User-configurable device storage synchronization manager

• US 20050235015A1
• Filed: 03/31/2004
• Published: 10/20/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Anderson, W. Michael, Abanami, Thamer A., Silverman, Andrew L.
• Application Number:
  US10/816,789
• Publication Number:
  US 20050235015A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1787 Details of non-transparently synchronising file systems

Abstract

Described herein is a technology for facilitating a user-configurable model for managing synchronization, transfer, or copying of one or more subsets of a collection of digital data items between source and target computing systems.

Claims

1. One or more processor-readable media having processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, performs acts comprising:

sorting a collection of digital items stored on a source device based, at least in part, upon a user-configurable priority assigned to the digital items in the collection;

designating a group of sorted digital items with highest priority for synchronization with a target device coupled to the source device;

synchronizing the designated group of digital items with the coupled target device.

2. One or more media as recited in claim 1 further comprising providing a user-interface which facilitates user-configurable assignment of priority for one or more digital items in the collection.

3. One or more media as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage requirements of the designated group of digital items is less than or equal to a defined storage capacity of the target device.

4. One or more media as recited in claim 1, wherein the storage requirements of the designated group of digital items is less than or equal to a defined storage capacity of the target device and the storage requirements of the collection of digital items is greater than the defined storage capacity of the target device.

5. One or more media as recited in claim 1, wherein the user-configurable priority assigned to a digital item is indicated as one of multiple priority tiers.

6. One or more media as recited in claim 1, wherein the synchronizing further comprises directing the target device to remove a digital item stored thereon but not part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization.

7. One or more media as recited in claim 1, wherein the synchronizing further comprises transferring from the source device a digital item which is part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization but not already stored on the target device.

8. One or more media as recited in claim 1, wherein digital items are audio, image, or video files.

9. One or more media as recited in claim 1, wherein digital items are selected from a group of digital content consisting of audio, image, video, text, hypertext, and data.

10. A computer comprising one or more processor-readable media as recited in claim 1.

11. A computing device comprising:

an audio/visual output;

a processor;

one or more processor-readable media as recited in claim 1.

12. One or more processor-readable media having processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, produce a user-interface (UI), the UI comprising:

a first display area illustrating a listing of one or more digital items from a collection of digital items stored on a source device;

a second display area illustrating a user-configurable priority corresponding to the one or more digital items in the listing;

an executable process associated with the one or more digital items in the listing that is configured to;

designate a group of sorted digital items with highest priority for synchronization with a target device coupled to the source device, wherein the storage requirements of the designated group of digital items is less than or equal to a defined storage capacity of the target device;

synchronize the designated group of digital items with the coupled target device.

13. One or more media as recited in claim 12, wherein the storage requirements of the collection of digital items is greater than the defined storage capacity of the target device.

14. One or more media as recited in claim 12, wherein the user-configurable priority assigned to a digital item is indicated as one of multiple priority tiers.

15. One or more media as recited in claim 12, wherein the synchronization further comprises directing the target device to remove a digital item stored thereon but not part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization.

16. One or more media as recited in claim 12, wherein the synchronization further comprises transferring from the source device a digital item which is part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization but not already stored on the target device.

17. One or more media as recited in claim 12, wherein digital items are audio, image, or video files.

18. One or more media as recited in claim 12, wherein digital items are selected from a group of digital content consisting of audio, image, video, text, hypertext, and data.

19. A method comprising:

sorting a collection of digital items stored on a source device based, at least in part, upon a user-configurable priority assigned to the digital items in the collection;

designating a group of sorted digital items with highest priority for synchronization with a target device coupled to the source device, wherein the storage requirements of the designated group of digital items is less than or equal to a defined storage capacity of the target device;

synchronizing the designated group of digital items with the coupled target device.

20. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising providing a user-interface facilitating user-configurable assignment of priority for one or more digital items in the collection.

21. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the storage requirements of the collection of digital items is greater than the defined storage capacity of the target device.

22. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the user-configurable priority assigned to a digital item is indicated as one of multiple priority tiers.

23. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the synchronizing further comprises directing the target device to remove a digital item stored thereon but not part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization.

24. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein the synchronizing further comprises transferring from the source device a digital item which is part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization but not already stored on the target device.

25. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein digital items are audio, image, or video files.

26. A method as recited in claim 19, wherein digital items are selected from a group of digital content consisting of audio, image, video, text, hypertext, and data.

27. One or more processor-readable media having processor-executable instructions that, when executed by a processor, produce a user-interface (UI), the UI comprising:

a first display area illustrating a listing of one or more digital items from a collection of digital items stored on a source device;

a second display area illustrating a user-configurable priority corresponding to the one or more digital items in the listing.

28. One or more media as recited in claim 27, wherein the user-configurable priority assigned to a digital item is indicated as one of multiple priority tiers.

29. One or more media as recited in claim 27, wherein digital items are audio, image, or video files.

30. One or more media as recited in claim 27, wherein digital items are selected from a group of digital content consisting of audio, image, video, text, hypertext, and data.

31. A system comprising:

a sorting means for sorting a collection of digital items stored on a source device based, at least in part, upon a user-configurable priority assigned to the digital items in the collection;

a designating means for designating a group of sorted digital items with highest priority for synchronization with a target device coupled to the source device, wherein the storage requirements of the designated group of digital items is less than or equal to a defined storage capacity of the target device;

a synchronizing means for directing the target device to remove a digital item stored thereon but not part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization and for transferring from the source device a digital item which is part of the designated group of digital items for synchronization but not already stored on the target device.

32. A system as recited in claim 31 further comprising a providing means for providing a user-interface facilitating user-configurable assignment of priority for one or more digital items in the collection.

33. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein the storage requirements of the collection of digital items is greater than the defined storage capacity of the target device.

34. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein the user-configurable priority assigned to a digital item is indicated as one of multiple priority tiers.

35. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein digital items are audio, image, or video files.

36. A system as recited in claim 31, wherein digital items are selected from a group of digital content consisting of audio, image, video, text, hypertext, and data.