Patent ID: 9256630
Filing Date: 2016-02-09
CPC Classification: G06F,H04N

Claim Text:
1. A storage system, comprising: a first storage tier; a second storage tier; a controller configured to: store instances of a file in the first storage tier and the second storage tier, wherein the second storage tier uses less expensive and/or slower-to-access storage media than the first storage tier; associate each instance of the file on the first and second storage tier with a unique program identifier (UPI); receive a request to access the file or instance thereof from a user in a group of users; search for a UPI associated with an orphaned instance of the file that exists on the first storage tier; and provide the user requesting access to the file with remote access to the orphaned instance of the file on the first storage tier, wherein the orphaned instance of the file on the first storage tier was previously disassociated from a second user, and the orphaned instance of the file is identified utilizing a data structure that tracks data ownership of users in the group of users.