1417 results about "File sharing" patented technology

A digital data file storage system is disclosed in which original data files to be stored are dispersed using some form of information dispersal algorithm into a number of file “slices” or subsets in such a manner that the data in each file share is less usable or less recognizable or completely unusable or completely unrecognizable by itself except when combined with some or all of the other file shares. These file shares are stored on separate digital data storage devices as a way of increasing privacy and security. As dispersed file shares are being transferred to or stored on a grid of distributed storage locations, various grid resources may become non-operational or may operate below at a less than optimal level. When dispersed file shares are being written to a dispersed storage grid which not available, the grid clients designates the dispersed data shares that could not be written at that time on a Rebuild List. In addition when grid resources already storing dispersed data become non-available, a process within the dispersed storage grid designates the dispersed data shares that need to be recreated on the Rebuild List. At other points in time a separate process reads the set of Rebuild Lists used to create the corresponding dispersed data and stores that data on available grid resources.

A billing process is disclosed for a information dispersal system or digital data storage system. In one embodiment of the invention, the original data to be stored is separated into a number of data “slices” or shares in such a manner that the data in each subset is less usable or less recognizable or completely unusable or completely unrecognizable by itself except when combined with some or all of the other data subsets. These data subsets are stored on separate digital data storage devices as a way of increasing privacy and security. As dispersed file shares are being stored or removed from a grid of distributed storage locations, a set of metadata tables are created, separate from the dispersed file share storage, to maintain information about the original data size of each block, file or set of file shares dispersed on the grid. The original data size information in these separate metadata tables is used to determine usage information based upon the original file size even though the file has been dispersed onto a storage grid that contains file slices who size may not relate to the original file size and the file slices may have been compressed by the system in order to reduce storage space or improve transmission time. As such, the billing process is able to enable a broad range of commercial billing options for billing for commercial data services on an information dispersal grid.

A system enables communication between server resources and a wide spectrum of end-terminals to enable access to the resources of both converged and non-converged networks via voice and/or electronically generated commands. An electronic personal assistant (ePA) incorporates generalizing/abstracting communications channels, data and resources provided through a converged computer/telephony system interface such that the data and resources are readily accessed by a variety of interface formats including a voice interface or data interface. A set of applications provides dual interfaces for rendering services and data based upon the manner in which a user accesses the data. An electronic personal assistant in accordance with an embodiment of the invention provides voice/data access to web pages, email, file shares, etc. A voice-based resource server authenticates a user by receiving vocal responses to one or more requests variably selected and issued by a speaker recognition-based authentication facility. Thereafter an application proxy is created.

Apparatus and accompanying methods for use therein for implementing an integrated, virtual office user environment, through an office server(s), through which a remotely stationed user can access typical office network-based applications, including e-mail, file sharing and hosted thin-client programs, through a remotely located network, e.g., WAN, connected web browser. Specifically, a front end, namely a service enablement platform (SEP), to one or more office servers on a LAN is connected to both the WAN and LAN and acts both as a bridge between the user and his(her) office applications and as a protocol translator to enable bi-directional, web-based, real-time communication to occur between the browser and each such application. During initial operation, the SEP, operating under a default profile, establishes, over an analog connection to the WAN, a management session with the site to obtain customer WAN access information, then tears down the analog connection and establishes a broadband WAN connection through which the SEP re-establishes its prior session and obtains a client certificate and its customized profile. The SEP then re-initializes itself to that particular profile.

The disclosed technology applies the principle of anonymous reciprocity to facilitate remote backups. A local computer stores other computer's backup files, while storing backup copies of local files on other computers connected through a network. Each computer may securely maintain and manage storage for other computers' files. Application may be constrained to a local area network, or work on the Internet. The disclosed technology works in a peer-to-peer environment; no central server is required. The same disclosed technology may also apply to file sharing.

