Systems and methods for establishing and maintaining virtual computing clouds

• US 9,596,303 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Admiemobile LLC
• Original Assignee: Admiemobile LLC
• Inventors: Simmons, David, Conrad, Jonathan M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F
• Assistant Examiner(s): WOO, ANDREW M
• Application Number:
  US14/531,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20150058399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 862 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Networking systems and methods for establishing and maintaining virtual computing clouds are disclosed. A networking system can comprise a server and various instances of a software agent, each agent being installed on a computing device participating in a virtual computing cloud. The server can maintain account setting for a user, wherein the settings can indicate which files on indicated computing devices are included in the virtual computing cloud. The networking system can selectively synchronize data between the computing devices automatically and in a secure manner, and can transmit data in real time to simulate local storage when synchronization of certain files is inappropriate in light of file incompatibility. As a result, the networking system can provide the user with a seamless, automatic system and method for accessing a total computing environment.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving indications of a plurality of files;

receiving indications of two or more computing devices;

transmitting, to each respective computing device from the two or more computing devices, a respective software agent;

receiving, from the software agents transmitted to the two or more computing devices, updates relating to a status, at the two or more computing devices, of files from the plurality of files, the updates including an indication, from a first software agent, of a first edit to a first file from the plurality of files, an indication, from a second software agent, of a second edit to the first file, and information related to a new file to be added to the plurality of files;

receiving a request, from the respective software agent at a first computing device from the two or more computing devices, to access the first file;

responsive to the request from the respective software agent at the first computing device to access the first file, determining, by a processor, whether the first file at the first computing device is improvable;

responsive to determining the first file at the first computing device is not improvable, instructing the respective software agent at the first computing device to provide access to the first file at the first computing device;

responsive to determining the first file at the first computing device is improvable based at least in part on comparing a first timestamp associated with the first edit and a second timestamp associated with the second edit and determining the second timestamp is more recent, transmitting an instruction, to a second computing device associated with the second software agent, to transmit a version of the first file at the second computing device to the first computing device; and

posting an indication of the new file to a social network.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing each of the two or more computing devices with access to each of the plurality of files.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein there is a second version of the first file at the first computing device, and the version of the first file received from the second computing device replaces the second version of the first file at the first computing device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein there is a second version of the first file at the first computing device, and the respective software agent at the first computing device is configured to send the request to access the first file based on a local request for access to the first file at the first computing device.

5. A computer program product embodied in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising an algorithm adapted to effectuate a method, the method comprising:

receiving indications of a plurality of files;

receiving indications of two or more computing devices;

transmitting, to each respective computing device from the two or more computing devices, a respective software agent;

receiving, from the software agents transmitted to the two or more computing devices, updates relating to a status, at the two or more computing devices, of files from the plurality of files, the updates including an indication, from a first software agent, of a first edit to a first file from the plurality of files, an indication, from a second software agent, of a second edit to the first file, and information related to a new file to be added to the plurality of files;

receiving a request, from the respective software agent at a first computing device from the two or more computing devices, to access the first file;

responsive to the request from the respective software agent at the first computing device to access the first file, determining, by a processor, whether the first file at the first computing device is improvable;

responsive to determining the first file at the first computing device is not improvable, instructing the respective software agent at the first computing device to provide access to the first file at the first computing device;

responsive to determining the first file at the first computing device is improvable based at least in part on comparing a first timestamp associated with the first edit and a second timestamp associated with the second edit and determining the second timestamp is more recent, transmitting an instruction, to a second computing device associated with the second software agent, to transmit a version of the first file at the second computing device to the first computing device; and

posting an indication of the new file to a social network.

6. The computer program product of claim 5, the method further comprising providing each of the two or more computing devices with access to each of the plurality of files.

7. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein there is a second version of the first file at the first computing device, and the version of the first file received from the second computing device replaces the second version of the first file at the first computing device.

8. The computer program product of claim 5, wherein there is a second version of the first file at the first computing device, and the respective software agent at the first computing device is configured to send the request to access the first file based on a local request for access to the first file at the first computing device.

9. A system comprising:

at least one processor;

at least one memory operatively coupled to the at least one processor and configured for storing data and instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the system to perform a method comprising;

receiving indications of a plurality of files;

receiving indications of two or more computing devices;

transmitting, to each respective computing device from the two or more computing devices, a respective software agent;

receiving, from the software agents transmitted to the two or more computing devices, updates relating to a status, at the two or more computing devices, of files from the plurality of files, the updates including an indication, from a first software agent, of a first edit to a first file from the plurality of files, an indication, from a second software agent, of a second edit to the first file, and information related to a new file to be added to the plurality of files;

receiving a request, from the respective software agent at a first computing device from the two or more computing devices, to access the first file;

responsive to the request from the respective software agent at the first computing device to access the first file, determining, by the at least one processor, whether the first file at the first computing device is improvable;

responsive to determining the first file at the first computing device is not improvable, instructing the respective software agent at the first computing device to provide access to the first file at the first computing device;

responsive to determining the first file at the first computing device is improvable based at least in part on comparing a first timestamp associated with the first edit and a second timestamp associated with the second edit and determining the second timestamp is more recent, transmitting an instruction, to a second computing device associated with the second software agent, to transmit a version of the first file at the second computing device to the first computing device; and

posting an indication of the new file to a social network.

10. The system of claim 9, the method further comprising providing each of the two or more computing devices with access to each of the plurality of files.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein there is a second version of the first file at the first computing device, and the version of the first file received from the second computing device replaces the second version of the first file at the first computing device.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein there is a second version of the first file at the first computing device, and the respective software agent at the first computing device is configured to send the request to access the first file based on a local request for access to the first file at the first computing device.