Client application file access

• US 9,355,115 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2011
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Garcia-Ascanio, Francisco, Boehm, Joshua Adam Alpern, Diffenbaugh, David, Fiordalis, Daniel Vincent, Wiggs, Joseph, Irwin, Alyssa, Signer, Denise Elisabeth, Linkon, Adam, O'Mahony, Allison, Akmal, Mona, Lueder, Roger Allen, Bose, Miko Arnab Sakhya Singha, Balasubramanyan, Balaji
• Primary Examiner(s): Smithers, Matthew
• Application Number:
  US13/301,039
• Publication Number:
  US 20130132463A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/172 Caching, prefetching or hoarding of files
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for providing a client application with access to a file based upon a local offline version of the file and/or web online version of the file. That is, a file may be shared/synchronized from a remote source, such as a web storage service. A web online version of the file may be maintained by the web storage service, while local offline versions of the file may be stored at client devices. A sync module comprising knowledge of the local and/or web versions of the file may provide a client application with access to the file based upon the local and/or web version of the file. The sync module may also delegate synchronization authorization to the client application given that the client application may comprise sophisticated file handling functionality.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

delegating synchronization authorization to a client application to synchronize a file of a file type with at least one of a local offline version of the file or a web online version of the file responsive to a determination that the client application is configured to open the file and has functionality for handling the file type, the determination based upon an operating system registry;

receiving a request from the client application to access the file; and

providing the client application with access to both the local offline version of the file and the web online version of the file as the file.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the file accessed by the client application is derived from at least some of the local offline version of the file and at least some of the web online version of the file.

3. The method of claim 1, the delegating comprising:

providing the client application with a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the web online version of the file; and

delegating synchronization authorization to the client application to synchronize the file with the web online version of the file using the URL.

4. The method of claim 1, comprising:

providing the client application with a local file path associated with the local offline version of the file and a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the web online version of the file; and

delegating synchronization authorization to the client application to synchronize the local offline version of the file with the web online version of the file using the local file path and the URL.

5. A computer readable storage device comprising instructions that when executed perform a method for providing a client application with access to a file, the method comprising:

delegating synchronization authorization to a client application to synchronize a file of a file type with at least one of a local offline version of the file or a web online version of the file responsive to a determination that the client application is configured to open the file and has functionality for handling the file type, the determination based upon an operating system registry;

receiving a request from the client application to access the file; and

providing the client application with access to both the local offline version of the file and the web online version of the file as the file.

6. The computer readable storage device of claim 5, wherein the file accessed by the client application is derived from at least some of the local offline version of the file and at least some of the web online version of the file.

7. The computer readable storage device of claim 5, the delegating comprising:

providing the client application with a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the web online version of the file; and

delegating synchronization authorization to the client application to synchronize the file with the web online version of the file using the URL.

8. The computer readable storage device of claim 5, comprising:

providing the client application with a local file path associated with the local offline version of the file and a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the web online version of the file; and

delegating synchronization authorization to the client application to synchronize the local offline version of the file with the web online version of the file using the local file path and the URL.

9. A system, comprising:

a processor coupled to a memory, the memory storing instructions that when executed perform a method for providing a client application with access to a file, the method comprising;

delegating synchronization authorization to a client application to synchronize a file of a file type with at least one of a local offline version of the file or a web online version of the file responsive to a determination that the client application is configured to open the file and has functionality for handling the file type, the determination based upon an operating system registry;

receiving a request from the client application to access the file; and

providing the client application with access to both the local offline version of the file and the web online version of the file as the file.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the file accessed by the client application is derived from at least some of the local offline version of the file and at least some of the web online version of the file.

11. The system of claim 9, the delegating comprising:

providing the client application with a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the web online version of the file; and

delegating synchronization authorization to the client application to synchronize the file with the web online version of the file using the URL.

12. The system of claim 9, comprising:

providing the client application with a local file path associated with the local offline version of the file and a uniform resource locator (URL) associated with the web online version of the file; and

delegating synchronization authorization to the client application to synchronize the local offline version of the file with the web online version of the file using the local file path and the URL.