Method and apparatus for synchronization of two computer systems
Contents
1. wireless transport module for a wireless packet radio net work2. This feature is configured onthe portable computer system since the remote desktop personal computer is not accessible FIG 9 illustrates a modem synchronization configuration screen that may be displayed on a portable computer system The configuration screen of FIG 9 allows the user to select which conduits will be executed during a modem based syn chronization When a remote synchronization begins the remote desktop personal computer will query the portable computer system as to which Thus the user can shorten time needed to perform a synchronization by only selecting the conduits that synchronized the desired information Remote Dialog Box Dismissing As described in the previous section a portable computer can be remotely synchronized with a desktop personal com puter system using a modem Alternatively a portable com puter may also remotely synchronize with a desktop personal computer system across a LAN using network protocols In both situations the user is physically far from the desktop personal computer In the patent Extendable Method And Apparatus For Syn chronizing Multiple Files On Two Different Computer Sys tems filed Oct 13 1995 with Ser No 08 542 055 the main synchronization control program resides on the desktop per sonal computer If a problem occurs during the synchroniza tion the synchronization conrol program will normally dis play a dialog box on the desktop personal computer However ifthe porta
3. com puter However no name is assigned to the portable computer system In one embodiment the profile information may include specific configuration information such as network configuration and dial up numbers as well as the set of pre loaded databases such as the company s telephone directory The preconfigured portable computer system can then be give to a user It should be noted that several portable computer systems may be initialized using the same profile When a user that receives a preconfigured portable com puter system first synchronizes the portable computer system with a personal computer system the new user dialog will appear since no name was associated with the portable com puter system Synchronization Control As set forth in the patent Extendable Method And Appa ratus For Synchronizing Multiple Files On Two Different Computer Systems filed Oct 13 1995 with Ser No 08 542 055 a synchronization system is can be designed wherein different applications or databases are synchronized using individually tailor synchronization conduits However it has been determined that not all the installed conduits should be handled in the exact same manner A revised synchronization system has been proposed wherein each conduit may be treated differently Specifically a user may adjust the conduit execution to suit his individual needs To adjust the conduit execution the user opens a cus tom synchronization cont
4. one or more records from the second set of records upon determining that records in the first set of records corresponding to those one or more records in the second set of records have been removed 16 A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for synchronizing a first set of records on a computer system with a second set of records on a portable computer wherein the execution of the one or more sequences of the one or more instructions causes the one or more processors to perform a method comprising the steps of identifying a transport module from a plurality of possible transport modules for synchronizing the portable com puter and the computer system the plurality of transport modules including at least a first direct connection trans port module and a first wireless transport module the second set of records being accessible to each transport module in the plurality of possible transport modules sending over a medium corresponding to the identified transport module the second set of records so as to cause the computer system to receive and compare the first set of records with the second set of records and in response to sending over the medium receiving over the medium the second set of records in which at least a portion of the second set of records has been updated with at least a portion of the first set of records an 0 20 25 30 12 17 The computer readable medi
5. saved Referring to FIG 8 it should be noted that there is a set as default check box If the a set as default check box is selected when modifying a conduit s behavior then the con duit s behavior will be modified for every future synchroni zation However if the a set as default check box is not selected then the modification to the conduit s behavior will only affect the next synchronization After the first synchro nization the conduit will revert back to the default synchro nize setting This feature is useful if a user wishes to do a one time load of a fresh database but then synchronize the two databases in every future synchronization As set forth in the patent Method And Apparatus for Synchronizing A Portable Computer System With a Desktop Computer System filed Jan 30 1997 with Ser No 08 792 166 the portable computer system can be synchronized with a desktop personal computer system across a telephone line This can be performed by directly connecting to the desktop personal computer with a modem or connecting to the desk top computer through a LAN connection made with a modem based PPP connection In such a situation the speed ofthe synchronization will be limited by the modem commu nication speed To minimize the synchronization time the present invention also provides a method of altering the syn chronization behavior when the synchronization is being per formed across a modem link
