Database management and synchronization across a peer-to-peer network

• US 6,892,210 B1
• Filed: 12/31/2001
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Knapp Investment Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Worldsync, Inc.
• Inventors: Erickson, Jason, Wood, Alan, Dropeskey, Doug
• Primary Examiner(s): ALAM, SHAHID AL
• Application Number:
  US10/039,641
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/2, 707/3, 707/8, 707/10, 707/201, 707/202, 707/203, 707/204, 711/162, 709/221, 709/223, 715/511, 345/335
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99938 Concurrency, e.g. lock management in shared database
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A database management and synchronization program implemented across a peer-to-peer computer network, consisting of a sharing community of user computers. Database record synchronization throughout the sharing community is accomplished by using a synchronization object which contains the information about a change in a specific record or the addition of a new record. The synchronization object is transmitted by a local user computer at any time to a routing agent, which in turn transmits the synchronization object at any time to remote user computers within the sharing community. The synchronization object is then used by the remote user computer to update their database records.

Claims

1. A method of synchronizing a database table record with a corresponding database table record in a peer-to-peer computer network, comprising:

(a) selecting an original record from an original database table, stored within the memory of a first computer, and storing the original record in the memory of the first computer;

(b) identifying a first content from at least one field within the original record;

(c) creating a duplicate first content in the memory of the first computer by duplicating the first content;

(d) creating a modified first content by modifying the first content within the original record;

(e) creating a synchronization object in the memory of the first computer, which object contains a copy of the duplicate first content and a copy of the modified first content;

(f) addressing the synchronization object to a second computer;

(g) transmitting the synchronization object at any time to the second computer where the object is stored within the memory of the second computer;

(h) selecting a corresponding record from a corresponding database table, stored within the memory of the second computer, which corresponding record and corresponding database table correspond respectively to the original record and original database table;

(i) identifying a corresponding content from at least one field within the corresponding record, which corresponding content corresponds to the first content;

(j) comparing the duplicate first content to the corresponding content; and

(k) updating the corresponding content to match the modified first content if the duplicate first content matches the corresponding content.

6. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in which the step of transmitting the synchronization object comprises:

enclosing the synchronization object in a dispatch message;

pushing the message by the first computer to a routing agent; and

pushing the message by the routing agent to the second computer.

7. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in which the step of transmitting the synchronization object comprises:

enclosing the synchronization object in a dispatch message;

pulling the message by a routing agent from the first computer; and

pulling the message by the second computer from the routing agent.

8. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in which the step of transmitting the synchronization object comprises:

enclosing the synchronization object in a dispatch message;

pushing the message by the first computer to a routing agent; and

pulling the message by the second computer from the routing agent.

9. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in which the step of transmitting the synchronization object comprises:

enclosing the synchronization object in a dispatch message;

pulling the message by the routing agent from the first computer; and

pushing the message by the routing agent to the second computer.

10. The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 in which transmitting the synchronization object comprises:

enclosing the synchronization object in an email message;

pushing the message by the first computer to a communications server; and

pulling the message by the second computer from the communications server.

2. A method of synchronizing a database table record with a corresponding database table record in a peer-to-peer computer network, comprising:

(a) selecting an original record from an original database table, stored within the memory of a first computer;

(b) identifying a first content from at least one field within the original record;

(c) creating a duplicate first content in the memory of the first computer by duplicating the first content;

(d) creating a modified first content by modifying the first content within the original record;

(e) creating a synchronization object in the memory of the first computer, which object contains a copy of the duplicate first content and a copy of the modified first content;

(f) addressing the synchronization object to at least one second computer;

(g) transmitting the synchronization object at any time to the at least one second computer where the object is stored within the memory of the at least one second computer;

(h) selecting a corresponding record from a corresponding database table, stored within the memory of the at least one second computer, which corresponding record and corresponding database table correspond respectively to the original record and original database table;

(i) identifying a corresponding content from at least one field within the corresponding record, which corresponding content corresponds to the first content; and

(j) updating the corresponding content to match the modified first content.

