Synchronizing device association data among computing devices

摘要

Device association data for peripheral devices, which is data used to connect to the peripheral devices, is maintained and synchronized across multiple computing devices associated with a user account on a service. When a new peripheral device is associated with a computing device, device association data for the new peripheral device is added to the computing device. The device association data for the new peripheral device is also sent to the service, which provides the device association to the other computing devices from which the user logs into his or her account, and those other computing devices in turn automatically associate themselves with the peripheral device. Device use data describing how a user desires to use the peripheral device on one computing device, as well as changes to the device association data on one computing device, can similarly be synchronized across the multiple computing devices.

主权项

1. A method comprising:
receiving, from a service in response to a user logging into a user account of the service, device association data for each of one or more peripheral devices maintained and synchronized with the user account, the device association data for a peripheral device describing how to connect the peripheral device to a computing device; determining which of the one or more peripheral devices can be automatically made available for use with the computing device; displaying, for at least one of the one or more peripheral devices that cannot be automatically made available for use with the computing device, a prompt to provide additional credentials; and automatically making available for use with the computing device only those of the one or more peripheral devices that can be automatically made available for use with the computing device.