System and method for redirecting message attachments between a host system and a mobile data communication device

• US 20020194285A1
• Filed: 05/20/2002
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mousseau, Gary P., Lazaridis, Mihal
• Granted Patent: US 7,509,376 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• 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 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/168 above the transport layer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/353 where the information comprises non-audio but is provided over voice channels protocols for multimedia information services per se H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4211 where the identifier is used to access a profile
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4872 Non-interactive information services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 : Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 : Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 : Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 : Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 : Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 : Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 : Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 : adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 : Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 : Recoverability

Abstract

A system and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device upon sensing a triggering event is disclosed. A redirector program operating at the host system enables a user to continuously redirect certain user-selected data items from the host system to the user'"'"'s mobile data communication device upon detecting that one or more user-defined triggering events has occurred. The redirector program operates in connection with event generating applications and repackaging systems at the host system to configure and detect a particular user-defined event, and then to repackage the user-selected data items in an electronic wrapper prior to pushing the data items to the mobile device. The system includes attachment processing components for identifying one or more attachment displayers in the vicinity of the mobile data communication device and then routing an attachment from the host system directly to a selected attachment displayer.

Claims

1. A method of redirecting a message, comprising the steps of:

receiving a message at a host system, the message having an attachment;

separating the attachment from the message;

redirecting the message from the host system to a mobile device;

selecting an attachment displayer; and

redirecting the attachment from the host system to the selected attachment displayer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

prior to separating the attachment from the message, redirecting the message with the attachment from the host system to a desktop system associated with the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

redirecting information regarding the attachment to the mobile device, the information including the type of attachment; and

detecting whether an attachment displayer that can process the type of attachment is located nearby the mobile device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the detecting step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting an attachment displayer inquiry from the mobile device; and

receiving one or more attachment displayer responses at the mobile device from the one or more attachment displayers located nearby the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the transmitting and receiving steps are carried out using a short-range wireless communication.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the mobile device and the one or more attachment displayers that communicate via the short-range wireless communication are Bluetooth-enabled devices.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein the selecting step further comprises the step of selecting the attachment displayer that can process the type of attachment at the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of transmitting a command message from the mobile device to the host system that instructs the host system to redirect the attachment to the selected attachment displayer.

9. The method of claim 3, wherein the selecting step further comprises the step of selecting the attachment displayer that can process the type of attachment at the host system.

10. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

determining an electronic address of the attachment displayer that can process the type of attachment; and

transmitting the electronic address to the host system.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

redirecting information regarding the attachment to the mobile device, the information including the type of attachment;

detecting whether an attachment displayer that can process the type of attachment is located nearby the mobile device, and if an attachment displayer is not detected, then converting the attachment to a new type of attachment that can be processed by an attachment displayer that was detected nearby the mobile device, and transmitting a command message from the mobile device to the host system to redirect the attachment to the attachment displayer that can process the new type of attachment.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the attachment is converted to the new type of attachment at the host system.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

transmitting an attachment redirection message from the host system to the mobile device indicating that the attachment has been redirected to the attachment displayer.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the attachment redirection message includes the identity and location of the attachment displayer.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining the type of attachment;

accessing an attachment displayer database to identify an attachment displayer that is compatible with the type of attachment; and

selecting the attachment displayer from the database that is compatible with the type of attachment.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

transmitting a notification message from the host system to the mobile device indicating that the attachment has been redirected to the selected attachment displayer.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising the steps of:

determining the location of the mobile device; and

selecting the attachment displayer from the database that is compatible with the type of attachment and which is nearby the location of the mobile device.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting information regarding the attachment to the mobile device;

the mobile device determining, via short-range wireless communication, whether an attachment displayer that is compatible with the attachment is located nearby the mobile device; and

if a compatible attachment displayer is located, then selecting the compatible attachment displayer.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting information regarding the attachment to the mobile device;

the mobile device determining, via short-range wireless communication, whether a first attachment displayer that is compatible with the attachment is located nearby the mobile device; and

if the first attachment displayer is not located, then converting the attachment into a type that is compatible with a second attachment displayer that is located nearby the device, and selecting the second attachment displayer.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting information regarding the attachment to the mobile device;

the mobile device determining, via short-range wireless communication, whether an attachment displayer that is compatible with the attachment is located nearby the mobile device; and

