Method for synchronizing files and electronic device using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9934245-B2
Application number	US-201314101924-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 10, 2013
Priority date	Dec 10, 2012
Publication date	Apr 3, 2018
Grant date	Apr 3, 2018

Abstract

A method for synchronizing files and an electronic device using the same are described. The method includes receiving a first instruction; executing the application installed on the electronic device according to the first instruction, a first file among a plurality of files for the application converts into a second state from the first state during a process for executing the application; writing the first file with the second state into a network storage by a first file system, in order to enable the application installed on another electronic device to be executed based on the first file with the second state in the network storage. An application progress may be shared and synchronized conveniently without a user's interaction or participation by writing the first file with the converted state into the network storage.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for synchronizing files applied to an electronic device, on which an application is installed, a plurality of files for the application are stored in a local storage in the electronic device, the plurality of files comprise a first file with a first state, and the electronic device is communicably coupled with a network storage, the method comprises:
receiving a first instruction for executing of the application;
executing the application according to the first instruction, wherein the first file is converted from the first state into a second state in response to the executing of the application, and the first file with the second state records execution progress of the application;
writing into the network storage by a first file system after the first file is converted into the second state, wherein the first file with the second state in the network storage is provided for the application installed on another electronic device to be executed based on the first file with the second state;
monitoring the states of the respective files among the plurality of files related to the application during the process for executing the application;
testing the file whose state changes during the process for executing the application in a manner of replacing the file with the pre-converted state by the file with the converted state, and
selecting the files necessary for synchronizing the progress among the files whose states change as the first file,
wherein the writing the first file with the second state into the network storage by the first file system comprises determining whether a communication environment of the electronic device satisfies a predetermined condition; and writing the first file with the second state into the network storage when the communication environment of the electronic device satisfies the predetermined condition.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first file with the second state is stored into the local storage by a second file system, after the first file is converted into the second state from the first state.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the writing the first file with the second state into the network storage by the first file system comprises redirecting a save path of the first file by the first file system; and writing the first file with the second state into the network storage based on the redirected save path.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the writing the first file with the second state into the network storage by the first file system comprises selecting the first file from the plurality of files; and writing the first file with the second state into the network storage.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the writing the first file with the second state into the network storage by the first file system comprises redirecting a save path of the first file by the first file system; and writing the first file with the second state into the network storage based on the redirected save path.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
issuing a downloading instruction upon a user of the electronic device logging in another electronic device, wherein the user is a user corresponding to the step of writing the first file into the network storage; and
downloading the first file previously stored in the network storage based on the downloading instruction.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising issuing a downloading instruction when the application is launched; and downloading the first file previously stored in the network storage based on the downloading instruction.

8. An electronic device on which an application and a first file system are installed and with which a network storage is communicably coupled, comprising:
a local storage configured to store a plurality of files related to the application, the plurality of files including a first file with a first state; and,
at least one processor configured to:
receive a first instruction for executing of the application;
execute the application according to the first instruction, wherein the first file is converted from the first state into a second state in response to the executing of the application, and the first file with the second state records execution progress of the application;
write the first file with the second state into the network storage by the first file system after the first file is converted into the second state from the first state, wherein the first file with the second state in the network storage is provided for the application installed on another electronic device to be executed based on the first file with the second state;
monitor the states of the respective files among the plurality of files related to the application during the process for executing the application;
test the file whose state changes during the process for executing the application in a manner of replacing the file with the pre-converted state by the file with the converted state; and
select the files necessary for synchronizing the progress among the files whose states change as the first file,
wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine whether a communication environment of the electronic device satisfies a predetermined condition; and write the first file with the second state into the network storage when the communication environment of the electronic device satisfies the predetermined condition.

9. The electronic device of claim 8 wherein, a second file system is installed on the electronic device, and the at least one processor is further configured to store the first file with the second state in the local storage by the second file system, after the first file is converted into the second state from the first state.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to redirect a save path of the first file; and write the first file with the second state into the network storage based on the redirected save path.

11. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to select the first file from the plurality of files; and write the first file with the second state into the network storage.

12. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is configured to redirect a save path of the first file; and write the first file with the second state into the network storage based on the redirected save path.

13. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein the at least one processor is further configured to issue a downloading instruction by the first file system upon a user of the electronic device logging in another electronic device, wherein the user is a user corresponding to the step of writing the first file into the network storage and download the first file previously stored in the network storage based on the downloading instruction.

14. The electronic device of claim 8 , wherein at least one processor is further configured to issue a downloading instruction by the first file system when the application is launched, and download the first file previously stored in the network storage based on the downloading instruction.

Assignees

• Beijing Lenovo Software Ltd
• Lenovo Beijing Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lin Songtao
• Shi Ziwang
• Deng Ning

Classifications

• G06F17/30179 Primary

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F17/30203

  Physics · mapped topic

• G06F16/1794 Primary

  Details of file format conversion · CPC title

• G06F16/183

  Provision of network file services by network file servers, e.g. by using NFS, CIFS (network file access protocols H04L67/1097) · CPC title