Method and apparatus for rendering user accounts portable

• US 7,925,712 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2008
• Issued: 04/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Bowers, Robert T., Ko, Steve
• Primary Examiner(s): Chea; Philip J
• Application Number:
  US12/111,040
• Publication Number:
  US 20080201456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,079 Days
• Field of Search: 709/216, 713/1
• US Class Current: 709/216
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/41 where a single sign-on provides access to a plurality of computers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming

Abstract

Improved approaches for enabling user accounts to be portable across different multi-user computer systems are disclosed. A user account created at a multi-user computer can be stored to an external, portable data store, thereby rendering the user account portable. The multi-user computer system, e.g., through its operating system, locates user accounts on not only in local storage of the multi-user computer system, but also in any removable data storage attached to the multi-user computer system. Hence, by coupling the external, portable data store to another multi-user computer, a user is able to login to any supporting multi-user computer and be presented with their user configuration and user directory. Since the data store that stores the user account is not only external but also portable, a user can simply tote the data store to the location of different multi-user computers. In one embodiment, the external, portable data store can not only store the user account but can also provide general data storage. In another embodiment, the external, portable data store can be a portion of a portable computing device (e.g., media player) that provides other functionality besides data storage.

Claims

1. A method for operating a first computer system, comprising:

upon connection of a portable media device having media playing capabilities to the first computer system, determining whether to synchronize media files on the portable media device with the first computer system or to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

when it is determined to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

accessing, on a data store associated with the first computer system, a first account specifying a first operating system environment;

receiving information from the portable media device regarding a second account specifying a second operating system environment, wherein the portable media device is capable of being disconnected from the first computer system and operatively coupled to a second computer system;

providing a prompt including both the first account and the second account as possible selections;

receiving a selection of either the first account or the second account; and

configuring an operating system in the first computer system to utilize the first operating system environment or the second operating system environment based on the selection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first account is stored in a local database format whereas the second account is stored as a flat file.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second account is stored in a markup language that contains name-value pairs for the account information.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the markup language is an extensible markup language.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the external data store is contained in a portable media device, and wherein the external data store contains a plurality of media files.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing a prompt includes providing a graphical indication that the second account is stored on an external data store.

7. A system comprising:

a multi-user computer system having a local data store;

a portable media device containing a plurality of media files, wherein the portable media device provides media playing functionality;

wherein the multi-user computer system is configured to;

upon connection of the portable media device to the multi-user computer, determine whether to synchronize media files on the portable media device with the multi-user system or to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

when it is determined to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

access a first account on the local data store specifying a first operating system environment;

receive information from the portable media device regarding a second account specifying a second operating system environment;

provide a prompt including both the first account and the second account as possible selections;

receive a selection of either the first account or the second account; and

configure an operating system in the multi-user computer to utilize the first operating system environment or the second operating system environment based on the selection.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the portable media device is capable of connecting to a second multi-user computer.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the portable media device includes a coder/decoder.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the second operating system environment specifies accessible areas of the portable media device.

11. Non-transitory computer readable medium for storing in tangible form computer instructions executable by a processor for modifying an operation of a device, the device having a processor, the computer readable medium comprising:

computer code for, upon connection of a portable media device, having media playing capabilities, to a multi-user computer, determining whether to synchronize media files on the portable media device with a first computer system or to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

computer code for, when it is determined to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

accessing, on a data store associated with the multi-user computer, a first account specifying a first operating system environment;

receiving, from the portable media device, a second account specifying a second operating system environment, wherein the portable media is capable of being disconnected from the first computer system and operatively coupled to a second computer system;

providing a prompt including both the first account and the second account as possible selections;

receiving a selection of either the first account or the second account; and

configuring an operating system in the multi-user computer to utilize the first operating system environment or the second operating system environment based on the selection.

12. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein each user record pertains to a different user of the multi-user system.

13. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the second operating system environment indicates user display preferences.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first operating system environment indicates accessible portions of the local data store.

15. An apparatus comprising:

means for, upon connection of a portable media device having a media playing functionality to a first computer system, determining whether to synchronize media files on the portable media device with the first computer system or to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

means for, when it is determined to obtain an operating system profile from the portable media device;

accessing, on a data store associated with the first computer system, a first account specifying a first operating system environment;

receiving information from the portable media device regarding a second account specifying a second operating system environment, wherein the portable media device is capable of being disconnected from the first computer system and operatively coupled to a second computer system;

providing a prompt including both the first account and the second account as possible selections;

receiving a selection of either the first account or the second account; and

configuring an operating system in the first computer system to utilize the first operating system environment or the second operating system environment based on the selection.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second account information is stored on the portable media device in a markup language that contains name-value pairs for the account information.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first account information is stored on the local data store in a netinfo format.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the local data store is a hard drive contained within the first computer system.