Method and system for data management

• US 7,136,912 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2001
• Issued: 11/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/08/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Solid Information Technology Oy (International Business Machines Corporation)
• Inventors: Hotti, Timo
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar, Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): WANG, LIANG CHE A
• Application Number:
  US09/779,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20020107920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,105 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/202, 709/223, 707/9, 707/104.1, 707/1, 707/10
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0815 providing single-sign-on or federations
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/06 Authentication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99939 Privileged access

Abstract

The invention relates generally to the use of databases. Preferably the invention relates to a method and a system associated with the use of databases with mobile terminals. The objective of this invention is to present a method and a system which allows managing a large dynamically changeable set of applications in the mobile Internet. The objectives of the invention are attained by determining user profiles within communities, and the rights for using applications of a community server depends on the profiles of the user within the community. The identity information is preferably maintained in an identity server. The invention provides a solution to the problem of managing services and configuration of smart network node in environments where the services and their content data need to be managed remotely from multiple remote sources in a dynamic manner.

Claims

1. A method for managing data, the method comprising the steps of:

in a community system offering a plurality of services and including at least one service database containing service data, at least one identity database containing user-specific data defining user preferences, at least one service access point (SAP) having at least one user database communicating with said service database and said identity database, maintaining user-specific data of at least one user of said at least one service access point (SAP) in the at least one identity database,

maintaining service data of at least one service in the at least one service database,

publishing at least part of the user-specific data of the at least one identity database to the at least one service database, and

determining, in the at least one service database, a list of services from said plurality of services based on the published user-specific data for said at least one user database.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises a step of exchanging user-specific data between said identity database and said service access point (SAP) by synchronizing the data between said identity database and said user database.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein user-specific identity and preference data is replicated from the identity database to the user database so that the user database has at least a partial copy of said identity and preference data.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method comprises a step of exchanging service data between said service database and said service access point (SAP) by synchronizing the service data between said service database and said user database.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein service data is replicated from the service database to the user database so that the user database has at least a partial replica copy of said service data.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the method comprises a step of refreshing said replica copy of the user database with at least some data related to the data of said list of services.

7. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method comprises a step of maintaining the identity and preference data in the user database.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a service is selected from the list of services.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the service data of at least one service comprises service executable application software.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the service data of at least one service comprises service configuration data.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein at least some service data of said selected service is downloaded from the service database to the user database.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said selected service is executed using executable software binary data and configuration data available in the user database.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein a selected service is located and invoked by using a uniform resource locator (URL) of the selected service.

14. The method according to claim 3, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of user'"'"'s location point and appropriate time information.

15. The method according to claim 3, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of user'"'"'s usage history of services.

16. The method according to claim 3, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of user'"'"'s access authorization to the list of services.

17. The method according to claim 3, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of the configuration of the service access point (SAP).

18. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method is complient with at least one of the following communication specifications:

TCP/IP, CDMA, GSM, GPRS, WCDMA, UMTS, Teldesic, Iridium, Inmarsat, WLAN and imode.

19. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the following operating systems is used in the service access point (SAP):

Unix, MS-windows, EPOC, NT, MSCE, Linux, PalmOS and GEOS.

20. A storage media comprising a stored, readable computer program, comprising instructions for controlling the data management system and components thereof to implement the method according to claim 1.

21. A system for managing data in a community system comprising:

at least one community offering a plurality of services,

at least one service database containing service data,

at least one identity database containing user-specific data defining user preferences, and

at least one service access point (SAP) having at least one user database and

wherein the service access point (SAP) has a means for communicating with said at least one service database and said at least one identity database,

wherein the managing system comprises;

the at least one identity database arranged to maintain user-specific data of at least one user of said at least one service access point (SAP),

the at least one service database arranged to maintain service data of at least one service in,

a means for publishing at least part of the user-specific data of the at least one identity database to the service database, and

a means for determining in the at least one service database a list of services from said plurality of services based on the published user-specific data for said at least one user database.

22. The system according to claim 21, wherein first synchronizing means is arranged to exchange user-specific data between said identity database and said user database of said service access point (SAP).

23. The system according to claim 21, wherein at least one identity database server containing identity and preference data is arranged to replicate at least partial replica copy of said identity and preference data to user database server.

24. The system according to claim 21, wherein second synchronizing means is arranged to exchange service data between said service database and said user database of said service access point (SAP).

25. The system according to claim 21, wherein at least one service database server containing service data is arranged to replicate at least partial replica copy of said service data to the user database server.

26. The system according to claim 25, wherein said replica copy of said service data in the user database server is refreshed with at least some data related to the data of said list of services.

27. The system according to claim 23, wherein the user database is arranged to maintain the identity and preference data.

28. The system according to claim 21, wherein a service is selected from the list of services.

29. The system according to claim 21, wherein application software is arranged to execute the service data of at least one service.

30. The system according to claim 21, wherein the service data of at least one service comprises service configuration data.

31. The system according to claim 28, wherein at least some service data of said selected service is downloaded from the service database to the user database.

32. The system according to claim 31, wherein software binary data and configuration data available in the user database is arranged to execute said selected service.

33. The system according to claim 28, wherein a uniform resource locator (URL) of the selected service is arranged to locate and invoke a selected service.

34. The system according to claim 23, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of user'"'"'s location point and appropriate time information.

35. The system according to claim 23, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of user'"'"'s usage history of services.

36. The system according to claim 23, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of user'"'"'s access authorization to the list of services.

37. The system according to claim 23, wherein said identity and preference data comprises information of the configuration of the service access point (SAP).

38. The system according to claim 21, wherein the system is arranged to be compliant with at least one of the following communication specifications:

TCP/IP, CDMA, GSM, GPRS, WCDMA, UMTS, Teldesic, Iridium, Inmarsat, WLAN and imode.

39. The system according to claim 21, wherein at least one of the following operating systems is arranged to operate in the service access point (SAP) Unix, MS-windows, EPOC, NT, MSCE, Linux, PalmOS and GEOS.

40. The system according to claim 21, wherein the service assembly point (SAP) is a combination of a mobile station and a computer.

41. The system according to claim 21, wherein the service assembly point (SAP) is a database server.

42. The system according to claim 21, wherein the service assembly point (SAP) is a user terminal device.

43. The system according to claim 21, wherein the service database server and/or the identity database is arranged to operate at least one of the following operating systems:

Unix, MS-windows, NT and Linux.

44. A community server for data management in a community system, the community server comprising:

at least one community offering a plurality of services,

at least one database containing community data,

a means for communication between the community system and at least one service access point (SAP) having at least one user database,

wherein the at least one master database is arranged to maintain data of at least one service,

a means for joining said service access point (SAP) into the community system,

a means for receiving published user-specific data defining user preferences from another database server in the community system, and

a means for determining a list of services from said plurality of services based on the published user-specific data for said at least one user database.

45. The server according to claim 44, wherein synchronizing means is arranged to exchange data between said community server and said user database of said service access point (SAP).

46. The server according to claim 44, wherein at least one database containing service data is arranged to replicate at least partial replica copy of said service data to user database.

47. The server according to claim 46, wherein the community server is arranged to refresh said replica copy of said service data in the user database server with at least some data related to the data of said list of services.

48. The server according to claim 44, wherein the community server comprises means for maintaining service classification information.

49. The server according to claim 44, wherein the community server is arranged to be a master database server in the community database system and the user database of the service access point (SAP) a replica database server in the community database server system containing community data.