Patent Publication Number: US-2013254520-A1

Title: Method and apparatus for providing data migration services

Description:
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     Commonly assigned and related United States Patent Application Attorney Docket Number SCA2356, entitled “Method and Apparatus for Providing Data Migration Services”, filed simultaneously herewith, is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to backup and restoration techniques for a digital device, and more specifically to a method and apparatus for providing data migration services. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     In general, when a digital device such as personal computer (PC) or notebook computer becomes outdated, a user often wishes to upgrade to a new computer. However, the user is generally apprehensive about losing vital machine information, such as personal data, customized settings, and/or any other essential configurations during data migration. During migration, if by any chance some of the previous machine information is lost, the user needs to spend additional effort and time to manually customize the new computer. As a result, the user tends to overlook the machine information during a new installation, and therefore the user experience is diminished and the user is discouraged from purchasing the new computer. 
     The conventional techniques require the user to first understand the details of the machine information (such as personal data, customized settings, or any other configurations) along with the location of such information on their existing computer. As a result, it becomes cumbersome, and impractical for the user to manually customize and restore the new computer. Therefore, the conventional techniques are unable to provide automated, fast, easy and user-friendly computer data migration. 
     Therefore, there exists a need to provide a method and apparatus for providing reliable and easy to use data migration services to purchasers of new computers. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally include a method for data migration. A computer implemented method for data migration comprises collecting a plurality of parameters from a user device, storing the plurality of parameters as migration data in a database, and imaging a new device with the migration data. 
     Embodiments of the present disclosure generally include an apparatus for data migration. The apparatus comprises a server for collecting a plurality of parameters from a user device, a database coupled to the server for storing the plurality of parameters as migration data, and an imaging module coupled to the database for imaging a new device with the migration data. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       So that the manner in which the above recited features of the present invention can be understood in detail, a more particular description of the invention, briefly summarized above, may be had by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the appended drawings. It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of this invention and are therefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the invention may admit to other equally effective embodiments. 
         FIG. 1  illustrates a functional block diagram of a system for migrating data in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention; 
         FIG. 2  illustrates a flow diagram of a method for migrating data in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     As explained further below, various embodiments of the invention disclose a method and apparatus for providing data migration services for digital devices such as personal computing devices. The embodiments of the present invention download a software application (such as an applet) to the user&#39;s computer, collect personal settings, computer configurations and installed software as well as corporate and machine settings, and process an order to build a new device that incorporates all of the settings, configurations and software from the user&#39;s current computer. Hereinafter such digital information is sometimes collectively referred to as “parameters”. The manufacturer of the new device will then ship the new device to the user and the user will be able to start the device in a state equivalent to that of the user&#39;s former computer. 
     Further, the embodiments of the invention provide an end-to-end data migration service for a user purchasing a new computer. The user can comfortably access an online store, such as Sony Style®, to purchase a new personal computer or laptop (PC). If the user decides to purchase a new PC, the user is presented with an option to migrate their existing computer data to a new PC. If the user agrees, an Applet and/or ActiveX (or any suitable application) control is enabled for execution on the user&#39;s current computer that analyzes its parameters, i.e., all of the customized user settings and data such as Operating system customizations, bookmarks, licensed software, stored data and the like, stores such data in a database server and submits the order. A PC manufacturing service retrieves this data from a server coupled to the database and images the newly ordered PC with the migration data and ships it out to the customer. Once the customer starts the new PC, the transition from their outdated PC to the new PC will be seamless as all their data and settings have been successfully transferred. The user does not need to have the expertise to perform manual migration and may simply resume their normal usage patterns immediately with the new computer. 
       FIG. 1  depicts a functional block diagram of a system  100  for migrating data in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The system  100  comprises a migration server  116 , and a manufacturing server  132  operatively coupled to each other. A client computer  102  couples to the system  100  through a network  130 . The system  100  further depicts a new computer  126  coupled with the imaging module  122 . 
