Collaborator network creation using cloud-based metadata

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10075518-B2
Application number	US-201615092458-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 6, 2016
Priority date	Apr 6, 2016
Publication date	Sep 11, 2018
Grant date	Sep 11, 2018

Abstract

Systems for managing user collaboration over objects stored on a cloud-based service platform. A server in a cloud-based platform maintains a set of read/write metadata that is associated in one-to-one correspondence to stored objects that are accessible by two or more collaborators. The server does not maintain a list of peers that communicate over peer-to-peer connections, rather the server exposes a semaphore for access to the metadata that pertains to a particular one of the stored objects. The server responds to download requests from the collaborators so as to deliver executable signaling protocol computer code to the collaborators' user devices. The signaling protocol code includes semaphore access by the collaborators' user devices using an application programming interface. Two or more accesses over the same semaphore establishes a leader and at least one follower. Corresponding ephemeral peer-to-peer connections are established between the leader and the at least one follower.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method comprising:
maintaining, in a cloud-based environment, a set of metadata at a server that is interfaced with one or more storage devices that hold stored objects accessible by one or more collaborators, wherein the server does not maintain a list of peers that form a plurality of peer-to-peer connections;
exposing at least one semaphore formed by metadata pertaining to a particular one of the stored objects, the semaphore to coordinate access to the metadata;
downloading, from the server in the cloud-based environment to one or more user devices associated with the collaborators, a set of signaling protocol code;
performing at least a first portion of a signaling protocol between the server and one or more of the user devices, the first portion of the signaling protocol comprising processing at least one semaphore access request by the one or more of the user devices; and
establishing one or more of the peer-to-peer connections between two or more of the user devices to form at least one collaborator network.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the semaphore access comprises at least one of, a compare and swap operation, or a read operation, or a modification operation, or any combination thereof.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata access is authenticated based at least in part on one or more user attributes.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata access is facilitated by a metadata API.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the metadata comprises at least one of, one or more atomic variables, or one or more key-value pairs, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one server connection is used to perform the signaling protocol is an ephemeral connection.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the peer-to-peer connections are WebRTC connections.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the peer-to-peer connections is established based at least in part on performing a portion of a node-to-node communication protocol, the portion of the node-to-node communication protocol performed to result in a change of connection data pertaining to the connected nodes.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining a leader from the one or more of the user devices, based at least in part on a second portion of the signaling protocol, the second portion of the signaling protocol comprising at least one metadata access by the one or more of the user devices.

10. The method of claim 1 , further comprising determining one or more followers from the one or more of the user devices, based at least in part on a third portion of the signaling protocol, the third portion of the signaling protocol comprising at least one metadata access by the one or more of the user devices.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising delivering an application to the user devices to facilitate establishing the one or more of the peer-to-peer connections.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein a message from a first connected node is transported by a second connected node to one or more connected nodes in the collaborator network.

13. A computer readable medium, embodied in a non-transitory computer readable medium, the non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions which, when stored in memory and executed by a processor causes the processor to perform a set of acts, the acts comprising:
maintaining, in a cloud-based environment, a set of metadata at a server that is interfaced with one or more storage devices that hold stored objects accessible by one or more collaborators, wherein the server does not maintain a list of peers that form a plurality of peer-to-peer connections;
exposing at least one semaphore formed by metadata pertaining to a particular one of the stored objects, the semaphore to coordinate access to the metadata;
downloading, from the server in the cloud-based environment to one or more user devices associated with the collaborators, a set of signaling protocol code;
performing at least a first portion of a signaling protocol between the server and one or more of the user devices, the first portion of the signaling protocol comprising processing at least one semaphore access request by the one or more of the user devices; and
establishing one or more of the peer-to-peer connections between two or more of the user devices to form at least one collaborator network.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the semaphore access comprises at least one of, a compare and swap operation, or a read operation, or a modification operation, or any combination thereof.

15. The computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the metadata access is authenticated based at least in part on one or more user attributes.

16. The computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the metadata access is facilitated by a metadata API.

17. The computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein the metadata comprises at least one of, one or more atomic variables, or one or more key-value pairs, or any combination thereof.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 13 , wherein at least one server connection is used to perform the signaling protocol is an ephemeral connection.

19. A system comprising:
a storage medium having stored thereon a sequence of instructions; and
a processor or processors that execute the instructions to cause the processor or processors to perform a set of acts, the acts comprising,
maintaining, in a cloud-based environment, a set of metadata at a server that is interfaced with one or more storage devices that hold stored objects accessible by one or more collaborators, wherein the server does not maintain a list of peers that form a plurality of peer-to-peer connections;
exposing at least one semaphore formed by metadata pertaining to a particular one of the stored objects, the semaphore to coordinate access to the metadata;
downloading, from the server in the cloud-based environment to one or more user devices associated with the collaborators, a set of signaling protocol code;
performing at least a first portion of a signaling protocol between the server and one or more of the user devices, the first portion of the signaling protocol comprising processing at least one semaphore access request by the one or more of the user devices; and
establishing one or more of the peer-to-peer connections between two or more of the user devices to form at least one collaborator network.

20. The system of claim 19 , wherein the semaphore access comprises at least one of, a compare and swap operation, or a read operation, or a modification operation, or any combination thereof.

Assignees

• Box Inc

Inventors

• Basta Matthew A
• Ling Christopher
• Van As Tarrence

Classifications

• H04L67/1042 Primary

  using topology management mechanisms · CPC title

• H04L65/403

  Arrangements for multi-party communication, e.g. for conferences (data switching systems for conference H04L12/18; arrangements for connecting several subscribers to a common circuit, i.e. affording conference facilities H04M3/56; television conferencing systems H04N7/15) · CPC title

• H04L65/1003

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04L67/141

  Setup of application sessions (admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70) · CPC title

• H04L65/1108

  Web based protocols, e.g. webRTC · CPC title