WO2001095130A1

WO2001095130A1 - High level storage service for a dynamic set of network devices and processes

Info

Publication number: WO2001095130A1
Application number: PCT/US2001/040873
Authority: WO
Inventors: Eric T. Freeman; Peter J. Sparago
Original assignee: Mirror Worlds Technologies, Inc.
Priority date: 2000-06-09
Filing date: 2001-06-07
Publication date: 2001-12-13

Abstract

A method and system for information storage service (100) that does not require client devices (104) to know the type or data organization of the centralized storage device(s) so that documents can be stored without the need to specify path or filenames, documents can be retrieved by a content acid/or attribute based searched, and search criteria can be used to create collections of documents that are subsets of those in the information storage service. Documents can be sent to the information storage service for storage only for specified lease periods, after which they can be automatically removed or made inaccessible. A client device can be registered for notification when a document meeting selected criteria is received at the information storage service, and documents can be selectively replicated at loosely connected information storage services that can go up and down independently of each other.

Description

HIGH LEVEL STORAGE SERVICE FOR A DYNAMIC SET OF NETWORK DEVICES AND PROCESSES

Reference To a Related Application

This patent specification relies on and claims the benefit of provisional patent application

Ser. No. 60/138,744 filed on June 11, 1999, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by

reference herein.

Field

This patent specification is directed to storage systems that can be used by client devices

to store, retrieve and organize information.

Background

Local storage devices such as computer hard discs and remote storage devices such as

storage facilities provided by servers typically require some knowledge by the client devices of

the type and organization of the data store as well as its location. For example, files typically are

stored in a personal computer by designating the drive or partition and some path, and similar

information typically is required for storage in a server.

It can be desirable to allow client devices to interact with an information storage service

without requiring a priori knowledge by the client devices of the type or organization of the data

store used by an information storage service, to simplify interaction with and use of such

information storage facilities, and this patent specification is directed to meeting such a need.

The client devices can be directly operated by users, as is the case with personal computers and certain other electronic devices such as digital cameras and Internet appliances, or they can be

devices that are not under direct and immediate control, such as home appliances, security

systems and the like.

In home or small business environments, there is a need for centralized high-capacity

storage and storage service that can automatically store data from a variety of networked client

devices. Such client devices include networked computers, entertainment products such as video

cameras, digital television and video recorders, security systems, and home or business

appliances. Such devices can generate significant amounts of digital data such as video and

audio files and records such as operational history and error messages, particularly from home

appliances. Many such devices have limited storage capacity that can not store as much

information as the user may want, or as the operational history of the device may suggest. It may be difficult or impractical to rely on conventional methods of identifying and storing such

information. It is desirable, therefore, to automatically and transparently collect and store data

from such devices, and provide for retrieval and organization of such data, in a way that is easy

to set up and use.

For example, a digital video recorder records television programs for time-shifted

playback, storing the data in a hard disc array. The storage has a specified capacity. As available

storage space is used up, the device automatically deleted older recordings to make room for new

material being recorded. A problem arises when the user wants to keep a particular old recording

that would have to be deleted in order to record new material that the user also wants to save.

Summary In an example of a preferred embodiment, a client device is plugged into a connection with the information storage service, such as via a network. The implementation of the

information storage service includes hardware such as a personal computer with local storage

such as a hard disc, or with enlianced storage such as a disc array, operating under a conventional

operating system. Smart disc drive system can be used in place of the control provided by the

processor and software of a conventional personal computer. The hardware/software of the

information storage service as well as of the client devices are enabled in accordance with a

spontaneous networking protocol, such as in accordance with the Jini connection technology

available from Sun Microsystems as described at <www.sun.com.jini> (hereby incorporated by

reference herein). Such a spontaneous networking protocol provides spontaneous device

discovery when a new device is plugged into the network. A service browser such as the Jini

Service Browser, also available from Sun Microsystems, can be extended to allow executable

content to be invoked by a user of a client device selecting (e.g., double clicking on) a service.

The executable content can be a general application, such as Java application, or a pointer to a

web service delivered via a web browser. A Jini technology enabled version of a streamed

document operating system such as Lifestreams available from the assignee hereof can be used

as a document engine in the preferred embodiment disclosed in this patent specification. Further,

the document operating system can be extended to support leased document storage, distributed

notification, and to provide distributed transactional semantics in its operations. A comiection

between the information storage service and client devices can be via programmatic interfaces

instead of via a browser, particularly when the client devices are appliances such as kitchen

appliances. One example of such a programmatic interface is the JavaSpace persistent store and another is a programmed interface specific to the hardware/software of a particular appliance.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates steps in a process h accordance with a preferred embodiment.

Fig. 2 illustrates a screen of a service browser used in a preferred embodimentFig. 3

illustrates screens of an application related to storage of digital camera images.

Fig. 4 illustrates a Lifestreams screen.

Fig. 5 illustrates programmatic interfaces.