6. 4 Fukumura pp 153 165 and 429 435 5 379 057 A 1 1995 Clough et al User Manual for PC Link for the B O S S and the PC Link for the 5 392 390 A 2 1995 Crozier B O S S Traveling Software Inc 1989 5 434 994 A 7 1995 Shaheen et al User Manual for Connectivity Pack for the HP 95LX Hewlett 5 463 772 A 10 1995 Thompson et al Packard Company 1991 5 475 833 A 12 1995 Dauerer et al Organizer Link II Operation Manual Sharp Electronics Corporation 5 519 606 A 5 1996 Frid Nielsen et al No Date 5 537 592 A 7 1996 King et al Open Network Computing Technical Overview Sun Technical 5 544 356 A 8 1996 Robinson et al Report Sun Microsystems Inc pp 1 32 1987 5 574 859 A 11 1996 Yeh Automatically Synchronized Objects Research Disclosure 5 592 669 A 1 1997 Robinson et al 29261 p 614 Aug 1988 No Copy Available 5 598 536 A 1 1997 Slaughter III et al FRx Extends Reporting Power of Platinum Series IBM Desktop 5 630 081 A 5 1997 Rybicki et al Software s Line of Accounting Software Doug Dayton PC Week 5 640 566 A 6 1997 Victor et al v 8 No 5 p 29 2 Feb 1991 5 666 530 A 9 1997 Clark et al 5 666 553 A 9 1997 Crozier cited by examiner U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 1 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 c uw 4 oOnAnooooooooO oon oqgoo0onoonono ooo DBODUDUOLIDOOO ooo 000C ong ooo FIG 1 COMMUNICATION LINK 110 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 2 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 PROCESS
7. CHRONIZE THE FILES CHANGE SYNCHRONIZE THE FILES SYNCHRONIZE THE FILES DEFAULT SYNCHRONIZE THE FILES ENABLED HELP PILOT OVERWRITES DESKTOP FIG 7 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 9 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 CHANGE HOTSYNC ACTION HOTSYNC ACTION FOR TO DO LIST UI H SYNCHRONIZE THE FILES B DESKTOP OVERWRITES PILOT L I gt H PILOT OVERWRITES DESKTOP __ SET AS DEFAULT L I H DO NOTHING OK HELP FIG 8 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 10 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 CONDUIT SETUP SELECT THE CONDUITS TO RUN DURING MODEM HOTSYNC OK FOR PILOT DESKTOP 2 0 ONLY ADDRESS CANCEL CALC HELP COMM TEST 910 DATEBOOK HOTSYNC MAIL MEMO PAD FIG 9 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 11 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 OTHER SYNCHRONIZATION APPLICATION APPLICATION 1010 DL SERVER 1030 1020 NETWORK SYNC TRANSPORT 1043 MODEM INFRARED CRADLE SYNCHRON PATON TRANSPORT TRANSPORT LAYER ADAPTATION 1041 LAYER Z SYNC SYNC TRANSPORT TRANSPORT 1045 1047 TCP IP AND PPP STACK 1050 y SERIAL LINK DRIVER 1060 SERIAL PORT 1000 1070 FIG 10 US 7 437 485 B1 1 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF TWO COMPUTER SYSTEMS RELATED APPLICATIONS This present application claims priority to and is a continu ation of the following previou
8. CUMENTS 4 432 057 A 2 1984 Daniell et al 4 807 182 A 2 1989 Queen 4 866 611 A 9 1989 Cree et al 4 875 159 A 10 1989 Cary et al 4 956 809 A 9 1990 George et al Continued OTHER PUBLICATIONS Cobb et al Paradox 3 5 Handbook 3 supr rd Edition Batam 1991 pp 803 816 Continued Primary Examiner Ashok Patel Assistant Examiner Kishin G Belani 74 Attorney Agent or Firm Hickman Palermo Truong amp Becker LLP 57 ABSTRACT A method and system for synchronizing two computer sys tems supporting multiple synchronization techniques is described In one example system a portable computer sys tem is loaded with synchronization transport modules An applicationon the portable computer system is executed caus ing the application to automatically recognize the synchroni zation transport modules The portable computer system receives a selection corresponding to one ofthe two synchro nization transport modules The selection could be from a user and would indicate that the user prefers to synchronize with the second computer system using a particular method of external communication After the selection the portable computer system synchronizes with the other computer sys tem using the selected method of external communication 22 Claims 11 Drawing Sheets OTHER APPLICATION 1020 SYNCHRONIZATION APPLICATION 1019 EE DL SERVER 1030 ill LI ADAPTATION NETWORK MODEM INFRAR
9. ED SYNCHRON SYNC SYNC SYNC TRANSPORT TRANSPORT TRANSPORT TRANSPORT 1045 1047 LAYER aT Ngee SEE OEN IE SERIAL LINK DRIVER SERIAL PORT 1070 US 7 437 485 B1 Page2 U S PATENT DOCUMENTS 5 684 990 A 11 1997 Boothby 5 696 702 A 12 1997 Skinner et al 5 001 628 A 3 1991 Johnson et al 5 701 423 A 12 1997 Crozier 5 065 360 A 11 1991 Kelly 5 710 922 A 1 1998 Alley et al 5 142 619 A 8 1992 Webster III 5 729 452 A 3 1998 Smith et al 5 187 787 A 2 1993 Skeen et al 5 729 735 A 3 1998 Meyering s 707 10 5 210 868 A 5 1993 Shimada et al 5 900 875 A 5 1999 Haitani et al 5 237 678 A 8 1993 Kuechler et al 5 953 507 A 9 1999 Cheung et al 5 251 291 A 10 1993 Malcolm 5 974 238 A 10 1999 Chase Jr 709 248 5 261 045 A 11 1993 Scully et al 6 006 274 A 12 1999 Hawkins et al 5 261 094 A 11 1993 Everson et al 6 034 621 A 3 2000 Kaufman 340 7 21 5 272 628 A 12 1993 Koss 6 178 443 B1 1 2001 Lin neseser 709 208 5 283 887 A 2 1994 Zachery 6 205 448 B1 3 2001 Kruglikov et al 5 301 313 A 4 1994 Terada et al 6 330 618 B1 12 2001 Hawkins et al 5 315 709 A 5 1994 Alston Jr et al 2005 0076069 Al 4 2005 Deo etal 707 203 5 327 555 A 7 1994 Anderson 5 333 252 A 7 1994 Brewer III et al OTHER PUBLICATIONS 5 339 392 A 8 1994 Risberg et al 5 339 434 A 8 1994 Rusis Alfieri The best book of Wordperfect 5 0 Hayden Books 1988 5 355 476 A 10 199
