Enabling online and offline operation

• US 7,275,105 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2002
• Issued: 09/25/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tahoe Research Limited (f/k/a Learndale Limited) (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Laszlo Systems Incorporated (Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Temkin, David T., Bloch, Eric D., Carlson, Max D., Kang, Pablo, Kimm, Christopher, Steele, Oliver W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Donaghue, Larry D.
• Application Number:
  US10/105,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20030158947A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,010 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/225, 709/227, 709/226, 709/229
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching

Abstract

The present invention provides software developers with the capability to create applications that can access information online and offline without having to program such capabilities into their applications. An application can gather information from various remote data sources via a network or other communication means, and still have access to all or a portion of that information when the computing device running the application is no longer connected to the network. In one embodiment, a client manages information access, caching and synchronization for the application. When connected, information accessed is stored in a local data store on (or near) the computing device. When disconnected, requests are run against the local data store instead of the remote data source. When reconnected, information is synchronized between the local data store and the remote data source.

Claims

1. A method for enabling an application to work offline and online, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at a client, said request is from said application, said application is separate from said client, said request includes a data request with respect to a first data source;

forwarding said request from said client to a server if said client is online, said server is in communication with said first data source, said request includes an identification of said first data source from a plurality of data sources in communication with said server and an indication of a data view for said first data source, said data view describes a portion of said first data source;

if said client is not online, processing at least a portion of said data request at said client using data in a local data store accessible to said client, said data in said local data store represents a local version of at least a subset of information stored in said first data source; and

responding to said application based on said data in said local data store if said client is not online.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said step of responding to said application includes creating an executable file that includes at least a subset of said data in said local data store and transmitting said executable file to said application.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said request is in a mark-up language format.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said method further comprises the following steps if said client is online:

receiving a response at said client from said server, said response corresponds to said request forwarded from said client to said server;

determining whether said response includes data information;

if said response includes data information, storing said data information in said local data store; and

forwarding said data information to said application.

5. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

said response is an executable file; and

said step of determining includes parsing said executable file.

6. A method according to claim 4, wherein:

said data information includes text, integers and media.

7. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving said request at said server;

identifying an appropriate data connector associated with said first data source, said step of identifying is performed in response to said step of receiving said request at said server;

performing said data request using said identified data connector in communication with said first data source;

creating an executable that includes a result of said step of performing; and

transmitting said executable to said client.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of processing comprises the steps of:

creating a new record in said local data store, said new record includes new data provided by said request;

assigning an identification to said new record; and

marking said new record as dirty.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said step of processing comprises the steps of:

if said data request is a query, accessing records in said local data store;

if said data request is a request to add data, creating a new record in said local data store, assigning an identification to said new record and marking said new record as dirty;

if said data request is an update request, editing a target record in said local data store based on said request and marking said target record as dirty; and

if said data request is a delete request, deleting a particular record in said local data store based on said request and adding an identification of said particular record to a list of deleted records.

10. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to synchronize said client with said server;

gathering dirty records from said local data store;

gathering a set of indications of records deleted from said local data store;

transmitting said dirty records and said set of indications of records deleted to said server from said client as part of a synchronization request;

receiving a response to said synchronization request from said server at said client;

removing indication of records deleted for records deleted in said local data store that are not in conflict with said first data source;

removing indications of being dirty for dirty records in said local data store that are not in conflict with said first data source;

adding new records to said local data store that correspond to new records in said first data source; and

updating records in said local data store that were updated in said first data source but not in conflict with said local data store.

11. A method according to claim 10, further comprising the step of:

reporting, to said application, conflicts between said local data store and said first data source.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said client includes a proxy server in communication with said server and said application.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said client includes a platform having a set of library functions accessible by said application; and

said steps of receiving, forwarding and responding are performed by said library functions.

14. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

creating said application, said application includes calls to functions in said client, said client is a generic client that can be called by multiple applications;

downloading said application with said client to a user location; and

installing said application and said client at said user location.

15. A method according to claim 14, further comprising the step of:

generating an ID for said application, said ID is unique for said server, said step of forwarding uses said ID.

16. A method according to claim 1, wherein:

said local data store is a cache.

17. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

setting up said application as a network distributed application; and

setting up said application to operate with said client including providing for said application to request one or more services of said client, said step of setting up said application to operate with said client being separate from said step of setting up said application as a network distributed application, said application runs online by communicating with said server via said client and runs off-line by using said client and a local data store.

18. A method for enabling an application to work offline and online comprises the steps of:

receiving a request at a client, said request is from said application, said application is separate from said client, said request includes a data request with respect to a first data source;

forwarding said request from said client to a server if said client is online, said server is in communication with said first data source;

if said client is not online, processing at least a portion of said data request at said client using data in a local data store accessible to said client, said data in said local data store represents a local version of at least a subset of information stored in said first data source; and

responding to said application based on said data in said local data store if said client is not online;

wherein said step of processing comprises accessing records in said local data store if said data request is a query.

