A TECHNIQUE FOR SYNCHRONIZING DATA WITH A MOBILE DEVICE BASED ON A SYNCHRONIZATION CONTEXT

• US 20080049714A1
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: WOODWARD, STEVEN G., GRIFFIN, DAVID LEE, COMMARFORD, PATRICK, MARTINEZ, CHRIS J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,121,585 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/350
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

The present invention discloses a technique for a user to control a manner in which a data store of a mobile device synchronizes with a remotely located data store. More specifically, synchronization actions can be automatically executed by comparing combinations of user modifiable device settings against device-specific conditions. Device conditions can include device resources, timing parameters, and user-defined criteria, such as data priority, device location, and application-specific conditions. In one embodiment, the invention provides a means to override an application'"'"'s existing synchronization rules. This permits synchronization for a device that includes multiple applications to be centrally and consistently handled, even when the applications normally lack synchronization control capabilities.

Claims

1. A method for a mobile device to synchronize data comprising:

establishing at least one setting for a mobile device;

detecting a dynamic condition of the mobile device;

comparing a value of the dynamic condition against a corresponding setting; and

deciding whether to automatically initiate a synchronization action based upon the results of the comparing step.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the setting is configurable by a mobile device user via a mobile device interface.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic condition is associated with at least one of a resource level for a resource of the mobile device and an environmental condition of an external environment in which the mobile device is located, wherein the mobile device is configured to automatically detect the environmental condition.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the dynamic condition is at least one condition selected from a group consisting of a power source type, a battery level, a network connection type, a level of available bandwidth, a CPU load, a service cost associated with the synchronization action, and a geographic location of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic condition is a condition of an active application where the active application attempts to trigger a synchronization action, wherein the attempted synchronization action is interrupted, whereby the deciding step overrides the synchronization attempt by the active application.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one setting comprises a plurality of settings, said method further comprising:

establishing at least one context for the mobile device, wherein the context includes said plurality of settings, wherein the detecting and comparing steps are repeated for a plurality of dynamic conditions, each dynamic condition corresponding to one of the plurality of settings.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a plurality of standard contexts are established for the device, each context being associated with a plurality of standard settings and setting values, wherein user selected ones of the plurality of contexts are selectively active for the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the context is a user-defined context associated with a plurality of user-configured settings.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein said context includes a combinatory logic to create a relationship between the plurality of settings.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

evaluating the combinatory logic of the context; and

determining whether to automatically initiate a synchronization action based upon the results of the evaluating step.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the combinatory logic includes a mathematical operator selected from a set of operators comprising a union operator, an intersection operator, and complementation operator.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of claim 1 are steps performed automatically by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program having a plurality of code sections that are executable by the at least one machine.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are performed by at least one of a service agent and a computing device manipulated by the service agent, the steps being performed in response to a service request.

14. A mobile device comprising:

a data store;

a user interface configured to permit a user to establish a plurality of synchronization settings;

a resource monitor configured to assess at least one value, wherein the at least one resource value numerically represents a current amount of an associated mobile device resource;

a condition engine configured to automatically determine condition values for dynamic conditions of the mobile device, wherein the condition values comprise resource values; and

a synchronization engine configured to automatically and selectively synchronize the mobile device responsive to results of the comparisons between the condition values and synchronization settings.

15. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the user interface permits a user to establish at least one context for the mobile device, said at least one context comprising said plurality of synchronization settings, said mobile device further comprising:

a context engine configured to compare the condition values against synchronization settings of an active context.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, further wherein the context engine evaluates combinatory logic that related the plurality of condition values, wherein the result of the evaluation determines whether to automatically synchronize the mobile device.

17. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein the plurality of synchronization settings include user created and user defined synchronization settings.

18. The mobile device of claim 14, wherein said synchronization engine handles synchronization for a plurality of different applications, and wherein at least a portion of the different applications lack an application specific mechanism to control synchronization of application data.

19. A graphical user interface for controlling mobile device synchronization comprising:

an interface element for a user to specify at least one synchronization context for the mobile device, said synchronization context including a plurality of settings and combinatory logic for the settings, wherein each setting is automatically compared against a dynamic mobile device condition;

a synchronization selection element configured to permit a user to specify at least one synchronization action that is to be automatically taken wherever the combinatory logic is satisfied.

20. The graphical user interface of claim 19, wherein the graphical user interface controls mobile device synchronization for a plurality of different applications, and wherein at least a portion of the different applications lack an application specific mechanism to control synchronization of application data.