Temporary Shared Storage

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020409935-A1
Application number	US-202017018425-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 11, 2020
Priority date	Sep 22, 2016
Publication date	Dec 31, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, a method for providing temporary shared cloud-based storage, where access to the shared storage is time-limited, location-limited and anonymous. The method includes receiving a request for storage accessible to a plurality of user devices. A storage account is initiated in response to the request; a password and a time period are associated with the storage account. User devices obtain access to the storage account using only the password provided and without users' personal credentials; access is also according to location within a geographic area defined in the request. Any of the data items is available to each user device having access to the storage account. Upon expiration of the time period, the storage account is disabled and the data items are deleted. Other embodiments are disclosed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A method, comprising:
receiving, by a processing system including a processor, a request for storage accessible to a plurality of user devices, wherein a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user devices subscribe to a service provided by the processing system, each of the plurality of users having a personal credential for accessing the service; initiating, by the processing system, in response to the request, a storage account having associated therewith a name, a password, a predetermined uploading time period, a predetermined downloading time period that differs from the predetermined uploading time period, and a predetermined storage time period; storing, by the processing system, during the predetermined storage time period, data items transmitted during the predetermined uploading time period by the plurality of user devices having access to the storage account without using the personal credential, wherein the plurality of user devices access the storage account by using the password, wherein the password is distinct from the personal credential, is shared by the plurality of users, and is used only to access the storage account, wherein the plurality of user devices access the storage account only when located within a geographic area defined in the request, and wherein any of the data items is available during the predetermined downloading time period to each of the plurality of user devices having access to the storage account by using the password; and upon expiration of the predetermined storage time period:
disabling, by the processing system, the storage account; and
deleting, by the processing system, the data items and the password.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the request is received from a requester device of the plurality of user devices.

3 . The method of claim 2 , wherein the name of the storage account corresponds to an event name, wherein the event name is determined according to a calendar associated with a user of the requester device or a location of the requester device.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the geographic area is based on a distance from the location of a requester device of the plurality of user devices, wherein the geographic area is updated according to movements of the requester device thereby resulting in a dynamically updated geographic area, wherein the dynamically updated geographic area results in a first device of the plurality of user devices previously outside the geographic area being able to access the storage account upon transitioning into the dynamically updated geographic area.

5 . The method of claim 4 , wherein the dynamically updated geographic area results in a second device of the plurality of user devices previously inside the geographic area being unable to access the storage account upon transitioning out of the dynamically updated geographic area.

6 . The method of claim 1 , wherein the storage account is anonymously shared with the plurality of device users.

7 . The method of claim 1 , wherein each of the data items transmitted during the predetermined uploading time period is tagged with a corresponding username of a username associated with a device user of the plurality of device users.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein an event name corresponds to an identifier of a venue, and wherein the geographic area is initiated at the venue.

9 . The method of claim 1 , wherein a single message comprising a selected portion of the data items is transmitted to a user device of the plurality of user devices responsive to a command from the user device.

10 . The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
receiving, by the processing system, the password from a requester device of the plurality of user devices; and determining, by the processing system, the location of the requester device.

11 . The method of claim 10 , wherein the password is announced to the plurality of device users via the requester device without utilizing the processing system.

12 . A device, comprising:
a processing system including a processor; and a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations comprising: receiving a request for storage accessible to a plurality of user devices, wherein a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user devices subscribe to a service provided by the processing system, each of the plurality of users having a personal credential for accessing the service; initiating in response to the request, a storage account having associated therewith a name, a password, a predetermined uploading time period, a predetermined downloading time period that differs from the predetermined uploading time period, and a predetermined storage time period; storing during the predetermined storage time period, data items transmitted during the predetermined uploading time period by the plurality of user devices having access to the storage account without using the personal credential, wherein the plurality of user devices access the storage account by using the password, wherein the password is distinct from the personal credential, is shared by the plurality of users, and is used only to access the storage account, wherein the plurality of user devices access the storage account only when located within a geographic area defined in the request, and wherein any of the data items is available during the predetermined downloading time period to each of the plurality of user devices having access to the storage account by using the password, wherein the geographic area is based on a distance from the location of a requester device of the plurality of user devices; and upon expiration of the predetermined storage time period:
disabling the storage account; and
deleting the data items and the password.

13 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the request is received from the requester device of the plurality of user devices.

14 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the name of the storage account corresponds to an event name, wherein the event name is determined according to a calendar associated with a user of the requester device or a location of the requester device.

15 . The device of claim 12 , wherein the geographic area is updated according to movements of the requester device thereby resulting in a dynamically updated geographic area, wherein the dynamically updated geographic area results in a first device of the plurality of user devices previously outside the geographic area being able to access the storage account upon transitioning into the dynamically updated geographic area.

16 . The device of claim 15 , wherein the dynamically updated geographic area results in a second device of the plurality of user devices previously inside the geographic area being unable to access the storage account upon transitioning out of the dynamically updated geographic area.

17 . A non-transitory, machine-readable storage medium, comprising executable instructions that, when executed by a processing system including a processor, facilitate performance of operations comprising:
receiving a request for storage accessible to a plurality of user devices, wherein a plurality of users associated with the plurality of user devices subscribe to a service provided by the processing system, each of the plurality of users having a personal credential for accessing the service; initiating in response to the request, a storage account having associated therewith a name, a password, a pred

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Soryal Joseph
• Hansen Tony L
• Jaoude Naila
• Rao Lalita
• Serban Cristina

Classifications

• H04L67/56

  Provisioning of proxy services (store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54) · CPC title

• H04L67/10

  in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• G06F16/2365 Primary

  Ensuring data consistency and integrity · 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