Synchronization Adapter for Non-Native Application Data
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing data synchronization systems face challenges in synchronizing data across applications that do not natively support synchronization formats like RSS or ATOM, as they lack the necessary metadata for data formats, making it difficult to generate synchronization feeds.
Innovation Solution
A synchronization adapter generates metadata for data from applications that do not support synchronization, forming a synchronization feed that can be stored internally or externally, and intermittently checks for changes to determine when synchronization is necessary, allowing data to be synchronized across different applications and networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a customized synchronization system is developed for each specific application, then synchronization accuracy and reliability are improved, but device complexity and development time increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal synchronization system that can work with multiple different applications and data formats through a common architecture. The system uses standardized components including a synchronization manager, data format converters, and network protocol handlers that can adapt to various applications without requiring custom development for each case, thus reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces intermediary components such as a synchronization adapter layer and data format conversion services that mediate between different applications and the core synchronization engine. These intermediaries handle the complexity of application-specific protocols and data formats, allowing the core system to remain simple while still achieving reliable synchronization across diverse applications
2Reliability
If data is synchronized continuously to ensure real-time consistency, then data freshness is improved, but network bandwidth consumption and system resources increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic synchronization intervals where data is synchronized at predetermined time intervals rather than continuously. The synchronization manager monitors data change timestamps and initiates synchronization only when the interval expires or changes are detected, reducing network bandwidth consumption while maintaining acceptable data consistency levels
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the synchronization system monitors data change events and network conditions to dynamically adjust synchronization timing. When data changes are detected, the system triggers immediate synchronization; otherwise, it waits for the next scheduled interval, optimizing the balance between data freshness and resource consumption based on actual needs
3Reliability
If all data is synchronized to ensure complete data availability, then data completeness is improved, but synchronization time and processing overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides data into logical segments or categories (e.g., by data type, priority level, or application domain) and synchronizes only the necessary segments rather than all data uniformly. The synchronization manager can selectively synchronize high-priority data first or parallelize synchronization of different segments, reducing overall synchronization time while maintaining data completeness
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial synchronization where only the minimum necessary data subset is synchronized to achieve functional completeness. The system identifies and synchronizes only the critical data elements required for operation, accepting that not all possible data will be synchronized in every cycle, thus reducing synchronization time while maintaining sufficient data completeness for operational needs
Data Source
AI summary
A synchronization adapter is coupled to the application that does not support synchronization and generates the necessary synchronization metadata for all data in the application that is to be synchronized. The synchronization adapter then combines the metadata to the actual data to be synchronized to form a synchronization feed. The synchronization feed is stored in an internal cache (or data store) which is internal to the application, or an external cache (or data store), which is external to the application, or it can be stored in both caches. The synchronization adapter also intermittently determines whether the application data has changed, thus warranting a change in its metadata, or whether a synchronization operation is warranted to synchronization operation is warranted to synchronize the data with data in another application. In either case, the synchronization adapter makes the changes to the data, or performs a synchronization operation.