Resolving Conflicts While Synchronizing Configuration Information Among Multiple Clients

• US 20070283049A1
• Filed: 06/02/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/02/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Rakowski, Brian D., Holst, Kristina, Boodman, Aaron, Nazif, Marria S., Schneider, Fritz J., Murphy, Glen
• Granted Patent: US 7,912,916 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files

Abstract

A user of multiple client devices (clients) makes application configuration changes on the clients from time to time. The configuration changes are stored in a local event log on each client, as well as in a synchronization server. When one of the clients connects to the synchronization server, for example when the user logs into the synchronization server while using a respective client, the configuration information in the server and client is synchronized. Conflicts, if any, in the configuration changes for a respective application are resolved in accordance with a conflict resolution procedure or conflict resolution rules associated with that application.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing one or more applications, comprising:

at a client device;

providing login information, including a user name, from the client device to a server computer using a network; and

synchronizing configuration information with the server computer, including;

receiving configuration information from the server computer using the network; and

merging the received configuration information with existing configuration information for one or more applications on the client device;

wherein the merging includes identifying and resolving conflicts, if any, between configuration changes made at the client device since a last synchronization of configuration information between the client device and the server computer and the received configuration information in accordance with a set of conflict resolution rules.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of conflict resolution rules includes at least three distinct subsets of the conflict resolution rules, each subset corresponding to a distinct type of configuration information, the distinct types of configuration information used in the one or more applications on the client device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the set of conflict resolution rules includes at least three distinct subsets of the conflict resolution rules, each subset corresponding to a distinct type of configuration information used in a browser application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending an update from the client device to the server computer, wherein the update corresponds to one or more changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising recording changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, wherein sending an update includes encrypting at least a portion of the recorded changes in configuration information using a user key associated with the user name so as to produce an update that includes encrypted configuration information.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising recording changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, and, when a predefined trigger condition is satisfied, sending an update from the client device to the server computer, wherein the update corresponds to the recorded changes in configuration information.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein recording changes in configuration information includes recording configuration changes, if any, made since the last synchronization of configuration information between the client device and the server computer.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein recording changes in configuration information includes determining if the recorded changes include configuration information that has been superseded by new changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, and replacing the superseded configuration information, if any, with new configuration information corresponding to the new changes in configuration information.

9. The method of claim 1, further including, prior to synchronizing configuration information with the server computer, receiving a user PIN from a user of the client device, receiving an encrypted user key from the server computer, and decrypting the encrypted user key using the user PIN to as to produce a user key.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein

the configuration information received from the server computer includes encrypted configuration information;

and

the operation of synchronizing configuration information with the server computer includes;

decrypting the encrypted configuration information using the user key so as to produce unencrypted configuration information; and

merging the unencrypted configuration information with the existing configuration information for one or more applications on the client device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising recording changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, and, when a predefined trigger condition is satisfied, sending an update from the client device to the server computer, wherein the update corresponds to the recorded changes in configuration information;

wherein sending an update includes encrypting at least a portion of the recorded changes in configuration information using the user key.

12. The method of claim 1, further including, prior to providing login information to the server computer, and prior to synchronizing configuration information with the server computer, receiving a user PIN from a user of the client device, generating a user key using a random or pseudorandom process, encrypting the user key with the user PIN, mapping the PIN to a hashed PIN using a hash function, and sending the hashed PIN and the encrypted user key to the server computer for storage in association with the user name.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes a browser state.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the browser state includes at least two types of items selected from the group consisting of bookmarks, passwords, open tabs, open windows, cookies, user history, data for auto-completion of forms, and window layout information.

15. A system, comprising:

one or more central processing units to execute programs;

memory; and

one or more programs, stored in the memory and executed by the processor, the one or more programs including;

instructions for providing login information, including a user name, from the client device to a server computer using a network; and

instructions for synchronizing configuration information with the server computer, including;

receiving configuration information from the server computer using the network; and

merging the received configuration information with existing configuration information for one or more applications on the client device;

wherein the merging includes identifying and resolving conflicts, if any, between configuration changes made at the client device since a last synchronization of configuration information between the client device and the server computer and the received configuration information in accordance with a set of conflict resolution rules.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of conflict resolution rules includes at least three distinct subsets of the conflict resolution rules, each subset corresponding to a distinct type of configuration information, the distinct types of configuration information used in the one or more applications on the client device.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the set of conflict resolution rules includes at least three distinct subsets of the conflict resolution rules, each subset corresponding to a distinct type of configuration information used in a browser application.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for sending an update from the client device to the server computer, wherein the update corresponds to one or more changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the instructions for sending an update include instructions for encrypting at least a portion of the recorded changes in configuration information using a user key associated with the user name so as to produce an update that includes encrypted configuration information.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for recording changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, and, when a predefined trigger condition is satisfied, sending an update from the client device to the server computer, wherein the update corresponds to the recorded changes in configuration information.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the instructions for recording changes in configuration information include instructions for recording configuration changes, if any, made since the last synchronization of configuration information between the client device and the server computer.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein the instructions for recording changes in configuration information include instructions for determining if the recorded changes include configuration information that has been superseded by new changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, and replacing the superseded configuration information, if any, with new configuration information corresponding to the new changes in configuration information.

23. The system of claim 15, further including instructions for receiving a user PIN from a user of the client device, receiving an encrypted user key from the server computer, and decrypting the encrypted user key using the user PIN to as to produce a user key prior to synchronizing configuration information with the server computer.

24. A computer program product, for use in conjunction with a client device, the computer program product comprising memory and one or more programs, stored in the memory, the one of more programs including:

instructions for providing login information, including a user name, from the client device to a server computer using a network; and

instructions for synchronizing configuration information with the server computer, including;

receiving configuration information from the server computer using the network; and

merging the received configuration information with existing configuration information for one or more applications on the client device;

wherein the merging includes identifying and resolving conflicts, if any, between configuration changes made at the client device since a last synchronization of configuration information between the client device and the server computer and the received configuration information in accordance with a set of conflict resolution rules.

25. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the set of conflict resolution rules includes at least three distinct subsets of the conflict resolution rules, each subset corresponding to a distinct type of configuration information, the distinct types of configuration information used in the one or more applications on the client device.

26. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the set of conflict resolution rules includes at least three distinct subsets of the conflict resolution rules, each subset corresponding to a distinct type of configuration information used in a browser application.

27. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for sending an update from the client device to the server computer, wherein the update corresponds to one or more changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the instructions for sending an update include instructions for encrypting at least a portion of the recorded changes in configuration information using a user key associated with the user name so as to produce an update that includes encrypted configuration information.

29. The computer program product of claim 24, wherein the one or more programs further comprise instructions for recording changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, and, when a predefined trigger condition is satisfied, sending an update from the client device to the server computer, wherein the update corresponds to the recorded changes in configuration information.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the instructions for recording changes in configuration information include instructions for recording configuration changes, if any, made since the last synchronization of configuration information between the client device and the server computer.

31. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the instructions for recording changes in configuration information include instructions for determining if the recorded changes include configuration information that has been superseded by new changes in configuration information at the client device in accordance with user activity, and replacing the superseded configuration information, if any, with new configuration information corresponding to the new changes in configuration information.

32. The computer program product of claim 24, further including instructions for receiving a user PIN from a user of the client device, receiving an encrypted user key from the server computer, and decrypting the encrypted user key using the user PIN to as to produce a user key prior to synchronizing configuration information with the server computer.