Patent Publication Number: US-11025715-B2

Title: Cloud-to-cloud peering

Description:
CLAIM OF PRIORITY 
     The present application claims priority from, and is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/219,780, filed Aug. 29, 2011, the content of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. 
    
    
     FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The present disclosure is generally related to cloud services. 
     BACKGROUND 
     Users are increasingly saving files in online storage locations instead of, or in addition to, saving such files on personal computers or other computing devices. Typically, the files that are stored in an online storage location are accessible to only the user that saved the files. Moreover, some online storage systems may restrict access to a stored file to only the specific user device that was used to upload the file and/or the specific network via which the file was uploaded. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering system; 
         FIG. 2  is a diagram of another illustrative embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering system; 
         FIG. 3  illustrates a particular embodiment of a graphical user interface associated with a cloud-to-cloud peering system; 
         FIG. 4  illustrates a particular embodiment of a profile associated with a cloud-to-cloud peering system; 
         FIGS. 5-8  illustrate graphical user interface views associated with a cloud-to-cloud peering system; 
         FIG. 9  is a flow chart of a particular embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering method; 
         FIG. 10  is a flow chart of another particular embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering method; 
         FIG. 11  is a flow chart of another particular embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering method; 
         FIG. 12  is a flow chart of another particular embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering method; and 
         FIG. 13  is a block diagram of an illustrative embodiment of a computer system operable to support the various methods, systems, and computer readable media disclosed with respect to  FIGS. 1-12 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Systems and methods to implement a storage and sharing system including cloud-to-cloud peering are disclosed. The disclosed systems and methods may enable users to share files as well as applications with other users. To illustrate, each user may be associated with a cloud (e.g., computing and data resources representing a plurality of items stored by the first user at a remote location from a user device). Items in the cloud may be accessible to the first user at multiple devices via multiple networks (e.g., at a mobile phone via a mobile communications network, at a set-top box via an Internet Protocol television (IPTV) network, and at a computer via the Internet). 
     The first user may be associated with a first user profile that indicates which items within the user&#39;s cloud are shared with other users (e.g., accessible to various devices associated with the other users). The first user may also search clouds associated with other users for items (e.g., files, games, or applications) of interest. The disclosed techniques may also enable automatic notifications to users when peers of the user add new items to a cloud, share additional items or update an item in the cloud, or perform other actions at their own cloud. One or more cloud service providers may implement a social network for each user, where the social network for a particular user references the clouds of the particular user&#39;s peers. 
     In a particular embodiment, a method includes receiving an input at a first cloud from a first device associated with a first user. The input indicates that an item stored in the first cloud is accessible to a second device associated with a second user via a second cloud that is coupled to the first cloud. The first cloud is associated with the first user and the second cloud is associated with the second user. 
     In another particular embodiment, a server includes a processor and a search module executable by the processor to receive a search request from a first cloud of a plurality of clouds. The first cloud is associated with a first user and the first cloud includes a plurality of items stored in the first cloud that are accessible to a plurality of devices of the first user via a first network. The search module is also executable by the search module to identify information relevant to the search request that is accessible via a second cloud of the plurality of clouds. The search module is further executable by the processor to communicate the information relevant to the search request to the first cloud. 
     In another particular embodiment, a computer-readable storage medium includes instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to provide access to a first cloud via a graphical user interface displayed at a first device of a first user. The first cloud includes a plurality of items stored in memory within the first cloud and that are accessible remotely to a plurality of devices of the first user. The graphical user interface (GUI) includes a status window configured to display information associated with one or more activities of a second cloud associated with a second user. The second cloud includes a second plurality of items stored in memory within the second cloud. The GUI also includes a search button operable to present a search menu at the GUI. Additionally, the GUI includes a profile button operable to present a plurality of attributes of a profile of the first user and one or more additional buttons associated with the plurality of items stored in the first cloud. A files button is operable to present a files menu that provides access to an image library, a video library, applications, games, output devices, a shared storage partition of the first cloud, or any combination thereof. A peer menu button is operable to present a peer menu that provides access to a peer list, a group of peers list, available peer items, notifications, a shared storage partition of one or more peer clouds, or any combination thereof. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a particular illustrative embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering system  100  is shown. The cloud-to-cloud peering system  100  includes a first cloud  104 , a second cloud  106 , and a cloud server  102  (e.g., as part of a cloud computing server complex). The cloud server  102  is coupled to the first cloud  104  and to the second cloud  106 . For example, the cloud server  102  may be coupled to the first cloud  104  via a first communication link  108 . Similarly, the cloud server  102  may be coupled to the second cloud  106  via a second communication link  110 . The communication links  108 ,  110  may be implemented using wired and/or wireless connections via one or more networks. In addition, the first cloud  104  may be coupled via a peer-to-peer relationship connection  138  to the second cloud  106 . In a particular illustrative embodiment, the peer-to-peer relationship connection  138  is established via the cloud server  102 . 
     Clouds (e.g., the first cloud  104  and the second cloud  106 ) include computational resources (e.g., data, hardware, and software) and are accessible by user devices via a computer network. Each cloud may provide secure remote access to applications and data from any user device that has access to the computer network. For example, secure access may involve authentication of users and peers. Clouds may enable cloud computing that provides computation, software, data access, and storage services for users without requiring end user knowledge of physical location and system configuration details. 
     The first cloud  104  includes a plurality of items  118  and a profile  120 . The profile  120  may correspond to a particular user having access to the first cloud  104 . The first cloud  104  may provide access to the plurality of items  118  to a plurality of user devices. For example, the first cloud  104  may provide access to the plurality of items  108  to a first device  126 , to a second device  128 , and to a third device  130 , where each of the devices  126 - 130  are owned by or otherwise associated with a first user. In a particular illustrative embodiment, the first device is a laptop computer or other similar computing device connected to the first cloud  104  via an internet connection. The second device  128  may be a customer premise equipment (CPE) device, such as a set-top box, residential gateway, or other CPE device coupled to the first cloud  104  via an Internet Protocol television network (IPTV). The third device  130  may be a wireless device, such as a smartphone, a cell phone, a personal digital assistant, a tablet computing device, or other portable device having access to the first cloud  104  via a wireless communication network (e.g., mobile network). 
     The second cloud  106  provides access to a second plurality of items  124  to various user devices (e.g., devices owned by or otherwise associated with a second user). For example, the second cloud  106  may provide access to a first device  132 , a second device  134 , and a third device  136 . As shown in  FIG. 1 , the first device  132  may be a computing device having access to an internet connection, the second device  134  may be a CPE device having access to an IPTV network, and the third device  136  may be a communication device having access to the second cloud  106  via a wireless communication network. In addition, the second cloud  106  may include a second profile  122  of the second user. 
     In a particular embodiment, items stored in a cloud (e.g., the plurality of items  118 ,  124 ) may include various multimedia files, gaming applications (e.g., single or multiplayer games), computing applications, video content, image content, audio content, or any other file or data that may be accessible via a cloud and/or a peer-to-peer connection between clouds. The plurality of items  118  and  124  may also represent physical devices or other resources (e.g., hardware resources) accessible via a cloud and/or a peer-to-peer connection between clouds. For example, the plurality of items  118  and  124  may include an output device, a shared storage partition of a storage device, a database, or other products, devices, or services accessible via a cloud and/or a peer-to-peer connection between clouds. 
     The cloud server  102  includes a processor  111 . The processor  111  may be a computer processor that is operable to execute a plurality of software modules. For example, the processor  111  may execute one or more of a communication module  112 , a monitoring module  114 , and a search module  116 . While each of the modules  112 - 116  are shown as separate modules, it should be understood that one or more software programs may be executed by the processor  111  to perform each module separately or collectively, depending on particular application and system requirements, configurations, and implementations. 
