Application program interfaces and structures in a resource limited operating system

• US 6,704,807 B1
• Filed: 04/28/2000
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Miller, Mark, Mathur, Sharad, Johnson, Bruce, Hullender, Gregory, Ginsberg, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Follansbee, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): BULLOCK JR, LEWIS ALEXANDER
• Application Number:
  US09/561,230
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 709/316, 709/204-207, 709/200, 709/213, 709/328, 709/310, 709/315, 709/248, 707/201-204
• US Class Current: 719/328
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/54 Interprogram communication
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A set of Application Program Interfaces (APIs) for a resource-limited environment are disclosed. The APIs provide a mechanism for a computer application to interface with various components and modules of an operating system for a resource-limited environment. The APIs further provide a mechanism to interface with input/output devices commonly found in embedded systems running in a resource-limited environment.

Claims

1. In a computer system that is communicatively connectable to an embedded system that includes an operating system, wherein a current version of an object is contained at the computer system, a changed version of the object is contained at the embedded system, and the changed version of the object was modified subsequent to the current version of the object being modified, a method for synchronizing the current version of the object with the changed version of the object so as to cause the current version of the object and the updated version of the object to contain the sane data, the method comprising the acts of:

accessing the current version of the object with a first object handle;

accessing the changed version of the object with a second object handle;

providing an indication to a user that the current version of the object and the updated version of the object conflicts;

providing an option to the user to resolve the conflict prior to transferring any corresponding changed version data between the embedded system and the computer system; and

if the user chooses to resolve the conflict, transferring the changed version data between the embedded system and the computer system to thereby replicate the changed version of the object and cause the changed version of the object to overwrite the current version of the object.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing the current version of the object with a first object handle comprises an act of accessing an object folder, which contains the current version of the object, using a third object handle.

3. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing the current version of the object with a first object handle comprises an act of accessing descriptive information associated with the current version of the object.

4. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing the changed version of the object with a second object handle comprises an act of accessing an object folder, which contains the changed version of the object, using a third object handle.

5. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of accessing the changed version of the object with a second object handle comprises an act of accessing descriptive information associated with the changed version of the object.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing an indication that the current version of the object and the updated version of the object conflict comprises an act of comparing a timestamp associated with the current version of the object to a timestamp associated with the changed version of the object.

7. The method is recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing an indication that the current version of the object and the updated version of the object conflict comprises an act of providing descriptive information about the current version of the object and the changed version of the object at a user-interface.

8. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the act of providing an indication that the current version of the object and the updated version of the object conflict comprises an act of providing an indication that the changed version of the object is a deleted version of the object.

9. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising an act of using a folder handle to access an object folder that stores objects.

10. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the embedded system comprises a hand-held computer and the computer system comprises a desktop computer system.

11. In a computer system that is communicatively connectable to an embedded system that includes an operating system, wherein objects stored at the computer system are synchronized with objects stored at the embedded system, a method for notifying the computer system that an object stored at the embedded system is a changed version of an object stored at the computer system, the method comprising the acts of:

representing a copy of an object stored at the embedded system with a first object handle;

representing a copy of the object stored at the computer system with a second object handle,

accessing data from the copy of the object stored at the embedded system and the copy of the object stored at the computer system;

receiving all indication at the computer system that the copy of the object stored at the embedded system has at least one of been deleted and changed from the copy of the object stored at the computer system; and

upon receiving the indication at the computer system, an act of providing a user an option to resolve any conflict between the copy of the object stored at the embedded system with the copy of the object stored at the computer system.

12. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of representing a copy of in object stored at the embedded system with a first object handle comprises an act of representing an object folder, which is associated with the copy of the object stored at the embedded system, with a folder object handle.

13. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of representing a copy of an object stored at the computer system with a first object handle comprises an act of representing an object folder, which is associated with the copy or the object stored at the computer system, with a folder object handle.

14. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of accessing application data from the copies of the objects stored at the embedded system and stored at the computer system using the first and second object handles comprises an act of accessing application data using the first object handle and the second object handle.

15. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the copy of the object stored at the embedded system and the copy of the object stored at the computer system contain different application data comprises an act of comparing application data that was accessed using the first and second object handles.

16. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the copy of the object stored at the embedded system and the copy of the object stored at the computer system contain different application data comprises the act of receiving an indication that the copy of the object stored at the embedded system was deleted.

17. A computer program product for use in a computer system that is communicatively connectable to an embedded system that includes an operating system, the computer program product for implementing a method for synchronizing a copy of an object stored at the computer system with a copy of the object stored at the embedded system the computer program product comprising the following:

one or more computer-readable media carrying computer-executable instructions, that when executed at the computer system, cause the computer system to perform the method, including;

accessing the current version of the object with a first object handle;

accessing the changed version of the object with a second object handle;

providing an indication to a user that the current version of the object and the updated version of the object conflict;

providing an option to the user to resolve the conflict prior to transferring any corresponding changed version data between the embedded system and the computer system;

if the user chooses to resolve the conflict, transferring the changed version data between the embedded system and the computer system to thereby replicate the changed version of the object and cause the changed version of the object to overwrite the current version of the object.

18. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein accessing the copy of the object with a first object handle comprises accessing an object folder, which contains the copy of the object stored at the computer system, using a third object handle.

19. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein accessing the copy of the object with a first object handle comprises accessing descriptive information associated with the copy of the object stored at the computer system.

20. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein accessing the copy of the object with a second object handle comprises accessing an object folder, which contains the copy of the object stored at the embedded system, using a third object handle.

21. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein accessing the copy of the object with a second object handle comprises accessing descriptive information associated with the copy of the object stored at the embedded system.

22. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein providing an indication that the copy or the object stored at the computer system and the copy of the object stored at the embedded system conflict comprises comparing a timestamp associated with each copy.

23. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein providing an indication the copy of the object stored at the computer system and the copy of the object stored at the embedded system conflict comprises providing descriptive information at a user-interface about the copy of the object stored at the computer system and the copy of the object stored at the embedded system.

24. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein providing an indication that the copy of the object stored at the computer system and the copy of the object stored at the embedded system conflict comprises providing an indication that the copy of the object stored at the computer system is a deleted versions of the object.

25. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, further comprising using a folder handle to access an object folder that stores objects.

26. The computer program product as recited in claim 17, wherein the embedded system comprises a hand-held computer and the computer system comprises a desktop computer system.

27. A computer program product for use in a computer system that is communicatively connectable to an embedded system that includes an operating system, wherein objects stored at the computer system are synchronized with objects stored at the embedded system, the computer program product for implementing a method for notifying the computer system that an object stored at the embedded system is a changed version of an object stored at thee computer system, the computer program product comprising the following

one or more computer-readable media carrying computer-executable instructions, that when executed at the computer system, cause the computer system to perform the method including:

representing a copy of an object stored at the embedded system with a first object handle;

representing a copy of the object stored at the computer system with a second object handle;

accessing data from the copy of the object stored at the embedded system and the copy of the object stored at the computer system;

receiving an indication at the computer system that the copy of the object stored at the embedded system has at least one of been deleted and changed from the copy of the object stored at the computer system; and

upon receiving the indication at the computer system, an act of providing a user option to resolve any conflict between the copy of the object stored at the embedded system with the copy of the object stored at the computer system.

28. The method is recited in claim 27, wherein the act of representing a copy of an object stored at the embedded system with a first object handle comprises an act of representing an object folder, which is associated with the copy of the object stored at the embedded system, with a folder object handle.

29. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the act of representing a copy of an object stored at the computer system with a first object handle comprises an act of representing an object folder, which is associated with the copy of the object stored at the computer system, with a folder object handle.

30. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the act of accessing application data front the copies of the objects stored at the embedded system and stored at the computer system using the first and second object handles comprises an act of accessing application data using the first object handle and the second object handle.

31. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the copy of the object stored at the embedded system and the copy of the object stored at the computer system contain different application data comprises an act of comparing application data that was accessed using the first and second object handles.

32. The method as recited in claim 27, wherein the act of receiving an indication that the copy of the object stored it the embedded system and the copy of the object stored at the computer system contain different application data comprises the act of receiving an indication that the copy of the object stored at the embedded system was deleted.