Patent ID: 7574457
Filing Date: 2009-08-11
Classification: G06F,Y10S

Abstract:
1. One or more computer readable storage media having stored thereon a plurality of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a computing device, cause the one or more processors to perform a method comprising: maintaining a plurality of electronic files across a plurality of networked computing devices, the plurality of networked computing devices forming an electronic file system, wherein each electronic file is stored on one of the plurality of networked computing devices, and wherein each of the electronic files is encrypted; maintaining a plurality of non-mutating file identifiers, one non-mutating file identifier for each electronic file, across a plurality of tree structures, one or more tree structures residing on each of the plurality of networked computing devices, wherein each of the plurality of tree structures is located on a computer readable storage media distinct from any computer readable storage media storing one or more of the electronic files, wherein each non-mutating file identifier does not change over time over the lifespan of a corresponding electronic file, wherein each of the plurality of non-mutating file identifiers is unique across the electronic file system, and wherein each of the plurality of non-mutating file identifiers is formed by concatenating each of a plurality of encoded identifier components, wherein each of the plurality of encoded identifier components is encoded by: and identifying a file path name of an electronic file in the electronic file system using the corresponding non-mutating file identifier to identify a path in the electronic file system to a location on one of the plurality of networked computing devices where the corresponding electronic file is located by accessing successive nodes in the plurality of tree structures, wherein each node in each tree structure corresponds to a component of the corresponding non-mutating file identifier.