Method for a cloud-based meta-file system to virtually unify remote and local files across a range of devices' local file systems
US8296338B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | May 5, 2010 |
| Grant date | Oct 23, 2012 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Dec 17, 2030 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F16/134
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A system and process that establish a singular shared file system among devices in order to create a virtual representation of data on all of the devices via metadata indexing. This virtual representation of data means that the files are not actually stored on all devices and thus, with the exception of a single physical location, they do not need to take up any space (i.e. storage) on any additional device's hard drive. This allows for significant amounts of data to be virtually stored on each device, even if there is no physical storage room available for the data on each device. The system and process do not require data to be stored on a provider server, but instead stores only lightweight metadata, i.e., a small fraction of information about the files, online.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.