Internet online backup system provides remote storage for customers using IDs and passwords which were interactively established when signing up for backup services
DC CAFCFirst Claim
1. A method of providing an offsite backup, restore and/or archiving data storage service to customers over the Internet by making backup and/or archival data storage provided by an online service provider available and accessible to the customers'"'"' computing devices via an Internet connection for use in backing up, archiving and/or restoring data from and/or to data storage local to or disposed within said customers'"'"' computing devices, the method comprising the following steps:
- (a) establishing a customer relationship between a customer having a computing device and an online service provider providing an offsite data storage service accessible over the Internet for backup, restore and/or archiving, said online service provider registering a customer identifier based at least in part on a communication between said online service provider and said customer;
(b) establishing an Internet link between the customer'"'"'s computing device and the online service provider;
(c) validating the customer'"'"'s authority to access the data storage service provided by the online service provider;
(d) making available, to the customer'"'"'s computing device via the Internet link, at least some data stored in the online service provider'"'"'s storage;
(e) conditionally authorizing and/or restricting access by the customer'"'"'s computing device to the data stored in the online service provider storage;
(f) receiving data sent by the customer'"'"'s computing device over the Internet link, and storing, for backup, restore and/or archival purposes, said data offsite in said service provider data storage;
(g) logging at least one of (a) the customer'"'"'s access to the online service and (b) the customer'"'"'s use of the online service provider data storage; and
(h) generating billing information based on at least one of (i) the relationship established in step (a), and (ii) the logging step (g).
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Accused Products
Abstract
A user can use his personal computer to call up an on-line service system over a telecommunications link such as a telephone line. The On-line system provides all sorts of useful services to the personal computer such as antiviral protection, auxiliary processing capabilities, and other features that are impractical or inconvenient to provide locally.
281 Citations
49 Claims
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1. A method of providing an offsite backup, restore and/or archiving data storage service to customers over the Internet by making backup and/or archival data storage provided by an online service provider available and accessible to the customers'"'"' computing devices via an Internet connection for use in backing up, archiving and/or restoring data from and/or to data storage local to or disposed within said customers'"'"' computing devices, the method comprising the following steps:
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(a) establishing a customer relationship between a customer having a computing device and an online service provider providing an offsite data storage service accessible over the Internet for backup, restore and/or archiving, said online service provider registering a customer identifier based at least in part on a communication between said online service provider and said customer;
(b) establishing an Internet link between the customer'"'"'s computing device and the online service provider;
(c) validating the customer'"'"'s authority to access the data storage service provided by the online service provider;
(d) making available, to the customer'"'"'s computing device via the Internet link, at least some data stored in the online service provider'"'"'s storage;
(e) conditionally authorizing and/or restricting access by the customer'"'"'s computing device to the data stored in the online service provider storage;
(f) receiving data sent by the customer'"'"'s computing device over the Internet link, and storing, for backup, restore and/or archival purposes, said data offsite in said service provider data storage;
(g) logging at least one of (a) the customer'"'"'s access to the online service and (b) the customer'"'"'s use of the online service provider data storage; and
(h) generating billing information based on at least one of (i) the relationship established in step (a), and (ii) the logging step (g). - 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, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48)
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49. An online data storage system accessible by remote customers over the Internet for backing up, archiving and/or restoring data from and/or to data storage local to or disposed within said customers'"'"' computing devices, an online service provider operating said online data storage system and establishing customer relationships with said customers, said online service provider registering customer identifiers based at least in part on communications between said online service provider and said customers, the online data storage system comprising:
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a data storage arrangement including data storage capacity for backing up customer data;
communications equipment that establishes communications with customers'"'"' computing devices over the Internet, said communications equipment making said data storage capacity provided by the data storage arrangement available via the Internet for backing up, archiving and/or restoring data from and/or to data storage local to or disposed within said customers'"'"' computing devices;
a processor that (a) makes available, to the customers'"'"' computing devices via the Internet, at least some data stored in the data storage arrangement, (b) validates the customers'"'"' authority to access the online data storage system, (c) conditionally authorizes and/or restricts access by the customers'"'"' computing devices to the data stored in the data storage arrangement, (d) receives data sent by the customers'"'"' computing devices over the Internet based on at least one of (i) an incremental backup, (ii) a full backup, and (iii) a backup based on a list of file names, and (e) stores, for backup, restore and/or archival purposes, said received data in said data storage arrangement;
a logger that logs at least one of (a) the customers'"'"' access to the online system, and (b) the customer'"'"'s use of the data storage arrangement; and
a biller that generates billing information based on at least one of (i) the relationship established with the customers, and (ii) the logging performed by the logger.
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Specification