METHOD OF BI-DIRECTIONAL SYNCHRONIZATION OF USER DATA

• US 20120059793A1
• Filed: 11/11/2011
• Published: 03/08/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Installfree Incorporated (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: Shlomai, Netzer, Lahav, Amos
• Granted Patent: US 8,630,978 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/121 Restricting unauthorised execution of programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/61 Installation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44 Arrangements for executing specific programs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/133 Protocols for remote procedure calls [RPC]

Abstract

Techniques for enabling writing and reading to and from a user file by at least a virtual software application. The user file includes a session file, an index file, and a data file. The techniques enable roaming between computers without the need to reconfigure, for example, the personalized information when switching between computers.

Claims

1. A method for writing a data block to a user data file by a software application, wherein the user data file includes a session file, an index file, and a data file, comprising:

upon reception of a write request, computing a page index of a page in the index file;

computing an offset value to a location of the page in the index file;

determining a write offset indicating a location in the data file for the data block; and

writing the data block at the location indicated by the write offset.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the write offset further comprising:

determining if the page exists in the index file and if the page has been changed during a current session;

setting the write offset to an end of the data file, when the page is not in the index file or when the page has not been changed during a current session; and

setting the write offset to the computed offset value when the page is in the index file and when the page has been changed during the current session, thereby overwriting an existing data block in the data file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein writing the data block at the end of the data file, further comprising:

updating to contents of the index file to point to the location of the data block in the data file.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the user data file includes at least personalized information, wherein the user data file being accessed by a software application during its execution.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the software application is at least a software virtual application.

11. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute the method according to claim 1.

6. A method for reading a data block to a user data file by a software application, wherein the user data file includes a session file, an index file, and a data file, comprising:

upon reception of a read request, computing a page index of a page in the index file;

computing an offset value to a location of the page in the index file maintained by a client;

determining using the computed offset value a location containing a most updated version of the data block; and

reading the data block from the determined location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein determining the location containing the most updated version of the data block, comprising:

setting the location to point to a data file maintained by a client, if the computed offset value exists in the index file maintained by the client; and

setting the location to point to a data file maintained by a server, if the computed offset value does not exist in the index file maintained by the client.

8. The method of claim 7, setting the location to point to the data file maintained by the server, further comprising:

computing an offset value in an index file maintained by the server; and

accessing the data block in the data file through the index file maintained by the server.

9. The method of claim 8, when reading the data block from the server further comprising:

saving the data block in the data file maintained by the client; and

updating the respective index file and session file maintained by the client to point to the saved data block.

10. The method of claim 6, wherein a user data file includes at least personalized information, wherein the user data file is being accessed by a software application during its execution, and wherein the software application in a virtual software application.

12. A non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon instructions for causing one or more processing units to execute the method according to claim 6.