Synchronization of documents between a server and small devices

• US 20030172113A1
• Filed: 03/05/2002
• Published: 09/11/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Arora, Akhil K., Rank, Paul J., Ong, Herbert T., Cameron, Brian A., Mak, Mingchi S.
• Granted Patent: US 7,340,534 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/258 Data format conversion from or to a database

Abstract

Converting document formatted for use on servers to and from documents formatted for use on small devices, including synchronizing two or more versions of the document. A user may edit documents formatted for use on small devices and the documents may be synchronized with documents on the server to keep the documents up to date. In one embodiment, an n-way merge process may restore document formatting, styles and/or data features that may have been lost from one or more documents when converting from an office format to a small device format. In one embodiment, the server may provide an office productivity environment, and the documents on the server may be office documents.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a server comprising a document in a format supported by the server, wherein the document is available to one or more devices via a network;

a small device configured to couple to the server;

wherein the server is configured to generate a small device document in a format supported by the small device from the document in the format supported by the server;

wherein the small device is further configured to modify the small device document; and

wherein the server is further configured to synchronize the document in the format supported by the server with a modified version of the small device document on the small device.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the document in the format supported by the server is an office productivity document.

3. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to generate a small device document in a format supported by the small device from the document in the format supported by the server, the server is further configured to exclude one or more formats for content of the document in the format supported by the server from the small device document.

4. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to synchronize the document in the format supported by the server with a modified version of the small device document on the small device, the server is further configured to restore one or more formats for content of the document in the format supported by the server excluded from the small device document.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to synchronize the document in the format supported by the server with a modified version of the small device document on the small device, the server is further configured to:

determine one or more formats for content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the document in the format supported by the server; and

merge the content of the modified version of the small device document into the document in the format supported by the server in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the content.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to synchronize the document in the format supported by the server with a modified version of the small device document on the small device, the server is further configured to:

compare modified content of the modified version of the small device document to corresponding content of the document in the format supported by the server to determine one or more formats for the modified content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the document in the format supported by the server; and

merge the modified content of the modified version of the small device document into the document in the format supported by the server in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the modified content.

7. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to synchronize the document in the format supported by the server with a modified version of the small device document on the small device, the server is further configured to generate a synchronized version of the document in the format supported by the server from the document in the format supported by the server and the modified version of the document.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to synchronize the document in the format supported by the server with the modified version of the small device document, the server is further configured to:

determine one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the document in the format supported by the server; and

merge the determined one or more differences with content of the document in the format supported by the server to generate a synchronized version of the document in the format supported by the server.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein, to determine one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the document in the format supported by the server, the server is further configured to:

generate a modified document in the format supported by the server from the modified version of the small device document; and

compare the modified document in the format supported by the server to the document in the format supported by the server.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein, to synchronize the document in the format supported by the server with the modified version of the small device document, the server is further configured to:

generate a modified document in an interim format from the modified version of the small device document;

generate a document in the interim format from the document in the format supported by the server;

determine one or more differences between the modified document in the interim format and the document in the interim format; and

merge the determined one or more differences with content of the document in the interim format to generate a synchronized version of the document in the interim format.

11. The system as recited in claim 10, wherein the server is further configured to generate a synchronized version of the document in the format supported by the server from the synchronized version of the document in the interim format.

12. A server comprising:

a processor;

a memory operable to store program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by the processor to;

generate a small device document in a format supported by one or more small devices from an original document in a format supported by the server in a format supported by the office productivity server, wherein one or more formats for content of the original document not supported by the one or more small devices are excluded from the small device document; and

provide the small device document to one of the one or more small devices coupled to the office productivity server;

receive the modified version of the small device document from the small device; and

generate a synchronized version of the original document from a modified version of the small device document.

13. The server as recited in claim 12, wherein the original document is an office productivity document.

14. The server as recited in claim 12, wherein, to generate a synchronized version of the original document from a modified version of the small device document, the program instructions are further executable by the processor to restore in the synchronized version of the original document at least one of the one or more formats for content of the original document excluded from the small device document.

15. The server as recited in claim 12, wherein, to generate a synchronized version of the original document from a modified version of the small device document, the program instructions are further executable by the processor to:

determine one or more formats for content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the document in the format supported by the server; and

merge the content of the modified version of the small device document into the original document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the content.

16. The server as recited in claim 12, wherein, to synchronize the original document with a modified version of the small device document on the small device, the server is further configured to:

compare modified content of the modified version of the small device document to corresponding content of the original document to determine one or more formats for the modified content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the document in the format supported by the server; and

merge the modified content of the modified version of the small device document into the original document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the modified content.

