Patent Application
20150220556
An example embodiment of the invention relates generally to wireless communication technology and, more particularly, relates to a method, apparatus, and computer program product for cloud services management to resolve synchronization conflicts.
The modern communications era has brought about a tremendous expansion of wireline and wireless networks. Computer networks, television networks, and telephony networks are experiencing an unprecedented technological expansion, fueled by consumer demand. Wireless and mobile networking technologies have addressed related consumer demands, while providing more flexibility and immediacy of information transfer.
Current and future networking technologies continue to facilitate ease of information transfer and convenience to users. Due to the now ubiquitous nature of electronic communication devices, people of all ages and education levels are utilizing electronic devices to communicate with other individuals or contacts, receive services and/or share information, media and other content. One area in which there is a demand to increase ease of information transfer relates to the delivery of services to a user of a mobile terminal. The services may be in the form of a particular media or communication application desired by a user(s), such as a music player, a game player, an electronic book, short messages, email, content sharing, etc. The services may be provided by a cloud services system supporting data of multiple users.
Cloud computing allows shared resources to be provided to devices over a network connection, such as the Internet. For example, cloud computing may provide, for example, computation, software applications, data access, location, commerce, or storage services. The end-user of these services may not require knowledge of the physical location or configuration of the cloud computing system that delivers the services. Some end-users may even access cloud computing services wirelessly, such as via a cellular network or a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN).
Existing cloud computing services may deprioritize tasks which may be suspended in favor of other tasks until a better fit (in terms of data rate, power consumption, etc.) becomes available so that network resources may be used more efficiently and distributed on a larger time interval rather than instantaneous decisions. On the other hand, because of the fact that there may be conflicts experienced by cloud computing services due to delayed or postponed synchronization tasks, there may be a need for a protocol to resolve potential synchronization conflicts while synchronizing between multiple devices.
A method, apparatus and computer program product are therefore provided for providing a protocol to resolve synchronization conflicts of multiple devices being managed by a cloud network device in an efficient and reliable manner.
An example embodiment may provide a manner in which to minimize synchronization conflicts between multiple devices being managed by a cloud service by applying the following protocol.
A first communication device (e.g. Device A) may send a flag (e.g., a message) to a cloud network device indicating that there is data (e.g., a document, media content (e.g., images), etc.) to be synchronized without actually synchronizing the data at this time but rather informing the cloud network device that the data is to be synchronized at some future time. In an instance in which a second communication device (e.g., Device B) wants to modify or access the same data (e.g., a same document, etc.) in the cloud network device, the second communication device may send the cloud network device a message indicating its desire to modify or access the data. In this regard, the cloud network device may send the second communication device (e.g., Device B) a message warning the second communication device of a synchronization conflict, and/or may send a message to the first communication device (e.g., Device A) to fast fetch data from the first communication device. In an instance in which the first communication device decides to fast fetch the data, the first communication device may provide the data to the cloud network device at a time prior to the scheduled time in which the first communication device initially planned to provide the data to the cloud network device for synchronization in the future.
On the other hand, an inverse scenario may also exist. For example, in an instance in which the second communication device (e.g., Device B) desires to modify data on the cloud network device, the cloud network device may send a flag (e.g., a message) to the first communication device (e.g., Device A) that a change to the data occurred. In this regard, the first communication device (e.g., Device A) may fetch data (e.g., a same document) at a subsequent time or may fast fetch data and provide the fetched data to the cloud network device in an instance in which a user of the first communication device wants to modify corresponding data (e.g., a same document, etc.) stored on the cloud network device. Alternatively, the first communication device may fetch the data when required, for example, in an instance in which the synchronization of data stored or managed by the cloud network device is urgent.
In this regard, an example embodiment may resolve conflicts in an instance of delayed synchronization between applications running in multiple devices and a cloud network device(s). Additionally, an example embodiment may postpone synchronization by utilizing solutions to optimize connectivity to one or more networks. The optimization may, for example, be based on the availability of the network connectivity and specific characteristics of communication devices.
In an example embodiment, a method for providing a protocol to resolve synchronization conflicts when synchronizing multiple devices in a cloud device is provided. The method may include receiving an indication from a first communication device specifying data to be synchronized at a designated time in the future or at an unspecified time in the future. The method may further include receiving a message from a second communication device to synchronize the data at an assigned time that is prior to the designated time. The method may further include detecting a synchronization conflict, pertaining to the data, among the first communication device and the second communication device based in part on evaluating information of the indication and the message. The method may also include enabling provision of a request to the first communication device requesting fetching of content associated with the data to enable synchronization of the data at a dedicated time prior to the assigned time.