A “Mass File Sharer” (MFS) provides a mass P2P file sharing protocol with optional on-demand file access across a P2P network. Unlike conventional P2P file sharing, the MFS simultaneously asynchronously shares large numbers of files, while providing optional on-demand (synchronous) access to shared files. The MFS uses a unique metadata structure in combination with an inter-peer file/folder version analysis and an inter-peer file/folder availability analysis to share complex directory structures that may include any number of folders, sub-folders, and files. Sharing may be asynchronous and/or synchronous. Specifically, file sharing is generally accomplished as an asynchronous distribution across the network. However, when a particular peer wants direct access particular files, an on-demand access mode is used to enable synchronous delivery of shared files. This combination of asynchronous and synchronous file distribution enables the MFS to support a number of applications, such as on-demand movie viewing, file/folder browsing, etc.

Home security detectors configured with the control components of the home comprising interactive detectors enhanced to support location-awareness and home occupant-awareness and functionality. The system includes at least one motion sensor configured with communication devices operatively arranged to transmit information about any motion of occupants in the various sections of the home as part of the information about the occupancy of the home during an emergency. At least one sensor is provided in various rooms of a home each sensing a state of the home. A central communication device is coupled, wired or wirelessly, directly or indirectly, to each home sensor configured to transmit the state of the home. The number of occupants in the home are determined by at least one body heat sensor and at least one heartbeat sensor each configured with the interactive detectors to detect the presence of emergency and home occupants and to know the present situations such as their heartbeats, such that the number of occupants and their locations are determinable from the number of detected body heat and their security and safety conditions are determinable by their heartbeats. The detection method includes the steps of sensing a state of the home and transmitting the state of the home to at least a server. Images of the home are captured by at least a camera means configured with at least a MOS and/or CMOS based active sensor array for producing real-time images and stored in the server for wireless retrieval. The images ideally include at least an intruder of the home. The server is configured with a central processor for enabling controlling security vigilance monitoring and for enabling rapid distribution of detection data, voice, and other detection signals within the monitoring environment. The system establishes a network which includes configuring home audio/visual devices, media destination means such as televisions, monitors, PDAs, notepads, notebooks, MP3, wireless stereo, cell phones etc for the detection means. The control server supports video/audio servings, telephony, messaging, file sharing, internetworking, and security monitoring and allows home occupants to access and control the home network environment from any location within a controlled residential, commercial/industrial and/or non-residential, commercial/industrial environment with at least a computer means such as a cell phone.

A media indexer method, a media indexer, and/or a media indexer computer useable medium. The media indexer includes a central processor and a memory carrying thereon media indexer software which carries out steps including receiving a media signal, identifying keyframes of the media signal, establishing metadata for each identified keyframe, tagging each identified keyframe with metadata established for the associated keyframe, and outputting the media signal in a form unchanged from the received media signal, and/or a form including identified keyframes of the received media signal, each identified keyframe including a representative media keyframe event with metadata associated with the corresponding media keyframe event. The media indexer can generate parallel index signals that are synchronized to the time rate of the received media signal, and can input and output data using standard compatible file formats for file sharing and data manipulations with other compatible files and software.

A system for and method of locating desired files in distributed file sharing over a computer network is disclosed, whereby each file 6 is categorized according to the content of the file 6 and information about files 6 resides on at least one central index server 3. Client terminals 1 publish files 6 for other client terminals 1 in the computer network 2. The central index servers 3 store the list of files 6 in the system. Client terminals 1 query the central index servers 3 to determine the set of files 6 currently available in the system. A central index server 3 returns a list of files 6 and file locations which match the query results and are currently available. The client terminal 1 issuing the search can retrieve the file 6 from the search results by requesting it from one of the client terminals 1 specified in the search results.

Methods and systems for transferring an object from a sending device to a recipient comprises determining at least one catching device associated with the recipient for receiving the object; receiving on the sending device a user gesture representing a flick of a displayed object; transferring the object from the sending device directly to the catching device of the recipient when the catching device is in proximity of the sending device; and when the catching device is not in proximity of the sending device, transferring the object to a server for forwarding the object to the recipient.

A collaborative communication system is disclosed. The collaborative communication system integrates a number of electronic. communication tools to meet the collaborative communication needs for an enterprise, family members or friends. All communications are within the system. According to one aspect of the collaborative communication system, registered users in the system are provided public, group and private arenas or domains. Depending on the privacy, communications with others may be conducted in any one of these domains. According to another aspect of the collaborative communication system, communications with others can be conducted through electronic internal mail (herein “i-mail”), instant messaging and file sharing. In particular, the i-mail operates on identifiers pertaining to registered users, thus eliminating the possibility of the registered users receiving unwanted email from other users outside the system.

