Synchronization methods and systems

• US 10,891,301 B2
• Filed: 04/03/2017
• Issued: 01/12/2021
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Freedman, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Phong H
• Application Number:
  US15/478,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20170300549A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,380 Days
• Field of Search: 707610, 707620, 707695
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• 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 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Synchronization architectures, methods, systems, and computer readable media are described. One exemplary embodiment includes a first software component which is configured to cause retrieval and storage of structured data for a first data class from a first store of the structured data on a device, such as a first data processing system, and is configured to synchronize structured data for the first data class in the first store with structured data of the first data class in a second store on a host, such as a second data processing system. The first software component is separate from an application software which provides a user interface to allow a user to access and edit the structured data. The first software component synchronizes the structured data through a second software component which interfaces with the host and the device and which controls an order of synchronizing and a plurality of data classes including the first data class.

Claims

1. A non-transitory machine readable storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause the data processing system to perform a method comprising:

executing at least one non-synchronization processing thread that is provided by a user application which generates a user interface to allow a user to access and edit structured data of a first data class in a first database on a first device;

executing a first synchronization processing thread concurrently with execution of the at least one non-synchronization processing thread, wherein the first synchronization processing thread is provided by a first synchronization software component separate from the user application, and wherein the first synchronization software component is configured to retrieve structured data of the first data class from the first database and cause synchronization of the retrieved structured data of the first data class with structured data on a second device through a synchronization agent software component configured to maintain a data connection between the first device and a second device;

executing a second synchronization processing thread different from the first synchronization processing thread, wherein the second synchronization processing thread is provided by a second synchronization software component separate from the user application and the first synchronization software component, and wherein the second synchronization software component is configured to of the second data class from a second database on the first device different from the first database and cause synchronization of the retrieved structured data of the second data class with structured data on the second device through the synchronization agent software component.

2. The medium as in claim 1, wherein the method is performed by the first device which includes a storage device that stores the first database and the second database, and wherein the structured data in the first database is synchronized with structured data in a third database stored on the second device.

3. The medium as in claim 2, wherein the structured data in the second database is synchronized with structured data in a fourth database stored on the second device.

4. The medium as in claim 3, wherein the structured data in the first database and the third database is in the first data class and the structured data in the second database and the fourth database is in the second data class.

5. The medium as in claim 4, wherein the first data class and the second data class are different.

6. The medium as in claim 5, wherein the first synchronization software component and the second synchronization software component are data sources in a plug-in model of the synchronization agent software component.

7. The medium as in claim 5, wherein the first data class is one of:

calendar data, contact data, notes data, or email data.

8. The medium as in claim 7, wherein the non-synchronization processing thread is provided by one of:

a calendar application, a contacts application, a notes application, or an email application.

9. The medium as in claim 8, wherein synchronization between the first device and the second device occurs through an authenticated connection in which at least one device authenticates itself to the other device.

10. The medium as in claim 8, wherein a lock on the first database is acquired when the first synchronization processing thread synchronizes structured data in the first database.

11. A machine implemented method, comprising:

executing at least one non-synchronization processing thread that is provided by a user application which generates a user interface to allow a user to access and edit structured data of a first data class in a first database on a first device;

executing a first synchronization processing thread concurrently with execution of the at least one non-synchronization processing thread, wherein the first synchronization processing thread is provided by a first synchronization software component separate from the user application, and wherein the first synchronization software component is configured to retrieve structured data of the first data class from the first database and cause synchronization of the retrieved structured data of the first data class with structured data on a second device through a synchronization agent software component configured to maintain a data connection between the first device and a second device;

executing a second synchronization processing thread different from the first synchronization processing thread, wherein the second synchronization processing thread is provided by a second synchronization software component separate from the user application and the first synchronization software component, and wherein the second synchronization software component is configured to retrieve structured data of a second data class from a second database on the first device different from the first database and cause synchronization of the retrieved structured data of the second data class with structured data on the second device through the synchronization agent software component.

12. The method as in claim 11, wherein the method is performed by the first device which includes a storage device that stores the first database and the second database, and wherein the structured data in the first database is synchronized with structured data in a third database stored on the second device.

13. The method as in claim 12, wherein the structured data in the second database is synchronized with structured data in a fourth database stored on the second device.

14. The method as in claim 13, wherein the structured data in the first database and the third database is in the first data class and the structured data in the second database and the fourth database is in the second data class.

15. The method as in claim 14, wherein the first data class and the second data class are different.

16. The method as in claim 15, wherein the first synchronization software component and the second synchronization software component are data sources in a plug-in model of the synchronization agent software component.

17. The method as in claim 15, wherein the first data class is one of:

calendar data, contact data, notes data, or email data.

18. The method as in claim 17, wherein the non-synchronization processing thread is provided by one of:

a calendar application, a contacts application, a notes application, or an email application.

19. The method as in claim 18, wherein synchronization between the first device and the second device occurs through an authenticated connection in which at least one device authenticates itself to the other device.

20. The medium as in claim 18, wherein a lock on the first database is acquired when the first synchronization processing thread synchronizes structured data in the first database.