In another example embodiment, an apparatus for providing a protocol to resolve synchronization conflicts when synchronizing multiple devices in a cloud device is provided. The apparatus may include a processor and a memory including computer program code. The memory and computer program code are configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to at least perform operations including receiving an indication from a first communication device specifying data to be synchronized at a designated time in the future or at an unspecified time in the future. The memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to receive a message from a second communication device to synchronize the data at an assigned time that is prior to the designated time. The memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to detect a synchronization conflict, pertaining to the data, among the first communication device and the second communication device based in part on evaluating information of the indication and the message. The memory and computer program code are further configured to, with the processor, cause the apparatus to enable provision of a request to the first communication device requesting fetching of content associated with the data to enable synchronization of the data at a dedicated time prior to the assigned time.
In another example embodiment, a computer program product for providing a protocol to resolve synchronization conflicts when synchronizing multiple devices in a cloud device is provided. The computer program product includes at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code portions stored therein. The computer-executable program code instructions may include program code instructions configured to cause receipt of an indication from a first communication device specifying data to be synchronized at a designated time in the future or at an unspecified time in the future. The program code instructions may also be configured to cause receipt of a message from a second communication device to synchronize the data at an assigned time that is prior to the designated time. The program code instructions may also be configured to detect a synchronization conflict, pertaining to the data, among the first communication device and the second communication device based in part on evaluating information of the indication and the message. The program code instructions may also be configured to enable provision of a request to the first communication device requesting fetching of content associated with the data to enable synchronization of the data at a dedicated time prior to the assigned time.
In another example embodiment, an apparatus for providing a protocol to resolve synchronization conflicts when synchronizing multiple devices in a cloud device is provided. The apparatus may include means for receiving an indication from a first communication device specifying data to be synchronized at a designated time in the future or at an unspecified time in the future. The apparatus may also include means for receiving a message from a second communication device to synchronize the data at an assigned time that is prior to the designated time. The apparatus may also include means for detecting a synchronization conflict, pertaining to the data, among the first communication device and the second communication device based in part on evaluating information of the indication and the message. The apparatus may also include means for enabling provision of a request to the first communication device requesting fetching of content associated with the data to enable synchronization of the data at a dedicated time prior to the assigned time.
In another example embodiment, a system for providing a protocol to resolve synchronization conflicts when synchronizing multiple devices in a cloud device is provided. The system may include a cloud network device and a plurality of communication devices. The cloud network device includes at least one first processor and at least one first memory including first computer program code. The at least one first memory and the first computer program code is configured to, with the at least one first processor, cause the cloud network device to perform at least the following operations including receiving an indication from a first communication device of the devices specifying data to be synchronized at a designated time in the future or at an unspecified time in the future. The first memory and the first computer program code are further configured to, with the first processor, cause the apparatus to receive a message from a second communication device of the devices to synchronize the data at an assigned time that is prior to the designated time. The first memory and the first computer program code are further configured to, with the first processor, cause the apparatus to detect a synchronization conflict, pertaining to the data, among the first communication device and the second communication device based in part on evaluating information of the indication and the message. The first memory and the first computer program code are further configured to, with the first processor, cause the apparatus to enable provision of a request to the first communication device requesting fetching of content associated with the data to enable synchronization of the data at a dedicated time prior to the assigned.
Having thus described some example embodiments of the invention in general terms, reference will now be made to the accompanying drawings, which are not necessarily drawn to scale, and wherein:
Some embodiments of the present invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some, but not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Indeed, various embodiments of the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. As used herein, the terms “data,” “content,” “information” and similar terms may be used interchangeably to refer to data capable of being transmitted, received and/or stored in accordance with embodiments of the invention. Moreover, the term “exemplary”, as used herein, is not provided to convey any qualitative assessment, but instead merely to convey an illustration of an example. Thus, use of any such terms should not be taken to limit the spirit and scope of embodiments of the invention.