10. OR 215 REGISTER 1 217 REGISTER 2 219 REGISTER 3 BATTERY BACKED MEMORY FLAT PANEL DISPLAY VOLATILE MEMORY 220 240 FIG 2 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 3 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 COMBINE REGISTER VALUES TOGETHER HASH MEMORY CONTENTS TOGETHER 350 FIG 3 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 4 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 OPEN DESKTOP COMPANION PROGRAM SELECT USERS MENU 420 SELECT PROFILE ITEM CREATE A NEW PROFILE AND NAME THE NEW PROFILE 440 EDIT THE PROFILE INFORMATION FIG 4 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 5 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 PROFILES SELECT A PROFILE DELETE RENAME USERS HELP FIG 5A U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 6 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 NEW PROFILE ENTER A NEW PROFILE NAME FIG 5B U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 7 of 11 Y INSERT NEW PORTABLE COMPUTER IN THE CRADLE AND INITIATE A SYNCHRONIZATION SELECT PROFILES FROM THE NEW USER DIALOG SELECT A PROFILE TO DOWNLOAD INTO THE PORTABLE COMPUTER 630 DOWNLOAD THE PROFILE INTO THE PORTABLE COMPUTER WITHOUT ASSIGNING AN IDENTIFIER TO THE PORTABLE COMPUTER 640 FIG 6 US 7 437 485 B1 U S Patent Oct 14 2008 Sheet 8 of 11 US 7 437 485 B1 CUSTOM PROTO JIM CONDUIT DATE BOOK ADDRESS BOOK TO DO LIST MEMO PAD MAIL EXPENSE INSTALL SYSTEM ACTION SYNCHRON ZE THE FILES SYNCHRONIZE THE FILES SYN
11. az United States Patent Kruglikov et al US007437485B1 US 7 437 485 B1 Oct 14 2008 10 Patent No 45 Date of Patent 54 75 73 et Q1 Q2 63 51 52 58 METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF TWO COMPUTER SYSTEMS Inventors Vitaly Kruglikov Mountain View CA US Roger Flores Redwood City CA US Rob Haitani San Jose CA US Monty Boyer Saratoga CA US Ron Marianetti Morgan Hill CA US Ain McKendrick Menlo Park CA US Art Lamb Tiburon CA US Access Systems Americas Inc Sunnyvale CA US Subject to any disclaimer the term of this patent is extended or adjusted under 35 U S C 154 b by 925 days This patent is subject to a terminal dis claimer 10 745 826 Assignee Notice Appl No Filed Dec 24 2003 Related U S Application Data Continuation of application No 10 234 615 filed on Sep 3 2002 now Pat No 6 671 702 which is a con tinuation of application No 09 590 541 filed on Jun 8 2000 now Pat No 6 505 215 which is a continua tion of application No 09 016 076 filed on Jan 30 1998 now Pat No 6 205 448 Int Cl GO6F 15 16 2006 01 GO6F 17 30 2006 01 GO6F 7 00 2006 01 USt CE ees 709 248 709 208 707 200 707 201 707 202 707 203 707 10 Field of Classification Search 709 248 See application file for complete search history 56 References Cited U S PATENT DO
12. ble computer user is synchronizing from a remote location the user will not be able to respond to dialog boxes displayed on the remote personal computer sys tem To prevent a deadlock due to dialog boxes that are not acted upon the present invention introduces dynamic dialog boxes Such dynamic dialog boxes are designed to automatically US 7 437 485 B1 7 dismiss themselves if there is no response within a predeter mined time period To dismiss itself a dynamic dialog box sets a timer that will execute a callback routine in the dialog box If a dialog box is not dismissed by a user at the desktop personal computer then the timer will eventually pop and the callback routine will dismiss the dialog box Ifthe dialog box is dismissed by a user then the timer that was set will be killed Synchronization Transport Adaptation Layer Different users of portable computer systems synchronize their portable computers with personal computers in different ways For example one user may always synchronize their portable computer with their desktop personal computer using a cradle coupled to the desktop personal computer Another user may always be travelling and synchronizes with his desktop personal computer using a modem or a direct connection through a computer network Yet another user may wish to synchronize using an infrared ports that are available on both the portable computer system and the desk top personal computer In the future w
13. bles its contents are semi random This semi random area of memory can be logically combined to produce a random seed FIG 3 illustrates a summary of a method of generating a random number seed in a portable computer system that has just been turned on First the contents of the processor s internal register are logically combined The registers are combined first such that their initial state at power up is preserved Next the register based value is then logically combined with the contents of a portion of the memory that contains semi random values The result is a random number seed that can be used to generate a series of random numbers In one embodiment the random number seed is only initial ized after a processor reset All subsequent random numbers are created by applying a random number algorithm to the random number seed Synchronization Profiles When a company adopts a particular computer technology for company wide usage system administrators need tools to quickly configure the newly adopted computer technology For example when a new program is adopted for use on companies personal computers system administrator desire the ability to install and configure the new program across the company s local area network LAN The same principal applies to portable computer systems When a company adopts a portable computer system for company wide usage system administrators need to be able to quickly configure such portable com