     The processor  111  may execute the search module  116  to perform various functions. For example, the search module  116  may be executable by the processor  111  to receive a search request from a first cloud of a plurality of clouds (e.g., from the first cloud  104 ). The search module  116  may also be executable by the processor  111  to identify information relevant to the search request that is accessible via a second cloud of the plurality of clouds (e.g., via the second cloud  106 ). Further, the search module  116  may communicate the information relevant to the search request to the first cloud (e.g., the first cloud  104 ). Thus, in response to a search query from the first user via the first cloud  104 , the search module  116  may identify particular items of the plurality of items  124  within the second cloud  106  that are relevant to the search request and may provide information about the particular items to the first user. The particular items at the second cloud  106  may be accessible to the first user via the peer-to-peer connection  138  (e.g., after the first user requests establishment of the peer-to-peer connection  138  and the second user accepts the request). 
     In a particular embodiment, the first user may stream a multimedia file stored at the second cloud  106  to the first cloud  104  via the peer-to-peer connection  138 . Alternately, or in addition, the first user may download or copy the multimedia file (or another file or application) from the second cloud  106  to the first cloud  104 . 
     The monitoring module  114  is executable by the processor  111  to monitor one or more activities of the plurality of clouds (e.g. activities of the first cloud  104  and/or the second cloud  106 ). The one or more monitored activities may correspond to an application at a particular cloud being executed, a game at the particular cloud being played, a multimedia file at the particular cloud being viewed, a file at the particular cloud being viewed, or any combination thereof. Thus, the monitoring module  114 , as executed by the processor  111 , may monitor one or more activities of the clouds and such activities may correspond to a variety of actions performed at each of the clouds. 
     The communication module  112  is executable by the processor  111  to facilitate communications between the server  102  and various clouds (e.g., the clouds  104 ,  106 ) via various communication links (e.g., the communication links  108 ,  110 ). For example, the communication module  112  may receive search requests from one or more clouds and/or user devices coupled thereto and may transmit information regarding relevant search results to clouds and/or user devices coupled thereto. It should be noted that although the modules  112 - 116  are illustrated separately, the modules  112 - 116  may communicate with each other (e.g., via intra-system messages, shared memory, etc.) or may be integrated. 
     During operation of the cloud-to-cloud peering system  100 , the first cloud  104  may receive an input from a first device  126 ,  128 , or  130  associated with the first user. The input may indicate that an item (e.g., one of the items  118 ) stored in the first cloud  104  is accessible to a second device  132 ,  134 , or  136  associated with the second user via the second cloud  106 . The second cloud  106  may be coupled to the first cloud  104  via the peer-to-peer connection  138 . 
     It should be understood that while each of the clouds  104  and  106  may support similar devices, in other embodiments, one of the clouds  104 ,  106  may support different devices than the other cloud  104 ,  106  depending on the particular arrangement and service offering of the various cloud components, networks, or providers. In addition, while a plurality of distinct devices have access to each of the clouds  104  and  106 , as shown, it should be understood that a user may use a single device or only a subset of available devices to access computing resources, data, or other available items from the user&#39;s assigned cloud or from another cloud. 
     In addition, during operation of the cloud-to-cloud peering system  100 , the first user may search for items of interest as described with reference to the search module  116  of the cloud server  102 . Items identified as relevant to the first user&#39;s search request may include files or applications that are streamed or downloaded from the second cloud  106  to the first cloud  104 , or executed at the second cloud  106  from the first cloud  104 , via the peer-to-peer connection  138 . The peer-to-peer connection  138  may be implemented via a computer network interconnecting the clouds  104 ,  106  and the server  102 . 
     With the cloud-to-cloud peering system  100 , a user, via one or more devices, may access not only items that are associated with the user and are stored in the user&#39;s particular cloud, but may also search for and access (e.g. via streaming, downloading, or other access) items owned by other users and stored in other user clouds. Moreover, such access may be performed by multiple devices via multiple networks, as shown. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , another illustrative embodiment of a cloud-to-cloud peering system  200  is shown. The cloud-to-cloud peering system  200  includes a first cloud  210 , a first cloud server  204  (e.g., a cloud server associated with a first service provider), a root server  202 , and a second cloud server  206  (e.g., a cloud server associated with a second service provider). The first cloud  210  includes a plurality of items  212  and a user profile  214 . The first cloud  210  is accessible by a plurality of user devices, such as a set-top box device  230 , a computer  232  with peripherals  234 , and a mobile communication device  236 . 
     The second cloud server  206  supports a second cloud  216  and a third cloud  222 . While two clouds are shown as supported by the cloud server  206 , it should be understood that the cloud server  206  may support any number of clouds. The second cloud  216  includes a second plurality of items  218  and a second user profile  220 . The third cloud  222  includes a third plurality of items  224  and a third user profile  226 . As illustrated, the second cloud  216  is connected to the first cloud  210  via a peer-to-peer connection  250 . The peer-to-peer connection  250  may be used to transport or otherwise transmit data between the first cloud  210  and the second cloud  216 . 
     In a particular embodiment, the peer-to-peer connection  250  may be implemented as a dedicated data communication session or other communication link using an associated protocol. The second cloud  216  is accessible by a plurality of devices of a second user, such as a mobile device  244 , a computer  240  coupled to peripheral(s)  242 , and a set-top box device  238 . It should be understood that the plurality of devices  238 - 244  may have access to the second cloud  216  via a variety of distinct networks. For example, the set-top box device  238  may access the second cloud  216  via an IPTV network, the computer  240  may access the second cloud  216  via the Internet, and the mobile device  244  may access the second cloud  216  via a wireless network. 
     The third cloud  222  may provide access to the plurality of items  224  to a variety of devices (not shown), such as a mobile device, a set-top box, a computer, a gaming device, or any combination thereof. The second cloud server  206  may support multiple clouds that each includes data and computing resources available to a plurality of devices via a plurality of distinct networks. 
     The root server  202  is coupled to the first cloud server  204  associated with the first service provider and to the second cloud server  206  associated with the second service provider. In a particular embodiment, the first and second service providers offer video, voice, data and/or cloud-based services to users (e.g., in a quad-play service bundle). 
     The root server  202  may include a shared item database  228  and may facilitate communication between multiple service providers. For example, the root server  202  may facilitate communication between the first cloud server  204  associated with the first service provider and the second cloud server  206  associated with the second service provider. 
     In a particular illustrative embodiment, the shared item database  228  includes a plurality of entries corresponding to a plurality of items accessible to a plurality of devices via the plurality of clouds. For example, the shared item database  228  may include or otherwise store a plurality of content items that are retrievable from or accessible via the first cloud  210  and the second cloud  216 . To illustrate, one or more of the items  212  from the first cloud  210  may be temporarily stored in the shared item database  228  prior to being transported to the second cloud  216 . 
     Alternately, the shared item database  128  may include a plurality of entries and each entry may store an identifier, a location, and other information about a particular item, such as one of the items  212  within the first cloud  210 . Similarly, the shared item database  228  may include entries identifying items within other clouds. The shared item database  228  may thus represent a record of items in various clouds that have been designated for sharing between the various clouds (e.g., via a peer-to-peer connection such as the illustrated peer-to-peer connection  250 ). Designating items for sharing between clouds on a per-user and a per-group basis is further described with reference to  FIG. 4 . 
     The root server  202  may also include a sharing module  227  that is executable by a processor or other computing logic within the root server  202 . In a particular embodiment, the sharing module  227  is executable by a processor to receive a query from a search module stored within the cloud server  206  (e.g., as described with reference to the search module  116  of  FIG. 1 ). The query may include a search request received from a particular cloud supported by the cloud server  206 . For example, a search request may be received from the second cloud  216 , where the search request is initiated by one of the devices  238 - 244 . The sharing module  227  may determine that one or more entries in the shared item database  228  represent items that are relevant to the search query. The sharing module  227  may provide or indicate the one or more entries to the search module within the requesting cloud server  206 . 