Additionally, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ refers to (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (e.g., implementations in analog circuitry and/or digital circuitry); (b) combinations of circuits and computer program product(s) comprising software and/or firmware instructions stored on one or more computer readable memories that work together to cause an apparatus to perform one or more functions described herein; and (c) circuits, such as, for example, a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that require software or firmware for operation even if the software or firmware is not physically present. This definition of ‘circuitry’ applies to all uses of this term herein, including in any claims. As a further example, as used herein, the term ‘circuitry’ also includes an implementation comprising one or more processors and/or portion(s) thereof and accompanying software and/or firmware. As another example, the term ‘circuitry’ as used herein also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or applications processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, other network device, and/or other computing device.
As defined herein a “computer-readable storage medium,” which refers to a non-transitory, physical or tangible storage medium (e.g., volatile or non-volatile memory device), may be differentiated from a “computer-readable transmission medium,” which refers to an electromagnetic signal.
An example embodiment may resolve synchronization conflicts when synchronizing data in a cloud device on behalf of multiple devices. In this regard, a first communication device may send a flag to a cloud network device indicating that there is a data to be synchronized at some designated time in the future. In an instance in which a second device desires to modify or access the data in the cloud network device, the cloud network device may warn the second communication device about the conflict, or may fast fetch the data from the first communication device. Conversely, in an instance in which the second device modifies the data on the cloud network device, the cloud network device may send a flag to the first communication device that a change to corresponding data occurred. In this regard, the first communication device may fetch the data at a subsequent time or may fast fetch the data in an instance in which a user of the first communication device desires to modify the data or fetches the data when required.
The network 30 may include a collection of various different nodes (of which the second and third communication devices 20 and 25 may be examples), devices or functions that may be in communication with each other via corresponding wired and/or wireless interfaces. As such, the illustration of
One or more communication terminals such as the mobile terminal 10 and the second and third communication devices 20 and 25 may be in communication with each other via the network 30 and each may include an antenna or antennas for transmitting signals to and for receiving signals from a base site, which could be, for example a base station that is a part of one or more cellular or mobile networks or an access point that may be coupled to a data network, such as a Local Area Network (LAN), a Metropolitan Area Network (MAN), and/or a Wide Area Network (WAN), such as the Internet. In turn, other devices such as processing elements (e.g., personal computers, server computers or the like) may be coupled to the mobile terminal 10 and the second and third communication devices 20 and 25 via the network 30. By directly or indirectly connecting the mobile terminal 10 and the second and third communication devices 20 and 25 (and/or other devices) to the network 30, the mobile terminal 10 and the second and third communication devices 20 and 25 may be enabled to communicate with the other devices or each other, for example, according to numerous communication protocols including Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) and/or the like, to thereby carry out various communication or other functions of the mobile terminal 10 and the second and third communication devices 20 and 25, respectively.
Furthermore, although not shown in
In an example embodiment, the first communication device (e.g., the mobile terminal 10) may be a mobile communication device such as, for example, a wireless telephone or other devices such as a personal digital assistant (PDA), mobile computing device, camera, video recorder, audio/video player, positioning device, game device, television device, radio device, or various other like devices or combinations thereof. The second communication device 20 and the third communication device 25 may be mobile or fixed communication devices. However, in one example, the second communication device 20 and the third communication device 25 may be network devices, servers, remote computers or terminals such as, for example, personal computers (PCs) or laptop computers. In one example embodiment, the second communication device 20 and/or third communication device 25 may be cloud computing devices that provide cloud services associated with sharing of resources, data, etc. among multiple communication devices (e.g., mobile terminals 10).
In an example embodiment, the network 30 may be an ad hoc or distributed network arranged to be a smart space. Thus, devices may enter and/or leave the network 30 and the devices of the network 30 may be capable of adjusting operations based on the entrance and/or exit of other devices to account for the addition or subtraction of respective devices or nodes and their corresponding capabilities.
In an example embodiment, the mobile terminal 10 and the second and third communication devices 20 and 25 may employ an apparatus (e.g., apparatus of
Referring now to
The processor 70 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For example, the processor 70 may be embodied as one or more of various processing means such as a coprocessor, microprocessor, a controller, a digital signal processor (DSP), processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit), an FPGA (field programmable gate array), a microcontroller unit (MCU), a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like. In an example embodiment, the processor 70 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory device 76 or otherwise accessible to the processor 70. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 70 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the invention while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 70 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 70 may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processor 70 is embodied as an executor of software instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the processor 70 to perform the algorithms and operations described herein when the instructions are executed. However, in some cases, the processor 70 may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., a mobile terminal or network device) adapted for employing an embodiment of the invention by further configuration of the processor 70 by instructions for performing the algorithms and operations described herein. The processor 70 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the processor 70.
