Patent ID: 7506010

Claim:
In a computer network having a source computer and a destination computer remote from the source computer, the source computer having a file management tool displaying a directory of data files stored on the source computer and icons representing the data files, a method for storing, in the destination computer, data files from the source computer, the method comprising: mapping a file location from the destination computer to the source computer using the file management tool; displaying the mapped file location as a subdirectory of the data file directory of the source computer; in response to a user moving an icon into a displayed subdirectory, determining whether another version of the data file represented by the moved icon has been previously stored in the file location corresponding to the displayed subdirectory, compressing only a portion of the data file that has chanaed since the previous storage if another version of the data file has been previously stored, or compressing the data file represented by the moved icon if another version of the data file has not been previously stored, transmitting the compressed file to the destination computer, and storing the transmitted file in the file location corresponding to the displayed subdirectory; and in response to the user moving the icon from the displayed subdirectory to a source directory on the source computer, transmitting the compressed file represented by the moved icon to the source computer, decompressing the compressed file, storing the decompressed file in the source directory, and allowing an application on the source computer to access the decompressed file.