IP Library › Granted Patent US 8,503,985

Granted Patent B1

US 8,503,985 · App. 13/168,224 · Granted Aug 6, 2013

Real-time remote storage

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 8,503,985
App. No.: 13/168,224
Granted: Aug 6, 2013
Kind: B1

External Links

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Abstract

An improved technique transmits data acquired with a smartphone to a remote storage server while the smartphone acquires additional data. For example, a user wishing to record a live scene with a smartphone camera establishes a connection with a remote storage server with which the user has an account. Once the connection is established and the user begins recording the live scene, the smartphone generates video data from images of the recorded live scene and places some predetermined amount of acquired video data into a data packet. The smartphone then sends the data packet to the remote storage server over the connection. As the data packet is being sent, the smartphone places another predetermined amount of acquired data. Because the predetermined amount of data is very small, the net amount of data stored is limited by the available space on the remote storage server rather than the local hard drive of the smartphone.

Claims (156)

1. A method of storing data, comprising:

establishing a connection between a smartphone and an external storage device which is external to the smartphone;

acquiring, by the smartphone, a first portion of data from a data source which is external to the smartphone; and

transmitting the first portion of the data to the external storage device through the connection concurrently with an acquisition, by the smartphone, of a second portion of the data from the data source;

wherein the smartphone includes a camera;

wherein the data source includes a live scene;

wherein acquiring the first portion of data includes:

recording the live scene with the camera; and

wherein the camera of the smartphone is integrated into the body of the smartphone, the camera and the smartphone forming a single, handheld unit that is constructed and arranged to be held up to the live scene by a user to allow the camera to capture an image of the live scene;

wherein recording the live scene with the camera includes:

forming, by the camera, images of the live scene within the smartphone;

wherein the smartphone further includes an internal storage device that is integrated into the body of the smartphone;

wherein establishing the connection between the smartphone and the external storage device includes:

allocating a predetermined amount of storage on the internal storage device for data associated with the recording of the live scene;

wherein transmitting the first portion of the data includes:

writing, in a header of the data packet, parameters which identify the first portion of the data;

wherein the data source further includes a geolocation of the live scene, the geolocation being recorded by a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit of the smartphone; and

wherein writing, in a header of the data packet, parameters which identify the first portion of the data further includes:

writing, in the header, a bit string representing the geolocation of the live scene.

2. A method according to claim 1 , wherein transmitting the first portion of the data includes:

moving the first portion of the data into a payload of a data packet.

3. A method according to claim 2 ,

wherein recording the live scene with the camera includes:

representing the live scene as a set of video frames; and

converting the set of video frames to binary data; and

wherein writing, in a header of the data packet, parameters which identify the first portion of the data includes:

writing frame numbers in the header, the frame numbers identifying frames of the set of frames.

4. A method according to claim 3 , wherein acquiring the first portion of the data further includes:

compressing video frames of the set of video frames according to an H.264 compression to form compressed video frames.

5. A method according to claim 4 , wherein the smartphone further includes a microphone;

wherein the data source further includes sound associated with the live scene which is recorded with the microphone of the smartphone;

wherein acquiring the first portion of the data further includes:

recording the sound with the microphone, the recording of the sound being represented as a set of audio frames corresponding to the set of video frames; and

wherein moving the first portion of the data into a payload of a data packet includes:

compressing audio frames of the set of audio frames according to an MP3 compression.

6. A method according to claim 1 , wherein establishing a connection includes:

sending a first signal to the external storage device over a wireless communication medium, the signal containing information regarding the storage of data from the data source; and

receiving a second signal from the external storage device which verifies a receipt of the first signal.

7. On an external storage device, a method of storing data, the method comprising:

sending a signal to a smartphone which is external to the external storage device, the signal verifying a connection between the smartphone and the external storage device;

receiving a first portion of data through the connection; and

storing the first portion of the data concurrently with receiving a second portion of the data through the connection;

wherein the first portion of the data and the second portion of the data are acquired by the smartphone from a data source external to the smartphone;

wherein the smartphone includes a camera;

wherein the data source includes a live scene;

wherein the signal includes instructions that cause the smartphone to record the live scene with the camera; and

wherein the instructions that cause the smartphone to record the live scene with the camera include:

instructions that cause the smartphone to form, by the camera, images of the live scene within the smartphone;

wherein the smartphone further includes an internal storage device that is integrated into the body of the smartphone;

wherein the signal further includes instructions that cause the smartphone to:

allocate a predetermined amount of storage on the internal storage device for data associated with the recording of the live scene,

verify whether a storage of the second portion of the data to the internal storage device causes the amount of data associated with the recording of the live scene to exceed the predetermined amount of storage on the internal storage device,

when the storage of the second portion of the data to the internal storage device causes the amount of data associated with the recording of the live scene to exceed the predetermined amount of storage on the internal storage device, remove the first portion of the data from the internal storage device upon transmitting the first portion of the data to the external storage device, and

when the storage of the second portion of the data to the internal storage device does not cause the amount of data associated with the recording of the live scene to exceed the predetermined amount of storage on the internal storage device, keep the first portion of the data stored in the internal storage device;

wherein receiving the first portion of the data includes:

receiving, in a header of the data packet, parameters which identify the first portion of the data;

wherein the data source further includes a geolocation of the live scene, the geolocation being recorded by a Global Positioning System (GPS) unit of the smartphone; and

wherein receiving, in a header of the data packet, parameters which identify the first portion of the data further includes:

receiving, in the header, a bit string representing the geolocation of the live scene.

8. A system constructed and arranged to store data, the system comprising:

an external storage device; and

a smartphone which is external to the external storage device, the smartphone including:

a controller which includes controlling circuitry;

a network interface; and

data acquisition circuitry coupled to the controlling circuitry, the controlling circuitry constructed and arranged to:

establish a connection between a smartphone and the external storage device which is external to the smartphone,

acquire a first portion of data from a data source which is external to the smartphone, and

transmit the first portion of the data to the external storage device through the connection concurrently with an acquisition of a second portion of the data from the data source;

wherein the smartphone further includes a camera;