METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR STORING AND RETRIEVING PROFILE DATA FOR ELECTRONIC DEVICES

• US 20080214158A1
• Filed: 02/13/2008
• Published: 09/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Tarsin, Inc. (Tarsin Mobile, Inc.)
• Inventors: Russell, David W., Osborne, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,526,918 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• 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 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72406 by software upgrading or downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/553 Data upload
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/245 from a network towards a terminal

Abstract

A method and system for archiving and restoring data in a portable communication device. A first wireless communication connection is established between the communication device and a remote network capable of storing portable communication device data. The identity of an archival function to be performed is transmitted over the first communication connection. The indicated archival function is performed by transmitting data to or from the communication device. The function can be performed over the first wireless communication connection or a second wireless communication connection can be established for transmitting the information. The data can be converted by an upload converter into a format that is independent of the identity of the communication device. The converted data can be sent to other communication devices and reformatted for use by those devices. The first communication connection can be established by a communication device user or automatically.

Claims

1. A method for backing up and restoring personal data to and from a wireless telephone, comprising, but not necessarily in the order shown:

(A) providing a wireless telephone;

(B) establishing a first wireless communication connection between the wireless telephone and a remote computer network;

(C) communicating between the wireless telephone and the remote computer network, over the first wireless communication connection, the identity of an archival function to be performed, wherein the archival function to be performed comprises backing up or restoring personal information;

(D) terminating the first wireless communication connection;

(E) establishing a second wireless communication connection between the wireless telephone and the remote computer network using a back-channel communication protocol;

(F) performing the indicated archival function using the second wireless communication connection wherein;

(a) the backup function comprises transmitting personal information from the wireless telephone to the remote computer network, wherein the transmitted personal information is stored in the remote computer network in a format that is not specific to the wireless telephone;

(b) the restore function comprises;

(i) transmitting personal information from the remote computer network to the wireless telephone;

(ii) passing the information through a style sheet, the style sheet configured to format the transmitted data for use by the wireless telephone,

(iii) storing the transmitted personal information in the wireless telephone; and

(G) terminating the second communication connection.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the personal data is selected from the group consisting of phone book entries, stored images, audio files, favorite radio stations, calendars, appointment books, financial data, and stocks to watch.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein a wireless telephone user initiates the first communication connection and the second communication connected is initiated automatically.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the back-channel communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of Small Messaging Service, GPRS, SyncML, and 3GPP.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein a plurality of back-channel communication protocols are available for use in communicating between the remote computer network and the communication device, further comprising automatically selecting the most efficient back-channel communication protocol, from the plurality of available back-channel communicating protocols, for conducting the intended archival function.

6. A system for archiving and restoring information in a portable communication device, the system comprising:

(A) a portable communication device, the portable communication device being configured to transmit and receive information over a wireless connection, the portable communication device being configured to store information;

(B) a remote network, the remote network being configured to transmit and receive information over the wireless connection, the remote network being configured to store information, the remote network configured to store the information in a format that is not specific to a particular portable communication device;

(C) personal information stored in the portable communication device or the remote network;

(D) a style sheet, the style sheet configured to format the personal information into a format useable by the portable communication device.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein the portable communication device is a wireless telephone.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising a wireless telephone user, wherein the personal information is specific to the wireless telephone user.

9. The system of claim 6 further comprising a communication device and a second style sheet, wherein personal information stored in the portable communication device can be stored in the remote network, formatted by the second style sheet to be useable by the communication device, and transmitted to the communication device.

10. The system of claim 6 wherein the personal information is selected from the group consisting of phone book entries, stored images, audio files, favorite radio stations, calendars, appointment books, financial data, and stocks to watch.

11. The system of claim 6 comprising software associated with the portable communication device, the software designed to present a display to a portable communication device user, the display comprising at least one selectable icon, whereby the user'"'"'s selection of the icon will initiate transmission of personal information between the portable communication device and the remote network.

12. The system of claim 6 further comprising a plurality of communication devices and wherein the remote network stores at least one data set, wherein the plurality of communication devices are associated with the data set and are capable of receiving a transmission of the data set transmitted from the remote network.

13. The system of claim 6 further comprising a remote workstation in communication with the remote network, wherein the remote workstation may be used to alter personal data stored in the remote network.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein the remote workstation is connected to the remote network by the internet.

15. The system of claim 6 further comprising an upload converter, the upload converter configured to convert personal data transmitted from the portable communication device from a first format to a second format prior to the personal data being stored on the remote network.

