METHODS, COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCTS, AND SYSTEMS FOR AUTOMATICALLY SYNCHRONIZING DIRECTORY STRUCTURES ACROSS DIFFERENT APPLICATIONS

• US 20100131462A1
• Filed: 11/21/2008
• Published: 05/27/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: CARTER, Sharon E., HUSLAK, Nicholas S.
• Granted Patent: US 8,799,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/113 Details of archiving lifecycle management in storage systems G06F3/0649; backup systems G06F11/1446
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/13 File access structures, e.g. distributed indices arrangements of input from, or output to, record carriers G06F3/06
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems

Abstract

Directory structures of a messaging application and a personal file manager application are synchronized. A designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application is associated with the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application. Each time a folder is created or an existing folder is modified or deleted in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application, a corresponding folder is created, modified, or deleted in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application and vice versa. Files or links to files are created in the folders of the messaging application to correspond to files or links to files within folders in the personal file manager application, and vice versa. A folder (and its contents) is deleted in the messaging application to correspond to deletions in the personal file manager application, and vice versa.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing directory structures of a messaging application and a personal file manager application, comprising:

receiving a designation of at least one layer in a directory structure of the messaging application;

receiving a designation of at least one layer in a directory structure of the personal file manager application;

associating the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application with the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application; and

each time a folder is created or an existing folder is modified in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application, creating or modifying a corresponding folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application; and

/or

each time a folder is created or an existing folder is modified in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application, creating or modifying a corresponding folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the designated layer of the directory structure of the messaging application includes at least one of a base directory and a subdirectory, and the designated layer of the directory structure of the personal file manager application includes at least one of a root directory and a subdirectory.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating at least one folder in the designated layer of the directory structure of the messaging application that corresponds to an existing folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager; and

creating at least one folder in the designated layer of the directory structure of the personal file manager that corresponds to an existing folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating, in a folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application, a file or a link to a file created or modified in the corresponding folder in the directory structure of the messaging application; and

creating, in a folder in the directory structure of the messaging application, a file or a link to a file created or modified in the corresponding folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

as files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, are deleted from the directory structure of the messaging application, deleting corresponding files, links to files and/or folders, including folder contents, from the directory structure of the personal file manager application; and

as files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, are deleted from the directory structure of the personal file manager application, deleting corresponding files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, from the directory structure of the messaging application

6. The method of claim 1, wherein there are multiple instances of the messaging application and multiple instances of the personal file manager application, and each instance of the messaging application has a directory structure that corresponds to a directory structure of the personal file manager application.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising presenting at least one file from a folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application for display in the corresponding folder in the messaging application, and presenting at least one file from a folder in the directory structure of the messaging application for display in the corresponding folder in the personal file manager application.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the messaging application includes at least one of a group of fields including:

a TO field, a FROM field, a SUBJECT field, a SIZE field, and a RECEIVED field, the method further comprising at least one of;

populating the TO and FROM fields of the messaging application with a user'"'"'s name drawn from the personal file manager application;

populating the SUBJECT field of the messaging application with the name of a file drawn from the personal file manager application;

populating the SIZE field of the messaging application with the size of a file drawn from the personal file manager application;

populating the RECEIVED field of the messaging application with a creation or modification date of a file drawn from the personal file manager application; and

creating a FILE TYPE field for the messaging application and populating the FILE TYPE field with a type of file drawn from the personal file manager application,

wherein the fields of the messaging application are automatically populated or populated based upon user specifications.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal file manager application includes at least one of a group of fields including a NAME field, a DATE MODIFIED field, a TYPE field, and a SIZE field, the method further comprising at least one of:

populating the NAME field of the personal file manager application with the subject of a message drawn from the messaging application;

populating the DATE MODIFIED of the personal file manager application with a date received drawn from the messaging application;

populating the TYPE field of the personal file manager application with the word “

MESSAGE”