     While the first cloud  210  is depicted as having the peer-to-peer connection  250  to the second cloud  216 , it should be understood that the first cloud  210  may alternatively or in addition have a peer-to-peer connection with the third cloud  222 . Peer-to-peer connections may be managed by the clouds, by cloud servers, or by intervening communication infrastructure. In a particular illustrative embodiment, input received from the first user at the first cloud  210  may associate the third cloud  222  with the second cloud  216  to form a group of clouds. The first user may share one or more of the items  212  within the first cloud with the group of clouds instead of sharing such items on a cloud-by-cloud basis. In a particular embodiment, a peer list within one or more of the profiles  214 ,  220 , and  226  may store entries that identify groups of clouds that have been formed. Illustrative examples of peer management and a peer list are further described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8 . 
     In a particular embodiment, the system  200  of  FIG. 2  may be operable to format content items based on characteristics of a receiving device. For example, each cloud or cloud server may be configured to modify or select a coding/decoding (CODEC) used to encode/decode an item, a resolution of the item, a file format of the item, a compression ratio of the item, or any combination thereof. To illustrate, a particular video file may be provided to a mobile device in a standard definition resolution but the video file may be provided to a set-top box device in a high definition resolution. 
     The system  200  may thus enable users to peer with different cloud entities supported by multiple service providers via multiple networks. To enable such interworking of different clouds and different providers, the root server  202  may include the shared item database  228  that beneficially stores entries associated with items within different clouds to enable content sharing of such items between clouds. For access-restricted items (e.g., copy-protected or digital rights management (DRM)-protected items) or other secure items, a service provider may provide limited access or may restrict and provide only secure access to authorized users or service subscribers (e.g., for a fee). In one illustrative embodiment, a portion of the shared item database  228  may be available to multiple users without restriction, while another portion (e.g., a restricted portion) of the shared item database  228  may be restricted or otherwise secured for limited access. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , a particular embodiment of a graphical user interface (GUI)  300  is illustrated. The GUI  300  includes a status window  302  and a set of GUI controls  304 , as shown. The set of GUI controls  304  includes a search button  306 , a files button  308 , a profile button  310 , and a view peer(s) button  312 . The GUI  300  may be displayed at a display device embedded within or otherwise coupled to a user device that is in communication with a cloud. For example, any of the devices  126 - 130  or  132 - 136  of  FIG. 1  or devices  230 - 236  or  238 - 244  of  FIG. 2  may include a display device and other components in order to generate and render the GUI  300 . 
     The status window  302  of the GUI  300  may display one or more notification messages (e.g., illustrative notification messages  318 ,  320 ). The one or more notification messages may indicate a current status of one or more clouds, one or more applications executing at one or more clouds, or some other indication of a cloud activity. The status window  302  includes an update status button  322  that, when selected, enables a user (e.g., a first user associated with the first cloud  104 ) to generate a status message indicating the current status of the user, an application being executed (e.g., at the first cloud  104 ), or some other indication of a cloud activity (e.g., a video at the first cloud  104  being watched). Notification messages may be communicated from a source cloud to a destination cloud via a peer-to-peer connection between the source cloud and the destination cloud. Further, notification messages from a source cloud may be communicated to any number of destination clouds. 
     A selection of the update status button  322  may cause the GUI  300  to present an update status window  326 . The update status window  326  includes a status message input  328 , an attach file control  330 , status update designators  332 , and an update button  334 . The status update designators  332  include a plurality of peer designators  336  and a corresponding plurality of selection designators  338 . The peer designators  336  may be used to select one or more clouds that are to receive the status update message (e.g., all peers of the first cloud  104 , select peer groups of the first cloud  104 , and/or select individual peers of the first cloud  104 ). The peer designators  336  may be selected using corresponding selection designators  338 . 
     After a status message is input into the status message input  328  and one or more status update designators  332  are selected, selection of the update button  334  may cause the status message to be sent to the selected peers. The status message input  328  may be a textbox or other control into which a user may enter text, symbols, or other information to form an outgoing message. In addition, the user may select the attach file control  330  to attach a file to the message for transmission to the selected peers. 
     It should be noted that although two notification messages  318 ,  320  are depicted in  FIG. 3 , any number of notification messages may be simultaneously displayed at the GUI  300 . Such notification messages may disappear after a timeout period or may remain at the GUI  300  until cleared by a user. The notification messages may includes status information associated with the user&#39;s personal cloud, status information associated with the user&#39;s peer clouds, status information transmitted by a cloud service provider, or any combination thereof. Cloud services offered by a cloud service provider may enable remote storage, retrieval, execution, and sharing of data and applications between subscribers of the cloud service provider. 
     For example, the notification message  318  may be presented at a display associated with a first user device  126 - 130  associated with the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1  based on activities occurring at the second cloud  106 , a second user device  132 - 136 , or any combination thereof. To illustrate, the second user device  132 - 136  may be used by a second user to perform a cloud-based action (e.g. creating and storing a presentation at the second cloud  106 ). The second user may use the GUI  300  displayed at the second user device  132 - 136  to select the update status button  322  and send a status message to the first cloud  104 . The notification message may be relayed from the first cloud  104  to one or more of the first user devices  126 - 130  and may be displayed as the notification message  318  or  320  at the one or more first user devices  126 - 130 . 
     Alternatively or in addition, the notification message  318  or  320  may be automatically generated by logic within the second cloud  106 , such as logic that identifies a status change of a particular item  124  stored at the second cloud  106 . For example, if a particular item  124  has been updated (e.g., a game application has been updated to a revised version), notification of the update may be provided to the first user via the notification message  318  or  320 . 
     In a particular embodiment, the notification message  318  or  320  may include a file indicator  324 . The file indicator  324  may be a link, an icon, or other designator indicating or identifying a file that is available for access via the user device that received the notification message  318  or  320 . In another particular embodiment, the notification system may be used to communicate textual messages and multimedia links to selected peers or groups of peers (e.g., as part of a cloud-based social networking or instant messaging system). 
     In response to a selection of the search button  306 , the GUI  300  may present a search menu  340 . The search menu  340  may include a search term designator  342 , a search scope box  344 , a search control  346 , and a results window  348 . For example, the search scope box  344  includes designators  350  to designate whether a search is to be performed across all clouds, all peer clouds, select peer clouds, or selected groups of peer clouds. Each cloud that is included in the search scope may be coupled to the user&#39;s cloud via a peer-to-peer connection. Alternately, or in addition, the search menu  340  may enable a user to search clouds associated with individuals listed in an address book or contact list. The search scope window also includes designators  352  to designate which peer groups  350  are to be included in the search. In response to entry of a search query in the search term window  342 , a selection of one or more designators  350 ,  352 , and a selection of the search control  346 , a search may be conducted and the search results may displayed in the results window  348 . For example, the results window  348  may display information regarding items stored in other clouds that are relevant to the search query, links to such items, or any combination thereof. 
     In a particular embodiment, the GUI  300  may be generated and presented by executing instructions at a processor. The instructions may be stored on a computer readable storage medium (e.g. at a memory of an electronic device). The GUI  300  may provide access to a first cloud, such as the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1 , and may be displayed at a first device (e.g. one of devices  126 - 130 ) of a first user associated with the first cloud  104 . The GUI  300  includes the status window  302  configured to display information associated with one or more activities of a second cloud (e.g., the second cloud  106 ) associated with a second user. Further, the GUI  300  includes the search button  306  to present the search menu  340 , as described above. 
     Additionally, the GUI  300  may include the profile button  310  to present attributes of a profile (e.g., the profile  120 ) stored at the first cloud  104 . As described with reference to  FIG. 4 , a profile stored at cloud may includes attributes specific to a user associated with the cloud, attributes specific to items stored in the cloud, or any combination thereof. The GUI  300  may also include additional buttons, such as buttons associated with the items  118  of the first cloud  104 . For example, the files button  308  may be operable to present a files menu. An illustrative embodiment of a files menu is described with reference to  FIG. 7 . The files menu may provide access to an image library, a video library, one or more applications, one or more games, one or more output devices, a shared storage partition of the first cloud  104 , or any combination thereof. 