In an example embodiment, the processor 70 may be configured to operate a connectivity program, such as a browser, Web browser or the like. In this regard, the connectivity program may enable the apparatus 50 to transmit and receive Web content such as, for example, location-based content or any other suitable content, according to a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), for example. The processor 70 may also be in communication with a display 85 and may instruct the display to illustrate any suitable information, data, content (e.g., media content) or the like.
Meanwhile, the communication interface 74 may be any means such as a device or circuitry embodied in either hardware, a computer program product, or a combination of hardware and software that is configured to receive and/or transmit data from/to a network and/or any other device or module in communication with the apparatus 50. In this regard, the communication interface 74 may include, for example, an antenna (or multiple antennas) and supporting hardware and/or software for enabling communications with a wireless communication network (e.g., network 30). In fixed environments, the communication interface 74 may alternatively or also support wired communication. As such, the communication interface 74 may include a communication modem and/or other hardware/software for supporting communication via cable, digital subscriber line (DSL), universal serial bus (USB), Ethernet or other mechanisms.
The user interface 67 may be in communication with the processor 70 to receive an indication of a user input at the user interface 67 and/or to provide an audible, visual, mechanical or other output to the user. As such, the user interface 67 may include, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a joystick, a display, a touch screen, a microphone, a speaker, or other input/output mechanisms. In an example embodiment in which the apparatus is embodied as a server or some other network devices, the user interface 67 may be limited, remotely located, or eliminated. The processor 70 may comprise user interface circuitry configured to control at least some functions of one or more elements of the user interface, such as, for example, a speaker, ringer, microphone, display, and/or the like. The processor 70 and/or user interface circuitry comprising the processor 70 may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more elements of the user interface through computer program instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on a memory accessible to the processor 70 (e.g., memory device 76, and/or the like).
In an example embodiment, the processor 70 may be embodied as, include or otherwise control the synchronization module. The synchronization module 78 may be any means such as a device or circuitry operating in accordance with software or otherwise embodied in hardware or a combination of hardware and software (e.g., processor 70 operating under software control, the processor 70 embodied as an ASIC or FPGA specifically configured to perform the operations described herein, or a combination thereof) thereby configuring the device or circuitry to perform the corresponding functions of the synchronization module 78 as described below. Thus, in an example in which software is employed, a device or circuitry (e.g., the processor 70 in one example) executing the software forms the structure associated with such means.
In an example embodiment, the synchronization module 78 may provide a message to a cloud network device (e.g., network device 90 of
Additionally or alternatively, the conflicts manager 97 may provide a message to the apparatus 50 that desires synchronization of the data at the designated time in the future. The message may include data indicating a request to fast fetch the data to be synchronized and provide the data to the cloud network device (e.g., network device 90 of
Referring now to
The processor 94 may be embodied in a number of different ways. For instance, the processor 94 may be embodied as one or more of various processing means such as a coprocessor, microprocessor, a controller, a DSP, processing circuitry with or without an accompanying DSP, or various other processing devices including integrated circuits such as, for example, an ASIC, an FPGA, a MCU, a hardware accelerator, a special-purpose computer chip, or the like. In an example embodiment, the processor 94 may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory 96 or otherwise accessible to the processor 94. As such, whether configured by hardware or software methods, or by a combination thereof, the processor 94 may represent an entity (e.g., physically embodied in circuitry) capable of performing operations according to an embodiment of the invention while configured accordingly. Thus, for example, when the processor 94 is embodied as an ASIC, FPGA or the like, the processor 94 may be specifically configured hardware for conducting the operations described herein. Alternatively, as another example, when the processor 94 is embodied as an executor of software instructions, the instructions may specifically configure the processor 94 to perform the algorithms and operations described herein when the instructions are executed. However, in some cases, the processor 94 may be a processor of a specific device (e.g., a mobile terminal or network device) adapted for employing an embodiment of the invention by further configuration of the processor 94 by instructions for performing the algorithms and operations described herein. The processor 94 may include, among other things, a clock, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU) and logic gates configured to support operation of the processor 94.
