Patent ID: 8521805

Claim:
A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing a program that causes a server to execute a method of synchronizing a file stored on the server to a client, the method comprising: receiving from the client a request to synchronize the file to the client, the request comprising a location at which the file is stored on the server, a location on the client at which the file is to be stored, a list of files stored at the location on the client, and a file synchronizing condition for determining whether the server is (1) to transfer the file or (2) to transfer alternative information instead of transferring the file, wherein the file synchronizing condition comprises at least one of a maximum size of the file, a type of the file, a creation date of the file, and an updated date of the file; determining that the file is stored at the location on the client based on the list of files; comparing the file stored at the location on the client to the file stored on the server, wherein the comparing comprises comparing a version of the file stored at the location on the client to a version of the file stored on the server; determining, based on the at least one of the maximum size of the file, the type of the file, the creation date of the file, and the updated date of the file indicated by file synchronizing condition received in the request, whether the at least one of the maximum size of the file, the type of the file, the creation date of the file, and the updated date of the file satisfies the file synchronizing condition; determining that the server is (1) to transfer the file in response to determining that the at least one of the maximum size of the file, the type of the file, the creation date of the file, and the updated date of the file satisfies the file synchronizing condition or (2) to transfer the alternative information instead of transferring the file in response to determining the at least one of the maximum size of the file, the type of the file, the creation date of the file, and the updated date of the file does not satisfy the file synchronizing condition and based on the file synchronizing condition received in the request, to transfer to the client the alternative information in place of the file, in response to a result of the comparing that indicates the version of the file stored at the location on the client is older than the version of the file stored on the server; and transferring to the client one of the file or the alternative information based on a result of the determining.