Media File Synchronization

• US 20110313972A1
• Filed: 06/16/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Albouze, Jean-Francois
• Granted Patent: US 8,825,598 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/624
• 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 16/48 Retrieval characterised by using metadata, e.g. metadata not derived from the content or metadata generated manually

Abstract

Among other things, methods, systems and computer program products are disclosed for manipulating media. In one aspect, synchronization of media files involves identifying a change to an attribute associated with a media file associated with a first media file library located on the host system; accessing a client device list including device IDs for devices associated with the first media file library; identifying a first client device indicated by the device list; accessing a first synchronization order file stored on a server system; modifying the first synchronization order file to indicate the change to the attribute associated with the media file; and providing the modified first synchronization order file to the server system to enable the first client device to apply the indicated change to the attribute associated with the media file within a second media file library located on the first client device.

Claims

1. A method performed by one or more processors executing on a host system, the method comprising:

identifying a change to an attribute associated with a media file, where the media file is associated with a first media file library located on the host system;

accessing a client device list that includes device IDs for client devices associated with the first media file library;

identifying a first client device indicated by the device list;

modifying a first synchronization order file specific to the identified first client device and stored on a server system to indicate the identified change to the attribute associated with the media file; and

providing the modified first synchronization order file to the server system to enable the first client device to access the first synchronization order file and apply the indicated change to the attribute associated with the media file within a second media file library located on the first client device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the device list includes retrieving the device list from the server system.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein accessing the device list further includes transmitting a lock order to the server system to lock the device list for editing by the host system.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the first synchronization order file includes transmitting a lock order to the server system to lock the first synchronization order file for editing by the host system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein providing the modified first synchronization order file to the server system includes transmitting a lock release order to the server system to unlock the first synchronization order file.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting a notification to the first client device notifying the first client device to access the first synchronization order file.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving an indication of the first synchronization order file having been received by the first client device; and

removing the indication of the change to the attribute associated with the media file from the first synchronization order file responsive to receiving the indication of the first synchronization order file having been received.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

prior to providing the modified first synchronization order file, identifying a change to an attribute associated with a second media file; and

updating the first synchronization order file to include an indication of the change to the attribute associated with the second media file.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a second synchronization order file stored on the server system, that is specific to the host system, where the second synchronization order file includes an indication of a change to an attribute associated with a second media file, where the second media file is associated with both the first and second media file libraries; and

applying the indicated change to the attribute associated with the second media file within the first media file library.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein accessing the second synchronization order file includes transmitting a lock order to the server system to lock the first synchronization order file for use by the host system.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

modifying the second synchronization order file to remove the indication of the change to the attribute associated with the second media file from the second synchronization order file; and

providing the modified second synchronization order file to the server system.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the indication of the change to the attribute associated with the second media file is added to the second synchronization order file by the first client device.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the second synchronization order file includes indications of changes to attributes associated with media files that have been added to the second synchronization order file by at least two devices, the two devices being different from the host system.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the change to the attribute constitutes a change to metadata associated with the media file.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing a synchronization order file for each device indicated by the device list as being associated with the first media library;

modifying each of the accessed synchronization order files to indicate the change to the attribute associated with the media file; and

providing the modified synchronization orders to the server system to enable the respective associated devices to access their respective modified synchronization order files and apply the indicated change to the attribute associated with the media file within a media file library located on each device.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that a value associated with the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold; and

in response to the determining, generating a download order that is specific to the first client device, where the download order indicates that one or more media files are to be downloaded by the first client device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein determining that a value associated with the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold includes determining that a number of changes to attributes associated with media files included in the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein determining that a value associated with the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold includes determining that an amount of memory storage space required to store the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first synchronization order file includes one or more additional indications of changes to attributes associated with one or more media files where the one or more additional indications of changes to attributes associated with one or more media files were added to the first synchronization order file by one or more devices other than the host system.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that an indication of the first synchronization order having been received by the server system has not been received within a predetermined time-out period; and

re-transmitting the first synchronization order to the server system responsive to the determining.

