SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SHARING DATA IN A GROUP OF MOBILE DEVICES

• US 20100261488A1
• Filed: 04/08/2009
• Published: 10/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. (Huawei Investment & Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Little, Herbert A., Brown, Michael S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,065,868 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/466
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1886 with traffic restrictions for efficiency improvement, e.g. involving subnets or subdomains
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information

Abstract

A method and system are provided for sharing data amongst a group of a plurality of mobile devices without requiring a database or server to centrally store the shared data. The shared data is instead stored by each group member individually while controlling the manner in which the shared data is updated. To manage such updates, the shared data is atomized such that individual databases in the shared data are separated or otherwise delineated into one or more records, each record having associated therewith, a value. To maintain a common copy of the shared data at each device, any update is sent to all group members using an intermediate message exchange service that is capable of transmitting a sent message to more than one recipient if necessary. In this way, the updates are multicast to the group. To manage the content of the shared data, each update comprises one or more changes to a current copy of a corresponding record.

Claims

1. A method for updating shared data stored by a group of a plurality of mobile devices, said method comprising:

one of said plurality of mobile devices obtaining a common message having been distributed to each of said plurality of mobile devices via a message exchange service capable of transmitting a sent message to a plurality of recipients, said common message comprising a desired change to a value for a record associated with a database in said shared data;

said one of said plurality of mobile devices determining if a collision exists for said record with a currently stored version of said record;

if said collision exists, resolving said collision to determine a preferred change to said attribute; and

said one of said plurality of mobile devices updating said shared data by replacing said currently stored version of said record with an updated record, said updated record comprising said desired change or said preferred change.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising said one of said plurality of mobile devices sending an acknowledgement back to said message exchange service indicative of receipt of said common message.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein said common message is received from another member in a private group, said private group being a subset of said group of plurality of mobile devices and restricting a subset of data in said shared data to said private group.

4. The method according to claim 2 further comprising said one of said plurality of mobile devices receiving from a sender of said common message, an out of coverage message indicative of non-receipt of said common message by another one of said plurality of mobile devices.

5. The method according to claim 2 further comprising said one of said plurality of mobile devices receiving from another one of said plurality of mobile devices, a back in coverage message indicative of said another one of said plurality of mobile devices coming back into coverage;

and updating a graphical user interface (GUI) to indicate same.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein receipt of said common message occurs subsequent to said one of said plurality of mobile devices coming back into coverage, said method further comprises sending a back in coverage message to others of said plurality of mobile devices.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein said resolving said collision comprises examining a respective timestamp included in each message being resolved, and choosing a message comprising a latest timestamp as being said preferred change.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein said resolving said collision comprises examining a set of rules prioritizing updates according to a hierarchy of members in said group.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein said one of said plurality of mobile devices belongs to more than one group, said method further comprising determining to which group said common message should be sent.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising said one of said plurality of mobile devices receiving a request to join said group;

and upon accepting entry into said group, sending portions of said shared data authored by said one of said plurality of mobile devices to a new member to said group.

11. A computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for updating shared data stored by a group of a plurality of mobile devices, said computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

obtaining a common message having been distributed to each of said plurality of mobile devices via a message exchange service capable of transmitting a sent message to a plurality of recipients, said common message comprising a desired change to a value for a record associated with a database in said shared data;

determining if a collision exists for said record with a currently stored version of said record;

if said collision exists, resolving said collision to determine a preferred change to said attribute; and

updating said shared data by replacing said currently stored version of said record with an updated record, said updated record comprising said desired change or said preferred change.

12. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, further comprising instructions for sending an acknowledgement back to said message exchange service indicative of receipt of said common message.

13. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein said common message is received from another member in a private group, said private group being a subset of said group of plurality of mobile devices and restricting a subset of data in said shared data to said private group.

14. The computer readable medium according to claim 12 further comprising instructions for receiving from a sender of said common message, an out of coverage message indicative of non-receipt of said common message by another one of said plurality of mobile devices.

15. The computer readable medium according to claim 12 further comprising instructions for receiving from another one of said plurality of mobile devices, a back in coverage message indicative of said another one of said plurality of mobile devices coming back into coverage;

and instructions for updating a graphical user interface (GUI) to indicate same.

16. The computer readable medium according to claim 11 wherein receipt of said common message occurs subsequent to said one of said plurality of mobile devices coming back into coverage, said computer readable medium further comprising instructions for sending a back in coverage message to others of said plurality of mobile devices.

17. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein said resolving said collision comprises examining a respective timestamp included in each message being resolved, and choosing a message comprising a latest timestamp as being said preferred change.

18. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein said resolving said collision comprises examining a set of rules prioritizing updates according to a hierarchy of members in said group.

19. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, wherein said one of said plurality of mobile devices belongs to more than one group, said computer readable medium further comprising instructions for determining to which group said common message should be sent.

20. The computer readable medium according to claim 11, further comprising instructions for receiving a request to join said group;

and upon accepting entry into said group, sending portions of said shared data authored by said one of said plurality of mobile devices to a new member to said group.

21. A mobile device comprising a processor, one or more input mechanisms, a display a communication subsystem, and a computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions for updating shared data stored by a group of a plurality of mobile devices, said computer executable instructions comprising instructions for:

obtaining a common message having been distributed to each of said plurality of mobile devices via a message exchange service capable of transmitting a sent message to a plurality of recipients, said common message comprising a desired change to a value for a record associated with a database in said shared data;

determining if a collision exists for said record with a currently stored version of said record;

if said collision exists, resolving said collision to determine a preferred change to said attribute; and

updating said shared data by replacing said currently stored version of said record with an updated record, said updated record comprising said desired change or said preferred change.