Work monitor with file synchronization

• US 7,363,330 B1
• Filed: 06/07/1999
• Issued: 04/22/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Bonamico, John, Ellman, Nancy
• Primary Examiner(s): Pardo; Thuy N.
• Application Number:
  US09/327,766
• Time in Patent Office: 3,242 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10, 707/201, 707/202, 707/203, 707/200, 707/204, 707/205, 709/227, 709/213, 340/825.44, 340/7.21, 395/157, 710/5, 711/161
• US Class Current: 707/620
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/182 Distributed file systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

When the user works at home on his home computer, a work monitor logs his file activities on all the drives of his home computer in a work monitor log, which can be displayed in a work monitor window. The user can choose to update from the work monitor window. When update is selected, the files in the work monitor log are selected for file synchronization. When file synchronization is performed, files on the user'"'"'s home computer are synchronized with corresponding files on the user'"'"'s office computer. Preferably, the date and time of a file on the home computer selected for file synchronization are compared to the corresponding date and time of the corresponding file on the office computer to determine the direction of file synchronization. The newer version of the file overwrites the older version of the file on either the home or office computer. The file activities which qualify for logging in the work monitor log are selectable by the user as either accesses to the file, for example, reading a file without necessarily writing over it, or as file modification, which requires that the user writes the file. The generation of the work monitor log involves logging each file activity when the work monitor is enabled by the user. The user may wish to disable the work monitor for periods of time for various reasons. The user may select a variable time period for which log entries are maintained in the work monitor log, for example one week. Work monitor log entries are deleted from the work monitor after they have been in the work monitor log for more than the variable time period.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing a file type between a first personal computer at home and a second personal computer at office, comprising the steps of:

receiving a selection from a user on said first computer of at least one file type to monitor;

monitoring said first computer for modifications to files of said selected file type;

receiving an accumulation of modifications to the files of said selected file type on the first computer, said modifications received from a user performing work on the first computer;

recording a file identification responsive to each modification to a file of said selected file type into a work monitor log;

reading said work monitor log and for each file identification in said work monitor log, identifying on said second computer a corresponding file identification representative of said recorded file identification;

determining, for each file identification in the work monitor log, subsequent to said step of identifying and without user intervention, whether said modified file on said first computer is more recent than said identified file on said second computer;

wherein said step of determining includes the steps of;

accessing a first date and time associated with said modified file;

accessing a second date and time associated with said identified file on said second computer; and

,

determining if said first date and time is more recent than said second date and time; and

,

automatically transferring said modified file to said second computer and automatically replacing said identified file on said second computer with said modified file on said first computer, only if it is determined that said modified file on said first computer is more recent than said identified file on said second computer.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of replacing includes the step of:

replacing said modified file on said first computer with said identified file on said second computer, if it is determined that said modified file on said first computer is not more recent than said identified file on said second computer.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said step of replacing said identified file on said second computer with said modified file on said first computer, replaces said identified file on said second computer with a copy of said modified file.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said work monitor log keeps track of work the user does on the first computer, said work including at least one of:

the files the user creates, modifies or accesses, calls the user makes and receives, and faxes the user sends and receives.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the user specifies types of files and activities the user wants the work monitor log to monitor and how long the user wants the activities to remain in the work monitor log.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the user selects a number of days to retain information in the work monitor log before automatically deleting said information.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

notifying the user of files that were modified on said first computer but have not yet synchronized with files on said second computer.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing a status report from said work monitor log, said status report including at least one of;

file modifications, phone activities and fax activities of the user.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said first computer is connected to said second computer via a remote connection in a remote control session.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

disabling the work monitor log by said user such that the work monitor log does not record the user'"'"'s activities for a period of time.