     The GUI  300  may also include a view peers button  312 . Upon selection of the peer view peers button  312 , the GUI  300  may present a peer menu, as described with reference to  FIG. 5 . The peer menu may provide access to a peer list, a group of peers list, a list of available peer items, one or more notifications, a shared storage partition accessible via one or more peer files, or any combination thereof. 
     During operation, upon a selection of the search button  306 , the GUI  300  presents a search menu  340 . A search term may be entered in search term box  342  via an interface to an input device associated with a device presenting the GUI  300 , such as any of the devices  126 - 130 . In response to a selection of the search control  346 , the instructions stored on the computer readable medium may cause a processor within the device to communicate a search query to a server associated with the first cloud  104 . For example, the server may be the cloud server  102  of  FIG. 1 , the cloud server  204  of  FIG. 2 , or the cloud server  206  of  FIG. 2 . Additionally, the cloud server  204 , the cloud server  206 , or the cloud server  102  may communicate the search query to the root server  202  of  FIG. 2 . The search query includes the search term. A response may be received in response to the search query, where the response indicates that information relevant to the search term is accessible via a second cloud, such as the cloud  106  of  FIG. 1 , the cloud  222  of  FIG. 2 , or the cloud  216  of  FIG. 2 . The response to the search query and the search results may be presented at the search menu  340  in the search results window  348 . 
     A selection other controls  304  presented by the GUI  300  may cause presentation of additional menus, such as the updates status menu  326  presented in response to selection of the updates status control  322 . 
     It should be noted that the GUI  300  may be presented at various devices (e.g. any of the devices  126 - 130  of  FIG. 1 ) of a user in communication with a cloud. Moreover, the GUI  300  may be reformatted, resized, etc. based on individual display characteristics of the particular user devices on which the GUI  300  is presented. 
     The GUI  300  may thus provide a unified and convenient interface that can be presented at various devices. For example, the device may be a set-top box having cloud access via an IPTV network and the GUI  300  may be displayed on a display device (e.g. a television, or other display device) coupled to the set-top box. A user may receive messages from peers associated with other clouds and may send messages to such peers. The GUI  300  may also enable the user to individually and collectively search peer clouds. In a particular embodiment, when the user (e.g., a first user associated with the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1 ) identifies an item of interest, the user&#39;s cloud may communicate a connection request to a peer cloud (e.g. the second cloud  106  of  FIG. 1 ) within which the item is located. In response, a peer-to-peer connection may be established between the user&#39;s cloud and the peer&#39;s cloud. For example, the peer-to-peer connection may be the peer-to-peer relationship connection  130  of  FIG. 1  and/or the peer-to-peer relationship connection  250  of  FIG. 2 . Upon establishment of the peer-to-peer relationship connection, the item of interest may be accessed at the second cloud from a device of the first user. Alternately, if a peer-to-peer connection already exists between the user&#39;s cloud and the peer&#39;s cloud, the user may access the item of interest without requesting a new peer-to-peer connection. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a profile stored at a cloud is illustrated and generally designated  400 . In an illustrative embodiment, the profile  400  may be the profile  120  at the first cloud  104  or the profile  122  at the second cloud  106  of  FIG. 1 . Alternately, the profile  400  may be the profile  214  of the first cloud  210 , the profile  220  of the second cloud  216 , or the profile  226  of the third cloud  222  of  FIG. 2 . In a particular embodiment, the profile  400  is displayed in response to selection of the edit profile control  310  at the GUI  300 . 
     The profile  400  may include one or more static or dynamic attributes representing properties of a corresponding user, attributes of items stored in a corresponding cloud, or any combination thereof. To illustrate, the profile  400  may include a plurality of static items  402  representing static attributes of the profile  400 . For example, the profile  400  may include illustrative static cloud attributes  406 ,  408 , and  410 . In an illustrative example, the cloud attribute  406  may include one or more of a user name, an address, and other subscriber information associated with the first user of a first cloud. The cloud attribute  408  may include contact information associated with the first user, such as one or more of a telephone number, an email address, and an account number. The cloud attribute  410  may include security information, such as a password, an option to reset a password, an option to encrypt contents of the cloud, or any combination thereof. 
     The profile  400  may also include a plurality of controls  404  representing dynamic attributes of the profile  400 . The dynamic attributes may created, deleted, and modified by use of a managed items control  412  associated with managing content items stored at the associated user cloud and by use of a manage notifications control  414  associated with managing incoming and outgoing notifications associated with the user cloud. 
     Selection of the managed items control  412  may present a manage items menu  416 . The manage items menu  416  may include an option  418  to manage items by peer and an option  420  to manage items by group. A selection of the manage items by peer control  418  initiates presentation of a peer access table, such as the peer access table  422  of  FIG. 4 , where the peer access table  422  is specific to a specific peer. For example, referring to  FIG. 1 , the peer access table  422  may be included in the profile  120  of the first cloud  104  and may designate access settings for a particular peer of the first cloud  104 , such as the second cloud  106 . The peer access table  422  may include a plurality of items, designated  424 - 428 , where each item corresponds to an item  118  stored at the first cloud  104 . The peer access table may also include a plurality of designators  430 ,  432  indicating whether access to the corresponding item is granted. For example, items  424  and  426  are indicated as being accessible to the second cloud  106 , but item  428  is indicated as not accessible to the second cloud  106 . 
     A selection of the manage items by group control  420  may present a group access table  434 . The group access table  434  may function as described above with reference to the peer access table  422 , with the exception that settings defined in the group access table  434  may apply to multiple peers that have been clustered by a user into a group of peer clouds. A group access table  434  may be used for each group of peer clouds. Creation and management of cloud groups are further described with reference to  FIG. 6 . The group access table  434  may include designators  442  and  444  indicating accessibility of the items  436  to  440  to the members of the group of peer clouds. For example, as illustrated in  FIG. 4 , items  436  and  440  are accessible to each cloud in the group of peer clouds, but item  438  is inaccessible to each cloud in the group of peer clouds. 
     In a particular embodiment, the manage items menu  416  may also include one or more controls (not shown) operable to manage transitive access settings. For example, the controls may enable a user to indicate that “peers of my peers” are granted access to items in the user&#39;s cloud but “peers of peers of my peers” are not granted access to items in the user&#39;s cloud. Moreover, such transitive access settings may be defined on a per item, per peer, and per group basis. 
     During operation, a user may access the profile  400 , where the profile  400  is associated with the user&#39;s cloud. The user may define grant and deny access to items stored in the user&#39;s cloud on a per item, per peer, and per group basis, as described with reference to the peer access table  422  and the group access table  434 , respectively. 
     Thus, the profile  400  may provide the user with a convenient way to manage access to items stored in the user&#39;s cloud. For example, the profile  400  may be displayed in response to a selection of the edit profile control  310  at the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3  at a device of the user (e.g., a computing device, a mobile phone, a CPE device, or another device). 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , an illustrative embodiment of a peer menu  500  is shown. The peer menu  500  may be displayed in response to a selection of the view peer control  312  of the GUI  300 . Thus, the peer menu  500  may be displayed at any of the plurality of devices  126 - 130  associated with the first cloud  104  (or devices having access to any other cloud) shown in  FIG. 1 . The peer menu  500  includes a plurality of selectable controls  502 - 510 . The plurality of selectable controls includes a view peers control  502 , a view groups control  504 , a view available peer items control  506 , a view notifications control  508 , and a view peer shared storage control  510 . The peer menu  500  also includes a viewing window  512 . The viewing window  512  displays information and additional controls associated with the plurality of selectable controls  502 - 510 . 
