Management server for synchronization system

• US 6,757,696 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2001
• Issued: 06/29/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FusionOne Incorporated (Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stannard, Liam J., Cash, Donald W., Multer, David L., Ridgard, Leighton A., Garner, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mizrahi, Diane D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mofiz, Apu M
• Application Number:
  US09/753,536
• Publication Number:
  US 20020029227A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,274 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/201, 707/203, 379/359, 439/533, 455/3.05, 705/9, 709/204, 709/228, 709/248, 345/762, 713/202
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A synchronization agent management server coupled to a network having a plurality of synchronization agents coupled thereto in communication with the management server, comprising a user login authenticator, a user data flow controller, and a unique user identification controller. The management server communicates with at least one interactive agent to control data migration between a computer to a network storage device. In one aspect, the management server is part of a data synchronization system for data between network coupled devices which includes a storage server having a data store of change transactions coupled to the network.

Claims

1. A controller for a synchronization system, comprising:

an authentication module identifying a user coupled to the synchronization system; and

a synchronization manager communicating with at least one interactive agent to control data migration between a first network coupled device and a second network device.

2. The controller of claim 1 wherein the controller is a network coupled server coupled to an open systems global network.

3. The controller of claim 1 wherein the authentication module identification module determines the user identity through a login procedure.

4. The controller of claim 1 wherein the second network coupled device is a network storage device including a personal information store identified with said user to lock access to the store between the at least one interactive agent on the first network coupled device and the store during data migration between the agent and the store.

5. The controller of claim 1 wherein interactive agent is provided on the first network coupled device and the controller is provided on a management dedicated network coupled device.

6. The controller of claim 5 wherein data migration between the first network coupled device and the second network device takes place in the form of at least one transaction and the unique identification generator provides a unique identification to each of said at least one transaction.

7. The controller of claim 1 wherein the data migration is from the first network device comprising a source computer to a personal information store on the second network device comprising network storage server.

8. The controller of claim 1 wherein the data migration is from the first network device comprising a network storage device to a second network device comprising a target computer.

9. A data synchronization system for data between network coupled devices, comprising:

a storage server having a data store of change transactions coupled to the network; and

a management server communicating with said network coupled devices and the storage server, including a transaction identifier and a user authenticator.

10. The data synchronization system of claim 9 wherein said data store includes change transactions from agents generating said transactions on at least one of said network coupled devices.

11. The data synchronization system of claim 10 wherein the data store is associated with a user.

12. The data synchronization system of claim 11 wherein said management server enables and disables data flow from at least one of said network coupled devices and said data store dependent upon proper identification of the user associated with the data store.

13. The data synchronization system of claim 12 wherein said data flow comprises downloading transactions from the data store to said at least one network coupled device.

14. The data synchronization system of claim 12 wherein said data flow comprises uploading transactions from the at least one network coupled device to said data store.

15. The data synchronization system of claim 12 wherein the management server allows only one of said network coupled devices to couple to said data store at a time.

16. A synchronization agent management server coupled to a network having a plurality of synchronization agents coupled thereto in communication with the management server, comprising:

a user login authenticator;

a user data flow controller; and

a unique user identification controller.

17. The synchronization agent management server of claim 16 wherein said user login authenticator determines the identify of a user based on a login.

18. The synchronization agent management server of claim 17 wherein the login is a username and password.

19. The synchronization agent management server of claim 17 wherein the login is a unique cookie assigned to said user.

20. The synchronization agent management server of claim 16 wherein the user data flow controller controls access to an individual user=s personal information store coupled to the network.

21. The synchronization agent management server of claim 20 wherein the data flow controller allows only one network coupled device access to the individual user=s personal information store at a time.

22. The synchronization agent management server of claim 20 wherein the data flow controller locks the user=s personal information store during transfer of personal information in the store between synchronization agents.

23. The synchronization agent management server of claim 22 wherein each of said transactions is uniquely associated with a user by said unique user identification controller.

24. A synchronization controller coupled to a network, comprising:

a communication interface coupled to the network, the controller being operatively coupled to a storage server having a plurality of transaction based user data via the network, and operatively coupled to at least one synchronization agent via the network;

an authentication module specifically associating the user data with a particular user, identifying the user agent as associated with a user having access to the user data, and controlling operations on the user data by the user agent.

25. The synchronization controller of claim 24 wherein the authentication module locks the communication interface in communication with one synchronization agent during transfer of user data between the storage server and the at least one synchronization agent.