14. em a series of random numbers are needed for both systems Methods of generating a series of random numbers exist however an initial random number seed is required Thus a robust ran dom number seed is needed for both the portable and desktop computer systems There are many known methods of generating random number seeds on personal computers such as counting the time that passes between successive keystrokes However in a pen based portable computer system it is not as easy to generate random numbers The problem is compounded by the fact that the very first action which a user may perform after turning on a portable computer system is to enter a new record to store a recently acquired information phone number or a new appointment The present invention proposes a method of generating random numbers in such a portable computer system Refer ringto FIG 2 ablock diagram ofone possible embodiment of a portable computer system is illustrated Referring to the block diagram of FIG 2 the portable computer system includes a main processor for performing processing instruc tions The processor is coupled to volatile memory system a battery backed memory system and a display through a com puter bus When the portable computer is turned off the contents of the battery backed memory is retained for future reference Other implementations may use flash memory to store infor mation when the portable computer system is turned off However
15. formation from an existing user back onto a portable computer the desktop synchronization will require the password associated with that user Thus the theft of personal data would not be possible without the user s password The foregoing has described methods for synchronizing a portable computer system with a desktop computer system It is contemplated that changes and modifications may be made US 7 437 485 B1 9 by one of ordinary skill in the art to the materials and arrange ments of elements of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention The invention claimed is 1 A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for synchronizing a first computer system with a second computer system wherein the execution of the one or more sequences of the one or more instructions causes the one or more processors to perform a method comprising the steps of installing a first synchronization transport module to said first computer system installing a second synchronization transport module to said first computer system executing a synchronization application on said first com puter system said synchronization application auto matically recognizing said first synchronization trans port module and said second synchronization transport module receiving a selection of an active synchronization transport module from at least said first synchronization transport mod
16. ich syn chronization transport adaptation layer module and service to use when a synchronization is to be performed Referring to FIG 10 a first synchronization transport adaptation layer module is a cradle transport The cradle transport handles synchronization directly between a serial port on the portable computer system and a serial port on the desktop computer system The second synchronization transport is a network syn chronization transport The network synchronization trans port handles synchronization directly between the portable computer system and a desktop computer system using TCP IP networking The network synchronization use a TCP IP on a host personal computer system to connect with a target desktop personal computer connected across a computer net work Alternatively the network synchronization may use a TCP IP and PPP stack on the portable computer such that a modem connected to the serial port of the portable computer system establishes a PPP link with TCP IP network coupled to the target desktop computer system Specific information on network synchronization can be found in the U S patent application Method And Apparatus for Synchronizing A Portable Computer System With a Desktop Computer Sys tem filed Jan 30 1997 with Ser No 08 792 166 which is hereby incorporated by reference If an infrared device is coupled to the serial port of the portable computer system then the synchronization applica tion can use
17. in claim 4 wherein said first computer system includes a portable com puter system wherein said second computer system includes a desktop computer system and wherein said first second and third synchronization transport modules correspond to a cradle communications method a network communications method and a modem communications method respectively 6 The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first computer system includes a portable com puter system and wherein said second computer system includes a desktop computer system 7 A computer readable medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions for synchronizing a first set of records on a computer system with a second set of records on a portable computer wherein the execution of the 25 40 45 50 55 10 one or more sequences ofthe one or more instructions causes the one or more processors to perform a method comprising the steps of identifying a transport module from a plurality of possible transport modules for synchronizing the portable com puter and the computer system the plurality of transport modules including at least a first direct connection trans port module and a first wireless transport module the second set of records being accessible to each transport module in the plurality of transport modules sending over a medium corresponding to the identified transport module the second set of records and compari
