Synchronizing over a number of synchronization mechanisms using flexible rules
First Claim
1. In a network that includes a first computer system having a first data store and second computer system having a second data store, a method for synchronizing the first and second data stores in a flexible manner considering the circumstances that exist at the time of synchronization, the method comprising the following:
- an act of the first computer system determining that a data item is to be synchronized;
an act of the first computer system identifying which of the plurality of synchronization mechanisms are available to use for synchronization;
an act of the first computer system consulting a set of flexible selection rules to select one of the available synchronization mechanisms; and
an act of the first computer system using the selected synchronization mechanism to synchronize the data item with the second computer.
2 Assignments
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Accused Products
Abstract
Two computer systems in a network each have a local store that contains a copy of a data item that is to be synchronized. One of the computer systems may be, for example, a mobile device while the other may be a synchronization server. In order to determine whether to synchronize a data item, and what synchronization mechanism to use, one of the computer systems references a flexible set of rules that may be influenced by instructions from a network administrator or a mobile device user. The flexible set of rules takes into consideration the value of the data, the cost associated with synchronization, the security of the synchronization mechanisms, the security of the mobile device, as well as the location of the mobile user in dictating whether and how to synchronize.
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Citations
60 Claims
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1. In a network that includes a first computer system having a first data store and second computer system having a second data store, a method for synchronizing the first and second data stores in a flexible manner considering the circumstances that exist at the time of synchronization, the method comprising the following:
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an act of the first computer system determining that a data item is to be synchronized;
an act of the first computer system identifying which of the plurality of synchronization mechanisms are available to use for synchronization;
an act of the first computer system consulting a set of flexible selection rules to select one of the available synchronization mechanisms; and
an act of the first computer system using the selected synchronization mechanism to synchronize the data item with the second computer. - 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)
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42. A computer program product for use in a network that includes a first computer system having a first data store and second computer system having a second data store, the computer program product for implementing a method for synchronizing the first and second data stores in a flexible manner considering the circumstances that exist at the time of synchronization, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon the following:
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computer-executable instructions for determining that a data item is to be synchronized;
computer-executable instructions for identifying which of the plurality of synchronization mechanisms are available to use for synchronization;
computer-executable instructions for consulting a set of flexible selection rules to select one of the available synchronization mechanisms; and
computer-executable instructions for using the selected synchronization mechanism to synchronize the data item with the second computer. - View Dependent Claims (43)
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44. In a network that includes a first computer system having a first data store and second computer system having a second data store, a method for synchronizing the first and second data stores in a flexible manner considering the circumstances that exist at the time of synchronization, the method comprising the following:
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an act of the first computer system determining that a data item is to be synchronized; and
a step for flexibly using an appropriate synchronization mechanism considering the then-existing circumstances. - View Dependent Claims (45)
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46. In a network that includes a first computer system having a first data store and second computer system having a second data store, a method for synchronizing the first and second data stores in a flexible manner considering the circumstances that exist at the time of synchronization, the method comprising the following:
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an act of the first computer system determining whether to synchronize a data item by consulting a set of flexible selection rules; and
an act of the first computer system synchronize the data item with the second computer if the first computer system determines that the data item is to be synchronized. - View Dependent Claims (47, 48, 49, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56)
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57. A computer program product for use in a network that includes a first computer system having a first data store and second computer system having a second data store, the computer program product for implementing a method for synchronizing the first and second data stores in a flexible manner considering the circumstances that exist at the time of synchronization, the computer program product comprising one or more computer-readable media having stored thereon the following:
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computer-executable instructions for determining whether to synchronize a data item by consulting a set of flexible selection rules; and
computer-executable instructions for synchronize the data item with the second computer if the first computer system determines that the data item is to be synchronized. - View Dependent Claims (58)
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59. A network system comprising the following:
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a synchronization server comprising a data store, a networking module, and a processing module configured to access the data store as well as communicate over a network using the networking module;
a mobile device having a data store, a networking module, and a processing modules configured to access the data store of the mobile device as well as communicate with the synchronization server over the network using the networking module of the mobile device, the processing device of the mobile device configured to perform the following;
determine that a data item is to be synchronized;
identify which of the plurality of synchronization mechanisms are available to use for synchronization;
consult a set of flexible selection rules to select one of the available synchronization mechanisms; and
use the selected synchronization mechanism to synchronize the data item.
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60. A network system comprising the following:
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a synchronization server comprising a data store, a networking module, and a processing module configured to access the data store as well as communicate over a network using the networking module;
a mobile device having a data store, a networking module, and a processing modules configured to access the data store of the mobile device as well as communicate with the synchronization server over the network using the networking module of the mobile device, the processing device of the synchronization server configured to perform the following;
determine that a data item is to be synchronized;
identify which of the plurality of synchronization mechanisms are available to use for synchronization;
consult a set of flexible selection rules to select one of the available synchronization mechanisms; and
use the selected synchronization mechanism to synchronize the data item.
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Specification