Patent ID: 8307087
Filing Date: 2012-11-06
Classification: G06F,H04L

Abstract:
1. A method for sharing data storage over a network, said network including a plurality of operationally-connected computing devices as peers, each of said peers having a user, processing unit, temporary storage, at least one input device, at least one output device, and local data storage, said method comprising: (a) forming a grid from said peers, said grid having a grid manager executing an indexing service with a file index; (b) sending a peer application for execution to each of said peers; (c) forming a plurality of groups from subsets of said peers, each of said plurality of groups being formed by a peer as a group manager, said group manager permitting peers to join said group upon request, each peer in a group being a group member; (d) said peer application of each group member allocating a portion of said local data storage to a group bank of its group wherein said user does not have direct access to said allocated local data storage and wherein only said group members have access to said group bank; (e) said peer application accepting instructions from said user of a group member to store a file to said group bank, said peer application breaking said file into chunks, storing said chunks in said group bank at group bank locations, and sending parameters of said file to said indexing service for storage in said file index, said file parameters including said group bank locations and how said chunks are ordered to reassemble said file, wherein only a group member is permitted to request that a file be stored in a group bank; and (f) said peer application accepting instructions from said user of a group member to retrieve a file from said group bank, said peer application sending a request to said indexing service for said file parameters stored in said file index, receiving said file parameters, retrieving said chunks from said group bank and reassembling said file using said file parameters, wherein only group members are permitted to request a file from a group bank.