3. A method of synchronizing a database table record with a corresponding database table record in a peer-to-peer computer network, comprising:

(a) selecting an original record from an original database table, stored within the memory of a first computer;

(b) identifying a first content from at least one field within the original record;

(c) creating a duplicate first content in the memory of the first computer by duplicating the first content;

(d) creating a modified first content by modifying the first content within the original record;

(e) creating a synchronization object in the memory of the first computer, which object contains a copy of the duplicate first content and a copy of the modified first content;

(f) addressing the synchronization object to at least one second computer;

(g) associating the synchronization object with a first version number which corresponds to the date and time the synchronization object was created;

(h) transmitting the synchronization object at any time to the at least one second computer where the object is stored within the memory of the at least one second computer;

(i) selecting a corresponding record from a corresponding database table, stored within the memory of the at least one second computer, which corresponding record and corresponding database table correspond respectively to the original record and original database table;

(j) identifying a corresponding content from at least one field within the corresponding record, which corresponding content corresponds to the first content;

(k) creating a modified corresponding content within the corresponding record by updating the corresponding content to match the modified first content;

(l) creating a duplicate modified corresponding content in the memory of the at least one second computer by duplicating the duplicate modified content; and

(m) associating the duplicate modified corresponding content with the first version number.

4. A method of synchronizing a database table record with a corresponding database table record in a peer-to-peer computer network, comprising:

(a) selecting an original record from an original database table, stored within the memory of a first computer;

(b) identifying a first content from at least one field within the original record;

(c) creating a duplicate first content in the memory of the first computer by duplicating the first content;

(d) creating a first modified original record and an associated modified first content by modifying the first content within the original record;

(e) creating a first synchronization object in the memory of the first computer, which object contains a copy of the duplicate first content and a copy of the modified first content;

(f) addressing the synchronization object to at least one second computer;

(g) associating the first synchronization object with a first version number which corresponds to the date and time the first synchronization object was created;

(h) transmitting the first synchronization object at any time to the at least one second computer where the object is stored within the memory of the at least one second computer;

(i) selecting a corresponding original record from a corresponding original database table, stored within the memory of the at least one second computer, which corresponding original record and corresponding original database table correspond respectively to the original record and original database table;

(j) identifying a corresponding first content from at least one field within the corresponding original record, which corresponding first content corresponds to the first content;

(k) creating a modified corresponding original record and an associated modified corresponding first content within the corresponding original record by updating the corresponding first content to match the modified first content;

(l) creating a duplicate modified corresponding first content in the memory of the at least one second computer by duplicating the modified corresponding first content;

(m) associating the duplicate modified corresponding first content with the first version number;

(n) selecting the first modified original record from the original database table, stored within the memory of the first computer;

(o) identifying a second content from at least one field within the first modified original record;

(p) creating a duplicate second content in the memory of the first computer by replacing the duplicate first content with the duplicate second content;

(q) creating a second modified original record and an associated modified second content by modifying the second content within the first modified original record;

(r) creating a second synchronization object in the memory of the first computer, which object contains a copy of the duplicate second content and a copy of the modified second content;

(s) associating the second synchronization object with a second version number which corresponds to the date and time the second synchronization object was created;

(t) addressing the synchronization object to the at least one second computer;

(u) transmitting the second synchronization object at any time to the at least one second computer where the object is stored within the memory of the at least one second computer;

(v) selecting a corresponding first modified original record from the corresponding original database table, stored within the memory of the second computer, which corresponding first modified original record and corresponding original database table correspond respectively to the first modified original record and original database table;

(w) identifying a corresponding second content from at least one field within the corresponding first modified original record, which corresponding second content corresponds to the second content;

(x) creating a modified corresponding first modified original record and an associated corresponding second content within the corresponding first modified original record by updating the corresponding second content to match the modified second content if the time and date associated with the second version number is more recent than the time and date associated with the first version number and the duplicate modified corresponding first content matches the corresponding second content.

5. A method of providing a new record in a first database table to a corresponding database table, comprising:

(a) selecting a new original record in the first database table within the memory of the first computer;

(b) identifying new content from at least one field within the new original record;

(c) creating a synchronization object in the memory of the first computer, which object contains a copy of the new content;

(d) addressing the synchronization object to at least one second computer;

(e) transmitting the synchronization object at any time to the at least one second computer where the object is stored within the memory of the at least one second computer;

(f) selecting a corresponding database table stored within the memory of the at least one second computer, which corresponding database table corresponds to the first database table; and

(g) creating a corresponding new original record in corresponding database table, which corresponding new original record contains the new content.