18. ireless packet radio networks may become pervasive allowing a new method of remote synchronization to become available To accommo date all these different synchronization methods the present invention introduces a synchronization transport adaptation layer The synchronization transport adaptation layer provides a single consistent interface between a synchronization pro gram residing on a portable computer system and a plurality of different methods of external communication FIG 10 illustrates the architecture of a portable computer system implementing a synchronization transport adaptation layer Referring to FIG 10 the synchronization application com municates with a DL server Desktop link server that acts as a single unified communication interface for the synchroni zation application The DL server communicates a plurality of different synchronization transport adaptation layers Each synchronization transport adaptation layer handles commu nication for a specific type of communication means The architecture is designed such that the synchronization transport adaptation layer is expandable Specifically when the Synchronization application is executed the synchroni zation layer examines the creatorID and type of each appli cation installed on the portable computer system to determine if the application is a synchronization transport adaptation layer module Thus the synchronization program generates a list ofall the synchro
19. it It has become apparent that one of the most important features of portable computer sys tems is the ability to share data with larger desktop personal computers Several earlier patents such as Method And Apparatus for Synchronizing Information On Two Different Computer Systems filed Oct 18 1995 with Ser No 08 544 927 Extendable Method And Apparatus For Synchronizing Multiple Files On Two Different Computer Systems filed Oct 13 1995 with Ser No 08 542 055 and Method And Apparatus for Synchronizing A Portable Computer System With a Desktop Computer System filed Jan 30 1997 with Ser No 08 792 166 have addressed some of the issues involved in the synchronization of two different computer systems As the portable computer systems have been put to use out in the field some drawbacks in the current synchronization procedures have been identified It would therefore be desir able to improve the synchronization methods used with por table computer systems BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The objects features and advantages of the present inven tion will be apparent to one skilled in the art in view of the following detailed description in which 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 2 FIG 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of computer syn chronization system between a portable system 110 and a personal computer system 150 FIG 2 illustrates a conceptual diagram of a typical com puter o
20. ng the first set of records with the second set of records in order to synchronize at least a portion of the first set of records with at least a portion of the second set of records 8 The computer readable medium of claim 7 the steps of the method further comprising comparing the first set of records with the second set of records in order to update one or more records in the second set of records with data in one or more records in the first set of records and sending over the medium corresponding to the identified transport module the second set of records with the updated one or more records 9 The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying a user selection specifying the first wireless transport module the first wireless transport module being for a wireless packet radio network 10 The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying a user selection specifying the direct connection transport module the direct connection transport module being for a cradle that connects to the computer system 11 The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying a user selection specifying the first wireless transport module the first wireless transport module being for communications signaled over an infrared port 12 The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein identifying a t
21. nization between a por table computer system and a desktop personal computer sys tem However the same techniques can easily be applied to other types of computer devices General Synchronization System Architecture FIG 1 illustrates a conceptual diagram of computer syn chronization system between a portable system 110 and a personal computer system 150 The portable computer sys tem 110 may be any type of small microprocessor based computer system such as a cellular phone or a handheld personal information manager In FIG 1 both the handheld computer system 110 and the personal computer system 150 are running calendar program With a synchronization system the user can alter the data on both the calendar program 115 and on the handheld computer system 110 or the data on the desktop personal computer system calendar program 155 on the personal computer sys tem 150 Then at some later point the user should be able to reconcile the two different calendar databases by coupling the two computer system together using communication link 140 and requesting a synchronization The synchronization pro cess combines the data from the modified personal computer calendar 155 and the data from the modified hand held cal endar 115 into a single reconciled calendar The reconciled calendar is then placed into both the handheld computer sys tem 110 and the personal computer system 150 Details on implementing a basic synchronization system are se
