically through a provided server on the Internet. If user'"'"'s files are backed up by regular backup periodically, relevant data that were stored by real time backup servers can be eliminated.

Claims

1. A media identifier comprising one or more computer servers configured to function as:

a first, media identifier module for receiving media inputs and for identifying forms of the media inputs;

a second module for receiving the media inputs from the first module, and on the basis of the forms of the media inputs, as identified by the first module, selecting one of a plurality of given processes for determining whether each of the media inputs is a command or is for generating data, wherein data generating media inputs are actions that call links to where data are stored or execute programs that generate data;

a third module for receiving the media inputs from the second module that are determined to be for generating data, and for applying one of a plurality of labels to each of the received media inputs depending on whether said each of the received media inputs, respectively, has or does not have a link to linked data, each of said links having an address;

a fourth, link module for connecting commands with data; and

a fifth module for listing the addresses of the links to the linked data; and

wherein said one or more computer servers are configured for;

maintaining a list of devices that user actions were performed on;

identifying the form of media used to control said devices;

interpreting what form of media a person used to perform a function;

labeling data according to whether the data have a link or not;

if the data have a link, processing the data as link data; and

for certain data found using a link, showing that said certain data was found using a link.

2. The media identifier according to claim 1, wherein the media inputs include gestures, voice and text;

and the third module applies a respective one label to each of the gestures, voice and text.

3. The media identifier according to claim 2, wherein the media input also includes video and handwriting.

4. A method of identifying media inputs as either commands or data generating, the method comprising:

one or more computer servers receiving input labels identifying a media form for each of a multitude of media inputs used by a user;

interpreting the media inputs used by the user, wherein said media forms include text and gestures;

representing the form of the media inputs when said media inputs are received into a backup computer server;

if the media form of one of the media inputs is gestures, determining if said one of the media inputs is related or unrelated to data generating, wherein data generating media inputs are actions that call links to where data are stored or execute programs that generate data;

if the media form of one of the media inputs is text, verifying if said one of the media inputs is a command by sending a text from said one of the media inputs through a command verifier, and determining if said text from said one of the media inputs is a command or not a command;

separating media inputs that are commands from media inputs that are not commands;

for each of the media inputs that is a command, interpreting said each of the media inputs in a given database; and

for each of the media inputs that is not a command, storing said each of the media inputs in a given database; and

removing some of the media inputs from the given database, and showing conditions where at least one of the media input cannot be removed from the given database.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the media inputs include gesture, voice, text, video and handwriting.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the storing includes storing audio media input and video media input in a media file.