Method and apparatus for synchronizing multimedia content with device which supports multi-server environment

• US 20070088764A1
• Filed: 10/06/2006
• Published: 04/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/18/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Yoon, Seok-hyun, Kang, Seong-hoon, Ryu, Won-ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,005,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/40 Support for services or applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/14 Backbone network devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus for synchronizing multimedia content with a client device which supports a multi-server environment are provided. The server includes a synchronization policy management unit which acquires a synchronization policy; a synchronization information collector which collects log information of a previously performed synchronization and of a change occurring after the previously performed synchronization; a synchronization processor which performs synchronization in accordance with the collected log information; a change log management unit which stores a result of the synchronization; an interface unit which transmits the log information; and a storage unit which stores the multimedia content and the meta data of the multimedia content. The method includes acquiring a synchronization policy; collecting log information of a previous synchronization; performing synchronization with the client based on the collected log information; storing a result of the synchronization in the log information.

Claims

1. A server comprising:

a synchronization policy management unit which acquires a synchronization policy for synchronization of multimedia content or meta data of the multimedia content with a client connected to the server;

a synchronization information collector which collects log information of a previously performed synchronization with the client and a change occurring after the previously performed synchronization, from the client;

a synchronization processor which performs synchronization with the client in accordance with the log information;

a change log management unit which stores a result of the synchronization with the client in the log information;

an interface unit which transmits the log information so as to store the result of the synchronization in the log information of the client; and

a storage unit which stores the multimedia content and the meta data of the multimedia content.

2. The server of claim 1, wherein the synchronization policy management unit acquires the synchronization policy by retrieving the synchronization policy using an identifier of the client.

3. The server of claim 1, wherein the synchronization policy comprises a direction policy for performing synchronization with the client.

4. The server of claim 1, wherein the synchronization policy comprises information of a device having priority for use if a collision occurs during synchronization with the client.

5. The server of claim 1, wherein anchor information stored in the client is the same as anchor information stored in the server.

6. The server of claim 1, wherein the log information comprises a change log that stores changed information generated for the multimedia content.

7. The server of claim 1, wherein the log information comprises an anchor that stores the result of the synchronization.

8. The server of claim 1, wherein the synchronization processor performs synchronization for meta data of multimedia content files.

9. The server of claim 1, wherein

the synchronization processor compares the log information stored in the client with the log information stored in the server, and

the synchronization processor performs synchronization for log information which is inconsistent between the client and the server or for the changed information if the log information which is inconsistent between the client and the server or the changed information exists.

10. The server of claim 1, wherein the synchronization processor performs synchronization for each of the multimedia content stored in the client if the log information does not exist in the client.

11. A client device comprising:

a synchronization server list which stores a list of servers that can perform synchronization of multimedia content;

a change log management unit which stores a result of a synchronization with a server;

an interface unit which transmits data to and receives data from the server; and

a storage unit which stores the multimedia content or the result of the synchronization.

12. The client device of claim 11, wherein the storage unit stores changed information generated for the multimedia content.

13. The client device of claim 11, wherein the storage unit comprises an anchor that stores the result of the synchronization.

14. A method of synchronizing multimedia content, the method comprising:

acquiring a synchronization policy for synchronization with a client connected to a server;

collecting log information of a previously performed synchronization with the client;

performing synchronization with the client in accordance with the collected log information;

storing a result of the synchronization with the client in the log information; and

storing the result of the synchronization in the log information of the client.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the acquiring the synchronization policy comprises retrieving the synchronization policy using an identifier of the client.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the log information of the previously performed synchronization with the client is collected from the client.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the synchronization policy comprises a direction policy for performing synchronization with the client.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein the synchronization policy comprises information of a device having priority if collision occurs during the synchronization with the client.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the log information comprises the result of the synchronization with the client.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein anchor information stored in the client is the same as anchor information stored in the server.

21. The method of claim 14, wherein the log information comprises a change log that stores changed information generated for a multimedia content.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein the log information comprises an anchor that stores the result of the synchronization.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing the synchronization with the client comprises performing synchronization for meta data of multimedia content files.

24. The method of claim 14, wherein the performing the synchronization with the client comprises:

comparing the log information stored in the client with the log information stored in the server; and

performing synchronization for the log information which is inconsistent between the client and the server or for the changed information if the log information which is inconsistent between the client and the server or the changed information exists.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein if the log information of the previously performed synchronization with the client does not exist, the method further comprises performing synchronization for each multimedia content stored in the client.