if a compatible attachment displayer is located, then selecting the compatible attachment displayer at the mobile device and transmitting the selection to the host system.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting information regarding the attachment to the mobile device;

the mobile device determining, via short-range wireless communication, whether an attachment displayer that is compatible with the attachment is located nearby the mobile device; and

if a compatible attachment displayer is located, then transmitting information regarding the compatible attachment displayer to the host system.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting step further comprises the steps of:

transmitting information regarding the attachment to the mobile device;

the mobile device determining, via short-range wireless communication, whether any attachment displayers are located nearby the mobile device, and if so, the types of attachments that these attachment displayers can process;

selecting a located attachment displayer that is compatible with the attachment;

determining an electronic address of the selected attachment displayer; and

transmitting the electronic address of the selected attachment displayer to the host system.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the determining step occurs after receiving a command at the mobile device to locate nearby attachment displayers.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the determining step occurs automatically after a message is received at the mobile device.

26. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a desktop system in communication with the host system and associated with the mobile data communication device; and

a datagram forwarding component coupled to the host system for forwarding the datagram to the desktop system.

27. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a wireless communication network coupled between the host system and the mobile data communication device.

28. The system of claim 27, further comprising:

a firewall system coupled between the host system and the wireless communication network.

29. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

a database of attachment displayers to which attachments can be redirected.

30. The system of claim 25, wherein the message element includes information regarding the attachment, which is used by the mobile device to locate a nearby attachment displayer that is capable of processing the attachment element.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the information regarding the attachment is the type of the attachment.

32. The system of claim 25, wherein the mobile data communication device is configured to transmit a list of one or more attachment displayers that are located nearby the mobile data communication device to the host system, which then uses this information to redirect the attachment to a selected attachment displayer.

33. The system of claim 32, wherein the selected attachment displayer is selected at the host system.

34. The system of claim 32, wherein the selected attachment displayer is selected at the mobile data communication device.

35. The system of claim 25, wherein the mobile data communication device is configured to determine an electronic address of any attachment displayers that are located nearby the mobile data communication device and then to transmit these electronic addresses to the host system so that the attachment redirector can redirect the attachment to a particular attachment displayer.

36. The system of claim 35, wherein the electronic address is a telephone number.

37. The system of claim 35, wherein the electronic address is an IP address.

38. The system of claim 25, further comprising:

an attachment converter for converting the attachment element from one attachment type to a second attachment type.

39. The system of claim 25, wherein the attachment displayer is a printer.

40. The system of claim 25, wherein the attachment displayer is a facsimile machine.

41. The system of claim 25, wherein the attachment displayer is a cellular phone.

42. The system of claim 25, wherein the attachment displayer is an Internet appliance.

25. A system for redirecting a datagram having an attachment, comprising:

a host system for receiving the datagram and for separating the datagram into a message element and an attachment element, the host system including;

a redirector component for redirecting the message element to a mobile data communication device; and

an attachment component for redirecting the attachment to an attachment displayer located nearby the mobile data communication device;

wherein the mobile data communication device is configured to locate nearby attachment displayers using a short-range wireless transceiver.

43. A method of redirecting datagrams, comprising the steps of:

receiving a datagram having at least one attachment;

determining the type of attachment;

locating an attachment displayer that is capable of processing the type of attachment using a short-range wireless communication; and

redirecting the attachment to the located attachment displayer.

44. A method of redirecting datagrams with at least one attachment between a host system, at least one mobile device, and at least one attachment displayer, comprising the steps of:

receiving a datagram with at least one attachment at the host system;

detecting the at least one attachment at the host system;

determining the type of attachment at the host system;

determining the geographical location of the mobile device;

selecting an attachment displayer in the geographical proximity of the mobile device that is capable of processing the type of attachment; and

redirecting the attachment from the host system to the selected attachment displayer.

46. The method of claim 45, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a command at the host system to transmit any remaining portion of the attachment in the first format;

converting the remaining portion of the first attachment from the first format into a second format, thereby creating a third attachment;

redirecting the third attachment from the host system to a mobile device; and

, displaying the third attachment.

45. A method of redirecting a message, comprising the steps of:

receiving a message at a host system, the message having a first attachment in a first format;

converting at least a portion of the first attachment from the first format into a second format, thereby creating a second attachment;

redirecting the message with the second attachment from the host system to a mobile device;

displaying the message; and

, displaying the second attachment.