Content Sharing for Mobile Devices

• US 20110183655A1
• Filed: 01/27/2010
• Published: 07/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Narayanan, Murali, Fernando, Antonio Winslow, Thompson, Dennis Joseph, Huang, David Charles, Wang, Yong Zhong, Cao, Tao
• Granted Patent: US 8,805,342 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 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 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/185 by embedding added-value information into content, e.g. geo-tagging
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/20 Transfer of user or subscriber data

Abstract

Aspects of the subject matter described herein relate to content sharing for mobile devices. In aspects, images that are created using mobile devices may be automatically uploaded to one or more targets. In addition, images created on the one or more targets may be automatically downloaded to the mobile device based on one or more criteria. A service facilitates transfer of images in both directions and includes a pluggable architecture in which forwarders for new targets may be added.

Claims

1. A method implemented at least in part by a computer, the method comprising:

receiving configuration data that indicates a plurality of image sources from which to obtain images for a mobile device, the image sources being external to the mobile device, at least two of the image sources having different communication protocols for providing images, the mobile device configured to send new images created using the mobile device to at least one of the image sources;

transmitting information regarding the image sources to a service that is responsible for obtaining the images from the image sources and providing access to the obtained images to the mobile device;

receiving an indication that a new image from one of the image sources is available;

determining whether the new image satisfies one or more criteria for downloading the new image;

if the new image satisfies the one or more criteria, downloading the new image to the mobile device; and

if the new image does not satisfy the one or more criteria, refraining from downloading the new image.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an indication that a new image is available from one of the image sources comprises querying the service as to whether any new images are available.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving an indication that a new image is available from one of the image sources comprises receiving a message from the service that indicates that the new image is available.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the new image satisfies one or more criteria for downloading the new image comprises determining whether the new image was created within a specified time period.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the new image satisfies one or more criteria for downloading the new image comprises determining whether the new image is associated with text of an indicated subject matter.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein downloading the new image to the mobile device comprises commencing receiving a stream that includes the new image and other images after receiving input indicative of viewing images in a previously downloaded group of images.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising automatically deleting the image from the mobile device according to a policy.

8. A computer storage medium having computer-executable instructions, which when executed perform actions, comprising:

receiving an indication of an image that has been created using a mobile device;

obtaining configuration data that indicates whether the image is to be automatically uploaded to a service external to the mobile device, and if the image is to be automatically uploaded to the service, the configuration data also indicating one or more destinations to which the image is to be sent;

creating a package that includes the image and indicates a destination for the image;

based on the destination, determining additional fields, if any, to include in the package, the additional fields providing additional information about the image; and

transmitting the package to the service, the service responsible for communicating with a target device of the destination to provide the image to the target device, the service potentially configured to impersonate a user of the mobile device in communicating with the target device of the destination.

9. The computer storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving input indicative of user preferences, the input indicating whether images are to be automatically uploaded, the input also indicating one or more destinations external to the mobile device to which the images are to be sent if uploaded;

updating configuration data to reflect the user preferences; and

storing the configuration data on a store of the mobile device.

10. The computer storage medium of claim 8, further comprising if the image is to be automatically uploaded to the service, refraining from providing a query as to whether to upload the image to a user interface of the mobile device before transmitting the package to the service.

11. The computer storage medium of claim 8, wherein determining additional fields, if any, to include in the package comprise determining whether to send data including one or more of a date at which the image was created, a caption associated with the image, a description associated with the image, a size of the image, and a location at which the image was created.

12. The computer storage medium of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving an indication of an error in sending the image to the destination, the indication including an error code, the error occurring in transmitting the image from the service to the destination;

determining an error message to show on a display of the mobile device in response to receiving the indication of an error; and

displaying the error message on the display of the mobile device.

13. The computer storage medium of claim 12, wherein determining an error message to show on a display of the mobile device comprises using the error code to look up at least a portion of the error message in a data structure stored on the mobile device, the data structure associating error codes with error messages, at least some of the error messages being different than corresponding error messages associated with the error codes on entities external to the mobile device.

14. The computer storage medium of claim 8, further comprising providing credentials of the user to the service for use in impersonating the user when the service communicates with the target device of the destination.

15. In a computing environment, a system, comprising:

a mobile communicator operable to receive upload packages from mobile devices that include images from the mobile devices, each upload package indicating a destination to which an image of the upload package is to be delivered, the mobile communicator further operable to provide download packages that include images from designated destinations to the mobile devices;

a plurality of forwarders, a first forwarder operable to use a first protocol to transmit images to a target device of a first destination, second forwarder operable to use a second protocol to transmit images to a target device of a second destination; and

a director operable to provide each upload package or data derived therefrom to a forwarder based on a destination indicated in the upload package.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein each forwarder is further operable to obtain images from one or more target devices associated with destinations, at least one forwarder being operable to use a third protocol to obtain an image from a destination, at least another forwarder being operable to use a fourth protocol to obtain an image from a destination.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a collector operable to determine whether a new image is available at the first or second destination, the collector further operable to instruct the first forwarder to obtain the new image if the image is available at the first destination and to instruct the second forwarder to obtain the new image if the image is available at the second destination.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the mobile communicator and at least one of the forwarders reside on separate devices and wherein a forwarder decreases a resolution of the image before forwarding the image to a device associated with the destination.

19. The system of claim 15, wherein the director is further operable to receive configuration data that indicates additional forwarders that are available to transmit images to additional target devices, the director being further operable to provide an uploaded package that includes an image to at least one of the additional forwarders if a destination indicated by the uploaded package is associated with at least one of the additional target devices.

20. The system of claim 15, wherein at least one of the forwarders is further operable to impersonate a user when transmitting an image to a destination by supplying a token, the token obtained by providing user credentials to a device associated with the destination, the device providing the token in response to providing the user credentials, the user credentials comprising a user name and password.