File object synchronization between a desktop computer and a mobile device

Claim 1

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the objects having associated file names, the method comprising: maintain a mapping table which maps objects to be synchronized on the first object store with corresponding objects on the second object store; determining whether an object to be synchronized has been added to the second object store since a last synchronization process; if so, adding a corresponding object to the first object store during a subsequent synchronization process; determining whether the object added to the first object store during the subsequent synchronization process already exists on the first object store under a different file name; if so, deleting the already existing object from the first object store; and updating the mapping table to map the object added to the first object store to the object which was renamed on the second object store.

Claim 2

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the objects having associated file names, the method comprising: maintain a mapping table which maps objects to be synchronized on the first object store with corresponding objects on the second object store; determining whether an object to be synchronized has been added to the second object store since a last synchronization process; if so, adding a corresponding object to the first object store during a subsequent synchronization process; determining whether the object added to the first object store during the subsequent synchronization process already exists on the first object store under a different file name; if so, deleting the already existing object from the first object store; and updating the mapping table to map the object added to the first object store to the object which was renamed on the second object store.

Claim 8

A method of synchronizing an object indicative of file data from a first object store to a second object store, the method comprising: determining that the object is to be synchronized; preparing packets indicative of the object to be transmitted from the first object store to the second object store; determining whether the object to be synchronized is a new object in the second object store; if so, displaying a message indicating a file path location where the object is to be placed during synchronization and transmitting the object from the first object store to the second object store.

Claim 9

A method of synchronizing an object indicative of file data from a first object store to a second object store, the method comprising: determining that the object is to be synchronized; preparing packets indicative of the object to be transmitted from the first object store to the second object store; determining whether the object to be synchronized is a new object in the second object store; if so, displaying a message indicating a file path location where the object is to be placed during synchronization and transmitting the object from the first object store to the second object store.

Claim 12

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data, each object being one of a plurality of object types, between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object stare associated with a second computing device, the method comprising: maintaining a list of available converters for conversion of objects from a first format to a second format, each converter being configured to convert at least one of the object types, wherein the list is maintained based on the object types that the converter is configured to convert; determining that a selected object is to be synchronized; determining that the selected object is to be converted prior to synchronization; examining the list; generating an exclusion list including object types for which no converter is available; determining whether the selected object is of an object type included in the exclusion list; and if not, excluding the selected object from synchronization.

Claim 13

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data, each object being one of a plurality of object types, between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object stare associated with a second computing device, the method comprising: maintaining a list of available converters for conversion of objects from a first format to a second format, each converter being configured to convert at least one of the object types, wherein the list is maintained based on the object types that the converter is configured to convert; determining that a selected object is to be synchronized; determining that the selected object is to be converted prior to synchronization; examining the list; generating an exclusion list including object types for which no converter is available; determining whether the selected object is of an object type included in the exclusion list; and if not, excluding the selected object from synchronization.

Claim 19

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the first and second computing devices being remotely connectable to one another, the method comprising: determining that the first and second computing devices are remotely connected to one another; determining that a selected object is to be synchronized; and suppressing user interface dialog during synchronization, while allowing other computing operations to take place in the background, based on the determination that the first and second computing devices are remotely connected.

Claim 20

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the first and second computing devices being remotely connectable to one another, the method comprising: determining that the first and second computing devices are remotely connected to one another; determining that a selected object is to be synchronized; and suppressing user interface dialog during synchronization, while allowing other computing operations to take place in the background, based on the determination that the first and second computing devices are remotely connected.

Claim 23

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, one of the first and second computing devices being a mobile device and the other being a non-mobile device, the method comprising: providing a synchronization manager on the first computing device which determines that a selected object in the second object store is to be synchronized to a corresponding object in the first object store; providing a file synchronization provider; indicating to the file synchronization provider that the selected object is to be synchronized; determining, with the file synchronization provider, that the corresponding object in the first object store is locked; returning an error message from the file synchronization provider to the synchronization manager indicating that the corresponding object in the first object store is locked; maintaining, at the synchronization manager, an indication that the selected object is to be synchronized until the corresponding object is unlocked.

Claim 24

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, one of the first and second computing devices being a mobile device and the other being a non-mobile device, the method comprising: providing a synchronization manager on the first computing device which determines that a selected object in the second object store is to be synchronized to a corresponding object in the first object store; providing a file synchronization provider; indicating to the file synchronization provider that the selected object is to be synchronized; determining, with the file synchronization provider, that the corresponding object in the first object store is locked; returning an error message from the file synchronization provider to the synchronization manager indicating that the corresponding object in the first object store is locked; maintaining, at the synchronization manager, an indication that the selected object is to be synchronized until the corresponding object is unlocked.

Claim 25

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the method comprising: maintaining a folder of objects on the first and second object stores indicative of files to be synchronized; and excluding from the synchronization process objects indicative of temporary files located in the folder.

Claim 26

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the method comprising: maintaining a folder of objects on the first and second object stores indicative of files to be synchronized; and excluding from the synchronization process objects indicative of temporary files located in the folder.

Claim 29

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the method comprising: providing a synchronization manager configured to provide an enumeration request and maintain a mapping between the objects on the first object store and the objects on the second object store; providing a file synchronization provider configured to maintain a folder of file objects to be synchronized and to enumerate the file objects in response to the enumeration request such that the synchronization manager can determine which file objects need to be synchronized; and when the mapping is lost, recovering the mapping by combining the file objects on the second object store with the file objects on the first object store utilizing the file synchronization provider and enumerating the combined files so the synchronization manager can reestablish the mapping, wherein combining includes determining, with the file synchronization provider, which combined file objects are duplicates and deleting one of the duplicates prior to enumerating the file objects.

Claim 30

A method of synchronizing objects indicative of file data between a first object store associated with a first computing device and a second object store associated with a second computing device, the method comprising: providing a synchronization manager configured to provide an enumeration request and maintain a mapping between the objects on the first object store and the objects on the second object store; providing a file synchronization provider configured to maintain a folder of file objects to be synchronized and to enumerate the file objects in response to the enumeration request such that the synchronization manager can determine which file objects need to be synchronized; and when the mapping is lost, recovering the mapping by combining the file objects on the second object store with the file objects on the first object store utilizing the file synchronization provider and enumerating the combined files so the synchronization manager can reestablish the mapping, wherein combining includes determining, with the file synchronization provider, which combined file objects are duplicates and deleting one of the duplicates prior to enumerating the file objects.