19. A method for enabling an application to work offline and online, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at a client, said request is from said application, said application is separate from said client, said request includes a data request with respect to a first data source;

forwarding said request from said client to a server if said client is online, said server is in communication with said first data source;

if said client is not online, processing at least a portion of said data request at said client using data in a local data store accessible to said client, said data in said local data store represents a local version of at least a subset of information stored in said first data source; and

responding to said application based on said data in said local data store if said client is not online;

wherein said step of processing comprises at least one of;

(a) editing an existing record in said local data store based on said request and marking said existing record as dirty, and (b) deleting an existing record in said local data store based on said request and adding an identification of said existing record to a list of deleted records.

20. A method for enabling an application to work offline and online, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at a client, said request is from said application, said application is separate from said client, said request includes a data request with respect to a first data source;

forwarding said request from said client to a server if said client is online, said server is in communication with said first data source;

if said client is not online, processing at least a portion of said data request at said client using data in a local data store accessible to said client, said data in said local data store represents a local version of at least a subset of information stored in said first data source;

responding to said application based on said data in said local data store if said client is not online;

receiving a request to synchronize said client with said server;

performing a synchronization process with said server; and

providing a conflict report to said application.

21. A method according to claim 20, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a conflict request from said application, said conflict request instructs how conflicts between said local data store and said first data source should be resolved;

sending information in said conflict request from said client to said server;

receiving a responding message to said information in said conflict request from said server, said responding message being based on said information in said conflict request; and

editing data in said local data store based on said information in said conflict request.

22. One or more processor readable storage devices having processor readable code embodied on said processor readable storage devices, said processor readable code for programming one or more processors to perform a method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at a client, said request is from an application, said application is separate from said client, said request includes a data request with respect to a first data source;

forwarding said request from said client to a server if said client is online, said server is in communication with said first data source;

said request includes an identification of said first data source from a plurality of data sources in communication with said server and an indication of a data view for said first data source, said data view describes a portion of said first data source;

if said client is not online, processing at least a portion of said data request at said client using data in a local data store accessible to said client, said data in said local data store represents a local version of at least a subset of information stored in said first data source; and

responding to said application based on said data in said local data store if said client is not online.

23. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 22, wherein:

said step of responding to said application includes creating an executable file that includes at least a subset of said data in said local data store and transmitting said executable file to said application.

24. One or more processor readable storage devices according to claim 22, wherein said method further comprises the following steps if said client is online:

receiving a response at said client from said server, said response corresponds to said request forwarded from said client to said server;

determining whether said response includes data information;

if said response includes data information, storing said data information in said local data store; and

forwarding said data information to said application.

25. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more storage devices; and

one or more processors in communication with said one or more storage devices, said one or more processors perform a method comprising the steps of;

receiving a request at a client, said request is from an application, said request includes a data request with respect to a first data source,

forwarding said request from said client to a server if said client is online, said server is in communication with said first data source,

if said client is not online, processing at least a portion of said data request at said client using data in a local data store accessible to said client, said data in said local data store represents a local version of at least a subset of information stored in said first data source, and

responding to said application based on said data in said local data store if said client is not online by creating an executable file that includes at least a subset of said data in said local data store and transmitting said executable file to said application.

26. An apparatus according to claim 25, wherein said method further comprises the following steps if said client is online:

receiving a response at said client from said server, said response corresponds to said request forwarded from said client to said server;

determining whether said response includes data information;

if said response includes data information, storing said data information in said local data store; and

forwarding said data information to said application.

27. A method for enabling an application to work offline and online, comprising the steps of:

receiving a request at a client, said request is from said application, said application is separate from said client, said request includes a data request with respect to a first data source;

forwarding said request from said client to a server if said client is online, said server is in communication with said first data source;

if said client is not online, processing at least a portion of said data request at said client using data in a local data store accessible to said client, said data in said local data store represents a local version of at least a subset of information stored in said first data source;

responding to said application based on said data in said local data store if said client is not online; and

synchronizing the client with the server when the client is online.

28. A method according to claim 27, wherein:

said step of synchronizing comprises sending a request for synchronization from the client to the server, the request for synchronization including a change counter value which identifies records that are needed for the synchronization.

29. A method according to claim 27, wherein:

said client includes a platform having a set of library functions accessible by said application; and

said steps of receiving, forwarding and responding are performed by said library functions.

30. A method according to claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

creating said application, said application includes calls to functions in said client, said client is a generic client that can be called by multiple applications;

downloading said application with said client to a user location; and

installing said application and said client at said user location.

31. A method according to claim 27, further comprising the step of:

generating an ID for said application, said ID is unique for said server, said step of forwarding uses said ID.

32. A method according to claim 27, further comprising the steps of:

setting up said application as a network distributed application; and

setting up said application to operate with said client including providing for said application to request one or more services of said client, said step of setting up said application to operate with said client being separate from said step of setting up said application as a network distributed application, said application runs online by communicating with said server via said client and runs off-line by using said client and a local data store.

33. A method according to claim 27, wherein said step of processing comprising at least one of:

(a) creating a new record in said local data store, said new record includes new data provided by said request;

(b) editing an existing record in said local data store based on said request; and

(c) deleting an existing record in said local data store based on said request.