Patent ID: 9560128
Date: 2017-01-31
CPC Classifications: H04L

Claim:
1. A method, implemented at a first client computing system that includes one or more processors, for making at least a portion of data on the first client computing system available to at least a second client computing system, the method comprising: identifying a file comprising original data available at the first client computing system, and which is to be shared with one or more additional computing systems; generating metadata associated with the file, the metadata including (i) a derived portion of the original data, and (ii) information identifying the first client computing system as being the location of the original data of the file, the metadata being structured such that, when interpreted by the second client computing system, the second client computing system is enabled to use the derived portion of the original data to display a representation of the file as if it were actually present on the second client computing system and to request the original data of the file from the first client computing system when the representation of the file is accessed at the second client computing system; sending the metadata to a server computing system, the server computing system being configured to send the metadata to the second client computing system; receiving a request from the second client computing system for the original data, the request being received based on a user request at the second client computing system to access the representation of the file; and based at least on receiving the request, sending the original data to the second client computing system.