Electronic equipment and method for automatic synchronization and communication system

• US 7,523,136 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Issued: 04/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Toorn, Fredrik
• Primary Examiner(s): Woo; Isaac M
• Application Number:
  US11/325,880
• Publication Number:
  US 20070143252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,202 Days
• Field of Search: 707 1- 10, 707100-1041, 707200-206, 709230-237
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 67/2876 Pairs of inter-processing entities at each side of the network, e.g. split proxies
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

An electronic equipment, a communication system and a method for automatic synchronization. In the communication system, at least two electronic equipments are provided. The electronic equipment can synchronies files and/or directories stored in their respective memories. Therefore, each electronic equipment may include a memory, a connecting device, a synchronizing device, a properties managing device and a remote access control. In the memory there are stored files and/or directories. Properties thereof are defined individually for the files and/or directories by said properties managing device. If any of the files and/or directories are indicated to be in “sharing mode”, the connecting device searches and establishes a connection to another equipment automatically. If a corresponding file and/or directory is stored within the memory of the other electronic equipment a synchronization is performed automatically. To perform the synchronization automatically, the remote access controller controls the access to the directories and/or files.

Claims

1. A portable radio communication device operable to connect to another electronic device for exchanging data, comprising:

a memory for storing directories and/or files;

a connecting device operable to establish a connection to the electronic device;

a control assembly configured to;

synchronize directories and/or files with corresponding directories and/or files stored on the electronic device when the portable radio communication device is connected to the electronic device, wherein synchronizing comprises at least one of copying missing directories and/or files, deleting additional directories and/or files, or updating changed directories and/or files of at least one of the corresponding directories and/or files as predetermined in individual properties settings;

define the individual properties settings associated with said stored directories and/or files, wherein the individual properties settings contain pairs of files and/or directories of the portable radio communication device and the electronic device that are subject to the synchronization; and

control access to directories and/or files by the corresponding directories and/or files;

wherein the individual properties settings include pairing a directory in the portable radio communication device with a directory in the electronic device, and at least one of adding a file from the directory of the portable radio communication device to the paired directory of the electronic device or deleting a file from the paired directory of the electronic device.

2. The portable radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the connecting device comprises an automatic connection detector to determine if a detected electronic device is available for connection and synchronization by establishing if the properties settings of at least one stored directory and/or file indicate existence of a corresponding directory and/or file in the detected electronic device.

3. The portable radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control of access to directories and/or files includes comparing properties settings of the portable radio communication device and of the connected other electronic device.

4. The portable radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein said properties settings comprise a permission indicator.

5. The portable radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control assembly is further configured to determine a synchronizing direction.

6. The portable radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the control assembly is further configured to read corresponding directories and/or files of the electronic device and write said read directories and/or files to said memory of the portable radio communication device.

7. The portable radio communication device according to claim 6, wherein the control assembly is further configured to perform at least one of deleting, adding, or changing directories and/or files from said memory.

8. The portable radio communication device according to claim 1, wherein the portable radio communication device is a mobile phone.

9. A communication system comprising at least a portable radio communication device and an electronic device according to claim 1.

10. The portable radio communication device of claim 1, wherein the individual properties settings include blocking directories and/or files in the portable communication device from being compared to directories and/or files in the electronic device.

11. The portable radio communication device of claim 1, wherein the individual properties settings include synchronization rules including at least one of a) synchronization only from the portable electronic device to the electronic device, b) synchronization from the portable electronic device to the electronic device and from the electronic device to the portable electronic device, or c) at least partially blocking synchronization to the electronic device.

12. The portable radio communication device of claim 1, wherein the synchronization occurs automatically.

13. A method for synchronization of directories and/or files stored in a memory of a portable radio communication device with corresponding directories and/or files stored in another electronic device connectable to the portable radio communication device comprising the steps of:

determining if at least one directory and/or file is set to a sharing mode;

connecting the portable radio communication device automatically to the electronic device if the electronic device is available for connection and is determined to have a corresponding directory and/or file;

determining corresponding directories and/or folders stored in the electronic device based on individual properties settings, which contain pairs of files and/or directories of the electronic device and the portable radio communication device that are subject to synchronization; and

synchronizing said directories and/or files stored in the portable radio communication device with the corresponding directories and/or files stored in the electronic device, wherein synchronizing comprises at least one of copying missing directories and/or files, deleting additional directories and/or files, or updating changed directories and/or files of at least one of the corresponding directories and/or files, as predetermined in the individual properties settings;

wherein the individual properties settings include pairing a directory in the portable radio communication device with a directory in the electronic device, and at least one of adding a file from the directory of the portable radio communication device to the paired directory of the electronic device, or deleting a file from the paired directory of the electronic device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the portable radio communication device searches for the electronic device automatically, when at least one directory and/or file stored in the memory of the portable radio communication device is set to sharing mode.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein properties settings of said directories and/or files and properties settings of said corresponding directories and/or files are compared.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein a comparison of properties settings of said directories and/or files stored in the portable radio communication device and of properties settings of said corresponding directories and/or files is performed and a synchronization direction is determined on the basis of the comparison.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein a synchronization direction is determined individually for each pair of directories and/or files and their corresponding directories and/or files.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the individual properties settings include blocking directories and/or files in the portable communication device from being compared to directories and/or files in the electronic device.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the individual properties settings include synchronization rules including at least one of a) synchronization only from the portable electronic device to the electronic device, b) synchronization from the portable electronic device to the electronic device and from the electronic device to the portable electronic device, or c) at least partially blocking synchronization to the electronic device.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the synchronization occurs automatically.