     In an illustrative embodiment, the first cloud  210  of  FIG. 2  may receive a request to establish a peer-to-peer connection from a third cloud, such as cloud  222  of  FIG. 3 . The third cloud  222  may be associated with a third user that is different from the first user associated with the first cloud  210 . The first cloud  210  may receive an input via the GUI  300  from a first device, such as the set-top box device  230  of  FIG. 2 . The input indicates an acceptance of the request received from the third cloud  222  to establish the peer-to-peer connection between the first cloud and the third cloud. In response to the acceptance of the request, an entry may be created in a peer list. An illustrative embodiment of the peer list is displayed in  FIG. 5  in the viewing window  512  and includes peers  514 - 518 . Additionally, the peer list may be displayed with an option  520  to remove one or more peers from the peer list and an option  522  to add one or more additional peers to the peer list. 
     Additionally, the view peers menu may be displayed in response to a selection of the view peers control  502  form the peer menu  500 . The view peers menu  500  shown in the viewing window  512  of  FIG. 5  includes a second viewing window  524 . The second viewing window  524  may be populated with information associated with a particular peer, such as the peer  514 . The peer information may include information associated with items stored at a cloud associated with the peer  514  that are accessible to a plurality of devices via the cloud. The peer information displayed in the second viewing window  524  may also include additional information such as peer information  528 . The second viewing window  524  also includes an option  530  to edit information associated with the peer  514  and a message option  532  to send a message to the peer  514 . Selection of the edit option  530  or the message option  532  may cause the second viewing window  524  to display one or more additional menus (not shown) that include one or more additional controls (not shown). 
     It should be understood that the peers  514 - 518  shown in the peer list within the viewing window  512  of  FIG. 5  represent clouds associated with users other than the user of the first cloud  210  of  FIG. 2 . Further, each of the peer clouds  514 - 518  has established a peer-to-peer connection with the first cloud  210 . As explained above with reference to  FIG. 3 , the GUI  300  provides a convenient and easy way for a user associated with a first cloud (such as the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1  or the first cloud  210  of  FIG. 2 ) to access and manage connections to one or more additional clouds associated with one or more additional users via the peer menu  500 , such as by use of the devices  126 - 130  associated with the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1  or the devices  230 - 236  associated with the first cloud  210  of  FIG. 2 . Thus, the peer list displayed in the viewing window  512  of the peer menu  500  allows a user of a first cloud  104  to manage one or more peer-to-peer connections to one or more additional clouds and to modify, view, and access items associated with one or more peer clouds. Further, the second viewing window  524  and the associated peer list of  FIG. 5  allow the user to send messages to individual peers, edit information associated with individual peers, and access items stored at each peer cloud. 
       FIG. 6  is an illustrative embodiment of a manage groups menu  600 . The manage groups menu  600  may be displayed in response to a selection of the view groups option  504  of the peer menu  500  as shown in  FIG. 5 . A selection of the view groups option  504  can cause the viewing window  512  to present the manage groups menu  600  at the GUI  300  shown in  FIG. 3 . 
     The manage groups menu  600  includes one or more group designators such as the group designators  602 - 606 . The group designators  602 - 606  identify a group of peer clouds that share a peer-to-peer connection with a first cloud (e.g., any cloud in the system  100  of  FIG. 1  or in the system  200  of  FIG. 2 ). Each particular group, such as group  602 , includes one or more peers such as the peers  514 - 518  of  FIG. 5 . The manage groups menu  600  also includes a delete group option  608  and a new group option  610 . The delete group option allows a user to delete one or more groups. The new group option  610  allows a user to create a new group of peers. The manage groups menu  600  also includes a view group window  612  to display options associated with a selection of a particular group from the groups menu  600 , such as the first group  602 . 
     The view group window  612  includes a members list control  614  to display a list of the members of the group  602 , a view group shared items option  616  to view items shared by members of the group  602 , and a group information option  618  to view information associated with the members of the group  602 . The view group window  612  also includes a message option  620 , and upon selection of the message option  620 , a user can send a message to the members of the group  602 . The view group window  612  also includes an edit group option  622  that allows a user to edit or modify the group  602 . 
     In response to a user selection of the members list control  614  from the view group window  612 , the view group window  612  may be updated to display a group members menu, such as the group members menu  624 . The group members menu  624  includes an identifier for each member of the group  602 . For example, the group members menu  624  of  FIG. 6  includes a first member  626 , a second member  628 , and a third member  630 . Each of the members (i.e., each of the clouds) designated in the group members menu  624  shares a peer-to-peer connection with the first cloud. 
     In a particular embodiment, a selection of the view group shared items option  616  from the manage groups menu  600  causes the GUI  300  to present an updated view group window  612 , such as the group shared items menu  632  of  FIG. 6 . The group shared items menu  632  includes one or more items, such as items  634 ,  638 ,  642 , and  646  corresponding to a particular member of the group  602 , such as the members  626 - 630  shown in the view group members menu  624 . Item  634  may be a video file corresponding to peer  2  (designated as  636 ) in the view group shared items menu  632 . Thus, item  634  may represent an item stored in a peer cloud (i.e., peer  636 ) that is accessible to the plurality of devices associated with the first cloud. 
     The item  638  may be a video game corresponding to peer  4  (designated as  640 ). The item  642  may be an application corresponding to peer  1  (designated as  644 ). The item  646  may represent a peripheral device  646  (e.g., the peripheral device  242  associated with the cloud  216  of  FIG. 2 ) that corresponds to peer  1  (designated as  648 ). Each of the items  634 ,  638 ,  642 ,  646  identified in the view group shared items menu  632  is accessible to one or more user devices associated with the first cloud via a peer-to-peer connection and each of the items  634 ,  638 ,  642 , and  646  is stored in peer clouds that are different from the first cloud. 
     The view group window  612  also includes the group information option  618 . In response to a selection of the group information option  618 , the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3  may update the view group window  612  to display status information corresponding to each member of the group  602  in a group information menu  650 . As shown, the group information menu  650  displays peer status information  652 ,  656 , and  660  for multiple peers. Each peer status information entry may correspond to a particular member of the group  602 . For example, the peer status  654  may correspond to peer  1 , (designated  652 ). The peer status  654  may be associated with information entered by peer  1  via an update status message, as described with reference to the status message  328  of  FIG. 3 . Additionally, the peer status information  658  and  662  may correspond to statuses of peer  2  (designated as  656 ) and peer  4  (designated as  660 ), respectively. 
     It should be understood that the foregoing description of the view group members menu  624 , the group shared items menu  632 , and the view group information window  650  is provided with reference to members of the group  602 , and similar menus, information, and options may be displayed in response to a selection of the group  604  or the group  606 . 
     A selection of the delete control  608  from the manage groups menu  600  may present a menu within the view group window  612  to remove one or more of the groups  602 - 606 . For example, the remove selected groups menu  664  includes a first group  666 , a second group  668 , and a third group  670 . In a particular embodiment, the first group  664  may correspond to the group  602 , the second group  668  may correspond to the group  604 , and the third group  670  may correspond to the group  606 . A selection of the one or more of the groups  666 - 670  from the remove selected groups menu  664  may indicate that the selected group(s) is to be removed from the manage groups menu  600 . For example, once a selection of the desired groups has been made at the remove selected groups menu  664  and a removed selected groups control  672  is selected, the selected groups may be removed from the groups menu  600 . It should be understood that groups may depict logical associations of peers associated with a cloud and that removal or deletion of a particular group may not remove the association (and peer-to-peer connections) between the peers of the deleted group and the cloud. For example, even though a particular group of clouds is deleted, the clouds may remain members of other groups, and thus peer-to-peer connections with the clouds of the deleted group may not be removed. 
     A selection of the new group control  610  from the manage groups menu  600  may cause the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3  to update the view groups window  612  to display a new group menu  674 . The new group menu  674  may include a new group name designator  676  and an add members control  678 . The new group name designator  676  is configured to receive data in the form of text, symbols, or any other kind of identifier to be used to identify the new group. The identifier may be indicative of logical associations that members of the group have with each other. For example, a group name may correspond to co-workers, friends, family members, or some other association to be designated by a user of a cloud. Group members may be added to the new group using the add members control  678 . For example, creating the group  602  may involve selecting the add members control  678  and then selecting peer  1  (designated  626 ), peer  2  (designated  628 ), and peer  4  (designated  630 ) in one or more additional menus (not shown). Such additional menus may include one or more additional controls to carry out the functions described above with reference to adding members to the new group. 
