Apple patents system to sync data across devices without conflicts
Apple has been granted a patent for a method that keeps data consistent across multiple devices by syncing only specific parts of the information. The system uses a technique called conflict-free replicated data types to handle updates, ensuring that different devices can store and access data without overwriting each other's changes.
In the filing’s own words
Some techniques are described herein for tracking items across different devices. Such techniques synchronize a portion of each item while locally storing another portion. In some examples, the synchronization is performed via a conflict-free replicated data type (CRDT) and includes exchanging state vectors and/or hashes corresponding to portions of items that are being synchronized. Other techniques incrementally update local views of data as new data is received. Such techniques use storage plans that maintain operations for different local views. Other techniques manage the order of updates of different local views of data using various sets of criteria described herein. For example, some views can intentionally be left out of date while other views can be updated more frequently to satisfy requests for such views.
What exactly they claim (claim 1)
1. A method, comprising: at a daemon of a computer system: detecting a first event corresponding to a first stream of data that is stored at a first location; in response to detecting the first event: identifying a first storage plan corresponding to the first stream of data; identifying a last location in the first stream of data; and performing, on a portion of the first stream of data beginning at the last location in the first stream of data, a first set of one or more operations corresponding to the first storage plan; and after performing the first set of one or more operations of the first storage plan, storing, at a second location of persistent memory of the computer system, a result of performing the first set of one or more operations, wherein the second location is different from the first location, and wherein the result is to be accessed by a user application of the computer system.
Facts
- Company
- Apple (Apple Inc.)
- Official title
- Techniques for managing data
- Patent number
- US12748774B2
- Application number
- 19255175
- Filed
- Jun 30, 2025
- Granted
- Sep 29, 2026
- Inventors
- 5
- Claims
- 30
Classified under
G06F 16/27 Physics & computingG06F 16/2237 Physics & computingG06F 16/2365 Physics & computingMore from Apple in AI & software
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Summaries are simplified from the filing’s own abstract and first claim. A patent filing is not a product announcement.
Patent data and drawings: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO). Nebula is not affiliated with or endorsed by the USPTO.