A method and system for intelligently directing a search of a peer-to-peer network, in which a user performing a search is assisted in choosing a host which is likely to return fast, favorable results to the user. A host monitor monitors the peer-to-peer network and collects data on various characteristics of the hosts which make up the network. Thereafter, a host selector ranks the hosts using the data, and passes this information to the user. The user then selects one or more of the highly-ranked hosts as an entry point into the network. Additionally, a cache may collect a list of hosts based on the content on the hosts. In this way, a user may choose to connect to a host which is known to contain information relevant to the user's search. The host selector may be used to select from among the hosts listed in the cache.

Original-quality MPEG coded video is processed to produce reduced-quality MPEG coded video for trick mode operation by removing non-zero AC DCT coefficients from the 8×8 blocks of I-frames of the MPEG coded video to produce I-frames of reduced-quality MPEG coded video, and inserting freeze frames in the reduced-quality MPEG coded video. Preferably, the coded video is stored in a main file, a fast-forward file and a fast-reverse file. The fast forward file and the fast reverse files contain reduced-quality I frames corresponding to original-quality I frames in the main file. A reading of the main file produces an MPEG transport stream for an audio-visual presentation at a normal rate, a reading of the fast-forward file produces an MPEG transport stream of the audio-visual presentation in a forward direction at a fast rate, and a reading of the fast-reverse file produces an MPEG transport stream of the audio-visual presentation in a reverse direction at a fast rate. Preferably, the files share a volume that includes at least one GOP index associating the corresponding I frames of the files.

In a method of communication, a communication including a file is received for transmission to a remote recipient. The file is replaced with a representation of the file that includes controls for manipulating the file, control of the file is retained, and the communication is transmitted to the recipient. Alternatively, a communication is created, a file is selected, a representation of the file is inserted in the communication wherein the representation includes controls for manipulating the file, and the communication is transmitted to a recipient.

A method and apparatus for corrupting a swarm download in a file sharing network provides corrupt data in response to a request for a portion of a file so that when portions received from various sources are assembled, the assembled product cannot be verified and the process must be repeated. To defeat the method, bad sources are identified and disconnected or otherwise ignored, or good sources are identified and given higher priorities. In another method for deterring unauthorized copying of a protected file in a P2P network, a P2P client offering the protected file is choked with agents connecting to it so that its upload capacity is diluted. In another method, false sources for a protected file are injected into a file sharing network so as to dilute the legitimate sources, making them more difficult to find.

Methods and systems are provided for sharing images over a network. A first user selects an image for sharing and designates an image recipient. Metadata for the first image is transmitted from the first user's terminal to the image recipient's terminal. At least partly in response to receiving the metadata, the image recipient's terminal transmits a request for the first image at a first resolution to the first user's terminal. In response to the request, the first user's terminal transmits the first image at the requested first resolution to the image recipient's terminal.

A control server, or similar central processor, manages the distribution of data (including audio and video), voice, and control signals among a plurality of devices connected via a wired and/or wireless communications network. The devices include audio/visual devices (such as, televisions, monitors, PDAs, notepads, notebooks, MP3, portable stereo, etc.) as well as household appliances (such as, lighting, ovens, alarm clocks, etc.). The control server supports video/audio serving, telephony, messaging, file sharing, internetworking, and security. A portable controller allows a user to access and control the network devices from any location within a controlled residential and/or non-residential environment, including its surrounding areas. The controllers are enhanced to support location-awareness and user-awareness functionality.

Apparatus and accompanying methods for use therein for implementing an integrated, virtual office user environment, through an office server(s), through which a remotely stationed user can access typical office network-based applications, including e-mail, file sharing and hosted thin-client programs, through a remotely located network, e.g., WAN, connected web browser. Specifically, a front end, namely a service enablement platform (SEP), to one or more office servers on a LAN is connected to both the WAN and LAN and acts both as a bridge between the user and his(her) office applications and as a protocol translator to enable bi-directional, web-based, real-time communication to occur between the browser and each such application. The SEP translates user input originating from the browser into application-specific protocols and applies a result to a corresponding office application server.