# US 2014/0195757 A1 · Storage network data allocation > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195757 A1 - Document ID: US20140195757A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/137,654 - Filed: 2013-12-20 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-08 - Assignees: Lyve Minds, Inc. - Applicants: Lyve Minds, Inc. - Inventors: Christian M. KAISER; Peter D. STOUT; Ain McKendrick; Timothy Bucher; Jeff Ma; Randeep Singh Gakhal; Rick Pasetto; Stephen Sewerynek - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195757A1 ## CPC - G06F 3/0631: {by allocating resources to storage systems} - G06F 3/0604: {Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management} - G06F 3/0608: {Saving storage space on storage systems} - G06F 3/0613: {in relation to throughput} - G06F 3/0619: {in relation to data integrity, e.g. data losses, bit errors} - G06F 3/064: {Management of blocks} - G06F 3/0649: {Lifecycle management} - G06F 3/065: {Replication mechanisms} - G06F 3/0653: {Monitoring storage devices or systems} - G06F 3/067: {Distributed or networked storage systems, e.g. storage area networks [SAN], network attached storage [NAS]} - G06F 11/00: Error detection; Error correction; Monitoring (error detection, correction or monitoring in information storage based on relative movement between record carrier and transducer G11B20/18; monitoring, i.e. supervising the progress of recording or reproducing G11B27/36; in static stores G11C29/00) - G06F 12/023: {Free address space management} - G06F 16/178: Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems - G06F 16/275: {Synchronous replication} - 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] - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract A method of allocating data to a storage block included in a storage network may include determining a plurality of characteristics associated with a storage block included in a storage network. The plurality of characteristics may include storage capacity of the storage block, available storage space of the storage block, likelihood of loss of data stored on the storage block, availability of the storage block with respect to the storage network, and use of the storage block. The method may further include allocating data to the storage block based on the plurality of characteristics. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of allocating data to a storage block included in a storage network, the method comprising: determining a plurality of characteristics associated with a storage block included in a storage network, the plurality of characteristics including storage capacity of the storage block, available storage space of the storage block, likelihood of loss of data stored on the storage block, availability of the storage block with respect to the storage network, and use of the storage block; and allocating data to the storage block based on the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating the data to the storage block based on one or more of: a type of the storage block, a health of the storage block, a device type of a device associated with the storage block, use of the device, a likelihood of loss of the device, a health of the device, a location of the device, connectivity of the device with the storage network, a cost of connectivity of the device with the storage network, and a reliability of the device. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining a desired redundancy of the data; determining a redundancy role of the storage block for the data based on the plurality of characteristics; and allocating the data to the storage block based on the redundancy role of the storage block. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the storage block as a primary repository of the data based on the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising assigning the storage block as a secondary repository of the data based on the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising allocating the data to the storage block based on a data characteristic of the data. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein the data characteristic includes one or more of: data type, frequency of use of the data, desired redundancy for the data, size of the data, information included in the data, time of addition of the data to the storage block, time of addition of the data to the storage network, origination of the data, and a user preference with respect to the data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, further comprising allocating the data to the storage block based on the data characteristic as the data characteristic relates to one or more of the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 9 A method of storing data on a storage agent of a storage network, the method comprising: communicating, to a storage network manager, a plurality of characteristics associated with a storage block included in a storage network, the plurality of characteristics including storage capacity of the storage block, available storage space of the storage block, likelihood of loss of data stored on the storage block, availability of the storage block with respect to the storage network, and use of the storage block; receiving, from the storage network manager, a storage command for storing data on the storage block based on the plurality of characteristics; and storing the data on the storage block in response to the storage command. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising removing the data from the storage block based on one or more of the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, further comprising storing the data on the storage block based on a data characteristic of the data. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the data characteristic includes one or more of: data type, frequency of use of the data, desired redundancy for the data, size of the data, a ranking of the data, information included in the data, time of addition of the data to the storage agent, time of addition of the data to the storage network, origination of the data, and a user preference with respect to the data. ### Claim 13 A computer-readable storage medium including instructions that cause a system to perform operations to allocate data to a storage agent of a storage network, the operations comprising: determining a plurality of characteristics associated with a storage block included in a storage network, the plurality of characteristics including storage capacity of the storage block, available storage space of the storage block, likelihood of loss of data stored on the storage block, availability of the storage block with respect to the storage network, and use of the storage block; and allocating data to the storage block based on the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise allocating the data to the storage block based on one or more of: a type of the storage block, a health of the storage block, a device type of a device associated with the storage block, use of the device, a likelihood of loss of the device, a health of the device, a location of the device, connectivity of the device with the storage network, a cost of connectivity of the device with the storage network, and a reliability of the device ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise: determining a desired redundancy of the data; determining a redundancy role of the storage block for the data based on the plurality of characteristics; and allocating the data to the storage block based on the redundancy role of the storage block. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise assigning the storage block as a primary repository of the data based on the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise assigning the storage block as a secondary repository of the data based on the plurality of characteristics. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the operations further comprise allocating the data to the storage block based on a data characteristic of the data. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the data characteristic includes one or more of: data type, frequency of use of the data, desired redundancy for the data, size of the data, information included in the data, time of addition of the data to the storage block, time of addition of the data to the storage network, origination of the data, and a user preference with respect to the data. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The computer-readable storage medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise allocating the data to the storage block based on the data characteristic as the data characteristic relates to one or more of the plurality of characteristics.