DELIVERING FILES TO A MOBILE DEVICE

• US 20090181655A1
• Filed: 01/14/2008
• Published: 07/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Penthera Partners, Inc
• Original Assignee: Penthera Partners, Inc
• Inventors: Berger, Adam L., Wallace, Gary N. JR.
• Granted Patent: US 8,027,671 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.300
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/61 taking into account QoS or priority requirements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0254 detecting a user operation or a tactile contact or a motion of the device
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

Among other things, in controlling a download of one or more files from a server to a mobile device, account is taken of at least two of: an urgency of the file, the existence of a user-indicated preference about the download, a power status of the mobile device, and a network connectivity status of the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method comprising

in controlling a download of one or more files from a server to a mobile device, taking account of at least two of:

a power status of the mobile device, a network connectivity status of the mobile device, an urgency of the file, and the existence of a user-indicated preference about the download.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the controlling includes suspending a download of a file that is occurring when a power level or network connectivity degrades during the download.

3. The method of claim 2 in which the suspending of the download is based on a set of rules or heuristics.

4. The method of claim 2 also including resuming the suspended download when the power level or network connectivity improves during the suspension.

5. The method of claim 4 in which the resumed download does not include at least some of the file or files that were downloaded before the suspension.

6. The method of claim 5 in which the resumed download does not include one or more pieces of a file that were downloaded before the suspension.

7. A method comprising

controlling download of a file from a server to a mobile device through a network by

breaking the file into pieces to be sent separately,

monitoring conditions of the mobile device and the network with respect to each piece,

considering suspending download of a subsequent piece if the conditions deteriorate with respect to a piece.

8. The method of claim 7 in which the conditions are monitored after each piece is sent and before download of the subsequent piece has begun.

9. The method of claim 7 in which a partial download of a file is allowed to continue under deteriorated conditions, if predetermined circumstances exist.

10. A method comprising

enabling a user of a mobile device, to which large files are normally downloaded automatically from a server based on the user'"'"'s preferences, to initiate a download by invoking a ‘

sync now’

option on a user interface of the mobile device.

11. A method comprising

at a mobile device, receiving a sync signal from a server with respect to one or more large files to be downloaded, and

responding to the sync signal by requesting and accepting a download of the one or more large files.

12. A method comprising

at a mobile device, displaying to a user an indication of the time when a download of one or more large files to the mobile device is expected to occur.

13. A method comprising

adjusting an amount of bandwidth used to download one or more large files to a mobile device based on a time of day when the download is to occur.

14. The method of claim 13 in which the amount of bandwidth used at a given time of the day is governed by an amount paid by a user of the mobile device.

15. A method comprising

sending from a mobile device to a server, a log of download activity with respect to one or more large files that are downloaded to the mobile device.

16. A method comprising

enabling a user of a mobile device to specify one or more types of files that are to be downloaded to the mobile device, and

storing the specification of file types in a server in association with an identification of the mobile device or the user.

17. A method comprising

at a server, selecting one or more files to be downloaded to a mobile device based on stored preferences of a user of the mobile device and stored information about files that were previously downloaded to the user'"'"'s device.

18. A method comprising

displaying to a user of a client mobile device a list of files that are in process of being transmitted to the device from a server, but which have not yet been completely transmitted to the device.

19. The method of 18 in which the displaying includes showing a percentage of at least one of the listed the files which has been transmitted.

20. The method of 18 in which the displaying occurs at the mobile device.

21. The method of 18 in which the displaying occurs on a web page.