Application state backup and restoration across multiple devices

• US 10,252,159 B2
• Filed: 08/11/2017
• Issued: 04/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Razer (Asia-Pacific) Pte. Ltd. (Razer Incorporated)
• Inventors: Quan, Justin, Chan, Michael A., Moss, Tom, Fleming, Michael K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Scott, Randy A
• Application Number:
  US15/674,579
• Publication Number:
  US 20170340966A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: 709205, 709206, 709207, 709217, 709231
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/23 for interfacing with the game device, e.g. specific interfaces between game controller and console
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/40 Processing input control signals of video game devices, e.g. signals generated by the player or derived from the environment
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/45 Controlling the progress of the video game
• CPC Class Codes: A63F 13/50 Controlling the output signals based on the game progress
• 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 9/461 Saving or restoring of program or task context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4856 resumption being on a different machine, e.g. task migration, virtual machine migration G06F9/5088 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/60 Subscription-based services using application servers or record carriers, e.g. SIM application toolkits

Abstract

Some examples include backing up and restoring an application state across multiple devices. For example, an instance of a computer application may be executed at a first electronic device and a backup event that occurs in the first electronic device may be determined. The backup event may suggest a backup of application state data and the application state data may represent an application state of the computer application at the backup event. The application state data of the computer application is transmitted to a remote storage service in response to the backup event. A second electronic device can retrieve the application state data from the remote storage service and restore the application state.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

running an instance of a computer application at a first electronic device;

determining a backup event that occurs in the first electronic device, wherein the backup event suggests a backup of application state data and the application state data represents an application state of the computer application at the backup event, wherein the backup event is an event from events including the instance of the computer application being closed, the instance of the computer application being paused, the instance of the computer application has been continuously running for a preconfigured period of time, the instance of the computer application being switched by another application, a battery level of the first electronic device being below a preconfigured value, the first electronic device turning off, the first electronic device switching to standby mode, a clock of the first electronic device reaching a preconfigured time of day, and the first electronic device being at a preconfigured location;

transmitting the application state data of the computer application to a remote storage service in response to the backup event;

determining a restore event that occurs in a second electronic device, wherein the restore event suggests a restoration of the application state of the computer application at the second electronic device; and

instructing the remote storage service to transmit the application state data of the computer application to the second electronic device in response to the restore event, wherein the second electronic device restores the computer application to the application state using the application state data.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first electronic device transmits the application state data at a background of an operating system of the first electronic device without user intervention.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining a second restore event that occurs in the first electronic device, wherein the second restore event suggests a restoration of the application state of the computer application at the first electronic device; and

retrieving the application state data of the computer application from the remote storage service in response to the second restore event, wherein the first electronic device restores the computer application to the application state using the application state data.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a confirmation that the computer application has been restored to the application state using the application state data.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the backup event is not instructed by a user who is operating the instance of the computer application.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the application state data of the computer application is immediately transmitted to the remote storage service in response to the backup event.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, in response to the backup event, the application state data of the computer application is transmitted to the remote storage service at a preconfigured time of day or when the first electronic device is at a preconfigured location.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein, in response to the backup event, the application state data of the computer application is transmitted to the remote storage service at a schedule depending on a type and a speed of a connection between the first electronic device and the remote storage service.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 8, wherein the schedule is determined so that the transmitting is delayed to use a WiFi connection, to avoid the transmitting using a cellular data connection.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the transmitting the application state data comprises:

transmitting, in response to the backup event, a difference between the application state data of the computer application and a previously transmitted application state data to the remote storage service.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a processor; and

a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the electronic device to perform operations comprising;

running an instance of a computer application at the electronic device;

determining a backup event that occurs in the electronic device, wherein the backup event suggests a backup of application state data and the application state data represents an application state of the computer application at the backup event, wherein the backup event is an event from events including the instance of the computer application being closed, the instance of the computer application being paused, the instance of the computer application has been continuously running for a preconfigured period of time, the instance of the computer application being switched by another application, a battery level of the electronic device being below a preconfigured value, the electronic device turning off, the electronic device switching to standby mode, a clock of the electronic device reaching a preconfigured time of day, and the electronic device being at a preconfigured location; and

transmitting the application state data of the computer application to a storage server in response to the backup event, wherein a restore event occurs in a second electronic device, wherein the restore event suggests a restoration of the application state of the computer application at the second electronic device, wherein the application state data of the computer application is transmitted from the storage server to the second electronic device in response to the restore event, wherein the application state data is used by the second electronic device to restore the computer application to the application state on the second electronic device.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise:

determining a second restore event that occurs in the electronic device, wherein the second restore event suggests a restoration of the application state of the computer application at the electronic device; and

retrieving the application state data of the computer application from the storage server in response to the second restore event.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the operations further comprise:

restoring the computer application to the application state at the electronic device using the application state data.

14. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the application state data includes application memory data, application local storage data, hardware configuration data, or user account configuration data.

15. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the computer application is a game application and the application state data includes game save data for the game application.

16. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving application state data from a first electronic device, wherein the application state data represents an application state at a backup event of an instance of a computer application running at the first electronic device, wherein the backup event occurs in the first electronic device and suggests a backup of the application state data, wherein the backup event is an event from events including the instance of the computer application being closed, the instance of the computer application being paused, the instance of the computer application has been continuously running for a preconfigured period of time, the instance of the computer application being switched by another application, a battery level of the first electronic device being below a preconfigured value, the first electronic device turning off, the first electronic device switching to standby mode, a clock of the first electronic device reaching a preconfigured time of day, and the first electronic device being at a preconfigured location;

determining a user identity for a user who runs the computer application at the first electronic device;

receiving a notice of a restore event including the user identity, the restore event occurs in a second electronic device, wherein the restore event suggests a restoration of the application state of the computer application at the second electronic device;

identifying the application state data associated with the user identity; and

transmitting the application state data to the second electronic device in response to the restore event, wherein the application state data is utilized by the computer application to resume the application state at the second electronic device.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, wherein the application state data is received from the first electronic device in such a manner that the first electronic device processes the application state data at a background of an operating system of the first electronic device without user intervention.

18. The computer-implemented method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining a priority list including a reference to the application state data, wherein the priority list regulates an order of transmitting the application state data for the computer application and data for other applications based on an analysis of a user profile and a hardware profile of at least the first electronic device.