ONLINE SERVICE DATA MANAGEMENT

• US 20100269164A1
• Filed: 04/15/2009
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Virk, Navjot, Gbadegesin, Abolade, Murphy, Elissa E. S., Leshinsky, Yan V., Sosnosky, Lara M.
• Application Number:
  US12/423,830
• Publication Number:
  US 20100269164A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 726/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1456 Hardware arrangements for backup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/10 for controlling access to devices or network resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

The claimed subject matter relates to an architecture that can facilitate automatic backup and versioning of online content. Appreciably, the architecture can relate to a network-accessible, online data archival service with a central backup data store for archiving online content published to disparate online services for clients of the archival service who are also clients of the disparate online service(s). The architecture can maintain rich content versioning, and can further provide additional services with respect to archived data such as restoration (to the original site, a disparate site, or a user device); synchronization between various online sites or between one or more sites and the backup data store; and conversion. The conversion can be employed in connection with backup, restore, or synch procedures and can apply to either a file format of the content or to a scope of the source of the content versus the scope of the destination.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system that facilitates automatic versioned backup of online content, comprising:

a connection component that accesses a store associated with an online service on behalf of a user of the online service;

a propagation component that imports online content associated with the user and maintained by the online service from the store; and

a backup component that archives the online content to a central backup data store as a recent version of the online content.

2. The system of claim 1, the connection component employs credentials of the user when accessing the store based upon authorization from the user.

3. The system of claim 1, the online content is social networking-oriented data published by the user to the online service.

4. The system of claim 1, the online content is one or more contact lists, favorites lists, or objects associated with the user, or metadata associated with the online content, the objects, or a layout or schema associated with the online content.

5. The system of claim 1, the backup component compares online content maintained by the store to an existing version of archived content included in the central backup data store, and further identifies a portion of the online content that differs from the existing version.

6. The system of claim 5, the propagation component imports only the portion, and the backup component archives the portion as the recent version.

7. The system of claim 1, the central backup data store maintains multiple versions of the online content as archived content.

8. The system of claim 1, the central backup data store maintains aggregated archived content imported from multiple online services.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface component that provides a view of archived content included in the central backup data store.

10. The system of claim 9, the view presents at least one version of archived content imported from the online service or presents one or more versions of aggregated archived content imported from multiple online services.

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising a restore component that selects from the central backup data store archived content associated with the user, the archived content is designated for a restoration operation.

12. The system of claim 11, the propagation component exports the archived content to at least one of the online service, a disparate online service, or a user device associated with the user in accordance with the restoration operation.

13. The system of claim 1, further comprising a content converter component that converts at least one of (A) a data format associated with the online content or archived content to a disparate data format;

or (B) a scope associated with the online service that hosts the online content to a disparate scope associated with a disparate online service or with the central backup data store.

14. The system of claim 13, the propagation component exports converted content to at least one of a disparate online service or a user device associated with the user.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a synchronization component that selects from the central backup data store archived content associated with the user or that selects online content from the store associated with the online service, the archived content or the online content is designated for a synchronization operation.

16. The system of claim 15, the propagation component exports the archived content or the online content to at least one of a disparate online service or a user device associated with the user.

17. A computer implemented method for facilitating automatic backup and versioning of online content, comprising:

interfacing with a remote store associated with an online service on behalf of a user of the online service;

obtaining online content associated with the user from the store managed by the online service;

employing a processor for automatically archiving the online content to a central backup data store; and

maintaining archived content in the backup data store as a recent version of online content.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

obtaining from the store social networking-oriented online content published by the user;

obtaining from the store online content comprising one or more contact list or objects associated with the user, or metadata associated with the online content, the objects, or a layout or schema associated with the online content;

obtaining authorization from the user for utilizing a credential associated with the user for interfacing with the remote store;

comparing online content maintained by the online service to an existing version of archived content included in the backup data store;

identifying a portion of online content that varies from the existing version;

or

obtaining and archiving only the portion.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the following acts:

presenting a view of archived content included in the backup data store;

restoring archived content from the backup data store to the store associated with the online service;

restoring archived content from the backup data store to a store associated with a disparate online service or a device associated with the user;

synchronizing online content managed by the online service with online content managed by a disparate online service;

synchronizing archived content included in the backup data store with online content managed by a disparate online service;

converting a data format associated with the online content or archived content to a second data format;

or

converting a scope associated with the online service that hosts the online content to a second scope associated with one of a second online service or the backup data store.

20. A computer implemented system that facilitates backup or restore of online content, comprising:

a connection component that accesses a store associated with an online service on behalf of a user of the online service;

a propagation component that imports online content associated with the user and maintained by the online service from the store;

a backup component that archives the online content to a central backup data store as a recent version of the online content; and

a restore/synch component that is configured to restore or synchronize archived content included in the backup data store to at least one of the store associated with the online service or to a disparate store associated with a disparate online service.