Detailed Description of Preferred Embodiments

Referring to Fig. 1 for an example of steps in a preferred embodiment, an information

storage service 100 includes suitable data store such as hard disc or a disc array and is enabled in

accordance with a selected spontaneous networking protocol such as Jini. When plugged into a

network, information storage device 100 registers itself with a lookup service or registry 102.

When a Jini-enabled client device 102 is plugged into the network, it is automatically discovered

and receives from lookup service or registry 102 an object that provides or facilitates access and

interaction with information storage service 100. Client device 104 then interacts with

information storage service 100 to add documents thereto or retrieve documents therefrom. In

addition, client device 104 can register with information storage service 100 to be notified or

documents newly added thereto (by this or another client device similarly connected to the

network) that meet selected criteria. In response, information storage device 100 notifies client

device when documents matching the selected criteria arrive at information storage service 100. One example of the object retrieved by client device 104 to provide or facilitate

interaction with information storage service 100, is a service browser that displays at client

device 104 a screen of the type illustrated in Fig. 2. As seen in Fig. 2, the screen shows at its

upper left one or more lookup services of registrars. Selecting one of such services or registrar,

e.g., by clicking thereon, displays a list of available services, such as shown at upper right in Fig.

2. Selecting one of these services (e.g., by double clicking on one of the displayed services, in

this case the first one) invokes the service in the appropriate manner. In the illustrated case, the

invoked service is Lifestreams, and this invokes a web browser that is pointed to and provides a

display of a Lifestreams screen such as illustrated in Fig. 4, while pointing to the second

illustrated service at the upper right in the screen of Fig. 2 invokes an "Axis Camera" application

downloaded to client device 104 over the network and causing the display of a screen such as

illustrated in Fig. 3.

In the case of the Lifestreams screen illustrated in Fig. 4, the user at client device 104 can

carry out storage, retrieval and organization operations as known in the Lifestream products

available from the common assignee, some of which are described in commonly assigned U.S.

Patent No. 6,006,227, hereby incorporated by reference herein. In the case of the screen of Fig.

3, the user can snap a picture with a digital camera connected to the network (not shown) as

another client device, and store the picture in information storage service 100 through similarly

looking up the storage service via a registry as earlier described. The picture shown in the upper

panel in Fig. 3 can be stored using the command lines illustrated in the middle panel. In

addition, this or other images can be retrieved from information storage service 100, using for

example the command FIND as illustrated in the lower panel in Fig. 2 and selecting the image of interest from the illustrated list or otherwise identifying it, such as by name or some other attribute.

The preferred embodiment can use programmatic interfaces such as illustrated in Fig. 5,

where information storage service 100 selectively communicates with client devices 502 via a

browser using HTTP protocol, with client devices 504 via JavaSpace, and with client devices 506 via a programmatic interface.

A leasing protocol can be used, for example when a user only wishes to store a document

for a limited time. One example is storing a picture for a time, until a user traveling away from

home returns and can retrieve the picture for processing or storage elsewhere. In such a case, the

interface illustrated in the middle panel of Fig. 3 is used to enter a leasing period, at the

expiration of which the picture would be removed from information storage service 100. A

notification is used when it is desired to have information storage service 100 take some action in

response to the receipt of a document. For example, information storage service 100 can be

connected with a service bureau that accepts digital pictures for printing and has a printing device

connected to the network of the information storage service 100. In response to receiving a

picture, information storage service automatically notifies the printer and sends the picture

thereto for printing.

Two or more information storage services can be connected to the network to allow for

redundant storage of replicated information. For example, a Lifestreams server in New York

City and one in San Francisco can share a common JavaSpace and coordinate their activities

therethrough. When a document needs to be replicated or updated, and the new information

replicated in both cities, a notice to that effect is posted in JavaSpace (all information storage services that should contain the replicated information watch that JavaSpace). The actual transfer of the information that should be replicated may, but need not, take place in JavaSpace —

for example, it can occur via HTTP protocol, but the coordination takes place in JavaSpace.

Such a loosely coupled system allows for the desired replication and yet permits the information storage services to use data stores or servers that can go up and down independently of each other so that when a data store or server is available, it can update itself.

Claims

Claims:

1. A method of providing information storage services for storage of data in a data store by

a set of client devices without requiring a priori knowledge by the client devices of the organization or location of the data store, comprising:

using a spontaneous networking protocol to establish a data transfer comiection between

the information storage service and one or more of the client devices upon

plugging in the one or more of the client devices into a network to which the

information storage service is connected;

in response to a request by one or more of the client devices, transmitting thereto over

said network one or more objects useful for access of the one or more client

devices to the information storage service;

causing the one or more client devices to interact with the information storage service

using said objects, said interacting including selectively storing documents in said

data store, retrieving documents from the data store, and organizing said

documents into views or collections.

2. A method as in claim 1 in which said objects include one or more of a Lifestreams

storage service and a programmatic interface.

3. A method as in claim 2 including registering one of more of said client devices with the

information storage service for notification of documents that are newly stored with the information storage service and meet selected criteria.

A method ad in claim 3 providing notification from the information storage service to

selected one or more of the client devices of the arrival at the information storage service

of documents meeting selected criteria.