Method of synchronising

• US 20060041603A1
• Filed: 05/24/2004
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Paterson, Toby, Lebel, Jerome
• Granted Patent: US 7,809,682 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method of synchronising. In particular but not exclusively, the present invention relates to synchronising data between devices such as computers, palm devices, personal digital assistants, music devices and mobile telephones. The data to be synchronised may comprise any data but commonly includes calendars, music files, photo files, emails, contact lists, bookmarks and any other such data. The present invention also encompasses synchronisation of applications. The present invention envisages that such synchronisation may occur between applications on the same device or on different devices. The present invention is particularly directed to overcoming five problems and these include accommodating for absent devices or applications, avoiding redundant synchronisation steps, accommodating for truncation or translation of data by devices or applications, enabling and preserving synchronisation of relationships and obviating known synchronising methods wherein two devices or applications are accessing the same database thereby causing inherent conflict. Accordingly, the present invention comprises a method of synchronising data between a primary device and one or more subsidiary devices, said method comprising: storing a primary set of data on said primary device; comparing data on each subsidiary device with said primary set of data; updating said primary set of data; and updating data on each of said subsidiary devices using said updated primary set of data.

Claims

1. A method of synchronising data between a primary device and one or more subsidiary devices, said method comprising:

storing a primary set of data on said primary device;

comparing data on each subsidiary device with said primary set of data;

updating said primary set of data; and

updating data on each of said subsidiary devices using said updated primary set of data.

2. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

resolving any conflicts before updating the primary set of data.

3. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 2, further comprising:

optimising data changes after resolving any conflicts and before updating the primary set of data.

4. A method of synchronising as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising:

categorising data before storing said primary set of data.

5. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 4, in which said categorising includes categorising the order between any data.

6. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

translating data from a device format to a primary format before storing said primary set of data and before comparing data from said subsidiary device.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

translating data from the primary format to the device format before updating said subsidiary devices.

8. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 6 or 7, further comprising:

storing details of each subsidiary device.

9. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 8 when dependent upon claim 6, in which said storing details includes storing truncation details and further comprising

reverse truncating said data from said subsidiary device before translating data from the device format to the primary format.

10. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 8 when dependent upon claim 7, in which said storing details includes storing truncation details and further comprising

truncating said data from said primary device before translating data from the primary format to the device format.

11. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 8, in which said storing details includes method initiation details and further comprising:

initiating said method of synchronising for said device in accordance with said method initiation details.

12. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 8, in which said storing details includes synchronisation mode details and further comprising:

effecting said method of synchronising for said device in accordance with said synchronisation mode details.

13. A method of synchronising as claimed in claim 1, in which said comparing data includes three comparisons, comparing data which might be received from the device with the primary set of data, comparing the data which might be sent to the device with the primary set of data and comparing the data actually received from the device with the primary set of data.

14. A method of synchronisation as claimed in claim 1, in which said data comprises attribute and/or relationship data.

15. A method of synchronisation as claimed in claim 1, in which said primary and subsidiary devices includes applications stored on or run by electronic devices.

16. A method of synchronisation as claimed in claim 15, in which said devices comprise applications stored on or run by the same electronic device.

17. A method of synchronisation as claimed in claim 15 or 16, in which said electronic devices include computers, palm devices, personal digital assistants, music devices and mobile telephones.