Item Sync Tracking via Property Group Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current synchronization systems face inefficiencies in data transfer over slow links, as they typically download entire items even when only minor changes occur, leading to high data transfer times and unnecessary costs, and also incur high storage and processing requirements when tracking changes on a per-item basis.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves syncing only select portions of an item that have changed by defining property groups based on industry wisdom and using change identifiers to track changes at the group level, allowing for reduced data transfer by streaming only the changed property groups, rather than the entire item.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If entire items are downloaded during synchronization, then data completeness is ensured, but data transfer time increases significantly over slow links
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments data items into multiple property groups (e.g., flag properties, recipient properties, body properties, attachment properties). Instead of downloading entire items during synchronization, the system transfers only the specific property groups that have changed, thereby reducing data transfer time while maintaining data completeness for the modified portions.
2Measurement precision
If per-item change tracking is implemented, then synchronization accuracy is improved, but storage requirements and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by organizing item properties into predefined property groups and tracking changes at the group level rather than at the individual property level. This reduces the complexity of change tracking while maintaining synchronization accuracy, as the system only needs to monitor whether entire property groups have changed rather than tracking each individual property modification.
3Reliability
If full item synchronization is performed, then data consistency across devices is ensured, but data transfer cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the necessary changed property groups from the entire item for synchronization. By identifying and transferring only the modified property groups (such as flag colors, recipient lists, or attachment metadata) rather than the complete item, the system reduces data transfer cost while maintaining data consistency for the affected portions.
4Measurement precision
If property-level change tracking is implemented, then synchronization precision is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments properties into predefined property groups and implements change tracking at the group level. This approach maintains synchronization precision by ensuring that entire property groups are synchronized together, while reducing tracking complexity compared to monitoring individual property changes, as the system only needs to manage group-level change identifiers.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments herein change the way item syncing is handled and tracked between two devices. Changes to items are tracked in accordance with well defined property groups and each group is tracked independently of the other. For example, one group could contain large data items, e.g., attachments, while another group could include highly volatile properties like a follow-up flag. The present invention increases the sync rates between a client and a server by syncing only select portions of an item that have changed, without monitoring the change of each individual property within the item. Accordingly, if a change is made to a small data property (e.g., follow-up flag) on a relatively large email message, such change will not trigger a large download to a client running under a cached mode, nor will there be a requirement for high storage and processing for tracking each individual property.