; and

populating the SIZE field of the personal file manager application with a size of a message drawn from the messaging application,

wherein the fields of the personal file manager application are automatically populated or populated based upon user specifications.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling a user to select at least one of:

application settings;

instances of applications for which directory structures are synchronized,

fields of a message header of a message in the messaging application that are preserved when a corresponding message is created in the personal file manager application,

fields of a file in the personal file manager application that are preserved when a corresponding file is created in the messaging application,

whether directory structure alignment occurs bidirectionally, such that the directory structure of the messaging application is aligned with the directory structure of the personal file manager application and the directory structure of the file manager application is aligned with the directory structure of the messaging application, and

whether directory structure alignment occurs unidirectionally, such that either the directory structure of the messaging application is aligned with the directory structure of the personal file manager or the directory structure of the personal file manager is aligned with the directory structure of the messaging application.

11. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium having encoded instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a designation of at least one layer in a directory structure of a messaging application;

receive a designation of at least one layer in a directory structure of a personal file manager application;

associate the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application with the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application; and

each time a folder is created or an existing folder is modified in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application, create or modify a corresponding folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application; and

/or

each time a folder is created or an existing folder is modified in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application, create or modify a corresponding folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application.

12. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to:

create at least one folder in the designated layer of the directory structure of the messaging application that corresponds to at least one existing folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager; and

create at least one folder in the designated layer of the directory structure of the personal file manager that corresponds to at least one existing folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application.

13. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to:

create, in a folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application, a file or a link to a file created or modified in the corresponding folder in the directory structure of the messaging application;

create, in a folder in the directory structure of the messaging application, a file or a link to a file created or modified in the corresponding folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application;

as files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, are deleted from the directory structure of the messaging application, delete corresponding files, links to files and/or folders, including folder contents, from the directory structure of the personal file manager; and

as files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, are deleted from the directory structure of the personal file manager application, delete corresponding files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, from the directory structure of the messaging application.

14. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein there are multiple instances of the messaging application and multiple instances of the personal file manager application, and each instance of the messaging application has a directory structure that corresponds to a directory structure of the personal file manager application.

15. The computer program product of claim 11, wherein the instructions, when executed by the computer, further cause the computer to present at least one file from a folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application for display in the corresponding folder in the messaging application and present at least one file from a folder in the directory structure of the messaging application for display in the corresponding folder in the personal file manager application.

16. A system for synchronizing directory structures of a messaging application and a personal file manager application, comprising:

an input for receiving a designation of at least one layer in a directory structure of the messaging application and receiving a designation of at least one layer in a directory structure of the personal file manager application; and

a processor for associating the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application with the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application,

wherein each time a folder is created or an existing folder is modified in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application, the processor creates or modifies a corresponding folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application; and

/or

wherein each time a folder is created or an existing folder is modified in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager application, the processor creates or modifies a corresponding folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor further creates at least one folder in the designated layer of the directory structure of the messaging application that corresponds to at least one existing folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the personal file manager and creates at least one folder in the designated layer of the directory structure of the personal file manager that corresponds to at least one existing folder in the designated layer in the directory structure of the messaging application.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor creates, in a folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application, a file or a link to a file created or modified in the corresponding folder in the directory structure of the messaging application and creates, in a folder in the directory structure of the messaging application, a file or a link to a file created or modified in the corresponding folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application;

and

wherein as files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, are deleted from the directory structure of the messaging application, the processor deletes corresponding files, links to files and/or folders, including folder contents, from the directory structure of the personal file manager, and as files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, are deleted from the directory structure of the personal file manager application, the processor deletes corresponding files, links to files, and/or folders, including folder contents, from the directory structure of the messaging application.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein there are multiple instances of the messaging application and multiple instances of the personal file manager application, and each instance of the messaging application has a directory structure that corresponds to a directory structure of the personal file manager application.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the processor presents at least one file from a folder in the directory structure of the personal file manager application for display in the corresponding folder in the messaging application and presents at least one file from a folder in the directory structure of the messaging application for display in the corresponding folder in the personal file manager application.