System and method for downloading information to a mobile device

• US 20030225797A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Whitney, Chad M., Shields, Kevin T., Cover, Steven A.
• Granted Patent: US 7,318,073 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/202
• 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 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability

Abstract

Described is a method and system for downloading information to a mobile device. The system and method provide a mechanism for selectively identifying the type of information that can be downloaded to the mobile device. In one embodiment, the mechanism includes a user interface resident on the mobile device that allows user selection of the type of information. Alternatively, the mechanism includes a profile maintained on a server. The profile identifies the type of information, such as a file extension, that a particular mobile device supports. In addition, the type of information may be based on a file size associated with the information. Once the type of information is identified, the server downloads the identified type of information to the mobile device without downloading undesired types of information. Thus, the synchronization session is efficiently managed so that undesired information is not downloaded to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for downloading information between a mobile device and a server, the method comprising:

specifying at least one type of information to download to the mobile device; and

during a synchronization session, downloading a select group of information based on the at least one type of information, the select group of information being a portion of a total set of information available for downloading to the mobile device.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one type of information is based on a file extension.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the at least one type of information corresponds to an application on the mobile device.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein one type of information is based on a file size.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein specifying the at least one type of information includes detecting a device type associated with the mobile device and reading a profile associated with the device type, the profile identifying the at least one type of information.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the profile includes a list of supported file types for the device type.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the profile resides on the server.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the profile resides on the mobile device.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 5, wherein the profile is transmitted to the server from the mobile device during the synchronization session.

10. A method for synchronizing information between a mobile device and a server, the method comprising:

sending a synchronization request to initiate a synchronization session;

receiving a list of headers for each file available for downloading from the server;

comparing the list of headers with a client profile that specifies supported types of information, the client profile being available on the mobile device;

requesting the server to download a file if the file is supported based on the client profile; and

receiving the file from the server in response to the request.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the client profile identifies supported types of information based on a file extension.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the client profile identifies supported types of information based on a size.

13. A method for synchronizing information between a mobile device and a server, the method comprising:

receiving a synchronization request to initiate a synchronization session;

determining a device type associated with the mobile device;

obtaining a profile associated with the device type, the profile specifying supported types of information; and

comparing a header for a file that is available for downloading to the profile, if the file is supported based on the profile, sending the file to the mobile device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the profile identifies supported types of information based on a file extension.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the profile identifies supported types of information based on a size.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the profile resides on the server.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the profile is transmitted to the server from the mobile device during the synchronization session.

18. A mobile device, comprising:

a processor;

a display;

a memory into which a plurality of computer-executable instructions are loaded, the computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising;

sending a synchronization request to initiate a synchronization session;

receiving a list of filenames for each file available for downloading from the server;

comparing the list of filenames with a client profile that specifies supported types of information, the client profile being available on the mobile device;

requesting the server to download a file if the filename is supported based on the client profile; and

receiving the file from the server in response to the request.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, further comprising providing a user-interface on the display for specifying the supported types of information in the client profile.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the user-interface includes a checkbox for each of a plurality of file extensions that when checked causes the file extension to be specified as supported in the client profile.

21. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the client profile resides in storage on the mobile device.

22. A server, comprising:

a processor;

a memory into which a plurality of computer-executable instructions are loaded, the computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising;

receiving a synchronization request to initiate a synchronization session;

determining a device type associated with the mobile device;

obtaining a profile associated with the device type, the profile specifying information of interest; and

comparing a file with the information of interest to determine whether the mobile device supports the file and if the file is supported based on the profile, sending the file to the mobile device.