Method and apparatus for synchronizing multiple versions of digital data

• US 20020133515A1
• Filed: 03/16/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Odinak, Gilad, Kagle, Jonathan C.
• Granted Patent: US 7,216,289 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/511
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1873 Versioning file systems, temporal file systems, e.g. file system supporting different historic versions of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/166 Editing, e.g. inserting or deleting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A method and system for synchronizing multiple versions of multimedia objects is provided. Each multimedia object may be identified by a unique identifier. In addition, a history graph may be generated and maintained for each object, where the history graph includes nodes that store unique identifiers and whose vectors describe the relationship between the multimedia objects. Metadata may be used to describe the transformations of object.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing multiple versions of an object, comprising:

receiving a first object;

assigning the first object a unique identifier; and

creating a history graph for the first object having a node representing the unique identifier of the first object.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

adding metadata for the object to describe the object.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a second object;

determining whether the second object has an associated unique identifier;

updating the history graph to include the associated unique identifier of the second object;

wherein the history graph includes vectors describing the relationship between the first and second objects associated with the unique identifiers of the nodes in the history graph, respectively.

4. The method according to claim 3, further comprising:

adding metadata to at least one of the first object and the second object, wherein the metadata describes the at least one of the first and second objects and any modifications made to the at least one of the first and second objects.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

tracking the history of the first object via the history graph and the metadata associated with the first object.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising:

storing the metadata and the history graph information for each of the first and second objects in a central storage location; and

accessing the metadata and the history graph information for each of the first and second objects via corresponding ones of the unique identifiers.

7. A method for synchronizing multiple versions of an object, comprising:

receiving an object having an associated unique identifier, metadata and history graph information;

modifing the object;

assigning a new unique identifier to the object;

updating the metadata and history graph of the object to include a node corresponding to the new unique identifier and a vector describing, via the metadata, the modification performed to arrive at the object corresponding to the new unique identifier.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

storing the associated unique identifier, the new unique identifier, the metadata and the history graph.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

tracking the history of the object via the associated unique identifier, the new unique identifier, the metadata and the history graph information.

10. A method for synchronizing multiple versions of an object, comprising:

receiving an object;

determining whether the object has an associated unique identifier and metadata and history graph;

assigning the object a unique identifier when it is determined that the object does not have an associated unique identifier; and

creating a history graph for the first object having a node representing the unique identifier of the first object.

11. The method according to claim 10, further comprising:

adding metadata to the object to describe the object.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

modifying the object;

assigning a new unique identifier to the object;

updating the metadata and history graph of the object to include a node corresponding to the new unique identifier and a vector describing, via the metadata, the modification performed to arrive at the object corresponding to the new unique identifier.

13. The method according to claim 12, further comprising:

storing the associated unique identifier, the new unique identifier, the metadata and the history graph.

15. The method according to claim 14, further comprising:

determining whether to store the new object when it is determined that the new object is related to at least one of the stored objects.

17. The computer-readable medium according to claim 16, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

adding metadata for the object to describe the object.

18. The computer-readable medium according to claim 17, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a second object;

determining whether the second object has an associated unique identifier;

updating the history graph to include the associated unique identifier of the second object;

wherein the history graph includes vectors describing the relationship between the first and second objects associated with the unique identifiers of the nodes in the history graph, respectively.

19. The computer-readable medium according to claim 18, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

adding metadata to the first object and to the second object, wherein the metadata describes the first and second objects and any modifications made to the first and second objects.

20. The computer-readable medium according to claim 19, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

tracking the history of the first object via the history graph and the metadata associated with the first object.

21. The computer-readable medium according to claim 20, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

storing the metadata and the history graph information for each of the first and second objects in a central storage location; and

accessing the metadata and the history graph information for each of the first and second objects via corresponding ones of the unique identifiers.

14. A method for synchronizing multiple versions of an object, comprising:

receiving objects;

assigning unique identifiers to each of the objects;

creating a history graph for each of the objects having nodes representing unique identifiers and vectors describing the relationship between the objects associated with corresponding unique identifiers of the nodes in the history graph, respectively;

adding metadata to each of the objects, wherein the metadata describes any modifications made to the respective objects;

storing the objects, the unique identifiers for each of the objects, the history graphs for each of the objects and the metadata for each of the objects;

receiving a new object;

determining whether the new object has a unique identifier and at least one of a history graph and metadata;

comparing the unique identifier, and the at least one of the history graph and the metadata of the new object with the unique identifiers, the history graphs and the metadata for the stored objects; and

determining whether the new object is related to at least one of the stored objects based upon the comparison.

16. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving a first object;

assigning the first object a unique identifier; and

creating a history graph for the first object having a node representing the unique identifier of the first object.

22. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving an object having an associated unique identifier, metadata and history graph information;

modifying the object;

assigning a new unique identifier to the object;

updating the metadata and history graph of the object to include a node corresponding to the new unique identifier and a vector describing, via the metadata, the modification performed to arrive at the object corresponding to the new unique identifier.

23. The computer-readable medium according to claim 22, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

storing the associated unique identifier, the new unique identifier, the metadata and the history graph.

24. The computer-readable medium according to claim 23, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

tracking the history of the object via the associated unique identifier, the new unique identifier, the metadata and the history graph information.

26. The computer-readable medium according to claim 25, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

adding metadata to the object to describe the object.

27. The computer-readable medium according to claim 26, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

modifying the object;

assigning a new unique identifier to the object;

updating the metadata and history graph of the object to include a node corresponding to the new unique identifier and a vector describing, via the metadata, the modification performed to arrive at the object corresponding to the new unique identifier.

28. The computer-readable medium according to claim 27, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

storing the associated unique identifier, the new unique identifier, the metadata and the history graph.

30. The computer-readable medium according to claim 29, having further computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

determining whether to store the new object when it is determined that the new object is related to at least one of the stored objects.

25. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving an object;

determining whether the object has an associated unique identifier and metadata and history graph;

assigning the object a unique identifier when it is determined that the object does not have an associated unique identifier; and

creating a history graph for the first object having a node representing the unique identifier of the first object.

29. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing the steps of:

receiving objects;

assigning unique identifiers to each of the objects;

creating a history graph for each of the objects having nodes representing unique identifiers and vectors describing the relationship between the objects associated with corresponding unique identifiers of the nodes in the history graph, respectively;

adding metadata to each of the objects, wherein the metadata describes any modifications made to the respective objects;

storing the objects, the unique identifiers for each of the objects, the history graphs for each of the objects and the metadata for each of the objects;

receiving a new object;

determining whether the new object has a unique identifier and at least one of a history graph and metadata;

comparing the unique identifier, and the at least one of the history graph and the metadata of the new object with the unique identifiers, the history graphs and the metadata for the stored objects; and

determining whether the new object is related to at least one of the stored objects based upon the comparison.

31. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure, comprising:

(a) a first data field containing data representing a unique identifier for an object;

(b) a second data field associated with said first data field by describing the object corresponding to the unique identifier; and

(c) a third field functioning to identify how the object associated with the unique identifier in the first data field relates to other objects based upon the data in the second data field.