Merging playlists from multiple sources

• US 8,983,905 B2
• Filed: 02/03/2012
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Alsina, Thomas, Wadycki, Andrew, Shenoy, Arvind S., Heller, David K., Robbin, Jeffrey L., Gautier, Patrice Olivier, Mirrashidi, Payam
• Primary Examiner(s): Casanova, Jorge A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Spieler, William
• Application Number:
  US13/366,248
• Publication Number:
  US 20130086003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,138 Days
• Field of Search: 707/610
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/4387 by the use of playlists

Abstract

The present technology resolves playlist version conflicts resulting from modifications made to a playlist version, stored on a client device and in a cloud locker, when the client device and the cloud locker are in a disconnected state. The present technology is a heuristic for determining how to resolve such version conflicts. Upon reconnection of the client and cloud locker, the server, associated with cloud locker attempts to reconcile any version discrepancies resulting from user-initiated changes. In one embodiment, when the server determines that one of the playlists on the client or server is a superset of the other, the superset is selected and saved to both the client and cloud locker, while the subset version is deleted.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

detecting that a client device has established a reconnection between the client device and a cloud locker after an initial connection and disconnection between the client device and cloud locker, the client device and cloud locker being associated with a user account at a server;

based on the reconnection, determining that a client playlist stored at the client device corresponds to a cloud playlist stored at the cloud locker, wherein the client playlist is determined to correspond to the cloud playlist based on a comparison of a client playlist identifier and a cloud playlist identifier, wherein the client playlist identifier and cloud playlist identifier respectively identify client and cloud playlists associated with the user account, wherein the client playlist is a compacted version of the cloud playlist comprising data locally stored on the client device for access by the client device during a disconnection between the client device and the cloud locker, the compacted version of the cloud playlist including data in the cloud playlist that is also locally stored on the client device and excluding a data item in the cloud playlist that is not locally stored on the client device, the data item being excluded in response to the disconnection;

determining a conflict between the client playlist and the cloud playlist, the conflict indicating a user modification of the client playlist made during a disconnection between the client device and the cloud locker, the modification resulting in a modified client playlist comprising the compacted version of the cloud playlist and a newly-added data item; and

resolving the conflict between the client playlist and the cloud playlist by instructing at least one of the client device and the cloud locker to store the modified client playlist with the newly-added data item and with the data item that had been removed based on the disconnection.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the client playlist corresponds to the cloud playlist is based on respective identifiers associated with playlist, the respective identifiers being equivalent.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining that the client playlist corresponds to the cloud playlist is based on respective names associated with each playlist, the respective names being the same.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the modified client playlist comprises one of the client playlist or the cloud playlist and has a same content as a remaining set of the client playlist and the cloud playlist plus additional contents.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the modified client playlist has a same relative ordering of its contents as a remaining set irrespective of additional contents that can be interspersed in the modified client playlist, the remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the cloud playlist.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the client playlist and the cloud playlist are named, and wherein the modified client playlist is further defined as having a same name as a remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the cloud playlist.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein the client playlist and the cloud playlist have file paths, and wherein the modified client playlist is further defined as having a same file path as a remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the cloud playlist.

8. A system comprising:

a processor;

a cloud locker; and

a computer-readable storage medium having stored therein instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising;

receiving a request from a client device to reconcile a client playlist stored on the client device with a cloud playlist stored in the cloud locker, wherein the client playlist corresponds to the cloud playlist, and wherein the request is received after a reconnection of the client device to a network associated with the cloud locker, the client device and cloud locker being associated with a user account at an online store, wherein the client playlist is a compacted version of the cloud playlist comprising data locally stored on the client device for access by the client device during a disconnection between the client device and the cloud locker, the compacted version of the cloud playlist including data in the cloud playlist that is also locally stored on the client device and excluding a data item in the cloud playlist that is not locally stored on the client device, the data item being excluded in response to the disconnection;

determining a conflict between the client playlist and the cloud playlist, the conflict indicating a user modification of the client playlist made during a disconnection between the client device and the cloud locker, the modification resulting in a modified client playlist comprising the compacted version of the cloud playlist and a newly-added data item; and

resolving the conflict between the client playlist and the cloud playlist by instructing at least one of the client device and the cloud locker to store the modified client playlist with the newly-added data item and with the data item that had been removed based on the disconnection.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the client playlist and the cloud playlist have respective identifiers that are equivalent.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein the client playlist and the cloud playlist have respective names that are equivalent.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the modified client playlist comprises one of the client playlist and the cloud playlist that contains a same content as a remaining set plus additional contents, the remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the cloud playlist.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the modified client playlist has a same relative ordering of its contents as a remaining set irrespective of additional contents that can be interspersed in the modified client playlist, the remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the cloud playlist.

13. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing instructions which, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprising:

detecting that a client device has established a reconnection between the client device and a remote locker after an initial connection and disconnection between the client device and remote locker, the client device and remote locker being associated with a user account at a server;

based on the reconnection, determining that a client playlist stored at the client device corresponds to a remote playlist stored at the remote locker, wherein the client playlist and the remote playlist are associated with a user account at an online store, wherein the client playlist is a compacted version of the remote playlist comprising data locally stored on the client device for access by the client device during a disconnection between the client device and the remote locker, the compacted version of the remote playlist including data in the remote playlist that is also locally stored on the client device and excluding a data item in the remote playlist that is not locally stored on the client device, the data item being excluded in response to the disconnection;

determining a conflict between the client playlist and the remote playlist, the conflict indicating a user modification of the client playlist made during a disconnection between the client device and the remote locker, the modification resulting in a modified client playlist comprising the compacted version of the remote playlist and a newly-added data item; and

resolving the conflict between the client playlist and the cloud playlist by instructing at least one of the client device and the remote locker to store the modified client playlist with the newly-added data item and with the data item that had been removed based on the disconnection.

14. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the client playlist and the remote playlist are playlists.

15. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining that the client playlist corresponds to the remote playlist is based on respective identifiers associated with each set of data, the respective identifiers being equivalent.

16. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein determining that the client playlist corresponds to the remote playlist is based on respective names associated with each set of data, the respective names being the same.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 13, wherein the modified client playlist comprises one of the client playlist or the remote playlist and has a same content as a remaining set plus additional contents, the remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the remote playlist.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the modified client playlist has a same relative ordering of its contents as a remaining set irrespective of the additional contents that can be interspersed in the modified client playlist, the remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the remote playlist.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the client playlist and the remote playlist are named, and wherein the modified client playlist is further defined as having a same name as a remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the remote playlist.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the client playlist and the remote playlist have file paths, and wherein the modified client playlist is further defined as having a same file path as a remaining set comprising one of the client playlist or the remote playlist.