IP Library Granted Patent US 8,412,676
Granted Patent B2
US 8,412,676 · App. 12/255,059 · Granted Apr 2, 2013

Forgetting items with knowledge based synchronization

Inventors: Lukasz Gwozdz (Seattle, WA); Michael Ray Clark (Redmond, WA); Siva Muhunthan (Kirkland, WA); Lev Novik (Bellevue, WA); Ashish B. Shah (Sammamish, WA)
Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 8,412,676
App. No.
12/255,059
Granted
Apr 2, 2013
Kind
B2
Abstract

Systems and methods that enable removal of data from an endpoint, while not propagating such removal to other endpoints when synchronizing data sources associated therewith. A designation component can indicate items as forgotten items, wherein such items are being known to an endpoint and deleted therefrom—yet, reintroduced therein and reappearing (e.g., as a create) upon re-synchronizing with the replica over again. Moreover, the forgotten items can employ additional metadata such as in from of an additional bit that indicates whether an item is a forgotten item.

Claims (31)

1. A system including:

a plurality of nodes with data synchronization therebetween; and

a forgotten item associated with a node, a removal thereof fails to automatically propagate removal of the forgotten item from other nodes during the data synchronization, wherein the forgotten item is automatically reintroduced to the node upon a subsequent synchronization based on a forgotten item designation of the forgotten item.

2. The system of claim 1 further comprising a designator component configured to designate an item(s) as the forgotten item for the node.

3. The system of claim 1 further comprising a local counter associated with the node to identify local modification to replica(s).

4. The system of claim 1 further comprising a knowledge store module configured to manage knowledge of changes to stored data.

5. The system of claim 4 further comprising a filter store module configured to maintain a filter that identifies a predetermined set of data in the stored data.

6. The system of claim 4 further comprising a change incorporation module configured to evaluate conflicts among data replicas.

7. The system of claim 4 further comprising an item data store module configured to manage the stored data.

8. The system of claim 1 further comprising an inference component configured to facilitate designation of items as forgotten items.

9. A computer implemented method comprising the following computer executable acts:

removing a forgotten item from a node;

synchronizing the node with other nodes;

maintaining the forgotten item in the other nodes;

reintroducing the forgotten item to the node automatically upon a subsequent synchronization based on a forgotten item designation of the forgotten item.

10. The computer implemented method of claim 9 further comprising designating an item has not been modified locally at the node as the forgotten item.

11. The computer implemented method of claim 10 further comprising identifying all metadata related to the forgotten item.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 11 further comprising removing all the metadata.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 9 further comprising designating an item has been modified locally as the forgotten item.

14. The computer implemented method of claim 13 further comprising preserving sync metadata associated with the forgotten item.

15. The computer implemented method of claim 14 further comprising removing all data associated with the forgotten item from the node except the sync metadata.

16. The computer implemented method of claim 10 further comprising remembering the forgotten item at the node during a further synchronization with the other nodes.

17. The computer implemented method of claim 13 further comprising detecting an older version of the item during a further sync with the other nodes.

18. The computer implemented method of claim 13 further comprising changing a replica identification (ID) for the item during a further sync of the node with the other nodes.

19. The computer implemented method of claim 9 further comprising:

receiving at the node a first replica knowledge value that represents knowledge of changes to stored data of which a first replica is aware, and

comparing the first replica knowledge value with versions associated with changes to the stored data in a second replica to identify a change known by the second replica of which the first replica is unaware.

20. A computer-readable storage device having computer-executable instructions for causing a computer to perform steps:

removing an item from a node without removal of the item from other nodes when synchronizing with the node; and

designating the item as a forgotten item; and

reintroducing the forgotten item to the node automatically upon a subsequent synchronization based on a forgotten item designation of the forgotten item.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 9, 2014
From: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
To: MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING, LLC
Reel/Frame 034564/0001 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Oct 21, 2008
From: GWOZDZ, LUKASZ; CLARK, MICHAEL RAY; MUHUNTHAN, SIVA; NOVIK, LEV; SHAH, ASHISH B.
To: MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 021713/0149 →
Continuity (1)
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