Peer-to-peer syncable storage system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017099347-A1
Application number	US-201615284078-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 3, 2016
Priority date	Oct 2, 2015
Publication date	Apr 6, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for creating a sync group in a distributed system may include an offline electronic device having a short range communication transmitter and a storage service, and a computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions. The system may receive a request from an application to create a sync group, and verify that the application has read access to the storage service. In response to verifying that the application has read access to the storage service, the system may create the sync group by receiving an indication of one or more objects stored in the storage service that are to be shared, identifying one or more members of the sync group, and assigning one or more permissions to the one or more members that are identified. The system may synchronize access to the objects among the electronic device and one or more member electronic devices.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method of creating a sync group, the method comprising:
receiving, by a storage service associated with a first electronic device, a request from an application to create a sync group, wherein the first electronic device is offline; verifying, by the storage service, that the application has read access to the storage service; in response to verifying that the application has read access to the storage service, creating the sync group by:
receiving an indication of one or more objects stored in the storage service that are to be shared,
identifying one or more members of the sync group with whom to share the one or more objects, and
assigning one or more permissions to the one or more members that are identified, and
synchronizing access to the objects among the first electronic device and one or more member electronic devices associated with the one or more members such that the objects are accessible via each of the member electronic devices when the member electronic devices are within range of a short range communication transmitter of the first electronic device, wherein access to the objects by the member electronic devices is in accordance with the one or more permissions that are assigned.

2 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
assigning a unique name to the sync group; and publishing the unique name to a listing that is accessible by the member electronic devices.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the member electronic devices is offline.

4 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising assigning a unique name to the sync group.

5 . The method of claim 4 , further comprising, in response to detecting a network connection by the electronic device, detecting a network connection, and in response:
sending a request to create the sync group to a sync group server; and by the sync group server, creating a version of the sync group at the sync group server and synchronizing objects and metadata with the electronic device and one or more of the member electronic devices.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein assigning the one or more permissions comprises generating an access control list (ACL) that indicates which of the member electronic devices are permitted to access the objects.

7 . A method of creating a sync group, the method comprising:
receiving, by a storage service associated with a first electronic device, a request from an application to create a sync group; verifying, by the storage service, that the application has read access to the storage service; in response to verifying that the application has read access to the storage service, creating the sync group by:
receiving an indication of one or more objects stored in the storage service that are to be shared,
identifying one or more members of the sync group with whom to share the one or more objects, and
assigning one or more permissions to the one or more members that are identified, identifying a sync group server associated with the sync group;
sending a notification to the sync group server notifying the sync group server that the sync group has been created; and synchronizing access to the objects among the first electronic device and one or more member electronic devices associated with the one or more members such that the objects are accessible via each of the member electronic devices, wherein access to the objects by the member electronic devices is in accordance with the one or more permissions that are assigned.

8 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
assigning a unique name to the sync group; and publishing the unique name to a listing that is accessible by the member electronic devices.

9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising assigning a unique name to the sync group.

10 . The method of claim 7 , wherein assigning one or more permissions comprises generating an access control list (ACL) that indicates which of the member electronic devices are permitted to access the objects.

11 . The method of claim 7 , wherein sending a notification to the sync group server comprises communicating with the sync group server using one or more remote procedure calls.

12 . A system for creating a sync group in a distributed system, the system comprising:
an electronic device comprising a short range communication transmitter and a storage service, wherein the electronic device is offline; and a computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to:
receive a request from an application to create a sync group,
verify that the application has read access to the storage service,
in response to verifying that the application has read access to the storage service, create the sync group by:
receiving an indication of one or more objects stored in the storage service that are to be shared,
identifying one or more members of the sync group, and
assigning one or more permissions to the one or more members that are identified, and

synchronizing access to the objects among the electronic device and one or more member electronic devices associated with the one or more members such that the objects are accessible via each of the member electronic devices when the member electronic devices are within range of the transmitter, wherein access to the objects by the member electronic devices is in accordance with the one or more permissions that are assigned.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises one or more instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to:
assign a unique name to the sync group that so the unique name includes a name of a sync group server; and publish the unique name to a listing that is accessible by the member electronic devices.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the computer-readable storage medium further comprises one or more instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to detect a network connection and in response, send a request to create the sync group to a sync group server.

15 . The method of claim 13 , wherein the one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to assign one or more permissions comprise one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to generate an access control list (ACL) that indicates which member electronic devices are permitted to access the objects.

16 . A system for creating a sync group in a distributed system, the system comprising:
an electronic device comprising a storage service; and a computer-readable storage medium comprising one or more programming instructions that, when executed, cause the electronic device to:
receive a request from an application to create a sync group,
verify that the application has read access to the storage service,
in response to verifying that the application has read access to the storage service, create the sync group by:
receiving an indication of one or more objects stored in the storage service that are to be shared,
identifying one or more members of the sync group, and
assigning one or more permissions to the one or more members that are identified,

identify a sync group server associated with the sync group,
send a notification to the sync group server notifying the sync group server that the sync group has been created, and
synchronize access to the objects among the electronic device and one or more member electronic devices associated with the one or more m

Assignees

• Google Inc

Inventors

• Pucha Himabindu
• Daoud Raja
• Burrows Michael

Classifications

• G06F16/178 Primary

  Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems · CPC title

• H04W4/80 Primary

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04L67/1044 Primary

  Group management mechanisms  (management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425) · CPC title

• H04L63/101

  Access control lists [ACL] · CPC title

• H04L67/1097

  for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] · CPC title