Method for synchronizing content among terminals and terminals

• US 10,117,206 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2015
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Device Company Limited (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Huawei Device, Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Zhu, Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phuongchau Ba
• Application Number:
  US14/973,023
• Publication Number:
  US 20160105859A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 370312, 370329, 370338, 370393, 370412, 370445
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 56/003 Arrangements to increase tolerance to errors in transmission or reception timing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/10 Connection setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/11 Allocation or use of connection identifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/14 Direct-mode setup
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

A method for synchronizing content among terminals and terminals. The method includes determining, by a first terminal, content for sharing of the first terminal; when the first terminal discovers a second terminal, establishing, by the first terminal, a connection to the second terminal using a short-range wireless communications technology, where the second terminal belongs to a same synchronization group as the first terminal, and can establish a connection to the first terminal using a short-range wireless communications technology, and terminals that belong to a same synchronization group can synchronize content for sharing; and synchronizing, by the first terminal, the content for sharing of the first terminal and content for sharing of the second terminal using the connection established to the second terminal. The method is applicable to the field of communications technologies.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing content, comprising:

determining, by a first terminal, first terminal sharing content;

sending, by the first terminal, a synchronization group create message to a second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal being in a same user group created on an instant messaging application, the synchronization group create message carrying a first terminal identifier and a synchronization group identifier, the synchronization group create message being used for requesting that the second terminal join a synchronization group, and the first terminal sending the synchronization group create message to the second terminal comprising multicasting, by the first terminal, the synchronization group create message to the second terminal in a local area network;

receiving, by the first terminal, a synchronization group join message from the second terminal, the synchronization group join message indicating that the second terminal has agreed to join the synchronization group, the synchronization group join message comprising a second terminal identifier and the synchronization group identifier, the synchronization group being a group in which the first terminal is allowed to automatically synchronize with the second terminal, and the first terminal receiving the synchronization group join message from the second terminal comprising receiving, by the first terminal, the synchronization group join message multicasted in the local area network from the second terminal;

storing, by the first terminal, the second terminal identifier in a group member information;

subsequently discovering, by the first terminal, the second terminal according to the group member information;

establishing, by the first terminal when the first terminal determines that the second terminal belongs to the same synchronization group as the first terminal, a connection to the second terminal according to the second terminal identifier and using a short-range wireless communications technology; and

synchronizing, by the first terminal, the first terminal sharing content and second terminal sharing content.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein sending, by the first terminal, the synchronization group create message to the second terminal comprises sending, by the first terminal, the synchronization group create message to a message server, and receiving, by the first terminal, the synchronization group join message from the second terminal comprises receiving, by the first terminal, the synchronization group join message from the second terminal via the message server.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization group create message further carries a shared folder name, and before discovering the second terminal, the method further comprises:

creating, by the first terminal, a first terminal shared folder corresponding to the shared folder name; and

storing, by the first terminal, first terminal sharing content description information in the first terminal shared folder, and

wherein synchronizing, by the first terminal, the first terminal sharing content and second terminal sharing content comprises;

acquiring, by the first terminal, corresponding sharing content using the connection and according to the first terminal sharing content description information stored in the first terminal shared folder and second terminal sharing content description information stored in a second terminal shared folder; and

synchronizing the corresponding sharing content with the second terminal.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein before synchronizing, by the first terminal, the first terminal sharing content and second terminal sharing content, the method further comprises:

authenticating, by the first terminal, the second terminal; and

succeeding in the authentication.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein before the synchronizing, by the first terminal, the first terminal sharing content and second terminal sharing content, the method further comprises determining, by the first terminal, that a current moment falls within a preset synchronization period of time.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein synchronizing, by the first terminal, the first terminal sharing content and the second terminal sharing content comprises:

establishing, by a central node, a first TCP connection to the first terminal and a second TCP connection to the second terminal, the central node belonging to the synchronization group;

acquiring, by the central node, a first terminal sharing content directory and a second terminal sharing content directory using a Browse or a Search action in a universal plug and play (UPnP) content directory service (CDS);

determining, by the central node according to the first terminal sharing content directory and the second terminal sharing content directory, that the first terminal sharing content and the second terminal sharing content have been downloaded locally by comparing name information with that of locally saved content; and

synchronizing, by the first terminal, the first terminal sharing content and second terminal sharing content using the central node.

7. A first terminal, comprising:

a transceiver,

a memory configured to store executable program code; and

a processor coupled to the transceiver and the memory and configured to execute the executable program code to run a program corresponding to the executable program code, which causes the processor to be configured to;

determine first terminal sharing content;

send, via the transceiver, a synchronization group create message to a second terminal, the first terminal and the second terminal being in a same user group created on an instant messaging application, the synchronization group create message carrying a first terminal identifier and a synchronization group identifier, and the synchronization group create message being used for requesting that the second terminal join a synchronization group;

receive, via the transceiver, a synchronization group join message from the second terminal, the synchronization group join message indicating that the second terminal has agreed to join the synchronization group, the synchronization group join message comprising a second terminal identifier and the synchronization group identifier, and the synchronization group being a group in which the first terminal is allowed to automatically synchronize with the second terminal;

store the second terminal identifier in a group member information;

subsequently discover the second terminal according to the group member information;

establish, using the transceiver and a short-range wireless communications technology, a connection to the second terminal according to the second terminal identifier when the first terminal determines that the second terminal belongs to the same synchronization group as the first terminal;

synchronize, using the transceiver and the connection, the first terminal sharing content and second terminal sharing content; and

multicast, using the transceiver, the synchronization group create message to the second terminal in a local area network; and

receive, using the transceiver, the synchronization group join message multicasted in the local area network from the second terminal.

8. The first terminal of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to use the transceiver to:

send the synchronization group create message to a message server; and

receive the synchronization group join message from the second terminal via the message server.

9. The first terminal of claim 7, wherein the synchronization group create message further carries a shared folder name, and the processor is further configured to:

create a first terminal shared folder corresponding to the shared folder name;

use the memory to store first terminal sharing content description information in the first terminal shared folder;

acquire, via the transceiver, corresponding sharing content using the connection and according to the first terminal sharing content description information stored in the first terminal shared folder and second terminal sharing content description information stored in a second terminal shared folder; and

synchronize, via the transceiver, the corresponding sharing content with the second terminal.

10. The first terminal of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to authenticate the second terminal.

11. The first terminal of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to determine whether a current moment falls within a preset synchronization period of time before synchronizing the first terminal sharing content and the second terminal sharing content.