System and method for resolving conflicts detected during a synchronization session

• US 6,993,522 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2001
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Moore, Brian, Foster, Mike A., Miles, Steven, Chen, James S. L., Flanagin, Stephen D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Alam, Shahid Al
• Application Number:
  US09/892,676
• Publication Number:
  US 20030055825A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,679 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/236, 709/248, 709/203, 709/206, 709/205, 709/3, 709/7, 709/8, 709/10, 700/90
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 16/278 Data partitioning, e.g. horizontal or vertical partitioning
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method is described for resolving a conflict detected while synchronizing a first data object in a first store associated with a mobile device and a second data object in a second store associated with a server. Once the conflict is detected, properties of the first data object are compared with corresponding properties of the second data object. If the properties and the corresponding properties that differ are designated as mergeable properties, the properties and the corresponding properties are merged. Merging the properties involves sending a preferred state associated with each of the properties and the corresponding properties to the mobile device and the server for updating the first data object and second data object, respectively, when an initial state for the properties and the corresponding properties is different than the preferred state. The preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state of the property or the corresponding property. The merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device. In addition, the entire first data object or second data object is not sent to the mobile device to achieve the merge, thereby minimizing the data transfer to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for resolving a conflict detected while synchronizing a first data file in a first store associated with a mobile device and a second data file in a second store associated with a server, comprising:

designating at least one property of the first data file as a mergeable property and at least one corresponding property of the second data file as a corresponding mergeable property;

determining when the conflict detected comprises a difference between the at least one mergeable property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data file; and

when the conflict detected does not comprise a difference between the at least one mergeable property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data file, indicating that the at least one mergeable property of the first data file and that at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data file are not dirty, wherein synchronization is not performed; and

when the conflict detected comprises a difference between the at least one mergeable property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data file, merging the at least one mergeable property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data file to form a single identical data file in each of the first and second stores.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein merging the first data file and the second data file comprises determining a preferred state for each of the at least one mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property that differ and storing the preferred state in the mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property if an initial state of the mergeable property and the corresponding mergeable property is different than the preferred state.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the preferred state is related to a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first data file and the second data file comprise an email file, the mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property comprises a read indicator, and the preferred state comprises an unread state.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising sending a notification to the mobile device if merging of the first data file and the second data file was performed.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, wherein the notification includes an identifier associated with the first data file, a property name associated with the mergeable property in conflict, and a status describing the conflict.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first data file and the second data file comprise an email file and the at least one mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property comprises a read indicator.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the first data file and the second data file comprise an appointment file and the at least one mergeable property and corresponding mergeable property comprises a reminder and a reminder time.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 9, wherein the conflict is resolved by merging a reminder with an earlier reminder time of the conflicting properties as the value for both properties.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising determining if values associated with the at least one mergeable property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding mergeable property of the second data file are the same, and if so, dismissing the conflict.

12. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for synchronizing a first data file associated with a mobile device and a second data file associated with a server, the instructions comprising:

receiving a request for a synchronization event that synchronizes the first data file with the second data file;

during the synchronization event, comparing the first data file to the second data file to determine whether one of the first data file and second data file is dirty;

when the first data file and the second data file are not dirty, dismissing the synchronization event;

when the first data file and the second data file are dirty, performing a conflict resolution, wherein the conflict resolution includes;

indicating that the first data file and the second data file are not dirty when the first data file and the second data file are not different; and

automatically merging a mergeable property of the first data file with a corresponding mergeable property of the second data file, when the first data file and the second data file are different.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein merging the mergeable property of the first data file with the corresponding mergeable property of the second data file comprises:

determining a preferred state for the mergeable property and the corresponding mergeable property;

sending the preferred state to the mobile device if an initial state of the mergeable property of the first data file is different than the preferred state; and

sending the preferred state to the server if the initial state of the corresponding mergeable property of the second data file is different than the preferred state.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 13, wherein the preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein merging is performed without user-intervention on the mobile device.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first data file comprises a set of properties and merging includes sending a sub-set of the set of properties to the mobile device if an initial state of the mergeable property that differs from the corresponding mergeable property is different than a preferred state.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the sub-set includes the mergeable property that differs from the corresponding mergeable property.

18. The computer-readable medium of claim 16, wherein the preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be lost if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

19. A system for resolving a conflict detected during a synchronization session, comprising:

a first device associated with a first data store, the first store storing a plurality of data files;

a second device associated with a second data store, the second data store storing a plurality of corresponding data files, each corresponding data file being associated with one of the data files stored in the first store; and

a server configured to;

determining whether at least one of the plurality of data files is dirty;

determining whether at least one of the plurality of corresponding data files is dirty;

when the at least one of the plurality of data files and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding data files are not dirty, not performing the synchronization session;

when the at least one of the plurality of data files and the at least one of the corresponding data files are dirty, performing a conflict resolution, wherein the conflict resolution includes;

removing a dirty indication when the at least one of the plurality of data files and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding data files are not different; and

merging the at least one of the plurality of data files and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding data files when the at least one of the plurality of data files and the at least one of the plurality of corresponding data files are different and designated as mergeable properties.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is configured to merge the mergeable property of the data file and the corresponding mergeable property if different by sending a preferred state for the mergeable property to the mobile device if an initial state for the mergeable property is different than the preferred state and by sending the preferred state for the corresponding mergeable property to the server if the initial state for the corresponding mergeable property is different than the preferred state.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the preferred state is based on a likelihood that vital information would be loss if the preferred state did not replace the initial state when different.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the data file and the corresponding data file comprise an email file, the mergeable property and the corresponding mergeable property comprise a read indicator, and the preferred state comprises an unread state.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the server is configured to merge the mergeable property of the data file and the corresponding mergeable property without user-intervention on the first device.

24. A computer-implemented method for synchronizing a first data file and a second data file, comprising:

determining whether at least one corresponding property of a first data file is dirty;

determining whether at least one corresponding property of a second data file is dirty;

when the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding property of the second data file are not dirty, not synchronizing the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding file of the second data file;

when the at least one corresponding property of the first data file is dirty and the at least one corresponding property of the second data file is not dirty, synchronizing the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding file of the second data file to include identical information;

when the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding property of the second data file are dirty, performing a conflict resolution, wherein the conflict resolution includes;

deleting the at least one corresponding property of the first data file, when the at least one corresponding property of the second data file is deleted;

indicating that the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding property of the second data file are not dirty when the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding property of the second data file are not different; and

merging the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding property of the second data file when the at least one corresponding property of the first data file and the at least one corresponding property of the second data file are different and designated as mergeable properties.