Synchronization and verification groups among related devices

• US 10,198,182 B2
• Filed: 09/30/2015
• Issued: 02/05/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Adler, Mitchell D., Brouwer, Michael, Whalley, Andrew R., Hurley, John C., Murphy, Richard F., Finkelstein, David P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Cygiel, Gary W.
• Application Number:
  US14/872,013
• Publication Number:
  US 20160349999A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0604 Improving or facilitating administration, e.g. storage management
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/065 Replication mechanisms
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0683 Plurality of storage devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 90/00 Systems or methods specially adapted for administrative, commercial, financial, managerial or supervisory purposes, not involving significant data processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1044 Group management mechanisms management of multicast group membership H04L12/185; reconfiguring of node membership in a computing system to eliminate errors G06F11/1425
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3268 using certificate validation, registration, distribution or revocation, e.g. certificate revocation list [CRL]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/08 User group management

Abstract

Some embodiments provide a method for a first device to synchronize a set of data items with a second device. The method receives a request to synchronize the set of data items stored on the first device with the second device. The method determines a subset of the synchronization data items stored on the first device that belong to at least one synchronization sub-group in which the second device participates. Participation in at least one of the synchronization sub-groups is defined based on membership in at least one verification sub-group. The first and second devices are part of a set of related devices with several different verification sub-groups. The method sends only the subset of the synchronization data items that belong to at least one synchronization sub-group in which the second device participates to the second device using a secure channel.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing data items between devices, the method comprising, at a first device:

receiving, from a second device, a request for the second device to become a member of at least one verification sub-group of a plurality of verification sub-groups of which at least the first device is a member;

analyzing aspects of the second device to identify, among the plurality of verification sub-groups, at least one verification sub-group of which the second device is eligible to become a member;

causing the second device to become a member of the at least one verification sub-group;

identifying a set of synchronization data items in response to receiving a first request to synchronize a set of data items stored on the first device with the second device;

identifying a first subset of the synchronization data items that belong to at least one synchronization sub-group defined by the at least one verification sub-group; and

sending, to the second device using a secure channel, only the first subset of the synchronization data items.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each data item in the set of synchronization data items is associated with at least one tag that indicates a respective synchronization sub-group to which the data item belongs, and the method further comprises:

receiving a new data item from user input; and

tagging the new data item as belonging to a particular synchronization sub-group.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one verification sub-group comprises all devices that are associated with a same cloud services account.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, subsequent to causing the second device to become a member of the at least one verification sub-group:

notifying all devices that are members of the at least one verification sub-group, including the second device, that the second device is a member of the at least one verification sub-group.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the aspects of the second device include one or more of an operating system of the second device, a password strength of a master password assigned on the second device, or an inclusion of a secure processor within the second device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of data items comprises at least one of a username and password for a website, a password for a Wi-Fi network, a cryptographic secret, a secure note, or an electronic file.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each synchronization sub-group defines a type of data that belongs to the at least one synchronization sub-group.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the second device over the secure channel, a new data item that belongs to the at least one synchronization sub-group; and

adding the new data item to the set of data items.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein adding the new data item to the set of data items causes the new data item to be provided to the first device.

10. At least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium configured to store instructions that, when executed by at least one processor included in a first device, cause the first device to synchronize data items, by carrying out steps that include:

receiving, from a second device, a request for the second device to become a member of at least one verification sub-group of a plurality of verification sub-groups of which at least the first device is a member;

analyzing aspects of the second device to identify, among the plurality of verification sub-groups, at least one verification sub-group of which the second device is eligible to become a member;

causing the second device to become a member of the at least one verification sub-group;

identifying a set of synchronization data items in response to receiving a first request to synchronize a set of data items stored on the first device with the second device;

identifying a first subset of the synchronization data items that belong to at least one synchronization sub-group defined by the at least one verification sub-group; and

sending, to the second device using a secure channel, only the first subset of the synchronization data items.

11. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein each data item in the set of synchronization data items is associated with at least one tag that indicates a respective synchronization sub-group to which the data item belongs, and the steps further include:

receiving a new data item from user input; and

tagging the new data item as belonging to a particular synchronization sub-group.

12. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the steps further include, subsequent to causing the second device to become a member of the at least one verification sub-group:

notifying all devices that are members of the at least one verification sub-group, including the second device, that the second device is a member of the at least one verification sub-group.

13. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the aspects of the second device include one or more of an operating system of the second device, a password strength of a master password assigned on the second device, or an inclusion of a secure processor within the second device.

14. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the set of data items comprises at least one of a username and password for a website, a password for a Wi-Fi network, a cryptographic secret, a secure note, or an electronic file.

15. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the steps further include:

receiving, from the second device over the secure channel, a new data item that belongs to the at least one synchronization sub-group; and

adding the new data item to the set of data items.

16. The at least one non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein adding the new data item to the set of data items causes the new data item to be provided to the first device.

17. A first device configured to synchronize data items, the first device comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the first device to;

receive, from a second device, a request for the second device to become a member of at least one verification sub-group of a plurality of verification sub-groups of which at least the first device is a member;

analyze aspects of the second device to identify, among the plurality of verification sub-groups, at least one verification sub-group of which the second device is eligible to become a member;

cause the second device to become a member of the at least one verification sub-group;

identify a set of synchronization data items in response to receiving a first request to synchronize a set of data items stored on the first device with the second device;

identify a first subset of the synchronization data items that belong to at least one synchronization sub-group defined by the at least one verification sub-group; and

send, to the second device using a secure channel, only the first subset of the synchronization data items.

18. The first device of claim 17, wherein each data item in the set of synchronization data items is associated with at least one tag that indicates a respective synchronization sub-group to which the data item belongs, and the at least one processor further causes the first device to:

receive a new data item from user input; and

tag the new data item as belonging to a particular synchronization sub-group.

19. The first device of claim 17, wherein the at least one processor further causes the first device to, subsequent to causing the second device to become a member of the at least one verification sub-group:

notify all devices that are members of the at least one verification sub-group, including the second device, that the second device is a member of the at least one verification sub-group.

20. The first device of claim 17, wherein the aspects of the second device include one or more of an operating system of the second device, a password strength of a master password assigned on the second device, or an inclusion of a secure processor within the second device.