# US 10,455,026 B2 · Virtualized distributed content access system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,455,026 B2 - Document ID: US10455026B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/372,372 - Filed: 2016-12-07 - Published: 2017-11-02 - Granted: 2019-10-22 - Earliest claimed: 2016-04-29 - Assignees: Qnext Corp. - Applicants: Qnext Corp. - Inventors: Richard Greg Wade; David Darren Fletcher - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10455026B2 ## CPC - H04L 67/141: Setup of application sessions (admission control or resource allocation in data switching networks H04L47/70) - H04L 67/02: based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP] - H04L 67/06: specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP] - H04L 67/10: in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network (software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46) - H04L 67/1097: for distributed storage of data in networks, e.g. transport arrangements for network file system [NFS], storage area networks [SAN] or network attached storage [NAS] - H04L 67/303: Terminal profiles - H04L 67/53: using third party service providers - H04L 67/566: Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A system allowing a user to virtually aggregate the user's digital content from various operating system (O/S) accounts on disparate computer systems for subsequent access via a single dashboard. The system includes a central service administrator (CSA) and a passive content server (PCS) installed in each computer system. The PCSs establish persistent connections with the CSA for the O/S account repositories which the user elects to aggregate. The user can then connect to the CSA over the Internet, receive a list of the selected O/S account repositories via the dashboard, and request content therefrom. The CSA utilizes the corresponding persistent connection to initiate transfer of the requested content from the PCS on the computer system hosting the requested content to the user. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A virtualized content access (VCA) system, comprising: a central service administrator (CSA), which is configured to enable a user to register a VCA account with the CSA; a plurality of private infrastructure content providers (PICPs), wherein each PICP includes a passive content server (PCS) and at least one operating system (O/S) account repository containing content, wherein at least two of the PICPs are disparate from one another in that the at least two PICPs are located in different Internet domains and utilize different operating systems; wherein the CSA and the PCSs are configured to (i) enable a registered user to select at least two O/S account repositories from at least two disparate PICPs for inclusion in a VCA collection associated with the registered user, and (ii) establish, for each O/S account repository selected for inclusion in the registered user's VCA collection, a persistent connection between the CSA and the PCS corresponding to each selected O/S account repository; wherein the CSA maintains a relational database associating registered users' selected O/S account repositories and the persistent connections corresponding thereto; wherein the registered user can utilize a communication device (CD) to connect to the CSA over the Internet and, upon VCA account authentication, receive a list of the O/S account repositories in the registered user's VCA collection and request content therefrom, and wherein, in response to the request, the CSA identifies the PCS and the persistent connection associated with each O/S account repository containing the requested content and signals the identified PCS over the identified persistent connection to initiate transfer of the requested content from the identified PCS to the registered user's CD. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) A VCA system according to claim 1, wherein any of the plurality of PICPs is any one of: a personal computer; a network server, a network attached storage device; a storage attached network; a router or network appliance. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) A VCA system according to claim 1, wherein the persistent connections are established outbound from the PCSs to the CSA. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) A VCA system according to claim 3, wherein the CSA is a cluster comprising at least one public facing (PF) server and at least one content adapter (CA) server, the at least one PF server accepting connections from the public including registered users, the at least one CA server not accepting connections from the public, wherein the at least one PF server and the at least one CA server are provisioned on two separate machines separated by a firewall which inhibits the at least one CA server from receiving connections other than from the at least one PF server and the PCSs. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) A VCA system according to claim 4, wherein, the registered user's CD is connected to one of the at least one PF servers and wherein, in retrieving the requested content, the connected-to PF server transmits a wake signal to the identified PCS over the identified persistent connection, wherein the wake signal includes a URL pointing to one of the least one CA server, and wherein upon receipt of the wake signal, the identified PCS opens a semi-persistent control channel to the pointed-to CA server. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) A VCA system according to claim 5, wherein the semi-persistent control channel elapses after a pre-configured time-out period. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) A VCA system according to claim 5, wherein the pointed-to CA server issues a metadata command to the identified PCS over the semi-persistent control channel to retrieve metadata associated with the requested content, and wherein, in response to the metadata command, the identified PCS transmits directory path information over the semi-persistent control channel to the pointed-to CA server, the pointed-to CA server transmits the directory path information to the connected-to PF server, and the connected-to PF server transmits the directory path information to the registered user's CD. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) A VCA system according to claim 5, wherein the requested content includes a file, and wherein the pointed-to CA server issues a command to the identified PCS over the semi-persistent control channel to retrieve the file, wherein upon receipt of the file retrieval command, the identified PCS opens a data channel connection to the pointed-to CA server and transmits the file to the pointed-to CA server over the data channel, the pointed-to CA server conveys the file to the connected-to PF server, and the connected-to PF server transmits the file to the registered user's CD. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) A VCA system according to claim 8, wherein a data channel connection is opened per file retrieval command. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) A VCA system according to claim 1, including a public cloud storage system, wherein: the public cloud storage system includes account repositories that are access-controlled by security credentials associated with a public cloud system account; the CSA is configured to enable a registered user to select one or more public cloud storage system account repositories for inclusion in the registered user's VCA collection; and the CSA maintains associations in the relational database between registered users and authorization tokens that enable access to registered users' public cloud storage system account repositories. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) A VCA system according to claim 1, wherein the CSA enables the registered user to select shareable content in the registered user's VCA collection to share with one or more sharees, and wherein, upon selection, the CSA sends an email to a sharee with a URL link pointing to the CSA for retrieving the shareable content or associated metadata. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) A VCA system according to claim 11, wherein a new sharee who is not registered with the VCA system retrieves the shareable content by activating the URL link without having to register with the VCA system. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) A VCA system according to claim 12, wherein the CSA establishes a VCA account for the new sharee with a temporary password which is transmitted to the new sharee, and the new sharee is required to use the password or a replacement therefor to subsequently retrieve the shareable content. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) A VCA system according to claim 11, wherein, when the URL link is activated by a sharee communication device (CD), the CSA identifies the PCS (share-identified PCS) and the persistent connection (share-identified persistent connection) associated with the O/S account repository containing shareable content and signals the share-identified PCS over the share-identified persistent connection to initialize transfer of the shareable content from the share-identified PCS to the sharee CD. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) A VCA system according to claim 14, wherein the CSA is a cluster comprising at least one public facing (PF) server and at least one content adapter (CA) server, the at least one PF server accepting connections from the public including registered user CDs and sharee CDs, the at least one CA server not accepting connections from the public, wherein the at least one PF server and the at least one CA server are provisioned on two separate machines separated by a firewall which inhibits the at least one CA server from receiving connections other than from the at least one PF server and the PCSs. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) A VCA system according to claim 15, wherein the sharee CD is connected to one of the at least one PF servers, and wherein, in retrieving the shareable content the connected-to PF server transmits a wake signal to the share-identified PCS over the share-identified persistent connection, wherein the wake signal includes a URL pointing to one of the at least one CA server, and wherein upon receipt of the wake signal, the share-identified PCS opens a semi-persistent control channel to the pointed-to CA server. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) A VCA system according to claim 16, wherein the pointed-to CA server issues a command to the share-identified PCS over the semi-persistent control channel to retrieve metadata associated with the shareable content, and wherein, in response to the metadata command, the share-identified PCS transmits relative directory path structure over the semi-persistent control channel to the pointed-to CA server, the pointed-to CA server transmits the relative directory path structure to the connected-to PF server, and the connected-to PF server transmits the relative directory path structure to the sharee CD. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) A VCA system according to claim 17, wherein the shareable content includes a file, wherein the pointed-to CA server issues a command to the share-identified PCS to transfer the file, wherein, in response to the file transfer command, the share-identified PCS opens a data channel connection to the pointed-to CA sever and transmits the file to the pointed-to CA server over the data channel, wherein the pointed-to CA server conveys the file to the connected-to PF server, and the connected-to PF server transmits the file to the sharee CD.