Method of inserting an image into a container file

1. A method of inserting an image into a container file, the method being implemented by a computer system that includes one or more processors configured to execute processing operations comprising:

opening, by the one or more processors, a container file where an image will be stored, the container file comprising one or more records, each record including:

an image file section reserved for storing the image,

an image metadata section reserved for storing data about the image, and

a record metadata section having a status flag or status mark indicating whether the image file section is empty;

determining, by the one or more processors, whether a source data containing the image is valid to be entered into a record in the one or more records;

if the source data is valid, preparing by the one or more processors the record and the image metadata:

writing, by the one or more processors, the image into the record and the record into the container file and marking the status mark of the record metadata section of the record as being updated while writing the record into the container file; and

after writing the record into the container file, marking, by the one or more processors, the status flag or status mark of the record metadata section of the record as being valid, if the writing is successful, or marking the status flag or status mark of the record metadata section of the record as being invalid, if the writing is not successful.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein source data further comprises image metadata.

3. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising analyzing the source data including the image.

4. The method according to claim 3 , wherein analyzing comprises checking whether the source data is valid or whether the source data includes an error.

5. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising inquiring whether the record exists in the container file, if the record exists in the container file, inquiring whether the container file metadata status is set to available, and if the container file metadata is set to available, writing the record into the container file and marking the status mark of the record as being updated while writing the record into the container file.

6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising if the container file metadata is set to unavailable, inquiring whether the record is the last record in the container file, and if the record is not the last record in the container file, writing the record in the file container, and if the record is the last record in the container file reporting an error message.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein inquiring whether the record exist in the container file comprises determining whether F sz >C sz +R sz (N+1), where F sz , is the container file size, C sz is the container file metadata size, and R sz is the record size, and N is a record number being updated.

8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising after writing the record into the container file, rewriting a first block of the record, the first block of the record comprising the status mark of the record metadata section of the record.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein a size of the first block of the record is substantially equal a storage device block size (SDBS) of the storage device.

10. The method according to claim 8 , further comprising closing the container file, after rewriting the first block of the record.

11. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method is implemented as a web-based service.

12. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising writing a plurality of records using a plurality of computing platforms, wherein each computing platform writes one record in the plurality of records into the container file.

13. The method according to claim 1 , wherein writing the plurality of records comprises writing the plurality of records in parallel substantially simultaneously using the plurality of computing platforms.

14. A method of monitoring and controlling insertion of image files into a container file on a storage device, the method being implemented by a computer system that includes one or more processors configured to execute processing operations comprising:

retrieving, by a plurality of job managers executed by the one or more processors, a plurality of jobs of inserting a plurality of images into a plurality of container files from a queue manager, each job manager being assigned to a single container file in the plurality of container files, and the queue manager overseeing a submission, by the plurality of job managers, of the plurality of images to the plurality of container files stored on the storage device; and

inserting, by a plurality of insert services executed by the one or more processors and associated with the plurality of job managers, the plurality of images into the plurality of container files, each of the plurality of images being inserted by a corresponding one insert service in the plurality of insert services, each one insert service being configured to:

open a container tile in plurality of container files, the container file comprising one or more records, each record including:

(i) an image file section reserved for storing an image,

(ii) an image metadata section reserved for storing data about the image, and

(iii) a record metadata section having a status flag or status mark indicating whether the image file section is empty;

determine whether source data containing the image is valid to be entered into a record in the plurality of records;

if the source of data is valid, preparing the record and the image metadata; and

write the image into the record and the record into the container file and mark the status mark of the record metadata section of the record as being updated while writing the record into the container file; and

after writing the record into the container file, marking the status flag or status mark of the record metadata section of the record as being valid, if the writing is successful, or marking the status flag or status mark of the record metadata section of the record as being invalid, if the writing is not successful.

15. The method according to claim 14 , further comprising inquiring by the job manager whether a job assigned by the queue manager is valid for a container file associated with the job manager.

16. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the retrieving by the plurality of job managers of the plurality of jobs of inserting the plurality of images into the plurality of containers is performed in parallel.

17. The method according to claim 14 , wherein the inserting by the plurality of insert services comprises running a plurality of insert services in parallel, each insert service using a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request.