Synchronization methods and systems

• US 20080168126A1
• Filed: 01/07/2007
• Published: 07/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Freedman, Gordon J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,239,504 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer readable media for synchronization of electronic message accounts. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a first data processing system, the electronic message account being defined by setup information, and synchronizing the setup information onto a store on a second data processing system. In another embodiment, a method includes receiving information to establish an electronic message account, defined by first setup information, on a host and synchronizing the first setup information onto a device when the device is coupled to the host for synchronization. Systems, other methods and computer readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a first data processing system, the electronic message account being defined by setup information;

synchronizing the setup information onto a store on a second data processing system.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device, and wherein the electronic message account is one of an email account or an instant message account.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the first data processing system is a handheld device and the second data processing system is a host.

4. The method as in claim 2 further comprising:

preserving an existing electronic message account on the second data processing system even if the setup information for the existing electronic message account has been changed on the first data processing system.

5. The method as in claim 2, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the second data processing system to establish another electronic message account on the second data processing system, the another electronic message account being defined by another setup information, and wherein the another setup information is not synchronized to a store on the first data processing system.

6. The method as in claim 2 wherein the setup information comprises at least two of:

(a) a name;

(b) an email address;

(c) an instant messaging address;

(d) an email server to send email out;

(e) an email server to receive an email from;

(f) a type of email server.

7. The method as in claim 1 wherein the synchronizing is one-way only from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores.

8. The method as in claim 1 wherein the synchronizing is two-way from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and from the second data processing system to the first data processing system, and wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores, comprising at least one of (a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database; and

(e) bookmarks.

9. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a first data processing system, the electronic message account being defined by setup information;

synchronizing the setup information onto a store on a second data processing system.

10. The medium as in claim 9 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device, and wherein the electronic message account is one of an email account or an instant message account.

11. The medium as in claim 9 wherein the first data processing system is a handheld device and the second data processing system is a host.

12. The medium as in claim 10 further comprising:

preserving an existing electronic message account on the second data processing system even if the setup information for the existing electronic message account has been changed on the first data processing system.

13. The medium as in claim 10, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the second data processing system to establish another electronic message account on the second data processing system, the another electronic message account being defined by another setup information, and wherein the another setup information is not synchronized to a store on the first data processing system.

14. The medium as in claim 10 wherein the setup information comprises at least two of:

(a) a name;

(b) an email address;

(c) an instant messaging address;

(d) an email server to send email out;

(e) an email server to receive an email from;

(f) a type of email server.

15. The medium as in claim 9 wherein the synchronizing is one-way only from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores.

16. The medium as in claim 9 wherein the synchronizing is two-way from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and from the second data processing system to the first data processing system, and wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores, comprising at least one of (a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database; and

(e) bookmarks.

17. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a first data processing system, the electronic message account being defined by setup information;

means for synchronizing the setup information onto a store on a second data processing system.

18. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a host, the electronic message account being defined by first setup information;

synchronizing the first setup information onto a device when the device is coupled to the host for synchronization.

19. The method as in claim 18 wherein the synchronizing establishes the electronic message account on the device to allow the device to send and receive using the electronic message account and wherein the device is a handheld data processing system and wherein the electronic message account is one of an email account and an instant message account.

20. The method as in claim 19, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the device to modify the first setup information to create a second setup information, wherein the device does not synchronize the second setup information to the host to establish an electronic message account on the host based on the second setup information.

21. The method as in claim 19 wherein the synchronizing is one-way only from the host to the device and wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores comprising at least one of (a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database;

(d) a To Do database; and

(e) bookmarks.

22. The method as in claim 19, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the device to establish another electronic message account on the device, the another electronic message account being defined by another setup information, and wherein the device does synchronize the another setup information to the host to establish an electronic message account on the host based on the another setup information.

23. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a host, the electronic message account being defined by first setup information;

synchronizing the first setup information onto a device when the device is coupled to the host for synchronization.

24. The medium as in claim 23 wherein the synchronizing establishes the electronic message account on the device to allow the device to send and receive using the electronic message account and wherein the device is a handheld data processing system and wherein the electronic message account is one of an email account and an instant message account.

25. The medium as in claim 24, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the device to modify the first setup information to create a second setup information, wherein the device does not synchronize the second setup information to the host to establish an electronic message account on the host based on the second setup information.

26. The medium as in claim 24 wherein the synchronizing is one-way only from the host to the device and wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores comprising at least one of (a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database;

(d) a To Do database; and

(e) bookmarks.

27. The medium as in claim 24, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the device to establish another electronic message account on the device, the another electronic message account being defined by another setup information, and wherein the device does synchronize the another setup information to the host to establish an electronic message account on the host based on the another setup information.

28. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a host, the electronic message account being defined by first setup information;

means for synchronizing the first setup information onto a device when the device is coupled to the host for synchronization.

29. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving information to establish a first electronic message account on a host, the first electronic message account being defined by first setup information;

receiving information to establish a second electronic message account on a device, the second electronic message account being defined by second setup information;

synchronizing the first setup information between the host and the device but not synchronizing the second setup information.

30. The method as in claim 29 wherein the device is a handheld data processing system and wherein the electronic message account is one of an email account and an instant messaging account.

31. The method as in claim 30 wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores, comprising at least one of (a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database;

(d) a To Do database; and

(e) bookmarks.

32. A computer readable medium containing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving information to establish a first electronic message account on a host, the first electronic message account being defined by first setup information;

receiving information to establish a second electronic message account on a device, the second electronic message account being defined by second setup information;

synchronizing the first setup information between the host and the device but not synchronizing the second setup information.

33. The medium as in claim 32 wherein the device is a handheld data processing system and wherein the electronic message account is one of an email account and an instant messaging account.

34. The medium as in claim 33 wherein the synchronizing also synchronizes structured data in other stores, comprising at least one of (a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database;

(d) a To Do database; and

(e) bookmarks.

35. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving information to establish a first electronic message account on a host, the first electronic message account being defined by first setup information;

receiving information to establish a second electronic message account on a device, the second electronic message account being defined by second setup information;

means for synchronizing the first setup information between the host and the device but not synchronizing the second setup information.