22. nization transport adaptation layer mod ules The synchronization program then queries each synchro nization transport adaptation layer module to determine which applications can create services for that particular synchronization transport adaptation layer module service creators service is defined as a set of configuration param eters need to establish a connection with a particular synchro nization transport adaptation layer module The service cre ator is used to create a set of configuration parameters for a synchronization transport adaptation layer module For example a service for a network synchronization transport module would include the hostname and IP address of the desktop personal computer to synchronize with The service could be created by a preferences program that is used to configure several different portable computer parameters After learning which applications may create services for each synchronization transport adaptation layer module the service creators the synchronization program queries all the service creators to obtain a list ofthe available services After 20 25 40 45 50 55 65 8 obtaining a list of all the available services for all of the available synchronization transport adaptation layer mod ules the synchronization program displays a list ofthe avail able synchronization transport adaptation layer modules and their respective services The user can then select wh
23. perating system FIG 3 illustrates a flow diagram describing a method of generating a random number seed FIG 4 illustrates a flow diagram describing a method of creating a portable computer profile FIG 5A illustrates a diagram of a graphical user interface dialog box for modifying profiles FIG 5B illustrates a diagram of a graphical user interface dialog box for creating a new profile FIG 6 illustrates a flow diagram describing how profile is downloaded into a portable computer system FIG 7 illustrates a diagram of a graphical user interface dialog box for modifying conduits FIG 8 illustrates a diagram of a graphical user interface dialog box for setting conduit behavior FIG 9 illustrates a diagram of a screen display for setting conduit behavior on a portable computer system FIG 10 illustrates the software architecture of a portable computer system with an expandable synchronization trans port adaptation layer DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A method and apparatus for synchronizing two different computer systems is disclosed In the following description for purposes of explanation specific nomenclature is set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention However it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that these specific details are not required in order to practice the present invention For example the present invention has been described with reference to synchro
24. puter systems The present invention introduces the concept of a user profile for allowing a number of portable computer systems to be initialized with the same information FIG 4 describes the steps of setting up a user profile Initially the system administrator opens up a desktop com panion program on a personal computer system The admin istrator then selects a users menu where new users may be created Instead of creating a new user the administrator selects a button for profiles to open a profiles dialog FIG 5A illustrates one possible embodiment of a profiles dialog box The profiles dialog box allows profiles to be created new renamed and deleted The Users button allows the user to move directly to the dialog box listing all the known users if that is what the user really wanted Refer ring to FIGS 4 and 5 the user selects the new button to create a new profile This causes a pop up dialog box to request a name for the new profile as illustrated in FIG 5B A name such as salesperson profile is entered and a new empty profile is created with that name A profile is very similar to a user in that it is associated with a set of data files used during synchronization except that profile is not associated with any specific user or portable computer system The system administrator then returns to the main desktop companion program and edits the information associated with the new profile Information f
25. ransport module includes identifying a network transport module the network transport module being for communications signaled over a connection to a local area network 13 The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying the first wireless transport module for a wireless packet radio net work 14 The computer readable medium of claim 7 wherein comparing the first set of records with the second set of records in order to synchronize at least a portion of the first set of records with at least a portion of the second set of records includes at least one of i adding one or more records from the second set of records to the first set of records ii adding one or more records from the first set of records to the second set of records iii updating one or more records in the second set of records with data in one or more records in the first set of records and iv updating one or more records in the first set of records with data in one or more records in the second set of records US 7 437 485 B1 11 15 The computer readable medium of claim 14 wherein comparing the first set of records with the second set of records includes at least one of i removing one or more records from the first set of records upon determining that records in the second set of records corresponding to those one or more records in the first set of records have been removed and ii removing