17. The server as recited in claim 12, wherein, to generate a synchronized version of the original document from a modified version of the small device document, the program instructions are further executable by the processor to:

determine one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the original document; and

merge the one or more differences with content of the original document to generate a synchronized version of the document in the format supported by the server.

18. The server as recited in claim 17, wherein, to determine one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the document in the format supported by the server, the server is further configured to:

generate a modified document in the format supported by the server from the modified version of the small device document; and

compare the modified document in the format supported by the server to the original document.

19. The server as recited in claim 12, wherein, to generate a synchronized version of the original document from a modified version of the small device document, the program instructions are further executable by the processor to:

generate a modified document in an interim format from the modified version of the small device document;

generate a document in the interim format from the original document;

determine one or more differences between the modified document in the interim format and the document in the interim format; and

merge the determined one or more differences with content of the document in the interim format to generate a synchronized version of the document in the interim format.

20. The server as recited in claim 19, wherein the program instructions are further executable by the processor to generate a synchronized version of the document in the format supported by the server from the synchronized version of the document in the interim format.

21. A method comprising:

generating a small device document in a format supported by a small device from an office productivity document in a format supported by an office productivity server;

modifying the small device document to generate a modified version of the small device document;

determining one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the office productivity document; and

merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document.

22. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said determining one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the office productivity document comprises:

generating a modified office productivity document in the format supported by the server from the modified version of the small device document; and

comparing the modified office productivity document to the original office productivity document to determine the one or more differences.

23. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said generating a small device document in a format supported by the small device from the office productivity document comprises excluding one or more formats for content of the office productivity document from the small device document.

24. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document comprises restoring one or more formats for content of the office productivity document excluded from the small device document.

25. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document comprises:

determining one or more formats for content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the office productivity document; and

merging the content of the modified version of the small device document into the office productivity document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the content.

26. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document comprises:

comparing modified content of the modified version of the small device document to corresponding content of the office productivity document to determine one or more formats for the modified content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the office productivity document; and

merging the modified content of the modified version of the small device document into the office productivity document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the modified content.

27. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said generating a small device document, said determining one or more differences, and said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document are performed within the office productivity server.

28. The method as recited in claim 21, wherein said modifying the small device document is performed within the small device.

29. The method as recited in claim 21, further comprising:

generating a modified document in an interim format from the modified version of the small device document;

generating a document in the interim format from the office productivity document;

wherein said determining one or more formats for content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the office productivity document comprises determining one or more differences between the modified document in the interim format and the document in the interim format; and

wherein said merging the content of the modified version of the small device document into the office productivity document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the content comprises merging the determined one or more differences with content of the document in the interim format to generate a synchronized version of the document in the interim format.

30. An article of manufacture comprising program instructions, wherein the program instructions are computer-executable to implement:

generating a small device document in a format supported by a small device from an office productivity document in a format supported by an office productivity server;

modifying the small device document to generate a modified version of the small device document;

determining one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the office productivity document; and

merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document.

31. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein, in said determining one or more differences between the modified version of the small device document and the office productivity document, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement:

generating a modified office productivity document in the format supported by the server from the modified version of the small device document; and

comparing the modified office productivity document to the original office productivity document to determine the one or more differences.

32. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein, in said generating a small device document in a format supported by the small device from the office productivity document, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement excluding one or more formats for content of the office productivity document from the small device document.

33. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein, in said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement restoring one or more formats for content of the office productivity document excluded from the small device document.

34. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein, in said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement:

determining one or more formats for content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the office productivity document; and

merging the content of the modified version of the small device document into the office productivity document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the content..

35. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein, in said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document to generate a synchronized version of the office productivity document, the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement:

comparing modified content of the modified version of the small device document to corresponding content of the office productivity document to determine one or more formats for the modified content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the office productivity document; and

merging the modified content of the modified version of the small device document into the office productivity document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the modified content.

36. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein said generating a small device document, said determining one or more differences, and said merging the one or more differences with content of the office productivity document are performed within the office productivity server.

37. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein said modifying the small device document is performed within the small device.

38. The article of manufacture as recited in claim 30, wherein the program instructions are further computer-executable to implement:

generating a modified document in an interim format from the modified version of the small device document;

generating a document in the interim format from the office productivity document;

wherein said determining one or more formats for content of the modified version of the small device document to be merged with the office productivity document comprises determining one or more differences between the modified document in the interim format and the document in the interim format; and

wherein said merging the content of the modified version of the small device document into the office productivity document in accordance with the determined one or more formats for the content comprises merging the determined one or more differences with content of the document in the interim format to generate a synchronized version of the document in the interim format.