Method and system for server synchronization with a computing device via a companion device

• US 7,464,186 B2
• Filed: 11/05/2004
• Issued: 12/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/28/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Susser, Martin, Chung, Pi-Yu, Vejlstrup, Magnus, Rabbers, David L., Huang, Xiaofei, Singhal, Anupam
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu; Thong H
• Application Number:
  US10/982,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20070198743A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,495 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/223, 709/248, 709/219, 709/229, 707/210, 707/10, 707/1, 707/103, 707/101
• US Class Current: 709/249
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99954 Version management

Abstract

The A method and system for server synchronization with a computing device via a companion device is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises synchronizing a device and an enterprise server via a companion device, which comprises retrieving a record extraction sequence from the server; providing the record extraction sequence to the handheld device from the companion device; and extracting records stored on a database according to the record extraction sequence, wherein the extracted records are not already stored on the computing device.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

comparing a first parameter with a second parameter obtained prior to the first parameter, the first and the second parameters being indicative of record extraction sequences; and

extracting from a database one or more records that have been changed since a prior synchronization of first and the second computing devices if the first parameter matches the second parameter.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

retrieving the first parameter from the first computing device; and

providing the first parameter to the second computing device via a computer system.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

logging-in to the first computing device from the second computing device via the computer system, wherein the second computing device comprises a handheld device; and

retrieving a persistent node identification (ID) from the first computing device for the handheld device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

retrieving one or more views from the first computing device that are not already on the handheld device; and

retrieving one or more business objects from the first computing device that are not already on the handheld device.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first computing device comprises an enterprise server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein

the persistent node identification (ID) is never reused, reassigned, or recycled,

the persistent node identification (ID) is stored in the handheld,

the views retrieved from the first computing device are stored in the handheld, and

the views retrieved from the first computing device are used to limit the amount of data transferred to the handheld.

7. A method comprising:

extracting a first record extraction sequence identification (ID) from a first computing device; and

extracting one or more records stored on a database that have been changed since a prior synchronization of the first computing device and a second computing device if the first record extraction sequence ID matches a second record extraction sequence ID that was obtained prior to the first record extraction sequence ID.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

providing the extracted one or more records to the second computing device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

verifying the second computing device has a valid logon ID; and

providing a persistent node ID to the second computing device.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

processing transactions on the first computing device; and

providing one or more events to the second computing device that are not already on the second computing device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

providing a personal digital assistant (PDA) repository associated with the second computing device to the second computing device.

12. The method of claim 7, wherein the second computing device comprises a handheld device.

13. A system comprising:

means for determining whether to extract records stored on a database that have been changed since a prior synchronization of first and the second computing devices by comparing first and second parameters, each of which is indicative of a record extraction sequence;

means for extracting one or more records if the first and second parameters compare equally.

14. A system comprising:

a companion device;

a first computing device communicably coupled to the companion device; and

a second computing device communicably coupled to the companion device, the second computing device comprising a circuit for determining whether to synchronize the first and second computing devices by comparing first and second parameters, which are indicative of record extraction sequences.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a database communicably coupled to the first computing device to store records, wherein the first and second parameters are used to determine whether one or more records in the database have been changed since a prior synchronization of the first and the second computing devices.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first computing device comprises an enterprise server and the second computing device comprises a handheld device.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising a personal digital assistant (PDA) repository associated with the handheld device.

18. A machine-readable medium that includes instructions that, when executed, will perform operations comprising:

comparing a first parameter with a second parameter obtained prior to the first parameter, the first and the second parameters being indicative of record extraction sequences; and

extracting from a database one or more records that have been changed since a prior synchronization of first and the second computing devices if the first parameter matches the second parameter.

19. The machine-readable medium of claim 18, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing the one or more records extracted to the second computing device via a companion device.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a personal digital assistant (PDA) repository associated with the second computing device to the second computing device.