METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR USING GLOBAL EQUIVALENCY SETS TO IDENTIFY DATA DURING PEER-TO-PEER SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20110264623A1
• Filed: 12/27/2010
• Published: 10/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nilo, Bruce D., Freedman, Gordie
• Granted Patent: US 8,868,491 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/622
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

Systems and methods for synchronization including the use of a global equivalency identification datum or set of datum. A universally unique identification datum may be associated with each independently created associated data set. In some embodiments, a synchronization server software element may be responsible for maintaining synchronization for a plurality of clients, including software elements or devices. A record believed to be new by the software elements may verify that the record is actually new. In some embodiments, verification of the record'"'"'s newness involves assuming that the local ID is a global identification datum and comparing that datum to the all the sets of datum that the Sync-Server knows about. The synchronization server software element may use a table to hold information for all of the records known to that element. In some embodiments these records may have been deleted in the past.

Claims

1. A method for operating a synchronization server installed and running on a local processing system, the method comprising:

storing, on a local processing system, one or more local associated data sets each having associated therewith a local global equivalency identification datum (GID);

receiving from a client processing system a remote associated data set having associated therewith a remote GID;

identifying the remote associated data set as one of new or old by determining if the remote GID is equivalent to a local GID of one of the one or more local associated data sets;

upon identifying the remote associated data set as new, identifying the remote data set as one of truly new or independently created by checking at least one identity key of the remote associated data set against at least one identity key of at least one local associated data set;

upon identifying the remote associated data set as independently created, associating the remote and local associated data sets as corresponding to each other at the local processing system.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein associating the remote and local associated data sets as corresponding to each other further comprises deriving a global equivalency set from the remote GID and the local GID.

55. The method of claim 1 wherein said local processing system or client processing system is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal digital assistant (PDA), a fax machine, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a digital camera, a laptop computer, and a digital media player.

3-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A method of synchronizing a first system with a second system, each system having stored thereon one or more current associated data sets each having associated therewith a global equivalency identification datum (GID), the method comprising:

receiving, at a first system, a first associated data set having associated therewith a first GID transmitted from a second system;

identifying the received first associated data set as one of new or old by determining if the first GID of the received first associated data set is equivalent to a second GID of one of the current associated data sets, the current associated data sets on the first system;

upon identifying the received first associated data set as new, identifying each new associated data set as one of truly new or independently created by checking at least one identity key of the received first associated data set against at least one identity key of at least one current associated data set;

upon identifying the received first associated data set as independently created, associating the received and current associated data sets as corresponding to each other.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein associating the received and current associated data sets as corresponding to each other further comprises deriving a global equivalency set from the first GID and the second GID.

54. The method of claim 7 wherein said first or second system is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal digital assistant (PDA), a fax machine, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a digital camera, a laptop computer, and a digital media player.

9-30. -30. (canceled)

31. A system for synchronizing structured data, the system comprising:

a processor resource and a memory resource for storing data associated with operations of said processor resource;

a first software element representing a sync server for execution on said processor resource;

a plurality of second software elements, each said second software element representing a synchronizing entity, each of said second software elements for running on said processor resource;

a first structured data record and an associated first unique ID created by a first synchronizing entity, said first structured data record representing data associated with a first item;

a second structured data record and an associated second unique ID created by a second synchronizing entity, said second structured data record representing data associated with said first item;

said first software element further comprising;

a first sub element for associating a global equivalency identification datum (GID) with each of said first structured data record and said second structured data record;

a second sub element for using said GIDs in a first data structure, said first data structure for maintaining associations between a plurality of structured data records that represent data associated with said first item.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein one of said synchronizing entities is a software element representing an application program for running on said processor resource.

33. The system of claim 32 wherein said application program is a contact manager.

34. The system of claim 31 wherein one of said synchronizing entities is an independent device that does not share the processor resource.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein said independent device is selected from the group consisting of:

a personal digital assistant (PDA), a fax machine, a smart phone, a desktop computer, a digital camera, a laptop computer, and a digital media player.

36-41. -41. (canceled)

42. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer readable instructions stored thereon for a synchronization server function, the synchronization server function adapted to be executed on a local computer system to:

store, on the local computer system, one or more local associated data sets each having associated therewith a local global equivalency identification datum (GID);

receive from a client computer system a remote associated data set having associated therewith a remote GID;

identify the remote associated data set as one of new or old by determining if the remote GID is equivalent to a local GID of one of the one or more local associated data sets;

upon identifying the remote associated data set as new, identify the remote data set as one of truly new or independently created by checking at least one identity key of the remote associated data set against at least one identity key of at least one local associated data set;

upon identifying the remote associated data set as independently created, associate the remote and local associated data sets as corresponding to each other at the local computer system.

43. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the synchronization server function associates the remote and local associated data sets as corresponding to each other by deriving a global equivalency set from the remote GID and the local GID.

44. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the synchronization server function is further adapted to be executed on a local computer system to store in memory one or more global equivalency sets each derived from one or more GIDs, wherein identifying the remote associated data set as one of new or old comprises determining that the remote associated data set is old by identifying that one of the global equivalency sets stored in memory is derivative of the remote GID of the remote associated data set.

45. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the value of the remote GID or the local GID uniquely corresponds to a device on which it is generated.

46. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the remote GID or the local GID is a Universally Unique Identifier.

47. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 42 wherein the synchronization server function is further adapted to be executed on a local computer system to, upon identifying the remote associated data set as truly new, store the remote associated data set on the local computer system.

48. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable instructions stored therein to synchronize a first system with a second system, each system having stored thereon one or more current associated data sets each having associated therewith a global equivalency identification datum (GID), wherein the computer readable instructions adapted to be executed on a first system to:

receive a first associated data set having associated therewith a first GID transmitted from a second system;

identify the received first associated data set as one of new or old by determining if the first GID of the received first associated data set is equivalent to a second GID of one of the current associated data sets, the current associated data sets on the first system;

upon identifying the received first associated data set as new, identify each new associated data set as one of truly new or independently created by checking at least one identity key of the received first associated data set against at least one identity key of at least one current associated data set;

upon identifying the received first associated data set as independently created, associate the received and current associated data sets as corresponding to each other.

49. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 48 wherein associating the received and current associated data sets as corresponding to each other further comprises deriving a global equivalency set from the first GID and the second GID.

50. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 48 wherein the computer readable instructions are further adapted to store in memory one or more global equivalency sets each derived from one or more GIDs, wherein the instructions to identify the received first associated data set as one of new or old comprise instructions to determine that the received first associated data set is old by identifying that one of the global equivalency sets stored in memory is a derivative of the first GID of the received first associated data set.

51. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 48 wherein the value of the first or second GID uniquely corresponds to the system on which it is generated.

52. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 48 wherein the first or second GID is a Universally Unique Identifier.

53. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 48 wherein the computer readable instructions are further adapted to, upon identifying the received first associated data set as truly new, store the received first associated data set on the first system.

56. A device comprising:

a memory for storing one or more current associated data sets each having associated therewith a global equivalency identification datum (GID); and

one or more processors;

wherein the one or more processors are programmed to;

receive a first associated data set having associated therewith a first GID transmitted from a second device;

identify the received first associated data set as one of new or old by determining if the first GID of the received first associated data set is equivalent to a second GID of one of the current associated data sets, the current associated data sets on the first device;

upon identifying the received first associated data set as new, identify each new associated data set as one of truly new or independently created by checking at least one identity key of the received first associated data set against at least one identity key of at least one current associated data set;

upon identifying the received first associated data set as independently created, associate the received and current associated data sets as corresponding to each other.

57. The device of claim 56 wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to associate the received and current associated data sets as corresponding to each other by deriving a global equivalency set from the first GID and the second GID.

58. A device comprising:

a memory for storing one or more current associated data sets each having associated therewith a global equivalency identification datum (GID); and

one or more processors to synchronize items on the device with items on a second device;

wherein the one or more processors are programmed to;

store, on the device one or more local associated data sets each having associated therewith a local global equivalency identification datum (GID);

receiving from a client device a remote associated data set having associated therewith a remote GID;

identifying the remote associated data set as one of new or old by determining if the remote GID is equivalent to a local GID of one of the one or more local associated data sets;

upon identifying the remote associated data set as new, identifying the remote data set as one of truly new or independently created by checking at least one identity key of the remote associated data set against at least one identity key of at least one local associated data set;

upon identifying the remote associated data set as independently created, associating the remote and local associated data sets as corresponding to each other at the device.

59. The device of claim 58 wherein the one or more processors are further programmed to associate the remote and local associated data sets as corresponding to each other by deriving a global equivalency set from the local GID and the remote GID.