Database synchronization for mobile computing devices

• US 7,191,218 B1
• Filed: 07/11/2000
• Issued: 03/13/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Innes, Brian
• Primary Examiner(s): Cardone; Jason
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mirza; Adnan M.
• Application Number:
  US09/613,407
• Time in Patent Office: 2,436 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/245, 709/217, 709/206, 709/203, 709/223, 709/224
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/22 Synchronisation circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/301 Management of recordings
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/533 Voice mail systems

Abstract

The invention relates to performing server initiated database synchronisation between a mail server 10 and a client on a mobile computing device 70. Both the mail server and the client are provided with a copy of a user mailbox 40, 40A. When a message for that user is received at the mail server, this is stored in their server mailbox. The mail server then initiates a link with the client and prompts it to dial into the mail server in order to synchronise its local copy of the mailbox with the server copy. In this manner new mail is automatically transferred to the client device upon receipt at the mail server.

Claims

1. A method for performing server initiated database synchronisation between a mail server and a client on a mobile computing device, the method comprising the steps of:

providing the mail server and the client each with a user mailbox, wherein the mail server mailbox includes a remote device id for identifying the client;

receiving a message for said user at said mail server;

storing the message in said user mailbox on said mail server;

responsive to receipt of said message at the mail server, initiating a link between said mail server and said client using said remote device id, and wherein the step of initiating the link comprises;

creating a first trigger message,

transmitting said trigger message to a message server,

at the message server, transmitting a second trigger message to the client using a first protocol responsive to receipt of the first trigger message,

at the client, initiating a client mailbox synchronise request to the mail server using a second protocol in response to the receipt of the second trigger message; and

synchronising the client mailbox with the mail server mailbox using the second protocol such that said message is added to the client mailbox.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mail server mailbox includes the remote device id for identifying the client.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of initiating a link to said client comprises executing an agent, wherein the agent initiates a call to the client using said remote device id.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the agent initiates the call to the client by:

creating the first trigger message, said first trigger message comprising the remote device id;

transmitting said first trigger message to the message server; and

responsive to receipt of said first trigger message at the message server, initiating said link between the mail server and the client in order to perform said synchronisation.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said message server includes an address book, in which the remote device id of the client and contact details are stored.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of initiating a link to the client further comprises:

receiving the first trigger message at said message server;

looking up the remote device id contained within said first trigger message in the message server'"'"'s address book;

mapping said remote device id to the corresponding contact details; and

using said details to transmit the second trigger message to the client.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein a first link is established between the client and the message server to allow receipt of said second trigger message by the client, said method further comprising the steps of:

dropping said first link after receipt of said second trigger message at the client;

initiating a second link from the client to the message server; and

transmitting a synchronisation request over said second link from the message server to the client using the second protocol, wherein said synchronisation is performed in response to receipt of said request at the client.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the second trigger message is an SMS text message.

9. The method of claim 4, wherein the mail server and the message server are physically the same machine.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of allowing a user to disable server initiated database synchronisation with the client.

11. The method of claim 1, comprising the steps of:

logging when synchronisation was last performed; and

responsive to receipt of a new message for the user at the mail server, waiting a predetermined amount of time after said synchronisation was last performed before performing synchronisation again.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the step of enabling a user to alter said predetermined amount of time.

13. A mail server for initiating database synchronisation with a client on a mobile computing device, comprising:

a mail server copy of a user mailbox, wherein a copy of said user mailbox also exists on the client;

means for receiving a message for said user at the mail server;

means for storing the message in said user mailbox on the mail server;

means, responsive to receipt of said message at the mail server, for initiating a link between the mail server and the client; and

means for transmitting synchronisation updates to the client in order to synchronise the client copy of said mailbox with the mail server copy, such that said message is added to the client copy of the mailbox, wherein the means for initiating the link comprises;

creating a first trigger message,

transmitting said trigger message to a message server,

at the message server, transmitting a second trigger message to the client using a first protocol responsive to receipt of the first trigger message,

at the client, initiating a client mailbox synchronise request to the mail server using a second protocol in response to the receipt of the second trigger message; and

synchronising the client mailbox with the mail server mailbox using the second protocol such that said message is added to the client mailbox.

14. The mail server of claim 13, wherein the mail server copy of the mailbox includes a remote device id for identifying the client.

15. The mail server of claim 14, wherein the means for initiating a link to said client comprises an agent which initiates a call to the client using said remote device id.

16. The mail server of claim 15, wherein the mail server further includes a message server, and wherein the agent initiates the call to the client by creating the first trigger message, said first trigger message including the remote device id, and by transmitting said first trigger message to the message server, said message server including means responsive to receipt of said first trigger message for initiating said link between the mail server and the client in order to perform said synchronisation.

17. The mail server of claim 16, wherein said message server includes an address book, in which the remote device id of the client and contact details are stored.

18. The mail server of claim 17, wherein the message server further comprises:

means for receiving the first trigger message;

means for looking up the remote device id contained within said first trigger message in the message server'"'"'s address book;

means for mapping said remote device id to the corresponding contact details; and

means for using said details to transmit the second trigger message to the client.

19. The mail server of claim 18, wherein the second trigger message is an SMS text message.

20. The mail server of claim 13, further comprising means for allowing a user to disable server initiated database synchronisation with the client.

21. The mail server of claim 13, further comprising:

a log of when synchronisation was last performed; and

means responsive to receipt of a new message for the user at the mail server, for waiting a predetermined amount of time after synchronisation was last performed before performing synchronisation again.

22. The mail server of claim 21, further comprising means for enabling a user to alter said predetermined amount of time.