     The client computer  102  comprises a central processing unit (CPU)  104 , support circuits  106 , and memory  108 . The computer  102  is a type of computing device (e.g., a laptop, a desktop, a notebook, a gaming device, a handheld device, other electronic device and/or the like) known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The CPU  104  may comprise one or more commercially available microprocessors or microcontrollers that facilitate data processing and storage. The various support circuits  106  facilitate the operation of the CPU  104  and include one or more clock circuits, power supplies, cache, input/output circuits, displays, and the like. The memory  108  comprises at least one of Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), disk drive storage, optical storage, removable storage and/or the like, but excludes transitory media. The memory  108  comprises custom settings  110 , data  128 , software  114 , and a browser  111  including an application  112 . 
     The network  130  comprises a communication system that connects computers by wire, cable, fiber optic and/or wireless link facilitated by various types of well-known network elements, such as hubs, switches, routers, access points and the like. The network  130  may employ various well-known protocols to communicate information amongst the network resources. For example, the network  130  may be a part of the Internet or Intranet using various communications infrastructure, such as Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), and the like. 
     The migration server  116  is a type of computing device (e.g., a desktop, and/or the like) known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The migration server  116  comprises a database  118 . The database  118  records migration data  120  of the client computer  102 . According to some embodiments, the migration server  116  may further comprise a web server and an application server, or any other server that may utilize the data migration and restoration services from an online seller of new computers, such as the forenamed Sony Style®, store. In other embodiments, the database  118  is hosted remotely from the server  116 . 
     The manufacturer server  132  is a type of computing device (e.g., a desktop, and/or the like) known to one of ordinary skill in the art. The manufacturer server  132  comprises an imaging module  122 . The imaging module  122  produces and stores a data image  124 . 
     According to some embodiments of the present invention, the client initially powers the computer  102  and launches the browser  111 . The client navigates to a particular website, in this embodiment the Sony Style® site, through the network  130 . The server  116  transmits an application, i.e. the application  112  to the browser  111  of the computer  102 . The browser  111  executes the application  112  as an Applet, ActiveX control or the like on client computer  102 . The application  112  allows the migration server  116  to access in-depth details of the client computer  102  such as applications, control settings, software configurations, browser bookmarks and the like. In other embodiments, the application  112  is downloaded to the client computer  102  and is executed by the CPU  104  at a time scheduled by a user of the computer  102 . The results are transmitted to the migration server  116  at a later time. 
     Application  112  is required because conventionally a website is unable to access such in-depth information due to browser  111  security restrictions, firewalls and computer  102  security policies in place to protect the user and client computer  102 . However, Applets, ActiveX controls and other controls used for accessing and then extracting in-depth machine information, prompt the user to grant security permission for such access and extraction. The user selects a new PC with desired configuration details such as processor speed, random access memory (RAM) size, hard disk size and the like through the website running in browser  111 . The user submits the new PC configuration as an order to the migration server  116  and then the application  112  prompts the user for security permission and whether the user would like to perform end-to-end PC migration services. In general, the applets can be executed by browsers for many platforms, including Microsoft Windows, Unix, Mac OS and Linux. 
     According to some embodiments, the application  112  enables the migration server  116  to collect the user customizations/settings, i.e. the custom settings  110 , the software  114  and the data  128 . The custom settings  110  may include various parameters of the computer  102 , such as user settings, customizations, contents, user preferences, network settings, browser settings and favorites and the like. Further, the application  112  may also store the combined settings (retrieved by the applet) and user choices (made by the user during the interaction with the applet) to a local storage device. 
     Further, the application  112  collects the user data, i.e. the data  128  residing on the computer  102 . The data  128  may include the basic file system of the computer  102  and all data populating the file system to be migrated to the new computer. According to some embodiments, the data  128  may include MS word files, Adobe PDF files, media (audio/video) files, and/or the like. According to some embodiments, the server  116  stores the custom settings  110  and the data  128  as migration data  120  in the database  118 . In some embodiments, the migration data  120  is encrypted and sent to the manufacturer server  132 , where the manufacturer then builds and configures a new computer in accordance with the received migration data  120 . 
     According to some embodiments, the manufacturer server  132  decrypts the encrypted migration data  120  received from the database  118 . The imaging module  122  retrieves the migration data  120  from the migration server  116  and processes the data  120  to generate a data image  124 . The data image  124  is a binary file which contains the entirety of the data captured from client computer  102  including software, data, custom settings, licenses, application defaults and the like. The binary file format of the data image  124  is such that the underlying representation of the data can be copied to a new hard disk or memory and the data in the data image  124  will cause the software and settings to be copied directly to the hard disk of the new computer  126 . According to some embodiments, the imaging module  122  applies the data image  124  to the new computer  126 . The new computer  126  is delivered to the user and the user is able to operate the new computer  126  in fully configured and activated mode directly out of the manufacturers shipping container. 
