Internet online backup system provides remote storage for customers using IDs and passwords which were interactively established when signing up for backup services
DC CAFC
First Claim
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1. An online computer system providing commercial backup services to remote customer computers over the Internet by performing the following steps:
- (a) providing at least one remote storage area for use in storing customer backup information;
(b) establishing a first online Internet session with a customer'"'"'s computer;
(c) allowing the customer to sign up for backup services over the first online Internet session, including the step of establishing a customer identifier and associated password for the customer;
(d) establishing a second online Internet session with the customer'"'"'s computer;
(e) requesting the customer to input the customer identifier and associated password established by step (c);
(f) validating the customer identifier and password requested by step (e);
(g) conditioned at least in part on validating step (f), allowing the customer to access the remote storage area over the second Internet session substantially as if the remote storage area was a backup storage device physically and/or locally attached to the customer'"'"'s computer, including the steps of;
(1) encrypting backup data provided by the customer'"'"'s computer,(2) transmitting the encrypted backup data to the online backup service provider over the second online Internet session, and(3) storing the backup data in the remote storage area provided by the online backup service provider.
8 Assignments
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Reexamination
Accused Products
Abstract
This invention makes it possible for a customer computer to connect to an online service provider computer by phone, Internet, or other method, pay a fee to said service provider, and obtain additional processing and storage resources for the customer'"'"'s computer. The resources can take the form of virtual storage and processing capabilities. These capabilities give the customer computer what appears to be additional local processing power and/or additional local storage, this storage possibly including preloaded software and/or data.
The additional resources made available to the customer computer can be used either to enhance the customers'"'"' local needs (such as access to virtual storage for additional disk space, or access to a more powerful processor of similar type for program execution), or these additional resources can be used by the customer computer to support services on-line that otherwise would be unavailable, impractical, or unaffordable. Examples of services include software and information rental, sales, and release update services, anti-viral services, backup and recovery services, and diagnostic and repair services, to name a few.
949 Citations
27 Claims
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1. An online computer system providing commercial backup services to remote customer computers over the Internet by performing the following steps:
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(a) providing at least one remote storage area for use in storing customer backup information; (b) establishing a first online Internet session with a customer'"'"'s computer; (c) allowing the customer to sign up for backup services over the first online Internet session, including the step of establishing a customer identifier and associated password for the customer; (d) establishing a second online Internet session with the customer'"'"'s computer; (e) requesting the customer to input the customer identifier and associated password established by step (c); (f) validating the customer identifier and password requested by step (e); (g) conditioned at least in part on validating step (f), allowing the customer to access the remote storage area over the second Internet session substantially as if the remote storage area was a backup storage device physically and/or locally attached to the customer'"'"'s computer, including the steps of; (1) encrypting backup data provided by the customer'"'"'s computer, (2) transmitting the encrypted backup data to the online backup service provider over the second online Internet session, and (3) storing the backup data in the remote storage area provided by the online backup service provider. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. An online computer system for providing commercial backup services to remote customer computers over the Internet, said online computer system comprising:
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at least one remote storage area for use in storing customer backup information; at least one processor; a first communications handler operatively coupled to the processor, the first communications handler establishing a first online Internet session with a customer'"'"'s computer and, in cooperation with the processor, allowing the customer to sign up for backup services over the first online Internet session, the first communications handler and the processor cooperating to establish a customer identifier and associated password for the customer; and a second communications handler operatively coupled to at least the remote storage area, the second communications handler establishing a second online Internet session with the customer'"'"'s computer, the second communications handler requesting the customer to input said customer identifier and associated password, the second communications handler at least in part validating the requested customer identifier and password, the second communications handler allowing the customer to access, conditioned at least in part on said validation, the remote storage area over the second Internet session substantially as if the remote storage area was a backup storage device physically and/or locally attached to the customer'"'"'s computer, wherein the second communications handler receives the customer computer backup data in securely protected form via the second online Internet session, and the remote storage area stores the received backup data. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27)
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Specification
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Litigation Data
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Current AssigneeOasis Research LLC
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Original AssigneeChristopher M. Crawford
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InventorsCrawford, Christopher M.
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Primary Examiner(s)Asta, Frank J.
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Assistant Examiner(s)Luu, Le Hien
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Application NumberUS08/145,825Time in Patent Office1,692 DaysField of Search364/200, 395/800, 395/876, 395/182.04, 395/182.09, 395/200.59, 395/200.49, 395/186, 395/620, 380/4US Class Current709/229CPC Class CodesG06F 2209/549 Remote executionG06F 9/5061 Partitioning or combining o...G06F 9/5072 Grid computingG06Q 20/085 involving remote charge det...G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determi...G06Q 30/04 Billing or invoicingG06Q 40/12 AccountingH04N 21/2347 involving video stream encr...Y10S 707/99953 RecoverabilityY10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup
