SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MERGING REMOTE AND LOCAL DATA IN A SINGLE USER INTERFACE

• US 20090144632A1
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Published: 06/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Visto Corporation (Blackberry Limited)
• Inventors: MENDEZ, Daniel J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,260,796 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/738
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/256 in federated or virtual databases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99932 Access augmentation or optimizing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99935 Query augmenting and refining, e.g. inexact access
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99936 Pattern matching access

Abstract

The system comprises a local database; a user interface; a remote access engine, communicatively coupled to a network, the user interface, and the local database; and a rendering engine, communicatively coupled to the remote access engine. The user interface receives a data search request. The remote access engine searches for and retrieves, from a remote database communicatively coupled to the network and the local database, data corresponding to the received search request. The rendering engine displays the received data from the remote database and the local database.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a data search request specifying at least one database to search for data;

searching in a local database, upon indication that the local database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the local database fulfilling requirements of the data search request;

querying via a wireless connection a remote database manager to search in a remote database, upon indication that the remote database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the remote database fulfilling the requirements of the data search request;

determining if receiving the data corresponding to the data search request would exceed a threshold of an amount of data that can be displayed simultaneously on a display of a handheld device;

refining the data search request if the determining indicates that receiving the data corresponding to the data search request would exceed the threshold;

retrieving, from the local database, data entries found in the searching fulfilling the requirements of the data search request;

receiving, from the remote database via the wireless connection, data entries found in the querying fulfilling the requirements of the data search request; and

merging the retrieved and received data entries.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding voluminous data exceeding a threshold, the voluminous data stored in the remote database, from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding confidential data, stored in the remote database, from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding obsolete data that is stored in the remote database longer than a threshold time period from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

excluding personal data associated with a user, the personal data stored in the local database, from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the local and remote databases store sales force automation data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the local and remote databases store customer relations management data.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the local and remote databases store corporate directory data.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the local and remote databases store calendar data.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the local and remote databases store tasks data.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the local and remote databases store files.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

saving, to the local database, the data received from the remote database.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the local database is data stored on a smartphone.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the remote database is data stored on a remote personal computer.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

accessing the remote database using a one port of a plurality of ports on a firewall; and

presenting in a single user interface that the retrieved data is stored in the local database, and the received data is stored in the remote database.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein searching the local database and querying the remote database manager are performed in response to the sole data search request.

17. A computer readable medium, including computer executable instructions that cause a computer to implement a method comprising:

receiving a data search request specifying at least one database to search for data;

searching in a local database, upon indication that the local database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the local database fulfilling requirements of the data search request;

querying via a wireless connection a remote database manager to search in a remote database, upon indication that the remote database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the remote database fulfilling the requirements of the data search request;

determining if receiving the data corresponding to the data search request would exceed a threshold of an amount of data that can be displayed simultaneously on a display of a handheld device;

refining the data search request if the determining indicates that receiving the data corresponding to the data search request would exceed the threshold;

retrieving, from the local database, data entries found in the searching fulfilling the requirements of the data search request;

receiving, from the remote database via the wireless connection, data entries found in the querying fulfilling the requirements of the data search request; and

merging the retrieved and received data entries.

18. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

excluding voluminous data exceeding a threshold, the voluminous data stored in the remote database, from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

19. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

excluding confidential data, stored in the remote database, from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

excluding obsolete data that is stored in the remote database longer than a threshold time period from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

21. The computer readable medium of claim 17, further comprising:

excluding personal data associated with a user, the personal data stored in the local database, from the received data corresponding to the received data request.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the local and remote databases store sales force automation data.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the local and remote databases store customer relations management data.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the local and remote databases store corporate directory data.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the local and remote databases store calendar data.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the local and remote databases store tasks data.

27. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the local and remote databases store files.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

saving, to the local database, data received from the remote database.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the local database is data stored on a smartphone.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the remote database is data stored on a remote personal computer.

31. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein searching the local database and querying the remote database manager are performed in response to the sole data search request.

32. The computer readable medium of claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

accessing the remote database using port one of a plurality of ports on a firewall, and

presenting in a single user interface that the retrieved data is stored in the local database, and the received data is stored in the remote database.

33. A system, comprising:

means for receiving a data search request specifying at least one database to search for data;

means for searching in a local database, upon indication that the local database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the local database fulfilling requirements of the data search request;

means for querying via a wireless connection a remote database manager to search in a remote database, upon indication that the remote database is included in the at least one database specified in the data search request, for each data entry in the remote database fulfilling the requirements of the data search request;

means for determining if receiving the data corresponding to the data search request would exceed a threshold of an amount of data that can be displayed simultaneously on a display of a handheld device;

means for refining the data search request if the determining indicates that receiving the data corresponding to the data search request would exceed the threshold;

means for retrieving, from the local database, data entries found by the means for searching fulfilling the requirements of the data search request;

means for receiving, from the remote database via the wireless connection, data entries found by the means for querying fulfilling the requirements of the data search request; and

means for merging the retrieved and received data entries.

34. The system of claim 33, further comprising:

a firewall to protect the remote database,

wherein the means for presenting the retrieved and received data in the single user interface also presents in the single user interface that the retrieved data is stored in the local database, and the received data is stored in the remote database.

35. The system of claim 33, wherein the means for querying the remote database manager queries the remote database manager in response to the sole data search request.

36. A system comprising:

a firewall that includes at least one port;

a smartphone, outside the firewall, that includes;

a local database;

a user interface engine to receive a data search request, and to search and retrieve, from the local database, a first data corresponding to the data search request, and to receive from a remote database manager a second data, corresponding to the data search request, retrieved from a remote database;

a rendering engine to present in a single user interface the first data retrieved from the local database and also the second data received from the remote database; and

a first synchronization engine to synchronize at least a portion of data stored in the local database with corresponding data stored in the remote database;

a server, behind the firewall, that includes;

the remote database;

the remote database manager to search and retrieve, from the remote database, the second data corresponding to the data search request; and

a second synchronization engine to synchronize at least a portion of the data stored in the remote database with the corresponding data stored in the local database; and

a communication channel to couple the server to the smartphone using a particular one of the at least one port on the firewall.

37. The system of claim 36, wherein the second synchronization engine initiates synchronization from behind the firewall.

38. The system of claim 36, wherein the single user interface specifies that the first data is stored in the local database, and that the second data is stored in the remote database.