21. A method performed by one or more processors executing on a host computer system, the method comprising:

detecting that a first portable electronic device is within a predefined communications proximity relative to the host computer system;

establishing wireless communications with the first portable electronic device;

receiving an indication of a device ID associated with the first portable electronic device from the first portable electronic device;

accessing a device list that includes device IDs for devices associated with a first media file library located on the host computer system;

identifying the first portable electronic device as being associated with the first media file library using the received device ID and the device list;

modifying a first synchronization order file that is specific to the first portable electronic device to indicate a change to an attribute associated with a media file, where the media file is associated with the first media file library; and

transmitting the first synchronization order file to the first portable electronic device to enable the first portable electronic device to apply the indicated change to the attribute associated with the media file within a second media file library located on the first portable electronic device.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving security information from the first portable electronic device; and

using the received security information to determine that the first portable electronic device is permitted to receive synchronization order files associated with the first media file library.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the first synchronization order file is transmitted to the first portable electronic device in response to an access request received from the first portable electronic device.

24. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving a modified first synchronization order file from the first portable electronic device, where the indication of the change to the attribute associated with the media file has been removed from the modified first synchronization order; and

storing the modified first synchronization order in a memory of the host computer system.

25. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

prior to transmitting the first synchronization order file, receiving an access request from a second portable electronic device, and

allowing the second portable electronic device to modify the first synchronization order file in response to the received access request;

where the second portable electronic device modifies the first synchronization order file to indicate a change to an attribute associated with a second media file.

26. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving an access request from the first portable electronic device, where the access request indicates a second synchronization order file;

allowing the first portable electronic device to modify the second synchronization order file to indicate a change to an attribute associated with a second media file in response to the received access request, where the second media file is associated with both the first and second media file libraries;

accessing the second synchronization order file to identify the indication of the change to the attribute associated with the second media file; and

applying the indicated change to the second media file within the first media file library.

27. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

accessing a synchronization order file for each device indicated by the device list as being associated with the first media library that is within a predefined communications proximity relative to the host computer system,

modifying each of the accessed synchronization order files to indicate the change to the attribute associated with the media file; and

transmitting the modified synchronization order files to the respective associated devices to enable each device to apply the indicated change to the attribute associated with the media file within a media file library located on each device.

28. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

determining that a value associated with the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold;

in response to the determining, generating a download order that is specific to the first portable electronic device, where the download order indicates that one or more media files are to be downloaded by the first portable electronic device; and

transmitting the download order to the second device.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein determining that a value associated with the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold includes determining that a number of changes to attributes associated with media files included in the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold.

30. The method of claim 28, wherein determining that a value associated with the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold includes determining that an amount of memory storage space required to store the first synchronization order file exceeds a predetermined threshold.

31. A system configured to facilitate synchronization of media files among two or more devices, the system comprising:

(i) an intermediate server configured to host a synchronization order file that facilitates synchronization of a host media library with at least one other media library; and

(ii) a host device that hosts the host media library and that is configured to execute processes to perform the following;

detect that information associated with one or more media files within the host media library has changed;

communicate with the intermediate server to temporarily prevent the synchronization order file from being altered by entities other than the host device;

modify the synchronization order file to reflect the detected changed information; and

communicate with the intermediate serve to allow the synchronization order file to be altered by entities other than the host device.

32. A system according to claim 31 further comprising a client device that maintains a client media library and that is configured to communicate with the intermediate server to access the synchronization order file and to use information stored therein to synchronize the client media library with the host media library.

33. An article embodying machine readable instructions that when executed cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

identify a change to an attribute associated with a media file, where the media file is associated with a first media file library located on a host system;

access a client device list that includes device IDs for devices associated with the first media file library;

identify a first client device indicated by the device list;

access a first synchronization order file stored on a server system, that is specific to the first client device, using an identified device ID for the first client device,

modify the first synchronization order file to indicate the change to the attribute associated with the media file; and

provide the modified first synchronization order file to the server system to enable the first client device to access the first synchronization order file and apply the indicated change to the attribute associated with the media file within a second media file library located on the first client device.