Real-time file synchronization

• US 8,140,473 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 03/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Sun, Jingdong, Sun, Qian, Tang, Jian, Yu, Xiaoming, Zhang, Jingli
• Primary Examiner(s): Pham, Hung Q
• Application Number:
  US12/266,582
• Publication Number:
  US 20100121818A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/609
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1787 Details of non-transparently synchronising file systems

Abstract

A method of real-time file synchronization includes segmenting a file to be synchronized into a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments representing a portion of the file to be displayed on slave systems. The method further includes indexing the plurality of segments into a file index, the file index organized based on the format of the file to be synchronized. The method further includes generating a synchronization key, the synchronization key being included within the file to be synchronized. The method further includes transmitting a synchronization signal if a segment change is detected, the synchronization signal including a file index value, the file index value representing the segment change. The method further includes receiving the synchronization signal.

Claims

1. A method of real-time file synchronization, comprising:

segmenting a file to be synchronized into a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments representing a portion of the file to be displayed on at least two systems;

indexing the plurality of segments into a file index, the file index is organized based on the formats of the files to be synchronized;

generating a synchronization key, the synchronization key being included within the file to be synchronized;

transmitting a synchronization signal if a segment change is detected, the synchronization signal including a file index value, the file index value representing the segment change;

receiving the synchronization signal;

transmitting the file to be synchronized to a plurality of slave systems;

broadcasting the synchronization key to the plurality of slave systems; and

synchronizing the file to be synchronized on each system of the plurality of slave systems, the file being synchronized upon receipt of the synchronization signal and being synchronized to the file index value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein segmenting the file includes dividing the file to be synchronized into the plurality of segments based on a pre-defined segment format.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the pre-defined segment format is one of pages, lines, slides, pixels, video duration, and audio duration of the file to be synchronized.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the file index corresponds to page numbers, slide numbers, line numbers, or audio/video portions of the file to be synchronized.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein a master system performs the segmenting, indexing, generating, and transmitting, and a slave system receives the synchronization signal.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the file to be synchronized is copied into a plurality of formats including an editable format and an un-editable format, and the un-editable format is synchronized to the editable format.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

transmitting the un-editable format to the plurality of slave systems;

broadcasting the synchronization key to the plurality of slave systems; and

synchronizing the un-editable format on each system of the plurality of slave systems to the editable format, the un-editable format being synchronized upon receipt of the synchronization signal and being synchronized to the file index value.

8. A method of real-time file synchronization, comprising:

segmenting a file to be synchronized into a plurality of segments, each segment of the plurality of segments representing a portion of the file to be displayed on at least two systems;

indexing the plurality of segments into a file index, the file index is organized based on the formats of the files to be synchronized;

generating a synchronization key, the synchronization key being included within the file to be synchronized;

transmitting a synchronization signal if a segment change is detected, the synchronization signal including a file index value, the file index value representing the segment change;

receiving the synchronization signal;

transmitting the file to be synchronized from a slave system to a plurality of participating systems;

broadcasting the synchronization key to the plurality of participating systems; and

synchronizing the file to be synchronized on each system of the plurality of participating systems, the file being synchronized upon receipt of the synchronization signal and being synchronized to the file index value.