Visual representation of a local backup

• US 8,943,026 B2
• Filed: 01/13/2012
• Issued: 01/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Giampaolo, Dominic B., Weiss, Eric, McIntyre, Kristen A., Cisler, Pavel
• Primary Examiner(s): Saeed, Usmaan
• Assistant Examiner(s): VO, CECILE H
• Application Number:
  US13/350,537
• Publication Number:
  US 20120185438A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,110 Days
• Field of Search: 707/625, 707/722, 707/769, 707/654, 707/999.204
• US Class Current: 707/654
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/188 Virtual file systems

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for storing data. In one aspect, a method includes receiving a user input to present a visual representation of a first prior state of a file system; generating the first visual representation of a first prior state of the file system at a first time in the past according to a first virtual file system corresponding to that first time; presenting the first visual representation, where the first virtual file system is a reduced representation of the file system at that first time; receiving a user input to present a second visual representation of a second prior state of the file system at a second time in the past according to a second virtual file system corresponding to that second time; and presenting the second visual representation.

Claims

1. A method performed by data processing apparatus, the method comprising:

receiving a user input to present a visual representation of a first prior state of a file system, wherein the file system comprises one or more data items organized according to a hierarchy;

generating the first visual representation of a first prior state of the file system, wherein generating the first visual representation comprises;

determining a first result set based on a comparison between the file system and a first virtual file system associated with the first prior state of the file system; and

generating the first visual representation base on the result set,

wherein the first virtual file system comprises one or more hierarchically organized elements, the elements indicating changes introduced to the file system after a first time point associated with the first prior state of the file system

presenting the first visual representation, the first virtual representation comprising a user-navigable representation of the data items and the hierarchy of the file system according to the first prior state;

receiving a user input to present a second visual representation of a second prior state of the file system;

generating the second visual representation of the second prior state of the file system, wherein generating the second visual representation comprises;

determining a second result set based on a comparison between the first result set and a second virtual file system associated with the second prior state of the file system; and

generating the second visual representation based on the second result set,

wherein the second virtual file system comprises one or more hierarchically organized elements, the elements indicating changes introduced to the file system after a second time point associated with the second prior state of the file system;

presenting the second visual representation, the second visual representation comprising a user-navigable representation of the data items and the hierarchy of the file system according to the second prior state;

receiving an input to restore a particular data item presented in the first visual representation or the second visual representation;

identifying backup data corresponding to the particular presented data item; and

restoring the backup data to the file system.

2. The method of claim 1, where the input to present a first prior state is received while presenting a current file system interface window and where the generating includes presenting a visual representation of the same file system interface window corresponding to an earlier point in time.

3. A system comprising:

one or more computing devices operable to perform operations including;

receiving a user input to present a visual representation of a first prior state of a file system, where the file system comprises one or more data items organized according to a hierarchy;

generating the first visual representation of a first prior state of the file system, wherein generating the first visual representation comprises;

determining a first result set based on a comparison between the file system and a first virtual file system associated with the first prior state of the file system; and

generating the first visual representation based on the result set,

wherein the first virtual file system comprises one or more hierarchically organized elements, the elements indicating changes introduced to the file system after a first time point associated with the first prior state of the file system;

presenting the first visual representation, the first visual representation comprising a user-navigable representation of the data items and the hierarchy of the file system according to the first prior state;

receiving a user input to present a second visual representation of a second prior state of the file system;

generating the second visual representation of the second prior state of the file system, wherein generating the second visual representation comprises;

determining a second result set based on a comparison between the first result set and a second virtual file system associated with the second prior state of the file system; and

generating the second visual representation based on the second result set,

wherein the second virtual file system comprises one or more hierarchically organized elements, the elements indicating changes introduced to the file system after a second time point associated with the second prior state of the file system;

presenting the second visual representation, the second visual representation comprising a user-navigable representation of the data items and the hierarchy of the file system according to the second prior state;

receiving an input to restore a particular data item presented in the first visual representation or the second visual representation;

identifying backup data corresponding to the particular presented data item; and

restoring the backup data to the file system.

4. The system of claim 3, where the input to present a first prior state is received while presenting a current file system interface window and where the generating includes presenting a visual representation of the same file system interface window corresponding to an earlier point in time.

5. A non-transitory computer storage medium encoded with a computer program, the program comprising instructions that when executed by data processing apparatus cause the data processing apparatus to perform operations comprising:

receiving a user input to present a visual representation of a first prior state of a file system, wherein the system comprises one or more data items organized according to a hierarchy;

generating the first visual representation of a first prior state of the file system, wherein generating the first visual representation comprises;

determining a first result set based on a comparison between the file system and a first virtual file system associated with the first prior state of the file system; and

generating the first visual representation based on the result set,

wherein the first virtual file system comprises one or more hierarchically organized elements, the elements indicating changes introduced to the file system after a first time point associated with the first prior state of the file system;

presenting the first visual representation, the first visual representation comprising a user-navigable representation of the data items and the hierarchy of the file system according to the first prior state;

receiving a user input to present a second visual representation of a second prior state of the file system;

generating the second visual representation of the second prior state of the file system, wherein generating the second visual representation comprises;

determining a second result set based on a comparison between the first result set and a second virtual file system associated with the second prior state of the file system; and

generating the second visual representation based on the second result set,

wherein the second virtual file system comprises one or more hierarchically organized elements, the elements indicating changes introduced to the file system after a second time point associated with the second prior state of the file system;

presenting the second visual representation, the second visual representation comprising a user-navigable representation of the data items and the hierarchy of the file system according to the second prior state;

receiving an input to restore a particular data item presented in the first visual representation or the second visual representation;

identifying backup data corresponding to the particular presented data item from the first virtual file system; and

restoring the backup data to the file system.