     In a particular embodiment, an input may be received at a cloud, such as the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1  or the first cloud  210  of  FIG. 2 , indicating that a particular peer is to be added to a group of clouds (e.g., the group  602 ). As shown, the group members list associated with the group  602  includes peers  1 ,  2 , and  4  (designated  626 ,  628 , and  630 , respectively). The input may indicate that a “new” peer  3  (not shown) is to be added to the group  602 . The input may be received using the edit control  622  of the view group window  612 , as shown. Selection of the edit control  622  may cause an updated presentation of the view group window  612  including an option to add peer  3  to the group  602 . After adding peer  3  to the group  602 , the group members menu  624  would include peer  3  in addition to peers  1 ,  2 , and  4 . 
     Thus, the manage groups menu  600  of  FIG. 6  may enable a user associated with a cloud to manage connections and associations between the cloud and one or more additional clouds. The menu  600  may also enable access to items stored in the additional clouds and viewing of status information associated with each member of a group of clouds. Additionally, the menu  600  may enable users to conveniently and quickly perform such tasks and access the above-described features using a GUI, such as the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3 . To illustrate, a user may create groups based on logical associations of one or more peers that are connected to the user&#39;s cloud via peer-to-peer connections. Further, the user may conveniently access, modify, and remove such logical associations of peer groups via the GUI. 
     Referring to  FIG. 7 , an illustrative embodiment of a files menu is shown and is generally designated  700 . The files menu  700  may be displayed in response to a selection of the files control  308  from the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3 . The files menu  700  may be accessed via the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3  from one of the plurality of devices  126 - 130  associated with first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1  or from one of the plurality of devices  230 - 236  associated with the first cloud  210  of  FIG. 2 . 
     The files menu  700  may include a plurality of controls  702 - 712 . The plurality of controls may include an image library control  702 , a video library control  704 , an applications library control  706 , a games library control  708 , an output devices control  710 , and a shared storage partition control  712 . The files menu  700  may also include a viewing window  714 . The viewing window  714  may be populated with information and additional controls based on a selection of a particular control from the plurality of controls  702 - 712 . 
     For example, as shown in  FIG. 7 , a selection of the image library control  702  may present an image library menu in the viewing window  714 . The image library menu  714  may include one or more additional controls  716 - 720  associated with accessing image libraries stored at a cloud. The image library menu  714  may also include a create new folder control  722 , an open folder control  724 , and an add images or libraries control  726 . 
     In an illustrative embodiment, a user may create an image library that includes one or more images by selecting the create new folder control  722  and uploading the one or more images to the cloud. Selection of the create new folder control  722  may cause the viewing window  714  to be populated with one or more additional menus corresponding to options to configure and upload the one or more images to the new image library. 
     In another illustrative embodiment, the image libraries  716 - 720  may be selected individually or in combination and may be opened using the open folder control  724 . Alternatively, an image library, such as the first image library  716 , may be opened by a command (e.g., a double-click command received via a mouse or other input device) in the viewing window  714 . Additionally, a selection of both the image library  716  and the image library  718  followed by a selection of the open folder control  724  may cause the viewing window  714  to be populated with combined contents of the image libraries  716  and  718 . 
     Additionally, images may be added to an existing image library, such as the second image library  718 , by selection of the add images control  726 . In response to such a selection, the viewing window  714  may display one or more additional menus that include one or more additional controls to facilitate adding additional images to the second image library  718 . 
     Similarly, in response to a selection of one of the other controls  704 - 712 , the viewing window  714  may be modified or updated to present additional controls. For example, a selection of the video library control  704  may populate the viewing window  714  with one or more video libraries that function as described with reference to the image libraries  716 - 720 . In a particular embodiment, when the user views a particular video in the viewing window  714 , the viewing window  714  may display a notification message identifying one or more peers that are also viewing the particular video. Alternately, or in addition, the notification message may include a control that enables the user to search (e.g., within a cloud-based social network) for peers that are viewing or have demonstrated an interest in the particular video. When the user accesses the cloud via an IPTV network, the notification message may be transmitted via unicast or multicast. 
     In another particular embodiment, the viewing window  714  may enable the user to engage in screen-sharing with one or more peers. For example, the viewing window  714  may include a control that is operable to replicate contents of the viewing window  714  (including any images, videos, applications, or games displayed therein) in viewing windows of other peers. Thus, the menu  700  may enable multiple peers to view content (e.g., live media content or digital video recorder (DVR) content) in a synchronized fashion. It should be noted that although  FIG. 7  depicts a viewing window, images, videos, applications, and games may also be viewed and executed in one or more additional windows or viewing modes (e.g., a fullscreen viewing mode). 
     In a particular embodiment, the viewing window  714  (or other control at the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3 ) may enable the user to temporarily grant administrative control of the user&#39;s cloud to a peer. For example, a user may temporarily grant control to a peer to enable the peer to help the user move past a specific point in a game or to troubleshoot a particular application. The user may grant control to the peer on a time-restricted basis (e.g., “for the next 10 minutes”), an action-controlled basis (e.g., “until the peer beats level  10  of the game”), on an indefinite basis (e.g., “until I take back control”), or any combination thereof. 
     Referring to  FIG. 8 , an illustrative embodiment of a manage notifications menu  800  is shown. The manage notifications menu  800  may include a manage outgoing notifications control  802  to configure a plurality of options associated with notification messages sent from a cloud to one or more other clouds. Additionally, the manage notifications menu  800  may include a manage incoming notifications control  804  to manage notifications received from one or more peer clouds. In a particular embodiment, the manage notifications menu  800  is displayed in response to a selection of the edit profile control  310  of  FIG. 3  followed by a selection of the manage notifications control  414  of  FIG. 4 . 
     In an illustrative embodiment, a notifications to peers menu  806  is displayed in response to a selection of the manage outgoing notifications control  802 . The manage notification to peer menu  806  may include a plurality of controls  808 - 822 . The plurality of controls  808 - 822  may be operable to configure outgoing notifications to peers on an all-peers (“ALL PEERS”) basis, a peer-by-peer (“SELECT PEERS) basis, a group (“SELECT GROUPS”) basis, an item type (“TYPE”) basis (e.g., audio type, video type, game type, application type, etc.), a storage location (“LOCATION”) basis (e.g., a particular shared storage folder or region of the cloud), an action (“ACTION”) basis (e.g., upload, modify, delete, download, view, execute, etc.), or any combination thereof. 
     In addition, the OFF/ON control  822  may enable the user to conveniently turn off or turn on all outgoing notifications. Additionally, an AUTO COPY control  814  may cause the cloud to automatically copy one or more items (e.g., files, applications, games, etc.) stored at the cloud to one or more peer clouds when such items are added or modified at the user&#39;s cloud. For example, an addition of a particular video file via the video library control  704  of  FIG. 7  may trigger automatic copying of the uploaded video file to all peer clouds, selected peer clouds, or group of clouds based on a type of the video file, a location to which the video file was uploaded, or any combination thereof. 
     It should be understood that each of the controls  808 - 822  can be used in combination with each of the other controls or individually. Thus, the manage notifications menu  800  may provide the user with granular control of outgoing notifications. 
     Similarly, the manage notifications from peers menu  824  may be displayed in response to a selection of the manage incoming notifications control  804 . The manage notifications from peers menu  824  may include a plurality of controls  826 - 840 . The plurality of controls  826 - 840  may be operable to configure incoming notifications from peers on an all-peers (“ALL PEERS”) basis, a peer-by-peer (“SELECT PEERS) basis, a group (“SELECT GROUPS”) basis, an item type (“TYPE”) basis (e.g., audio type, video type, game type, application type, etc.), a storage location (“LOCATION”) basis (e.g., a particular shared storage folder or region of the cloud), an action (“ACTION”) basis (e.g., upload, modify, delete, download, view, execute, etc.), or any combination thereof. In addition, the OFF/ON control  834  may be used to turn off and turn on incoming notifications, and the AUTO COPY control  826  may be used to configure from which peer clouds auto copying is enabled to the user&#39;s cloud. The AUTO COPY control  826  may also enable the user to specify a particular location (e.g., folder) in the user&#39;s cloud to which an item is automatically copied. 