The processor 94 may also be connected to a communication interface 98 or other means for displaying, transmitting and/or receiving data, content, and/or the like. The user input interface 95 may comprise any of a number of devices allowing the network entity to receive data from a user, such as a keypad, a touch display, a joystick or other input device. In this regard, the processor 94 may comprise user interface circuitry configured to control at least some functions of one or more elements of the user input interface. The processor and/or user interface circuitry of the processor may be configured to control one or more functions of one or more elements of the user interface through computer program instructions (e.g., software and/or firmware) stored on a memory accessible to the processor (e.g., volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and/or the like).
In an example embodiment, the processor 94 may be embodied as, include or otherwise control the conflicts manager 97. The conflicts manager 97 may be any means such as a device or circuitry operating in accordance with software or otherwise embodied in hardware or a combination of hardware and software (e.g., processor 94 operating under software control, the processor 94 embodied as an ASIC or FPGA specifically configured to perform the operations described herein, or a combination thereof) thereby configuring the device or circuitry to perform the corresponding functions of the conflicts manager 97 as described below. Thus, in an example in which software is employed, a device or circuitry (e.g., the processor 94 in one example) executing the software forms the structure associated with such means.
The conflicts manager 97 may manage synchronization conflicts of data among communication devices (e.g., apparatuses 50). For example, the conflicts manager 97 may inform one or more communication devices of a synchronization conflict in an instance in which the conflicts manager 97 determines that there may be a conflict in synchronizing data stored or maintained by the cloud network device on behalf of the communications devices.
The conflicts manager 97 may determine that there may be a conflict in synchronizing data in an instance in which the cloud network device 90 receives an indication or message (e.g., a flag) from a first communication device (e.g., a first apparatus 50) indicating that there is data to be synchronized at a designated time (e.g., T2) in the future and in which the cloud network device 90 receives another message from a second communication device. The message received from the second communication device (e.g., a second apparatus 50) may include data requesting to access or modify the same data at a time (e.g., T1) prior to the designated time (e.g., T2) in the future (e.g., T1<T2). Alternatively, the exact time T2 for synchronization may not be known or may not be indicated from a first communication device. Instead, the first communication device may indicate that there is data that is to be synchronized in the future without indicating when the data will be synchronized. In this instance, when a second apparatus wants to access or modify the same data immediately or at a time T1 in the future, the second apparatus may interpret that T1<T2.
In this regard, the conflicts manager 97 may send a message to the second communication device (e.g., the second apparatus 50) indicating the detected conflict. The message sent to the second communication device by the conflicts manager 97 may also request the second communication device to wait for receipt of a conflict resolution message before accessing or modifying the data. The conflicts manager 97 may also send a fast fetching request to the first communication device requesting the first communication device to fetch and provide content for synchronization of data to the conflicts manager 97 at a time (e.g., T0, where T0<T1) prior to the designated time (e.g., T2) in the future. In an alternative example embodiment, a direct communication path may be arranged between the first communication device and the second communication device for the purpose of performing a fast fetch. In this regard, for example, the synchronization may take place directly between the first communication device and the second communication device without communication with the conflicts manager 97 of the cloud network device. In one example embodiment, the first communication device and the second communication device may communicate directly via a communication path in an instance in which the first and second communication devices are physically close in proximity. In another example embodiment, the first communication device and the second communication device may communicate directly via a communication path even in an instance in which the first and second communication devices may not necessarily be physically close in proximity.
In response to receiving a fast fetching request (e.g., from the conflicts manager or the second communication device), the synchronization module 78 of the first communication device (e.g., the first apparatus 50) may decide to fast fetch the content and provide the content to the conflicts manager 97 at a time prior (e.g., at a time T0<T1<T2) to the designated time (e.g., T2) in the future to enable the conflicts manager 97 to synchronize the data. Alternatively, the synchronization module 78 of the first communication device may decide not to fast fetch the content and may instead decide to provide the content to the conflicts manager 97 of the cloud network device 90 at the designated time (e.g., T2) in the future, as described more fully below. The synchronization module 78 may, for example, decide to provide the data for synchronization at the designated time (e.g., T2) in the future in an instance in which the synchronization module 78 determines a network link quality at a prior time (e.g., T0) is low or that a connection to a network costs more at the prior time, or for any other suitable reasons. Alternatively, the synchronization module 78 may decide to provide the date for synchronization at another time that is after T1, but still before T2. This may be the case for example, in an instance in which it is not feasible to complete the synchronization before time T1, or for example in an instance in which a communication device is low on battery power and needs to conserve the battery power.
