System and method for peer to peer synchronization of files

• US 20060242206A1
• Filed: 04/22/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/22/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Johnson, Nathan W., Brezak, John E., Ramasubramanian, Ramkumar, Samji, Mohammed A., Vonkoch, Walter, Jervis, Robert B.
• Application Number:
  US11/111,895
• Publication Number:
  US 20060242206A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1787 Details of non-transparently synchronising file systems

Abstract

A system and related techniques provide a seamless, peer-to-peer file synchronization capability for sharing files, folders, directories or other stored content between machines. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, a sync engine or other file management logic may be integrated into the operating system or other resources of a user'"'"'s desktop, laptop, network-enabled cellular device or other computer, client, machine or other hardware. The sync engine may accept user designations of files, folders, directories or other contents which they wish to share, sync or roam between two or more selected machines, on an automatically consistent basis. The sync engine or other control logic may maintain a file system log to record the state of files which have been designated for sharing, to indicate for example whether a transmission of the file has been made, to which target machine or machines it has been transmitted, and other variables regarding the state of file or other content. According to embodiments of the invention in one regard, the sync engine may apply version management logic when files located on a target or destination machine, may, for example, reflect newer or more complete content than the file which is designated for roaming to that machine, or other under conditions. A user may therefore readily and with a comparative minimum of configuration effort select and effectuate the sharing of a set of frequently used or otherwise desired files to an arbitrary set of machines which they own or use, without a need to invoke a remote server or other control or storage to back up and synchronize that content.

Claims

1. A system for managing the synchronization of data, comprising:

an input interface to receive a designation of a set of content for synchronization; and

a sync engine, the sync engine communicating with the input interface to receive the designation of the set of content and synchronize the set of content without intermediate control on a set of participating machines.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein the set of content comprises at least one of files, folders, directories, volumes, disk media and electronic media.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the set of content is automatically advertised for sync selection by the user.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein the synchronization comprises transmitting consistent versions of the set of content to the set of participating machines.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein the sync engine comprises an engine hosted in at least one of an operating system and an application.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the set of content and the set of participating machines are automatically detected by discovery logic.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein the set of content is synchronized via at least one of a direct connection between participating machines and a network connection between participating machines.

8. A method for managing the synchronization of data, comprising:

receiving a designation of a set of content for synchronization; and

receiving the designation of the set of content in a sync engine to synchronize the set of content without intermediate control on a set of participating machines.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the set of content comprises at least one of files, folders, directories, volumes, disk media and electronic media.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the set of content is automatically advertised for sync selection by the user.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the synchronization comprises transmitting consistent versions of the set of content to the set of participating machines.

12. A method according to claim 8, wherein the sync engine comprises an engine hosted in at least one of an operating system and an application.

13. A method according to claim 8, further comprising automatically discovering at least one of the set of content and the set of participating machines.

14. A method according to claim 8, wherein the set of content is synchronized via at least one of a direct connection between participating machines and a network connection between participating machines.

15. A set of synchronized content, the set of set of synchronized content being generated according to a method comprising:

receiving a designation of a set of content for synchronization; and

receiving the designation of the set of content in a sync engine to synchronize the set of content without intermediate control on a set of participating machines.

16. A set of synchronized content according to claim 15, wherein the set of content comprises at least one of files, folders, directories, volumes, disk media and electronic media.

17. A set of synchronized content according to claim 16, wherein the set of content is automatically advertised for sync selection by the user

18. A set of synchronized content according to claim 15, wherein the synchronization comprises transmitting consistent versions of the set of content to the set of participating machines.

19. A set of synchronized content according to claim 15, wherein the sync engine comprises an engine hosted in at least one of an operating system and an application.

20. A set of synchronized content according to claim 15, wherein the method further comprises comprising automatically discovering at least one of the set of content and the set of participating machines.