     It should be understood that each of the controls  826 - 840  can be used in combination with each of the other controls or individually. Thus, the manage notifications menu  800  may provide the user with granular control of incoming notifications. 
     In a particular embodiment, the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3  and associated views/controls described with reference to  FIGS. 4-8  may include marketing or sponsored advertising messages, at the discretion of a cloud service provider. 
     It will be appreciated that the various GUI controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8  may enable deterministic generation and receipt of notifications. For example, a user may configure one or more options associated with a particular peer using the peer access table  422  of  FIG. 4 . To illustrate, the user may make a selection using the designator  432  associated with item  426  of the peer access table  422  to indicate that item  426  is accessible to the particular peer. In response to saving the modified peer access table entry associated with item  426 , the user&#39;s cloud may generate a first notification message and send the notification message to the particular peer&#39;s cloud. The notification message may indicate that the item  426  at the user&#39;s cloud has been made accessible to one or more devices associated with the peer. The notification message (e.g., the status notification message  318  of  FIG. 3 ) may be sent from the user&#39;s cloud to the peer&#39;s cloud via a peer-to-peer connection as determined by the user&#39;s outgoing notification settings (e.g., controlled via the controls  808 - 822 ). The notification message may be displayed at a particular device of the peer via a GUI (e.g., the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3 ) as determined by the peer&#39;s incoming notification settings (e.g., controlled via the controls  826 - 840 ). In response to receiving the status notification message  318 , the peer may access the shared item via streaming, download, automatic copying, screen-sharing, or any combination thereof. To illustrate, a shared multimedia file may be accessible via the view peers control  502  of  FIG. 5  or via another control (e.g., the file indicator  324 ). 
     The various GUI views and controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8  may be accessed from various user devices via various networks. For example, a user may access the GUI views and controls from a set-top box device via an IPTV network. Thus, an IPTV service provider may leverage the disclosed systems and methods to facilitate cloud-based social networking via the IPTV network. For example, a triple-play (e.g., video, voice, and data) service provider may thereby provide “quad-play” service (e.g., video, voice, data, and cloud-based services). 
     Referring to  FIG. 9 , a particular illustrative embodiment of a method of sharing items between clouds is illustrated and generally designated  900 . In a particular embodiment, the method  900  may be performed at the system  100  of  FIG. 1  or the system  200  of  FIG. 2  and may be illustrated in reference to the interfaces and controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8 . 
     The method  900  may include receiving an input at a first cloud from a first device, at  904 . The first device may be associated with a first user, and the input may indicate that an item stored in the first cloud is accessible to a second device associated with a second user via a second cloud. The second cloud may be coupled to the first cloud. For example, in  FIG. 1 , the input may be received at the first cloud  104  from a first device (e.g., any of devices  126 - 130 ), where the input indicates that an item  118  stored in the first cloud  104  is accessible to a second device (e.g. any of devices  132 - 136 ) via the second cloud  106 . 
     The method  900  may also include accessing a profile associated with the first cloud, at  906 . The profile may include a plurality of attributes and a subset of the plurality of attributes may be associated with the items stored in the first cloud. For example, in  FIG. 1 , the profile  120  associated with the first cloud  104  may be accessed. A subset of attributes stored in the profile  120  may be associated with the items  118  stored in the first cloud  104 . In an illustrative embodiment, the profile may correspond to the profile  400  of  FIG. 4 . 
     The method  900  may further include modifying an attribute of the item in the profile, at  908 . For example, the attribute may be modified in response to receiving the input, and the modified attribute may indicate that the item is accessible to the second device via the second cloud. For example, in  FIG. 1 , an attribute of the item in the profile  120  may be modified. 
     The method  900  may include saving the modified attribute in the profile, at  910 , and generating a notification message, at  912 . The notification message may indicate that the item is accessible to the second device associated with the second user via the second cloud. For example, in  FIG. 1 , the notification message may indicate that the item is accessible to the second device (e.g. any of devices  132 - 136 ) via the second cloud  106 . In a particular embodiment, the notification message may be formatted, generated, and displayed as described with reference to the notification messages  318  and  320  of  FIG. 3 . 
     The method  900  may also include communicating the notification message to the second cloud via a peer-to-peer connection, at  914 . For example, in  FIG. 1 , the notification message may be communicated to the second cloud  106  via the peer-to-peer connection  138 . 
     Additional operations may also be performed in response to receiving user input at a cloud. In one embodiment, receiving input at a user&#39;s cloud indicating that an item stored in the user&#39;s cloud is to be shared with a peer cloud may trigger automatically copying the item from the user&#39;s cloud to the peer&#39;s cloud. In another particular embodiment, input may be received to associate multiple clouds to form a group of clouds and to indicate that one or more items stored in the user&#39;s cloud are to be shared with one or more groups of clouds. 
     Referring to  FIG. 10  a particular embodiment of the method of searching one or more clouds for items of interest is illustrated and generally designated  1000 . For example, the method  1000  may be performed at the system  100  of  FIG. 1  or the system  200  of  FIG. 2  and may be illustrated with reference to the user interfaces and controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3 to 8 . 
     The method  1000  may include presenting a graphical user interface (GUI) at a display of a first device associated with a first user, at  1002 . For example, the GUI may be the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3  and may be displayed at a first device (e.g., any of devices  126 - 130 ) of  FIG. 1 . 
     The method  1000  may also include presenting a search menu response to a selection of a search button, at  1004 . For example, with reference to  FIG. 3 , the search menu  340  may be presented in response to the selection of the search button  306 . 
     The method  1000  may further include receiving a search term at the search menu from the first device via network. For example, with reference to  FIG. 3 , the search term  342  may be received at the search menu  340  via a network, such as any of the networks described with reference to  FIG. 1-2  (e.g. the Internet, an IPTV network or other television network such as a cable, satellite, or terrestrial distribution network, or a wireless mobile network). 
     The method  1000  may include communicating a query to a server associated with the first cloud, at  1008 , where the query may include the search term. For example, with reference to  FIG. 1 , a query may be communicated to the cloud server  102 . The method  1000  may also include receiving a response to the query from the server, at  1010 . The response may include or identify information relevant to the search term. For example, with reference to  FIGS. 1 and 3 , a response to the query may be received from the cloud server  102 , where the response includes information relevant to the search term and where such information is displayed in the results window  348 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 11 , a particular illustrative embodiment of a method of establishing a peer-to-peer connection between clouds is described and generally designated  1100 . The method  1100  may be performed at the system  100  of  FIG. 1  or the system  200  of  FIG. 2  and may be illustrated with reference to the user interfaces and controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8 . 
     The method  1100  may include presenting a response to a query at a graphical user interface (GUI), at  1102 . For example, the response may be presented at the GUI  300  of  FIG. 3  in response to a search query entered via the search term box  342  of  FIG. 3 . 
     The method  1100  may also include communicating a connection request to a second cloud, at  1104 . The request may be a request to access an item stored at the second cloud. For example, the second cloud may be the second cloud  106  of  FIG. 1 , and the request may a request to access to an item  124  stored at the second cloud  106 . 
     The method  1100  may further include determining whether access is granted in response to the connection request, at  1106 . When it is determined that access is not granted, the method  1100  may return to  1102 . Alternately, when it is determined that access is granted, the method  1100  may establish a peer-to-peer connection between the first cloud and the second cloud, at  1108 . For example, in  FIG. 1 , the peer-to-peer connection  138  may be established between the first cloud  104  and the second cloud  106 . 