     One of ordinary skill in the art would recognize that migration server  116  and manufacturing server  132 , in one embodiment, comprise individual central processing units, supporting circuits and memories (not shown). The migration data  120  is stored in database  118 , which, according to an exemplary embodiment is executed by the central processing unit of the migration server  116 . In other embodiments, the database  118  is stored remotely from the migration server  116 . The imaging module  122  is stored in the memory of the manufacturing server  132  and executed by the central processing unit of the manufacturing server  132 . The data image  124  is also stored on the memory of the manufacturing server  132 . According to other embodiments, the migration server  116  and the manufacturing server  132  share a central processing unit  136 , support circuits  138  and memory  140  as shown in  FIG. 1  and are run as “cloud” computing services on a cloud server  134 , whereby they are accessible as services. 
       FIG. 2  is a flow diagram of a method  200  for migrating data in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention. The method  200  is an implementation of the migration server  116  and the manufacturing server  132  of  FIG. 1 . 
     The method  200  begins at step  202  and proceeds to step  204 . At step  204 , a client side application is transmitted from the migration server  116  and run on the browser  111  of the client computer  102 . At step  206 , user customizations and settings are collected by the client side application. According to some embodiments, the application  112  enables the server  116  to collect the user customizations/settings, i.e. the custom settings  110  and the data  128 . 
     In some embodiments, the custom settings  110  may include various parameters of the computer  102 , such as customizations, network settings, software licenses and the like. Before collecting this data, the application  112  prompts for permission from the user and the browser  111  warns of possible security risks in allowing the application  112  to access computer data. 
     At step  208 , user data is collected. According to some embodiments, the server  116  collects the user data, i.e. the data  128  residing on the computer  102 . According to some embodiments, the data  128  may include MS word files, Adobe®, PDF files, media (audio/video) files, software settings and/or the like. The data  128  may further include the basic file system of the computer  102  and all data populating the file system to be migrated to the new computer. 
     At step  210 , settings, customizations, and data are uploaded to the migration server  116 . According to some embodiments, the migration server  116  parses the custom settings  110  and the data  128  and generates migration data  120 . At step  212 , the migration data  120  is stored in the database as a record. The migration data  120  is associated with an order submitted by the user of the client computer  102  and can be retrieved by customizable identifying information such as an order number, client computer address, or the like. According to some embodiments, the server  116  stores the custom settings  110  and the data  128  as migration data  120  in the database  118 . In other embodiments, the database  118  is hosted remotely from the server  116 . 
     At step  214 , a new computer is imaged with the migration data  120 . According to some embodiments, the imaging module  122  images the migration data  120  as a data image  124  and applies the data image  124  to a new computer, i.e. the new computer  126 . The process of imaging a new computer is well known to those of ordinary skill in the art, and generally comprises reading each byte from the data image  124  and directly writing each byte to the hard disk of the new computer. In this manner, the new computer  126  contains a replication of custom settings, application defaults, and user content of the client computer  102  as stored in migration data  120  so that a user may continue computing without suffering any delay or inconvenience in manually configuring or transferring data to the computer  126 . At step  316 , the new computer  126  is shipped to a user. The method  300  ends at step  218 . 
     The embodiments of the present invention offer various advantages. The embodiments provide an end-to-end service that enables a simple customer migration from one computer to a second computer in a very short time. The user may browse a website or electronics storefront to initiate and complete the purchase and migration process. Further the migration process can be initiated even from a home without having to understand the details of the system information, such content, settings, user preferences, etc. Finally, when the new computer arrives, the user can cause it to awake from hibernation and all of the user data and settings are preconfigured so the user suffers no interruption in usage. 
     The foregoing description, for purpose of explanation, has been described with reference to specific embodiments. However, the illustrative discussions above are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the present disclosure and its practical applications, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention and various embodiments with various modifications as may be suited to the particular use contemplated. 
     While the foregoing is directed to embodiments of the present invention, other and further embodiments of the invention may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope thereof is determined by the claims that follow.