http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/activity One embodiment of the present invention provides a distributed, differential electronic-data storage system (302, 304, 306-309, 310-316, and 318) that includes client computers (310-316), component data-storage systems, and a routing component. Client computers direct data objects (418) to component data-storage systems within the distributed, differential electronic-data storage system. Component data-storage systems provide data storage for the distributed, differential electronic-data storage system. The routing component directs data objects, received from the clients computers, through logical bins (324-338) to component data-storage systems by a compression-enhancing routing method. en-us Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing See also US Patent Application https://www.delphion.com/details?pn=US27250519A1 Thu, 06 May 2010 14:45:52 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing By looking up "publication number" 20070250519 here: http://portal.uspto.gov/external/portal/pair you can see the references submitted in the US filing for this HP application (look for "information disclosure statement", there are multiple, under Image File Wrapper tab), as well as even some of the arguments back and forth between the US patent examiner and the applicant's representative (see for example "Non-Final Rejection", wherein, e.g., we find tha the examininer initially proposes that claim 1 is anticipated by US patent application 20040054700 (Okada)). Thu, 06 May 2010 14:56:16 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing FYI, looked into the applicant's response, which (rightly, IMO) points out that Okada does not seem to cover some critical pieces of claim 1, such as the distributed nature of the storage and use of "logical bins". It also would not seem to cover the compression-enhancing optimization element. Also, a new rejection dated just yesterday shows the examiner seems to have stopped referring to Okada, but has a new prior art for claim 1. That is US Patent 7536291 (Retnamma, et al). This is apparently about a method for *simulating* various storage operations (such as in a sales context; their Fig. 4 pictures a person demoing on a laptop). This patent includes a notion of "cells", and one might look to see if this is a more general notion that subsumes the application's "logical bins". The patent discusses a lot of possible kinds of storage operations and may be a bit vague on details of them. It includes some reference to optimizing things, e.g.: "Master storage manager 140 (or other network storage manager) may contain programming directed to analyzing the storage patterns and resources of its associated storage operation cells and which suggests optimal or alternate methods of performing storage operations." .. "a storage operation cell may contain a data agent 95 which may generally be a software module that is responsible for performing storage operations " .. "The preferences and storage criteria may include, but are not limited to, a storage location, relationships between system components, network pathway to utilize, retention policies, data characteristics, compression or encryption requirements, preferred system components to utilize in a storage operation, and other criteria relating to a storage operation. " Thu, 20 May 2010 03:44:51 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing One wonders at what point Retnamma becomes a speculative laundry list of "could be's" vs. what it actually teaches. Also, is there any problem with it being a simulator? What if the simulator suggests significant details of what it simluates? Thu, 20 May 2010 03:50:09 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing (this US application appears to be for the same HP invention) Fri, 07 May 2010 02:57:50 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing Microsoft filed application that explains Differential Data Compression a bit: http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20090259675 Not prior-art as, judging by the sequence number, it appears to have been filed in 2009. Seems to be a distinct approach from TSM & NDMP or Data Mirroring. The cell management also seems different from SAN and RAID approaches - mostly due to the differential data compression. I suspect it'll work a lot better if things aren't compressed before they are stored, as compression increases the entropy of the data (making it less likely to be duplicated in other data). Reminds me a lot of the silly idea that was floating around a few years ago that everything could be stored as an offset and a length into a expansion of PI. Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:04:16 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing It's a pity, because the differential compression storage concept discussed in the Microsoft application seems really relevant. I thought the PI expansion offset storage scheme is supposed to be an April's fool joke, but it is original nonetheless. :) Wed, 24 Mar 2010 17:25:00 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing File date on uspto.gov shows as April 15, 2008, but that's still too late to be prior art to this application. (The 2009 in the publication number comes from its year of publication. US patent applications are generally published on uspto.gov ~18 months after their filing.) Tue, 04 May 2010 11:10:50 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing One might find something interesting in the references listed by the Microsoft application. Tue, 04 May 2010 11:13:33 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing Thank you for the comments, Steve. I shall have a look at the references listed. Tue, 04 May 2010 11:48:31 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing Here are the references supplied by the applicant to USPTO: US Patents 7243186 6904430 US Patent Application Publications 20060184652 20060085561 20050256974 Non-Patent Literature (as of 10/25/2007) ftp://ftp.research.microsoft.com/pub/tr/TR-2006-157.pdf ftp://ftp.digital.com/pub/DEC/SRC/publications/broder/positano-final-wpnums.pdf (see: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.24.779&rep=rep1&type=pdf) http://research.microsoft.com/~gurevich/Opera/190.pdf http://linuxdevices.com/articles/AT6850006074.html http://www.itnews.com.au/News/62697,seagate-combines-flash-memory-hard-disk-for-notebook-storage.aspx (see: http://www.informationweek.com/news/hardware/desktop/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202400049) Thu, 06 May 2010 14:41:22 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing By "applicant" I mean for the Microsoft application, not this HP application. Thu, 06 May 2010 14:43:22 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing Now on to part 2. The application also talks about the data storage system to be differential, i.e. duplicated data will not be stored, hence eliminating redundant information and provide better storage space efficiency. The application suggests by storing data with duplicated content to the same Storage Components or a single cluster of Storage Components. This is done so when the data is retrieved, all information could be gathered locally. Clustering all data with duplicated content can introduce bottlenecks to a data storage system as certain Storage Component are heavily loaded while others are hardly touched. The application then talks about various algorithms and metrics for determining how to even out the load in the system while maintaining high compression efficiency. To do this, they talked about using a hash-based data similarity test and also the concept of query-based data routing, in which each Storage Component checks and compares the similarity of incoming data to the data it currently stored in order for the system to best determine where to store the data. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:20:11 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion Distributed differential store with non-distributed objects and compression-enhancing data-object routing This patent application contains 2 key concepts, 1. Distributed differential data storage system 2. Data routing algorithms to enhance compression efficiency Let's start by dissecting part 1. - A distributed (geographically separated), networked data storage system that has a maximum of 4 layer of entities. 1st Layer: Client computers - Users who will save and retrieve data from the system 2nd Layer: Portals - An interface between the Client Computers and the Logical Bins. They receive requests from Client Computers and redirect them to the appropriate entities in the system. 3rd Layer: Logical Bins - Handles data access request and perform logical operations to determine which Storage Components should be used to access the files. This adds a layer of indirection between data request and actual data storage component. This is done in order to be able to easily add new data storage to the system, i.e. 1st and 2nd layer will not need to be aware of the new storage components (requests are still send to the same bin), we only need to reassign certain bins to the new store. 4th Layer: Storage Components - Computer systems that performs data backup and archival functions. Mon, 22 Mar 2010 10:53:51 +1000 http://www.peertopatent.org.au/patent/2007243344/discussion