     The method  1100  may include accessing the item at the second cloud for use by a first device, at  1110 . For example, in  FIG. 1 , the item  124  at the second cloud  106  may be accessed by a first device (e.g. any of devices  126 - 130 ) of the first user of the first cloud  104 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 12 , a particular embodiment of a method of searching one or more clouds for items of interest is illustrated and generally designated  1200 . In an illustrative embodiment, the method  1200  of  FIG. 12  may be performed at the system  100  of  FIG. 1  or the system  200  of  FIG. 2  and may be illustrated with reference to the user interfaces and controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8 . 
     The method  1200  may include receiving a search request from a first cloud of a plurality of clouds, at  1202 . For example, the first cloud may be the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1 . The method  1200  may also include identifying information relevant to the search request that is accessible via another cloud of the plurality of clouds at  1204 . For example, the other cloud may be the second cloud  106  of  FIG. 1 . 
     The method  1200  may further include communicating the information relevant to the search request to the first cloud, at  1206 . For example, information relevant to the search request may be communicated to the first cloud  104  of  FIG. 1  and may be displayed at a user device associated with the first cloud (e.g., any of the devices  126 - 130 ) via the search results window  348  of  FIG. 3 . 
     Referring to  FIG. 13 , an illustrative embodiment of a computer system is shown and designated  1300 . The computer system  1300  can include a set of instructions that can be executed to cause the computer system  1300  to perform any one or more of the methods or computer based functions disclosed herein. The computer system  1300  may operate as a standalone device or may be connected, e.g., using a network, to other computer systems or peripheral devices. For example, the computer system  1300  or portions thereof may implement, include, or be included within any one or more of the devices, servers, and clouds illustrated in  FIGS. 1-2 . 
     In a networked deployment, the computer system  1300  may operate in the capacity of a server or as a client user computer in a server-client user network environment, or as a peer computer system in a distributed peer-to-peer or cloud-to-cloud network environment. The computer system  1300  can also be implemented as or incorporated into various devices, such as a personal computer (PC), a tablet PC, a set-top box (STB), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile device, a palmtop computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a communications device, a wireless telephone, a land-line telephone, a control system, a camera, a scanner, a facsimile machine, a printer, a pager, a personal trusted device, a web appliance, a network router, switch or bridge, or any other machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be taken by that machine. In a particular embodiment, the computer system  1300  can be implemented using electronic devices that provide voice, video or data communication. Further, while a single computer system  1300  is illustrated, the term “system” shall also be taken to include any collection of systems or sub-systems that individually or jointly execute a set, or multiple sets, of instructions to perform one or more computer functions. 
     As illustrated in  FIG. 13 , the computer system  1300  may include a processor  1302 , e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), or both. Moreover, the computer system  1300  can include a main memory  1304  and a static memory  1306  that can communicate with each other via a bus  1308 . As shown, the computer system  1300  may further include a video display unit  1310 , such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flat panel display, or a solid state display. The video display unit  1310  may be operable to display various GUIs and GUI controls disclosed herein, such as the GUIs and GUI controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8 . Additionally, the computer system  1300  may include an input device  1312 , such as a keyboard, and a cursor control device  1314 , such as a mouse. Such input devices may enable interaction with various GUIs and GUI controls, such as the GUIs and GUI controls described with reference to  FIGS. 3-8 . The computer system  1300  can also include a disk drive unit  1316 , a signal generation device  1318 , such as a speaker or remote control, and a network interface device  1320 . 
     In a particular embodiment, as depicted in  FIG. 13 , the disk drive unit  1316  may include a computer-readable medium  1322  in which one or more sets of instructions  1324 , e.g. software, can be embedded. Further, the instructions  1324  may embody one or more of the methods or logic as described herein, such as the methods described with reference to  FIGS. 9-12 . In a particular embodiment, the instructions  1324  may reside completely, or at least partially, within the main memory  1304 , the static memory  1306 , and/or within the processor  1302  during execution by the computer system  1300 . The main memory  1304  and the processor  1302  also may include computer-readable media. 
     In an alternative embodiment, dedicated hardware implementations, such as application specific integrated circuits, programmable logic arrays and other hardware devices, can be constructed to implement one or more of the methods described herein. Applications that may include the apparatus and systems of various embodiments can broadly include a variety of electronic and computer systems. One or more embodiments described herein may implement functions using two or more specific interconnected hardware modules or devices with related control and data signals that can be communicated between and through the modules, or as portions of an application-specific integrated circuit. Accordingly, the present system encompasses software, firmware, and hardware implementations. 
     In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, the methods described herein may be implemented by software programs executable by a computer system. Further, in an exemplary, non-limited embodiment, implementations can include distributed processing, component/object distributed processing, and parallel processing. Alternatively, virtual computer system processing can be constructed to implement one or more of the methods or functionality as described herein. 
     The present disclosure contemplates a computer-readable medium that includes instructions  1324  so that a device connected to a network  1326  can communicate voice, video or data over the network  1326 . Further, the instructions  1324  may be transmitted or received over the network  1326  via the network interface device  1320 . 
     While the computer-readable medium is shown to be a single medium, the term “computer-readable medium” includes a single medium or multiple media, such as a centralized or distributed database, and/or associated caches and servers that store one or more sets of instructions. The term “computer-readable medium” shall also include any non-transitory medium that is capable of storing or encoding a set of instructions for execution by a processor or that cause a computer system to perform any one or more of the methods or operations disclosed herein. 
     In a particular non-limiting, exemplary embodiment, the computer-readable medium can include a solid-state memory such as a memory card or other package that houses one or more non-volatile read-only memories. Further, the computer-readable medium can be a random access memory or other volatile re-writable memory. Additionally, the computer-readable medium can include a magneto-optical or optical medium, such as a disk or tapes or other storage device. Accordingly, the disclosure is considered to include any one or more of a computer-readable medium and other equivalents and successor media, in which data or instructions may be stored. 
     Although the present specification describes components and functions that may be implemented in particular embodiments with reference to particular standards and protocols, the disclosed embodiments are not limited to such standards and protocols. For example, standards for Internet and other packet switched network transmission (e.g., TCP/IP, UDP/IP, HTML, HTTP, etc.) represent examples of the state of the art. Such standards are periodically superseded by faster or more efficient equivalents having essentially the same functions. Accordingly, replacement standards and protocols having the same or similar functions as those disclosed herein are considered equivalents thereof. 
     The illustrations of the embodiments described herein are intended to provide a general understanding of the structure of the various embodiments. The illustrations are not intended to serve as a complete description of all of the elements and features of apparatus and systems that utilize the structures or methods described herein. Many other embodiments may be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the disclosure. Other embodiments may be utilized and derived from the disclosure, such that structural and logical substitutions and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Additionally, the illustrations are merely representational and may not be drawn to scale. Certain proportions within the illustrations may be exaggerated, while other proportions may be reduced. Accordingly, the disclosure and the figures are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. 
     One or more embodiments of the disclosure may be referred to herein, individually and/or collectively, by the term “invention” merely for convenience and without intending to voluntarily limit the scope of this application to any particular invention or inventive concept. Moreover, although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it should be appreciated that any subsequent arrangement designed to achieve the same or similar purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This disclosure is intended to cover any and all subsequent adaptations or variations of various embodiments. Combinations of the above embodiments, and other embodiments not specifically described herein, will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon reviewing the description. 
     The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together or described in a single embodiment for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter may be directed to less than all of the features of any of the disclosed embodiments. Thus, the following claims are incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as defining separately claimed subject matter. 
     The above-disclosed subject matter is to be considered illustrative, and not restrictive, and the appended claims are intended to cover all such modifications, enhancements, and other embodiments, which fall within the scope of the disclosure. Thus, to the maximum extent allowed by law, the scope of the disclosure is to be determined by the broadest permissible interpretation of the following claims and their equivalents, and shall not be restricted or limited by the foregoing detailed description.