Coordinating file synchronization between a sync engine and another application that supports document collaboration

US10282255B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC · US

Inventors

• Jack Allen Nichols · Bothell, US
• Benjamin M. Yim · Redmond, US
• Adam C. Czeisler · Seattle, US
• Amnon Itamar Govrin · Bellevue, US
• Michal Piaseczny · Bellevue, US
• Marcus Eduardo Markiewicz · Teaneck, US
• Daniel Vincent Fiordalis · Seattle, US
• Jonathan A. Bockelman · Kirkland, US
• Marcelo Albuquerque Fernandes Mas · Redmond, US
• Chris Guzak · Kirkland, US
• Michael J. Novak · Redmond, US
• Juan-Lee Pang · Redmond, US
• Tyler K. Beam · Redmond, US

Key dates

• Filing date: Mar 4, 2016
• Grant date: May 7, 2019
• Expiry date: Jan 6, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC G): Physics
• CPC primary: G06F2201/84
• WIPO field: Computer technology
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A synchronization engine detects a notification of a change to a file. It determines whether an application associated with the file has indicated that the file is to be synchronized by the application. If so, the changes to the file are synchronized between a cloud-based storage system and a local disk by the application. Collaborative metadata, associated with the synchronized file, is updated to indicate a state of a copy of the file on the local disk and a copy of the file in the cloud-based storage system. The collaborative metadata is stored by the synchronization engine.