System and method for transferring personalization information among computer systems

Abstract

A system and method transfers personalization information to a portable storage device from a first computer system, and then adds personalization information to a second computer system from the portable storage device.

1 . A method for transferring personalization information among computer systems, the method comprising: 
 persisting, into a storage of a removable device, a set of personalization information from a first computer of interest to a user of the first computer;    providing at a second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer; and    persisting into the storage of the removable device at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer.    
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein persisting, into a storage of a removable device, a set of personalization information from a first computer of interest to a user of the first computer includes: 
 persisting, into a storage of a removable device, at least one of an email for the user, a web browser favorite for the user, wallpaper, a file, and a document for the user.    
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing at a second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer includes: 
 providing at the second computer, at least one email retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of at least one email resident on the second computer once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer.    
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing at the second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer includes: 
 providing at the second computer, at least one document from a “my documents” folder retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of at least one document from a “my documents” folder resident on the second computer once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer.    
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein providing at the second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer includes: 
 suppressing a user interface at the second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the user interface comprising a second screen image that otherwise would be displayed on the second computer while the first screen image retrieved from the storage of the removable device is displayed instead.    
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein persisting into the storage of the removable device at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer includes: 
 persisting into the storage of the removable device at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer such that the at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer is not detectable at the second computer once the removable device has been removed from the second computer.    
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein persisting into the storage of the removable device the at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer includes: 
 persisting into the storage of the removable device a copy of at least one email sent at the second computer to update at least one email folder at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer.    
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein persisting into the storage of the removable device the at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer includes: 
 persisting into the storage of the removable device the at least one change in accordance with controlling a version of the at least one change based upon a state of the first computer.    
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 removing any indication of the at least one change made to the set of personalization information from the second computer such that the at least one change is not detectable at the second computer once the removable device has been removed from the second computer.    
     
     
         10 . A machine-readable medium carrying one or more sequences of instructions for transferring personalization information among computer systems, which instructions, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to carry out the steps of: 
 persisting, into a storage of a removable device, a set of personalization information from a first computer of interest to a user of the first computer;    providing at a second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer; and    persisting into the storage of the removable device at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer.    
     
     
         11 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of persisting, into a storage of a removable device, a set of personalization information from a first computer of interest to a user of the first computer include instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 persisting, into a storage of a removable device, at least one of an email for the user, a web browser favorite for the user, wallpaper, a file, and a document for the user.    
     
     
         12 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of providing at a second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer include instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 providing at the second computer, at least one document from a “my documents” folder retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of at least one document from a “my documents” folder resident on the second computer once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer.    
     
     
         13 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of providing at the second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer include instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 providing at the second computer, at least one email retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of at least one email resident on the second computer once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer.    
     
     
         14 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10  wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of providing at the second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the set of personalization information retrieved from the storage of the removable device in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer include instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 suppressing a user interface at the second computer, once the removable device has been relocated from the first computer to the second computer, the user interface comprising a second screen image that otherwise would be displayed on the second computer while the first screen image retrieved from the storage of the removable device is displayed instead.    
     
     
         15 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of persisting into the storage of the removable device the at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer include instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 persisting into the storage of the removable device at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer such that the at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer is not detectable at the second computer once the removable device has been removed from the second computer.    
     
     
         16 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of persisting into the storage of the removable device the at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer include instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 persisting into the storage of the removable device a copy of at least one email sent at the second computer to update at least one email folder at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer.    
     
     
         17 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10 , wherein the instructions for carrying out the step of persisting into the storage of the removable device the at least one change made to the set of personalization information at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the removable device has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer include instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 persisting into the storage of the removable device the at least one change in accordance with controlling a version of the at least one change based upon a state of the first computer.    
     
     
         18 . The machine-readable medium as recited in  claim 10 , further comprising instructions for carrying out the step of: 
 removing any indication of the at least one change made to the set of personalization information from the second computer such that the at least one change is not detectable at the second computer once the removable device has been removed from the second computer.    
     
     
         19 . An apparatus for transferring personalization information among computer systems, comprising: 
 an interface to connect with a computer; and    a storage, 
 into which a set of personalization information from a first computer of interest to a user of the first computer is persisted when the apparatus is coupled with the first computer via the interface; and  
 from which the set of personalization information may be retrieved, once the apparatus has been relocated from the first computer to a second computer, to be provided in place of similar information that otherwise would be provided on the second computer had the removable device not been attached to the second computer; and  
 into which at least one change made to the set of personalization information is persisted at the second computer to update the set of personalization information at the first computer once the apparatus has been relocated from the second computer to the first computer.