Portable media synchronization manager

• US 20060200599A1
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Published: 09/07/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Manchester, Scott, Duplessis, Jean-Pierre, Lachance, Joel
• Granted Patent: US 7,366,861 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/62
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention provide a computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for synchronizing files between at least two portable media devices. A connection is established between one of at least two portable media devices and a portable synchronization device. A synchronization manager is initiated comprising predetermined instructions for synchronizing portable media devices. Based upon the instructions of the synchronization manager, and without requesting real-time user input, a determination is made whether to copy a file on the one of the at least two portable media devices. The file is ultimately transferred to another of the at least two portable media devices if the synchronization manager determines that the file should be transferred. A method is also provided comprising these steps. A portable media synchronization device is also provided for synchronizing at least two portable media devices.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium having computer executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

establishing a connection between one of at least two portable media devices and a portable synchronization device;

initiating a synchronization manager comprising predetermined instructions for synchronizing portable media devices; and

determining, based on the instructions of the synchronization manager, and without requesting real-time user input, whether to copy a file on the one of the at least two portable media devices, such that the file is ultimately transferred to another of the at least two portable media devices if the synchronization manager determines that the file should be transferred.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the synchronization manager is automatically initiated once the connection is established.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the synchronization manager is stored on the portable synchronization device.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the synchronization manager is stored on at least one of the portable media devices.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising traversing through a file allocation table to find the file on the one of the at least two portable media devices.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1 further comprising analyzing file properties to determine whether to copy the file.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein file properties are in a file allocation table.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 6 wherein the file properties are in metadata of the file.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the synchronization manager copies a chosen file type before other file types are copied.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 1 wherein the predetermined instructions are adjusted based on user input.

11. A method for synchronizing files between at least two portable media devices comprising the steps of:

establishing a connection between one of the at least two portable media devices and a portable synchronization device;

initiating a synchronization manager comprising predetermined instructions for synchronizing portable media devices; and

determining, based on the instructions of the synchronization manager, and without requesting real-time user input, whether to copy a file on the one of the at least two portable media devices, such that the file is ultimately transferred to another of the at least two portable media devices if the synchronization manager determines that the file should be transferred.

12. A portable media synchronization device comprising:

a hardware interface for connecting at least one portable media device to the portable media synchronization device;

internal memory; and

a synchronization manager comprising predetermined instructions for copying files from a first portable media device to a second portable media device, such that the synchronization manager is initiated after a connection is established via the hardware interface, and such that the synchronization manager copies a file from the first portable media device to the second portable media device based on the predetermined instructions.

13. The device of claim 12 wherein the synchronization manager is automatically initiated once the connection is established via the hardware interface.

14. The device of claim 12 wherein the device copies the file without requesting real-time user input.

15. The device of claim 12 wherein synchronization manager analyzes file properties to determine whether to copy the file.

16. The device of claim 12 wherein the synchronization manager traverses through a file allocation table to find the file on the first portable media device.

17. The device of claim 12 wherein the synchronization manager copies a chosen file type before other file types are copied.

18. The device of claim 12 further comprising an indicator for informing a user when the synchronization is complete.

19. The device of claim 12 wherein the synchronization manager copies a file from the second portable media device to the first portable media device based on the predetermined instructions.

20. The device of claim 12 wherein the instructions are changed by a user prior to the synchronization.