26. rol dialog box as illustrated in FIG 7 The custom synchronization control dialog allows a user to change the synchronization control of an individual conduit or to restore default synchronization settings To modify the behavior of a specific conduit the user selects the conduit and selects the change button to bring up a conduit change dialog FIG 8 illustrates one possible conduit change dialog box The change dialog box allows the conduit to behave in four different ways synchronization desktop overwrite portable overwrite and inactive The synchronization setting is the default method of operation wherein the corresponding data bases on both the desktop and portable are reconciled The desktop overwrite setting allows the contents of the desktop personal computer database for the that particular conduit to overwrite the portable computer s database That setting would be useful if all updates to that particular database are performed on the desktop personal computer The portable 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 6 computer overwrite setting is the opposite wherein the con tents of the portable computer system overwrites the desktop personal computer Finally the inactive setting prevents that particular conduit from executing This is useful when the user is not using the associate application By not performing executing a conduit the synchronization time will be reduced and memory space will be
27. rom existing users can be copied into the new user profile For example if the system administrator has already entered all the company phone numbers into his own account he can copy the address infor US 7 437 485 B1 5 mation from his own address database into a address database associated with the profile Furthermore information can be imported from external sources into the profile database Thus if the system administrator has a list of the company s customers this customer database can be imported into the profile for sales people After a profile has been created the profile can be used to initialize new portable computer systems before the portable computer systems are distributed to end users FIG 6 illus trates a flow diagram that describes how new portable com puters are initialized First the system administrator places the new portable computer system in a synchronization cradle connected to the personal computer storing the profile and requests a synchronization Since the portable computer sys tem has not been used a new user dialog box will request a name for the new portable computer system Instead of enter ing anew name the system administrator selects a profiles button that brings up a profile dialog box The system admin istrator then selects the profile to download into the portable computer The personal computer then downloads all the information associated with the profile into the portable
28. sly filed U S patent applica tions the present application is a continuation of U S appli cation Ser No 10 234 615 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF TWO COM PUTER SYSTEMS BY EXECUTING A SYNCHRONIZA TION PROCESS AT A PORTABLE COMPUTER filed Sep 3 2002 and issued as U S Pat No 6 671 702 the content of which are hereby incorporated by reference and which is a continuation of the U S application Ser No 09 590 541 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SYNCHRONIZATION OF TWO COMPUTER SYSTEMS SUPPORTING MULTIPLE SYNCHRONIZATION TECH NIQUES BY USING SYNCHRONIZATION TRANSPORT MODULES filed Jun 8 2000 and issued as U S Pat No 6 505 215 which is hereby incorporated by reference and which is a continuation of U S application Ser No 09 016 076 entitled METHOD AND APPARATUS OF SYN CHRONIZING TWO COMPUTER SYSTEMS SUPPORT ING MULTIPLE SYNCHRONIZATION TECHNIQUES BY USING SYNCHRONIZATION TRANSPORT MOD ULES filed Jan 30 1998 and issued as U S Pat No 6 205 448 which is hereby incorporated by reference FIELD OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to the field of portable com puter systems In particular the present invention discloses improved methods for synchronization of two different com puter systems BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Portable computer systems have become valuable informa tion appliances that provide important information whenever and wherever the user needs
29. t forth in the patents Method And Apparatus for Syn chronizing Information On Two Different Computer Sys tems filed Oct 18 1995 with Ser No 08 544 927 Extend US 7 437 485 B1 3 able Method And Apparatus For Synchronizing Multiple Files On Two Different Computer Systems filed Oct 13 1995 with Ser No 08 542 055 and Method And Apparatus for Synchronizing A Portable Computer System With a Desk top Computer System filed Jan 30 1997 with Ser No 08 792 166 which are hereby incorporated by reference Random Number Generation To simplify the synchronization process each record on both the personal computer system and the portable computer system has an identification number Corresponding records on the personal computer system and the portable computer system will have matching identification numbers Thus to quickly locate corresponding records during a synchroniza tion the synchronization program only needs to find records having matching identification numbers Referring to the synchronization system of FIG 1 it is apparent that in the time between synchronizations new records may be created on both the personal computer system and the portable computer system To prevent an incorrect correlation new unique record identifiers must be assigned to new records created on either system To prevent the same record identifier from being created on both the personal computer system and the portable computer syst
