Synchronizing device association data among computing devices

• US 9,311,109 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2015
• Issued: 04/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Hutchings, Justin A., Peterson, Erik O., Nagarajan, Arun Babu, Wojtaszek, Kyle P., Lannin, J. Adrian, Hain, Robert F., Greeff, Esaias E., Sanghvi, Niket A., Adams, Samuel David, Duhon, David W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nam, Hyun
• Application Number:
  US14/665,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20150254081A1
• Time in Patent Office: 386 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/10 Program control for peripheral devices G06F13/14 - G06F13/42 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/102 where the programme performs an interfacing function, e.g. device driver G06F13/105 takes precedence; scheduling within device drivers G06F9/52; contention policies within device drivers G06F9/4881
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 13/385 for adaptation of a particular data processing system to different peripheral devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/00 Security arrangements for protecting computers, components thereof, programs or data against unauthorised activity
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4411 Configuring for operating with peripheral devices; Loading of device drivers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4451 User profiles; Roaming

Abstract

Device association data for peripheral devices, which is data used to connect to the peripheral devices, is maintained and synchronized across multiple computing devices associated with a user account on a service. When a new peripheral device is associated with a computing device, device association data for the new peripheral device is added to the computing device. The device association data for the new peripheral device is also sent to the service, which provides the device association to the other computing devices from which the user logs into his or her account, and those other computing devices in turn automatically associate themselves with the peripheral device. Device use data describing how a user desires to use the peripheral device on one computing device, as well as changes to the device association data on one computing device, can similarly be synchronized across the multiple computing devices.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, from a service in response to a user logging into a user account of the service, device association data for each of one or more peripheral devices maintained and synchronized with the user account, the device association data for a peripheral device describing how to connect the peripheral device to a computing device;

determining a first set of peripheral devices can be automatically made available for use with the computing device;

obtaining, for at least one of a second set of peripheral devices that are not automatically made available for use with the computing device, additional credentials; and

making available for use with the computing device the first set of peripheral devices and, using the obtained additional credentials, the at least one of the second set of peripheral devices.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, the obtaining comprising receiving the additional credentials as user input at the computing device.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising maintaining, on the computing device, a copy of device association data for each of the first set of peripheral devices as well as a copy of device association data for the at least one peripheral device of the second set of peripheral devices.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, the device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices having been provided to the service by an additional computing device as a result of the additional computing device connecting to the at least one peripheral device at the additional computing device.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, the device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices having been provided to the service by the computing device as a result of the computing device previously connecting to the at least one peripheral device.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, the device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices having been provided to the service by the at least one peripheral device.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the service, device use data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices, the device use data for a peripheral device identifying particular settings for the peripheral device; and

applying the particular settings to the at least one peripheral device installed on the computing device.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the service, a change to device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices; and

updating the device association data maintained on the computing device for the at least one peripheral device based on the change.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the service, an indication that at least one peripheral device of the first set of peripheral devices or the at least one of the second set of peripheral devices has been deleted; and

no longer making the at least one peripheral device available for use with the computing device.

10. A computing device comprising:

a data store to store device association data for peripheral devices, the device association data for a peripheral device describing how the computing device is to connect to the peripheral device; and

a device association data synchronization module configured to;

receive, from a service in response to a user logging into a user account of the service, device association data for each of one or more peripheral devices maintained and synchronized with the user account;

determine a first set of peripheral devices can be automatically made available for use with the computing device;

obtain, for at least one of a second set of peripheral devices that are not automatically made available for use with the computing device, additional credentials; and

make available for use with the computing device the first set of peripheral devices and, using the obtained additional credentials, the at least one of the second set of peripheral devices.

11. The computing device as recited in claim 10, the device association data synchronization module being configured to obtain the additional credentials by receiving the additional credentials as user input at the computing device.

12. The computing device as recited in claim 10, wherein the data store is further to store a copy of device association data for each of the first set of peripheral devices as well as a copy of device association data for the at least one peripheral device of the second set of peripheral devices.

13. The computing device as recited in claim 10, the device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices having been provided to the service by an additional computing device as a result of the additional computing device connecting to the at least one peripheral device at the additional computing device.

14. The computing device as recited in claim 10, the device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices having been provided to the service by the computing device as a result of the computing device previously connecting to the at least one peripheral device.

15. The computing device as recited in claim 10, the device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices having been provided to the service by the at least one peripheral device.

16. The computing device as recited in claim 10, the device association data synchronization module being further configured to:

receive, from the service, device use data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices, the device use data for a peripheral device identifying particular settings for the peripheral device; and

apply the particular settings to the at least one peripheral device installed on the computing device.

17. The computing device as recited in claim 10, the device association data synchronization module being further configured to:

receive, from the service, a change to device association data for at least one peripheral device of the one or more peripheral devices; and

update the device association data stored in the data store for the at least one peripheral device based on the change.

18. The computing device as recited in claim 10, the device association data synchronization module being further configured to:

receive, from the service, an indication that at least one peripheral device of the first set of peripheral devices or the at least one of the second set of peripheral devices has been deleted; and

no longer make the at least one peripheral device available for use with the computing device.

19. A computing device comprising:

one or more processors;

one or more computer-readable storage media having stored thereon multiple instructions executable by the one or more processors, that cause the one or more processors to perform acts including;

receiving, from a service in response to a user logging into a user account of the service, device association data for each of one or more peripheral devices maintained and synchronized with the user account, the device association data for a peripheral device describing how to connect the peripheral device to the computing device;

obtaining, for at least one of a second set of peripheral devices that are not automatically made available for use with the computing device, additional credentials; and

making available for use with the computing device a first set of peripheral devices that are automatically available for use with the computing device and, using the obtained additional credentials, the at least one of the second set of peripheral devices.