Additionally, the synchronization module 78 may be aware that a network connection is more reliable or lower in terms of cost (e.g., usage of a free WiFi network versus a cellular network in which a user pays for service) at the designated time (e.g., T2) in the future. In this regard, the synchronization module 78 may decide to provide content for synchronization to the conflicts manager 97 at the time (e.g., T2) initially designated in the future. In an alternative example embodiment, the conflicts manager 97 of the cloud network device 90 may decide not to send a fast fetch request to the first communication device. In this regard, for example, the conflicts manager 97 may decide not to send a fast fetch request to the first communication device in an instance in which the time T1 is so close to a current time that the first communication device would be unable to complete the synchronization before the time T1.
Referring now to
The cloud network device 108 may resolve synchronization conflicts of data that may be requested for modification or access by two or more of the communication devices 161, 163, 165 and 167, as described more fully below.
Referring now to
At operation 510, device A may initially decide to wait until time T2 before retrieving content (e.g., retrieving content from a memory (e.g., memory device 76)) to be provided to the cloud device for synchronization. At operation 515, the cloud device may receive a message from device B (e.g., communication device 163) indicating a request to synchronize (e.g., update/modify) the data (e.g., the same data that device A requests to synchronize) stored on, or maintained by, the cloud device at a time T1 that is prior to the time T2 (e.g., T1<T2). At operation 520, in response to receipt of the request from device B, the cloud device may send a message to device B indicating a conflict in synchronizing the data. At operation 525, device B may wait to receive a conflict resolution message for a predefined timer period TFF.
At operation 530, the cloud device may send device A a request (also referred to herein as a fast fetching request) to fast fetch data for synchronization at a time T0 prior to time T1, during a time period of a predefined timer TFF which may be triggered and run by the cloud device and/or the first communication device. Optionally, at operation 535, device A may provide a fast fetch feedback message to the cloud device indicating whether device A decides to fast fetch content (e.g., a modified version of data, etc.) associated with the data for synchronization and may provide the content to the cloud device for synchronization of the data stored at, or maintained by, the cloud device at time T0.
At operation 540, in an instance in which the fast fetch feedback message indicates that the device A decided not to fast fetch the content for synchronization of data stored at, or maintained by, the cloud device at time T0, the device B may not receive a conflict resolution message from the cloud device during the predefined timer period TFF. In this regard, device B may communicate with the cloud device and may provide the cloud device with content/data to initiate the synchronization of data, stored at, or maintained by, the cloud device, at time T1 per the request of device B sent previously to the cloud device. In an alternative example embodiment, the cloud device may determine that the device A decided not to fast fetch content at time T0 in an instance in which the cloud device does not receive a message (e.g., a fast fetch feedback message) from device A, in response to the fast fetching request sent to device A, prior to the expiration of the predefined timer period TFF. As such, the cloud device may not send a conflict resolution message to device B prior to the expiration of the predefined timer period TFF and device B may initiate the synchronization of data with the cloud device upon expiration of the predefined timer period TFF. In this regard, the device B may send information to the cloud device for synchronization of the data stored at, or maintained by the cloud device, upon expiration of the predefined timer period TFF. Alternatively, device A may acknowledge the fast fetch request so that the device B may be readily informed that device A is to start fast fetching. Alternatively, in an instance in which device A sends a negative acknowledgement indicating that it is not going to support fast fetch, the device B may be informed of this immediately and there is no need to wait for a timer (e.g., predefined timer period TFF) to expire.
Device A may, but need not, decide to fast fetch the content from a memory (e.g., memory device 76) and provide the content to the cloud device for synchronization of the data stored at, or maintained by, the cloud device at time T0 in an instance in which device A determines that there is a reliable network connection for communicating the content to the cloud device. In another example embodiment, Device A may decide to fast fetch the content from a memory and provide the content to the cloud device for synchronization of the data stored at, or maintained by, the cloud device at time T0 in an instance in which device A determines that there is an urgent need to synchronize the data at time T0. For purposes of illustration and not of limitation, a text file modified by multiple devices/users may need to be synchronized in an urgent manner. On the other hand, synchronization of images/photos may not be as urgent as synchronizing a text file.
