MRU Synchronization Engine for Cross-Device Document Lists
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Solution Overview
Problem
The Most Recently Used (MRU) document lists on client machines do not accurately reflect the most recently used documents stored on a file hosting server, as they are not synchronized across multiple web-accessible computing devices, leading to an inconsistent view of the user's recent document access.
Innovation Solution
An MRU synchronization engine is implemented to synchronize the MRU document lists by comparing configuration data from the file hosting server with the client machine's registry, identifying the most recently used documents and updating the server-side document list to ensure a unified view across all devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If each client machine maintains its own local MRU document list, then the client machine can quickly access recently used documents without navigation, but the MRU document list on each client machine does not accurately reflect the user's most recently used documents across multiple devices
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the local MRU document list from each client machine with the server-side MRU document list to create a unified, synchronized view. The synchronization engine combines data from multiple sources (local registry and server configuration) to maintain consistency across all devices, resolving the contradiction between local quick access and global consistency.
Solution Approach 2:
The synchronization engine implements a feedback mechanism where the server sends configuration data to client machines, and clients report their local MRU data back to the server. This bidirectional feedback ensures that all devices have an accurate, up-to-date view of the user's most recently used documents across the entire system.
2Reliability
If the MRU document list is updated in real-time across all devices, then the view of most recently used documents remains accurate and unified, but the system complexity and data synchronization overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization engine performs preliminary actions by maintaining a server-side configuration list that tracks the most recently used documents. When a client connects, the engine proactively pushes updates to the client's local MRU list based on the pre-computed server configuration, reducing the need for complex real-time bidirectional synchronization and simplifying the overall system architecture.
3Loss of information
If the server maintains a centralized MRU-server document list, then a unified view of user's most recently used documents can be provided, but the server must continuously synchronize with all client machines
Solution Approach 1:
The synchronization system implements periodic updates rather than continuous real-time synchronization. The server maintains the authoritative MRU configuration list and periodically pushes updates to connected clients. Clients receive configuration data from the server at scheduled intervals or upon connection, reducing the continuous communication overhead while maintaining data consistency.
Data Source
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AI summary
A most recently used (MRU) client synchronization engine is provided to synchronize a user's most recently used (MRU) document list associated with a client machine with a file hosting server's MRU document list. The file hosting server's MRU document list contains a list of the user's most recently used documents that are stored on the file hosting server. The user's documents that are stored on the file hosting server are accessible to the user on one or more web-enabled client machines. The MRU client synchronization engine analyzes registry data pertaining to the documents that a user uses on the client machine with the file hosting server's MRU document list to determine the user' s most recently used documents.