Cross-pollination synchronization of data

• US 9,292,585 B2
• Filed: 01/29/2013
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/04/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Schleifer, Jason E., Hall, Gary W., Tan, Garry K., Chen, James P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Anya, Charles E
• Application Number:
  US13/752,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20130138609A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• 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: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A technique and mechanism to effect cross-pollination synchronization of PIM (personal information manager) data to multiple sources. Additionally, a novel feature of the subject invention is the ability to effect cross-pollination synchronization with any number of devices and sources in a network. The invention provides for a user to employ a mobile device or set of devices as a central repository for PIM data (e.g., calendar, contacts and tasks) synchronized from multiple sources (e.g., multiple PC'"'"'s (personal computers), an exchange server). The invention provides for synchronization of PIM data from multiple types of server sources to multiple devices regardless of the synchronization protocol versions and different schemas.

Claims

1. A device for data synchronization, the device comprising:

a processor;

a computer-readable storage medium operationally coupled to the processor and storing computer executable instructions that when executed by the processor, cause the device to;

compare a first electronic mail data item received from a source with a second electronic mail data item, the first electronic mail data item having a first plurality of item properties and the second data item having a second plurality of item properties including a subset of item properties absent from the first plurality of item properties, thereby determining that the first electronic mail data item and the second data item are duplicate data items; and

upon determining that the first electronic mail data item and the second electronic mail data item are duplicate data items, synchronize the second electronic mail data item with the first electronic mail data item, wherein synchronizing the second electronic mail data item and the first electronic mail data item includes updating item properties included within the first plurality of item properties and the second plurality of item properties without updating the subset of item properties that are absent from the first plurality of item properties, wherein the subset of item properties absent from the first plurality of item properties are unsupported by the source.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the device to receive at the device the first electronic mail data item from the source.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the first plurality of item properties are supported by the source.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the source comprises a mobile device communicatively connected to the device.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the second electronic mail data item was received from a second source different from the source.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the act of determining that the first and second electronic mail data items are duplicates includes generating a hash value of the first electronic mail data item.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the device supports a different version of a protocol as compared to a source from which the first electronic mail data item was received.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first electronic mail data item and the second electronic mail data item comprise calendar data items.

9. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions, which, when executed in a device including a processor, cause the device to:

compare a first electronic mail data item received from a source with a second electronic mail data item, the first electronic mail data item having a first plurality of item properties and the second electronic mail data item having a second plurality of item properties including a subset of item properties absent from the first plurality of item properties, thereby determining that the first electronic mail data item and the second electronic mail data item are duplicate data items; and

upon determining that the first electronic mail data item and the second electronic mail data item are duplicate data items, synchronize the second electronic mail data item with the first electronic mail data item, wherein synchronizing the second electronic mail data item and the first electronic mail data item includes updating item properties included within the first plurality of item properties and the second plurality of item properties without updating the subset of item properties that are absent from the first plurality of item properties, wherein the subset of item properties absent from the first plurality of item properties are unsupported by the source.

10. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 9, wherein the computer executable instructions further cause the device to receive at the device the first electronic mail data item from the source.

11. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the first plurality of item properties are supported by the source.

12. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the subset of item properties absent from the first plurality of item properties are unsupported by the source.

13. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 12, wherein the source comprises a mobile device communicatively connected to the device.

14. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the second electronic mail data item was received from a second source different from the source.

15. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 10, wherein the device supports a different version of a protocol as compared to a source from which the first electronic mail data item was received.

16. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions, which, when executed in a mobile device including a processor, cause the mobile device to:

receive at a mobile device a first email data item from a server, the first email data item having a first plurality of item properties supported by the server;

compare the first email data item received from the server with a second email data item stored in the memory of the mobile device, the second email data item having a second plurality of item properties including a subset of item properties absent from the first plurality of item properties, thereby determining that the first email data item and the second email data item are duplicate data items; and

upon determining that the first email data item and the second email data item are duplicate data items, synchronize the second email data item with the first email data item, wherein synchronizing the second email data item and the first email data item includes updating item properties included within the first plurality of item properties and the second plurality of item properties without updating the subset of item properties that are absent from the first plurality of item properties, wherein the subset of item properties absent from the first plurality of item properties are unsupported by the server.