On the other hand, in an instance in which device A determines that there is a better or more reliable network connection (e.g., a more reliable WiFi network connection as opposed to an unreliable cellular network connection (e.g., the device A is at the edge of a cell, etc.)) at time T2 for communicating with the cloud device, the device A may decide not to fast fetch the content at time T0 and may instead decide to communicate with the cloud device at time T2 for synchronization of the data. The device A may determine that there is a better or more reliable/favorable network connection because of a lower service fee or a more energy-efficient data transfer capability or for other suitable reasons. In an alternative example embodiment, in an instance in which device A decides to synchronize data at time T2, but the device B initiated synchronization of data at time T1 there may be two copies of the updated data in the cloud network device. In one example embodiment, the conflicts manager 97 may merge these two copies.
At operation 545, in an instance in which device A decides to fast fetch the content for synchronization of data at time T0, device A may initiate the synchronization during the predefined timer period TFF and a synchronization module (e.g., synchronization module 78) of the device A may change a priority of synchronization tasks from time T2 to time T0. At operation 550, device A may provide a message, at time T0, to the cloud device indicating that fast fetching is initiated. This message may include content (e.g., modified data (e.g., a version of a document, images, etc.)) that the cloud device may utilize to synchronize corresponding data (e.g., a same document or any suitable data (e.g., images, etc.)) stored at, or maintained by, the cloud device. At operation 555, the cloud device may send device A a message indicating that the fast fetching is completed and that the synchronization of the data requested by device A is complete.
At operation 560, the cloud device may send device B a message indicating that there is no synchronization conflict and the cloud device may utilize content (e.g., modified data (e.g., a different version of a same document, images, etc.)) provided by the device B to synchronize the corresponding data (e.g., a same document or any suitable data (e.g., images, etc.)) stored at, or maintained by, the cloud device at time T1 which is prior to time T2.
In an alternative example embodiment, a less strict protocol may be utilized by the cloud device (e.g., cloud network device 108) in an instance in which Device B (e.g., communication device 163) attempts to read or access the data stored on the cloud device as opposed to modifying the data. However, device A may have corresponding modified data stored locally that is not yet provided to the cloud device but is scheduled for synchronization by the cloud device at a designated time in the future (e.g., time T2). In this regard, the cloud device may send a message to device B warning device B that the data stored or maintained by the cloud device is not up-to-date.
Alternatively, in this example embodiment, the cloud device may send device A a message requesting fast fetching of the data (e.g., modified data) stored locally at device A to enable the cloud device to synchronize and update corresponding data stored at the cloud device. In this regard, the cloud device may provide the updated data to device B in response to device B requesting to access or read the data.
In the signal flow of
Referring now to
At operation 610, the cloud network device may include means, such as the conflicts manager 97, the processor 94 and/or the like, for detecting a synchronization conflict, pertaining to the data, among the first communication device (e.g., communication device 161) and the second communication device (e.g., communication device 163) based in part on evaluating information of the indication and the message. At operation 615, the cloud network device may include means, such as the conflicts manager 97, the processor 94 and/or the like, for providing a request (e.g., a fast fetch request) to the first communication device requesting fetching of content associated with the data to enable synchronization of the data at a dedicated time (e.g., time T0) prior to the assigned time (e.g., time T1). The content may, but need not, include a different version (e.g., version two of a document, etc.) or modification to the data requested for synchronization that is stored on, or maintained by, the cloud network device.
It should be pointed out that
Accordingly, blocks of the flowcharts support combinations of means for performing the specified functions. It will also be understood that one or more blocks of the flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in the flowcharts, can be implemented by special purpose hardware-based computer systems which perform the specified functions, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.
In an example embodiment, an apparatus for performing the methods of
Many modifications and other embodiments of the inventions set forth herein will come to mind to one skilled in the art to which these inventions pertain having the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings. Therefore, it is to be understood that the inventions are not to be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed and that modifications and other embodiments are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims. Moreover, although the foregoing descriptions and the associated drawings describe exemplary embodiments in the context of certain exemplary combinations of elements and/or functions, it should be appreciated that different combinations of elements and/or functions may be provided by alternative embodiments without departing from the scope of the appended claims. In this regard, for example, different combinations of elements and/or functions than those explicitly described above are also contemplated as may be set forth in some of the appended claims. Although specific terms are employed herein, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2012/054949 | 9/18/2012 | WO | 00 |
