Data synch notification using a notification gateway

• US 10,489,421 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Tewari, Ashutosh, Vaithilingam, Gandhi
• Primary Examiner(s): Recek, Jason D
• Application Number:
  US15/158,400
• Publication Number:
  US 20160342673A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

One or more techniques and/or systems are disclosed for facilitating synchronizing of data between one or more servers and a mobile device. The mobile device can establish which servers comprise data that is to be synchronized, and inform the servers that a push notification gateway should be used to send notifications of a data state change. A connection can be opened between the mobile device and the push notification gateway so that when a data state change is detected by a server the server can send the notification to the gateway, which can forward it to the mobile device. The mobile device may then choose to initiate a data synchronization with the server. In this manner, an open connection is merely maintained between the mobile device and the gateway, as opposed to multiple resource intensive connections between the mobile device and multiple servers.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing data between a server and a mobile device, comprising:

receiving a monitoring request at the server from the mobile device requesting the server to monitor a data storage for a data state change;

transmitting a registration request from the server to a push notification gateway to enable the push notification gateway to provide a resource identifier for the push notification gateway to the mobile device, the registration request including a mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device, the push notification gateway communicating via a communication channel that is at least one of open to the mobile device or openable with the mobile device as a result of the registration request;

detecting a data state change within the data storage using the server; and

transmitting a notification from the server to the push notification gateway that the server has detected the data state change within the data storage to enable the push notification gateway to synchronize the data state change with the mobile device associated with the mobile device identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving a monitoring request at the server from the mobile device requesting the server to monitor a data storage for a data state change comprises receiving the monitoring request at an exchange server that utilizes an exchange active-synch protocol to synchronize data with the mobile device via the push notification gateway.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a notification from the server to the push notification gateway that the server has detected the data state change within the data storage comprises transmitting a notification from the server to the push notification gateway that the server has detected the data state change within the data storage, the notification including a server identifier and the mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the server identifier is provided to the server by the push notification gateway upon registration of the server with the push notification gateway.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring request from the mobile device is received at the server via a transmission channel that does not include the push notification gateway.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the monitoring request includes a request to monitor one or more of:

an email message folder, a calendar folder, a task folder, a journal folder, a contact folder, or a notes folder.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising initiating an exchange active synch between the server and the mobile device via the push notification gateway upon transmitting the notification from the server to the push notification gateway.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending a notification forwarding request from the server to the push notification gateway requesting the push notification gateway to forward notifications from the server to the mobile device associated with the mobile device identifier.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting a registration request from the server to a push notification gateway, the registration request including a mobile device identifier, comprises transmitting a registration request from the server to the push notification gateway to register the mobile device with the push notification gateway.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is kept open between the push notification gateway and the mobile device after the registration request is transmitted from the server to the push notification gateway.

14. The method of claim 3, further comprising closing a connection between the server and the push notification gateway upon sending the notification to the push notification gateway of the data state change.

11. A method for synchronizing data between a server and a mobile device, comprising:

receiving a request at the server from the mobile device to monitor data shared between the server and the mobile device for a data state change;

registering the server with a push notification gateway, the push notification gateway communicating via a communication channel that is at least one of open to the mobile device or openable with the mobile device as a result of a registration request;

transmitting the registration request from the server to the push notification gateway, the registration request including a mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device, wherein the transmitting the registration requests comprises transmitting a registration request from the server to the push notification gateway to enable the push notification gateway to provide a resource identifier for the push notification gateway to the mobile device; and

sending a notification to the push notification gateway of a data state change upon detecting the data state change in the shared data, the notification being forwardable by the push notification gateway to the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein registering the server with a push notification gateway comprises receiving a server identifier from the push notification gateway in response to the registering.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein registering the server with a push notification gateway comprises receiving a server ID and a mobile device ID corresponding to the mobile device from the push notification gateway in response to the registering.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the request from the mobile device is received at the server via a transmission channel that does not include the push notification gateway.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein sending the notification to the push notification gateway of a data state change upon detecting the data state change in the shared data comprises detecting the data state change in one or more of:

an email message folder, a calendar folder, a task folder, a journal folder, a contacts folder, or a notes folder.

17. A system for facilitating synchronizing of data between a server and a mobile device, comprising:

a processor configured to process data; and

a memory operably coupled with the processor, the memory including;

one or more instructions for registering the mobile device, for providing a mobile device token, and for transmitting a registration request from the server to a push notification gateway, the registration request including a mobile device identifier associated with the mobile device, including transmitting a registration request from the server to the push notification gateway to enable the push notification gateway to provide a resource identifier for the push notification gateway to the mobile device;

one or more instructions for registering the server and provide a server ID;

one or more instructions for receiving a data change notification from the registered server; and

one or more instructions for forwarding a push notification to the mobile device via a notification channel, the notification including the server ID, the mobile device token, and the data change notification.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the server comprises an exchange active synch server, and

wherein the data change notification comprises a data change notification of a change in data in a shared folder.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the notification channel comprises a live communication channel kept open to the mobile device for sending the push notification.