Cloud-based data synchronization

• US 10,791,538 B1
• Filed: 07/06/2012
• Issued: 09/29/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Bluestack Systems, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Bluestack Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Saraf, Suman, Reese, Jr., David P., Sawhney, Harvinder Singh, Sharma, Shashi Kant
• Primary Examiner(s): Dollinger, Tonia L
• Assistant Examiner(s): Rashid, Ishrat
• Application Number:
  US13/543,052
• Time in Patent Office: 3,007 Days
• Field of Search: 709223
• 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: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to cloud-based data synchronization. Two or more devices associated with an account in a cloud can be synched. The account is configured to manage publishing and subscription relationships between these devices such that a first device is able to publish data to the account in the cloud, and a second device is able to subscribe to the data from the account. In some embodiments, the account is configured to determine whether the second device has proper dependencies for subscribing to the data, and to prevent the second device from subscribing to the data upon determining that the second device does not have proper dependencies. However, in some embodiments, proper dependencies are automatically satisfied by downloading and installing a tool configured to properly process the data (e.g., execute applications) on the second device.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to perform a method comprising:

a. creating a user account in a cloud;

b. pairing with the user account, a secondary publishing device that is associated with and is configured for pairing with the user account in the cloud;

c. managing publishing and subscription relationships between a primary subscribing device and the secondary publishing device, wherein the primary subscribing device is associated with and is configured for pairing with the user account in the cloud, wherein the primary subscribing device has a first type of operating system implemented thereon and the secondary publishing device has a second type of operating system implemented thereon different from the first type of operating system, and wherein managing publishing and subscription relationships between the primary subscribing device and the secondary publishing device comprises configuring the primary subscribing device to execute data that is published by the secondary publishing device to the user account in the cloud, said publishing of the data by the secondary publishing device being implemented while said secondary publishing device is paired with the user account in the cloud, said configuring comprising;

(i) checking whether the primary subscribing device includes installed thereon an application player that supports the second type of operating system that is implemented on the secondary publishing device, wherein said application player is configured to run an application published by the secondary publishing device to the user account in the cloud, such that the data published by the secondary publishing device to the user account in the cloud is executable on the primary subscribing device, and

(ii) responsive to a determination that the primary subscribing device does not have installed thereon the application player that supports the second type of operating system,

preventing the primary subscribing device from subscribing to the data published by the secondary publishing device to the user account in the cloud until the primary subscribing device has installed thereon, the application player that supports the second type of operating system;

automatically pushing the application player from the user account to the primary subscribing device for installation on the primary subscribing device, such that the data published by the secondary publishing device is retrieved from the user account and stored in a guest operating system associated with the application player while the primary subscribing device is paired with the user account in the cloud, wherein the guest operating system includes the second type of operating system, and

enabling the primary subscribing device to subscribe to the data published by the secondary publishing device to the user account in the cloud, subsequent to the application player being installed on the primary subscribing device.

2. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein managing publishing and subscription relationships includes synching data between the primary subscribing device and the secondary publishing device.

3. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 2, wherein synching data includes publishing data from one of the primary subscribing device and the secondary publishing device, and subscribing to the data from the other device.

4. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the secondary publishing device is paired with the user account via a shared secret.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 1, wherein the secondary publishing device is paired with the user account via public key cryptography.

6. A method of synching two devices associated with a user account in a cloud, the method comprising:

a. pairing with the user account, a source device that is associated with and configured for pairing with the user account in the cloud, and publishing data to the user account in the cloud from a source device while the source device is communicatively coupled with the user account in the cloud;

b. configuring a target device to execute data published by the source device to the user account in the cloud, wherein the target device has a first type of operating system implemented thereon and the source device has a second type of operating system implemented thereon different than the first type of operating system, wherein said configuring of the target device comprises;

(i) checking whether the target device includes installed thereon an application player that supports the second type of operating system that is implemented on the source device, wherein said application player is configured to run an application published by the source device to the user account in the cloud, such that the data published by the source device to the user account in the cloud is executable on the target device,

(ii) responsive to a determination that the target device does not have installed thereon the application player that supports the second type of operating system that is implemented on the source device,

preventing the target device from subscribing to the data published by the source device to the user account in the cloud until the target device has installed thereon, the application player that supports the second type of operating system;

pushing the application player to the target device for installation on the target device while the target device is paired with the user account in the cloud, and

enabling the target to subscribe to the data published by the source device to the user account in the cloud, subsequent to the application player being installed on the target device; and

(iii) responsive to a determination that the target device has installed thereon the application player that supports the second type of operating system that is implemented on the source device, subscribing from the target device to the data published by the source device to the user account in the cloud, while the target device is communicatively coupled with the user account in the cloud.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the source device and the target device supports a guest operating system.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the data published by the source device to the user account in the cloud includes at least one of an application, a phone book, a calendar, SMS messages, email, memos, a photo/video album, documents and folders.

9. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

a. pairing the source device with the user account in the cloud;

b. publishing one or more selected applications to the user account in the cloud from the source device; and

c. subscribing from the target device to the one or more selected applications published from the source device to the user account in the cloud.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein subscribing to the one or more applications published by the source device to the user account in the cloud includes downloading the one or more applications in an appropriate operating system supported by the target device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more applications published by the source device to the user account in the cloud are automatically downloaded in an appropriate operating system.

12. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

a. obtaining an application on the source device;

b. publishing the application to the cloud from the source device via the application player that is on the source device; and

c. subscribing from the source device to the application published to the cloud from the source device.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein obtaining an application includes using an application broker configured to interface with at least one application source to retrieve the application therefrom, wherein the application player that is on the source device includes the application broker.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the application is specific to a guest operating system, wherein the application is configured to run in the application player that is associated with the guest operating system but the application is not configured to run in a host operating system of the source device, wherein the application player is executed on the source device.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving by the application broker information regarding applications from a plurality of remote marketplaces, wherein at least a first portion of the applications is compatible with a guest operating system of the source device but is not compatible with a host operating system of the source device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein at least a second portion of the applications is compatible with the host operating system of the source device.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the application player is auto-configured to communicatively couple with the cloud.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein subscribing to the application includes pairing the target device with the user account in the cloud.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising, before publishing the application:

a. evaluating the application on the source device, wherein the application is not compatible with a native operating system of the source device; and

b. performing a purchase workflow to buy the application.

27. The method of claim 15, further comprising displaying a refined results list in the application broker, wherein the refined results list is determined by excluding duplicate entries from the information that represent application from two or more of the remote marketplaces such that each of the applications is represented only as a single entry in the refined results list.

20. A system for synching a plurality of devices, the system comprising:

a. a plurality of devices, each configured to communicatively couple with a cloud, wherein at least one first device of the plurality of devices has a first type of operating system implemented thereon, wherein at least one second device of the plurality of devices has a second type of operating system implemented thereon different than the first type of operating system; and

b. a server communicatively coupled with the cloud and providing a service including maintaining a user account in the cloud, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of devices including the at least one first device and the at least one second device are associated with and are configured for pairing with the user account in the cloud, and including managing publishing and subscription relationships between the associated devices, wherein the management includes configuring the at least one first device having the first type of operating system implemented thereon to execute data published by the at least one second device to the user account in the cloud, said publishing of the data by the at least one second device being implemented while said at least one second device is paired with the user account in the cloud, said configuring comprising;

(i) checking whether the at least one first device having the first type of operating system implemented thereon includes installed thereon an application player that supports the second type of operating system that the data is compatible with such that the data is executable on the at least one first device having the first type of operating system implemented thereon, and

(ii) responsive to determining that the application player is not installed on the at least one first device having the first type of operating system implemented thereon,

preventing the at least one first device from subscribing to the data published by the at least one second device to the user account in the cloud until the at least one first device has installed thereon, the application player that supports the second type of operating system;

pushing the application player to the at least one first device having the first type of operating system implemented thereon for installation on the at least one first device having the first type of operating system implemented thereon, while the at least one first device is paired with the user account in the cloud; and

enabling the at least one first device to subscribe to the data published by the at least one second device to the user account in the cloud, subsequent to the application player being installed on the at least one first device.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein at least one of the associated devices is configured to support a host operating system and a guest operating system.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein at least one of the associated devices is configured to communicatively couple with an application marketplace via a corresponding application player installed thereon.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the user account is configured to prevent one of the associated devices from subscribing applications upon determining that the one associated device does not have the application player installed thereon.

24. The system of claim 20, wherein the user account is configured to allow the at least one first device of the associated devices to publish an application to the cloud and the at least one second device of the associated devices to subscribe to the application from the cloud.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the at least one second device has the application player installed thereon.

26. The system of claim 20, wherein the user account is configured to properly manage rights for applications.