DATA BACKUP FOR A MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE

• US 20090307284A1
• Filed: 06/05/2008
• Published: 12/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Welingkar, Bharat, Nair, Jiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,812,614 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1451 by selection of backup contents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1461 Backup scheduling policy
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/1082 Backup or restore

Abstract

A system and method of backing up a data file from a mobile computing device is disclosed. The method can include receiving a data file from the mobile computing device at a server computer and storing the data file on a storage device. The method can include receiving data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device. The method can further include changing the data file stored on the storage device based on the data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device.

Claims

1. A method of backing up a data file from a mobile computing device, comprising:

receiving the data file from the mobile computing device at a server computer;

storing the data file on a storage device remote from the mobile computing device;

receiving at the server computer data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device; and

changing the data file stored on the storage device based on the data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the data file and data indicative of changes are received via wireless communication.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data file received from the mobile computing device has a database file format.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the data file stored on the storage device has the same database file format as the data file received from the mobile computing device.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the database data file is a relational database file.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the changed data file stored on the storage device is substantially identical at a binary level to a data file stored on the mobile computing device from which the data file and data indicative of changes was determined.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device comprise indication of data added and data deleted from the data file since a previous backup of the data file to the storage device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device is received periodically.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device is communicated via a synchronization protocol.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising encrypting the data file stored on the storage device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the data file comprises user calendar data and the data indicative of changes made to the data file comprise at least one of an added calendar entry and a deleted calendar entry.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a request to download data to the mobile computing device or a second mobile computing device; and

transmitting the changed data file to the mobile computing device or the second mobile computing device without sending incremental data.

13. A mobile computing device configured to backup a data file to a storage device configured to perform the method of claim 1.

14. A mobile computing device, comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a memory configured to store a data file; and

a processing circuit configured to transmit a data file to a remote server computer using the wireless transceiver, to change the data file stored in the memory to create an updated data file, and to transmit data indicative of the changes made to the data file to the remote server computer, wherein the updated data file comprises substantially the same content as a second updated data file stored by the remote server computer on a storage device.

15. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the bits of the updated data file are substantially identical to the bits of an updated data file stored on the storage device.

16. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the updated data file and the second updated data file have the same database file format.

17. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the updated data file created on the mobile computing device is substantially identical at a binary level to the second updated data file.

18. The mobile computing device of claim 14, wherein the data indicative of changes made to the data file comprises compressed data indicative of changes made to a user data using a plurality of different applications.

19. A server, comprising:

a first module configured to receive a data file from a mobile computing device;

a second module configured to store the data file on a storage device;

a third module configured to receive data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device; and

a fourth module configured to change the data file stored on the storage device based on the data indicative of changes made to the data file on the mobile computing device.

20. The server of claim 19, further comprising a fifth module configured to provide a user account for the mobile computing device and configured to authenticate a message from the mobile computing device before changing the data file stored on the storage device.

21. The server of claim 19, further comprising a sixth module configured to encrypt the changed data file and to store the encrypted changed data file in a memory.