28. The method of claim 11 further comprising using a set of software defined style sheets to format server messages from a first format to a second format for use or display by the communication device.

16. A method for archiving and restoring information in a portable communication device comprising, but not necessarily in the order shown:

(A) providing a communication device;

(B) establishing a wireless communication connection between the communication device and a remote network;

(C) communicating between the communication device and the remote network, over the wireless communication connection, the identity of an archival function to be performed, wherein the archival function to be performed comprises backing up or restoring information;

(D) performing the indicated archival function, wherein;

(a) the backup function comprises transmitting information from the communication device to the remote network, wherein the transmitted information is stored on the remote network;

(b) the restore function comprises transmitting information from the remote network to the communication device, wherein the transmitted information is stored in the communication device; and

(E) terminating the communication connection between the communication device and the remote network.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

(A) canceling the communication connection after indication has been made of the archival function to be performed;

(B) establishing a second communication connection between the communication device and the remote network, wherein the indicated archival function is carried out over the second communication connection.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein:

(A) a communication device user initiates the communication connection between the communication device and the remote network; and

(B) the second communication connection is initiated automatically.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the second communication connection occurs using a back-channel communication protocol.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein the back-channel communication protocol is selected from the group consisting of Small Messaging Service, GPRS, SyncML, and 3GPP.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein a plurality of back-channel communication protocols are available for use in communicating between the remote network and the communication device, further comprising automatically selecting the most efficient back-channel communication protocol, from the plurality of available back-channel communication protocols, for conducting the indicated archival function.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the remote network comprises stored user information and further comprising verifying the identity of the communication device by comparing account identifying information transmitted from the communication device to the user information stored in the remote network.

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing a signal from the communication device to a communication device user, the signal indicating that the indicated archival function has been completed.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the communication link between the communication device and the remote network is initiated by a computer program within the communication device.

25. The method of claim 24 wherein the computer program is selected from the group consisting of SMS messages, wireless internet browsers, and JAVA/WAP applications.

26. The method of claim 24 wherein the computer program generates an icon on a menu displayed on the communication device, wherein a user'"'"'s selection of the icon directs the software to establish the communication link.

27. The method of claim 16 further comprising using software in the communication device for communicating with the remote network, wherein the software creates a menu layer, the menu layer adapted to provide an interface between a user of the communication device and functions of the communication device.

29. The method of claim 16 wherein the information sent or received by the remote network comprises a data set.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising associated at least a second communication device with the data set and performing an archival function with the data set and the second communication device.

31. The method of claim 29 further comprising allowing a user to alter the stored data set.

32. The method of claim 29 wherein the remote network is adapted associate multiple data sets with a communication device.

33. The method of claim 29 wherein a user of the communication device may select what data set to receive from the remote network.

34. The method of claim 29 further comprising associating the stored data set with a plurality of communication devices.

35. The method of claim 34 further comprising initiating an archival function for all communication devices sharing the stored data set.

36. The method of claim 16 wherein the remote network is adapted to associate data with the communication device, further comprising notifying the communication device if the remote network does not contain any data associate with the communication device.

37. The method of claim 16 wherein the remote network is adapted to associate at least one data set with a communication device, further comprising transmitting an initial data set from the communication device to the remote network.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising providing an indicator to a communication device user that remote network does not contain any data associated with the communication device.

39. The method of claim 16 further comprising converting the data transmitted to the remote network from a first format to a second format using an upload converter, prior to the data being stored on the remote network.

40. The method of claim 16 further comprising encrypting the data transmitted from the remote network to the communication device.

41. The network of claim 16 further comprising encrypting the data transmitted from the communication device to the remote network.

42. The method of claim 16 further comprising altering the data stored in the remote network using an internet connection.

43. The method of claim 16 further comprising initiating an archival function when prompted by a computer program in the communication device or remote network.

44. The method of claim 16 wherein the remote network initiates the communication connection between the communication device and the remote network.

45. The method of claim 16 wherein a communication device user initiates the communication connection between the communication device and the remote network.

46. The method of claim 45 wherein the user initiates the communication connection using a voice communication protocol.

47. The method of claim 46 further comprising the user issuing a vocal command, the vocal command processed by the remote network and indicating the archival function to be performed.

48. The method of claim 16 wherein the communication device is a wireless telephone.

49. The method of claim 16 wherein the information comprises personal data.

50. The method of claim 49 wherein the personal data is selected from the group consisting of phone book entries, stored images, audio files, favorite radio stations, calendars, appointment books, financial data, and stocks to watch.