Manipulating Electronic Backups

• US 20090254591A1
• Filed: 06/15/2009
• Published: 10/08/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Weiss, Eric, Giampaolo, Dominic, Cisler, Pavel, McInerney, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,504,516 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1466 to make the backup process non-disruptive
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided for storing and restoring digital data. In some implementations, a method is provided. The method includes initiating a backup operation of data including a plurality of items, interrupting the backup operation, where interrupting occurs after a portion of the data has been completed, receiving an input to resume the backup operation, identifying a previously completed portion of the backup data, and performing a backup of a remaining uncompleted portion of the backup data. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, computer program products, and computer readable media.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

initiating a backup operation;

determining whether a partially completed backup exists;

when a partially completed backup exists, determining whether to resume the partially completed backup; and

completing the backup using the partially completed backup when resuming the partially completed backup.

2. The method of claim 1, where initiating a backup operation includes receiving a user input to initiate a backup operation.

3. The method of claim 1, where initiating a backup operation is according to a specified schedule.

4. The method of claim 1 where determining whether a partially completed backup exists includes identifying backup data and determining whether the data is marked as complete.

5. The method of claim 1, where determining whether a partially completed backup exists includes comparing time stamped backup data with a timestamp for a last completed backup.

6. The method of claim 1, where determining whether to resume the partially completed backup includes prompting the user to indicate whether to resume the partially completed backup.

7. A computer program product, encoded on a computer-readable medium, operable to cause data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

initiating a backup operation;

determining whether a partially completed backup exists;

when a partially completed backup exists, determining whether to resume the partially completed backup; and

completing the backup using the partially completed backup when resuming the partially completed backup.

8. A system comprising:

one or more processors configured to perform operations including;

initiating a backup operation;

determining whether a partially completed backup exists;

when a partially completed backup exists, determining whether to resume the partially completed backup; and

completing the backup using the partially completed backup when resuming the partially completed backup.

9. The system of claim 8, where initiating a backup operation includes receiving a user input to initiate a backup operation.

10. The system of claim 8, where initiating a backup operation is according to a specified schedule.

11. The system of claim 8 where determining whether a partially completed backup exists includes identifying backup data and determining whether the data is marked as complete.

12. The system of claim 8, where determining whether a partially completed backup exists includes comparing time stamped backup data with a timestamp for a last completed backup.

13. The system of claim 8, where determining whether to resume the partially completed backup includes prompting the user to indicate whether to resume the partially completed backup.