30. the contents of the volatile memory begin to decay once the portable computer system is turned off When the portable computer is turned back on the volatile memory will contain modified version of what volatile memory contained when the battery was turned off Since different memory cells decay at different rates the contents of the volatile memory will be somewhat random Ifa sufficient number of locations from the volatile memory are logically combined then a random value can be created One method of logically com bining the data would be to exlcusive OR XOR the data together Another method of creating a random value would be to add the data together such that overflows create a ran dom pattern in the accumulator To further randomize the value the contents ofthe processor s internal registers can be combined to generate a final random number seed 0 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 4 In one embodiment of a portable computer system all the memory is battery backed such that there is no memory decay to cause random values In such a system an area of memory that is used to store temporary variables can be used to pro vide semi random values Specifically an area of memory that is used to store temporary values is defined as dynamic memory The dynamic memory area is shared by all the different applications Since area is shared by several differ ent applications and stores miscellaneous temporary vari a
31. the infrared synchronization transport module The infrared synchronization transport module implements the necessary IrDA standards needed to communicate with a personal computer having an IrDA compliant infrared port Synchronization Password Protection The information stored within a person s desktop personal computer is very valuable Of particular relevance to the present invention the personal contact and calendar informa tion stored within a desktop personal computer is very valu able The personal contact and calendar information is also very personal such that a user may not want others to be able to steal this information One method of stealing the personal contact and calendar information from a personal computer would be to attempt synchronizing an empty portable computer system with the personal computer system The synchronization program on the personal computer would then inform the user that por table computer is empty and that a new user can be created or the name of an existing user can be used The reason for allowing the use of an existing user is to restore data lost from aportable computer due to batteries running out or damage to the portable computer An unscrupulous person may attempt to steal a persons existing data by requesting such a restora tion To prevent stealing data in such a manner a user may associate a password with the data stored on a personal com puter Thus when a person attempts to restore in
32. ule and said second synchronization transport mod ule and synchronizing said first computer system with said second computer system using said active synchronization transport module 2 The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 1 the steps of the method further comprising configuring said first synchronization transport module by executing said first synchronization transport module 3 The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 1 the steps of method further comprising configuring said first synchronization transport module by executing a preferences program that modifies configu ration parameters associated with said first synchroniza tion transport module 4 The computer readable medium as claimed in claim 1 the steps of the method further comprising prior to the syn chronizing installing a third synchronization transport module to said first computer system executing said synchronization application on said first computer system said synchro nization application automatically recognizing said first synchronization transport module said second synchro nization transport module and said third synchroniza tion transport module receiving a second selection of said active synchronization transport module from at least said first synchronization transport module said second synchronization transport module and said third synchronization transport mod ule 5 The computer readable medium as claimed
33. um of claim 16 the steps ofthe method further comprising in response to sending over the medium causing the com puter system to compare the first set of records with the second set of records in order to update one or more records in the second set of records with data in one or more records in the first set of records 18 The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying a user selection specifying the first wireless transport module the first wireless transport module being for a wireless packet radio network 19 The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying a user selection specifying the direct connection transport module the direct connection transport module being for a cradle that connects to the computer system 20 The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying a user selection specifying the first wireless transport module the first wireless transport module being for communications signaled over an infrared port 21 The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying a network transport module the network transport module being for communications signaled over a connection to a local area network 22 The computer readable medium of claim 16 wherein identifying a transport module includes identifying the first
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