Application data synchronization in telecommunications system

• US 7,571,194 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2003
• Issued: 08/04/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Sahinoja, Mikko Juhani, Piispanen, Jussi, Mettälä, Riku
• Primary Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US10/670,597
• Publication Number:
  US 20040215669A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 707/1, 707/10, 707/200, 707/204, 707/201, 707/202, 707/203, 707/100
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/273 Asynchronous replication or reconciliation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99952 Coherency, e.g. same view to multiple users

Abstract

A method of arranging data synchronization of at least one application in a networked system, which comprises at least one terminal, at least one synchronization server, a first database in the terminal, and a second database. In the method, a configuration message is formed which comprises data required for the application data synchronization, said data comprising settings of at least the second database. The configuration message is transmitted from the synchronization server to the terminal. A synchronization connection is arranged between the terminal and the synchronization server to perform the synchronization. The synchronization is initialized using the arranged synchronization connection and at least part of said data, data of the first database and the second database being synchronized using at least part of said data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

forming a configuration message comprising settings information for arranging data synchronization of at least one application between a first database, in a terminal, and a second database, associated with a synchronization server, said settings information comprising settings of at least the second database;

transmitting said configuration message from the synchronization server to the terminal;

initializing the synchronization using a synchronization connection between the terminal and the synchronization server according to at least part of said settings information, and

synchronizing data of at least the first database and the second database according to at least part of the settings information.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the settings of said second database comprise at least one of the name of the second database, information on the content types supported, and an address, and wherein at least said address is received in a client initialization message from the terminal to the synchronization server as a response to a need to synchronize data of the second database.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein said settings information further comprises user text to be displayed to the user of the terminal.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein said settings information further comprises settings defining the timing of initialization of the synchronization.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein said configuration message comprises at least one field which defines whether said settings information is new, replacing previous settings or complementary.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein said configuration message is an Extensible Markup Language document in a binary or text format.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein said configuration message is transmitted using one or more of the following protocols:

Short Message Service, Object Exchange, Hyper Text Transfer Protocol, or Wireless Application Protocol.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the data transmission between the synchronization server and the terminal is based on the wireless application protocol stack, and the initialization of the synchronization and the synchronization is based on the SyncML synchronization protocol performed on top of the wireless application protocol stack.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein said settings information comprises settings of a plurality of databases, and data of at least the first database and said plurality of databases is synchronized according to at least part of said settings information.

10. A telecommunications system comprising:

at least one terminal including a first database; and

at least one synchronization server configured to form a configuration message comprising settings information for arranging data synchronization of at least one application between the first database and a second database associated with the synchronization server, said settings information comprising settings of at least the second database, and to transmit said configuration message to the terminal;

wherein the terminal is configured to store said settings information in the received configuration message to a memory medium, and retrieve at least part of said settings information as a response to a need for a synchronization service;

wherein the terminal and the synchronization server are configured to establish a synchronization connection between the terminal and the synchronization server for the performance of the synchronization, and

initialize the synchronization using the synchronization connection and at least part of said settings information; and

wherein the synchronization server is further configured to synchronize data of at least the first database and the second database using at least part of said settings information.

11. A telecommunications system according to claim 10, wherein said settings information comprises at least one of the following:

settings relating to the timing of the start of the synchronization;

the name and address of at least the second database, and the data on the content types supported by it;

user text, which is displayed to the user in the terminal;

settings of the synchronization server.

12. A synchronization server comprising:

a processing unit configured to

form a configuration message comprising settings information for arranging data synchronization of at least one application between a first database, in a terminal, and a second database, associated with the synchronization server, said settings information comprising settings of at least the second database;

transmit said configuration message from the synchronization server to the terminal;

initialize the synchronization using a synchronization connection between the terminal and the synchronization server according to at least part of said settings information; and

synchronize data of at least the first database and the second database according to at least part of said settings information.

13. A synchronization server according to claim 12, wherein said settings information comprises at least one of the following:

settings relating to the timing of the start of the synchronization;

the name and address of at least the second database, and the data on the content types supported by it;

user text to be displayed to the user;

settings of the synchronization server.

14. A telecommunications device comprising:

a receiver configured to receive at least one configuration message comprising settings information for arranging data synchronization of at least one application between a first database, in the communication device, and a second database, associated with a synchronization server, said settings information comprising settings of at least the second database;

a memory configured to store said settings information; and

a processing unit configured to

retrieve at least part of said settings information as a response to a need for a synchronization service;

establish a synchronization connection between the telecommunications device and the synchronization server to perform the synchronization; and

initialize synchronization with the synchronization server using at least part of said settings information retrieved from memory.

15. A telecommunications device according to claim 14, wherein said settings information further comprises settings defining the timing of the synchronization;

and the processing unit is further configured to start the establishing of the synchronization connection and the initialization of the synchronization at the moment of time according to said settings information.

16. A telecommunications device according to claim 14, wherein said settings information further comprises user text;

and the processing unit is further configured to display the user text to the user of the telecommunications system.

17. A telecommunications device according to claim 14, wherein said settings of at least the second database comprise at least the name of the database, information on the content types supported, and an address, and

the processing unit is further configured to transmit in the initialization of the synchronization at least said address to the synchronization server as a response to the need to synchronize data of said database.

18. A telecommunications device according to claim 14, wherein the telecommunications device is wireless and supports the wireless application protocol and the syncml synchronization protocol performed on top of the wireless application protocol;

the processing unit is configured to communicate with the synchronization server using the wireless application protocol; and

the telecommunications device further comprises a client agent configured to communicate with a server agent, of the synchronization server, in accordance with the syncml synchronization protocol.

19. A computer-readable data storage medium, wherein said data storage medium comprises a computer program product, said computer program product comprises:

a computer code configured to receive at least one configuration message comprising settings information for arranging data synchronization of at least one application between a first database, in a communication device, and a second database, associated with a synchronization server, said settings information comprising at least settings of the second database;

a computer code configured to store said settings information in a memory;

a computer code configured to establish a synchronization connection between the telecommunications device and the synchronization server to perform the synchronization;

a computer code configured to retrieve at least part of said settings information as a response to a need for a synchronization service; and

a computer code configured to initialize synchronization with the synchronization server using at least part of said settings information retrieved from the memory.

20. A computer-readable data storage medium, wherein said data storage medium comprises a computer program product, said computer program product comprises:

a computer code configured to form a configuration message comprising settings information for arranging data synchronization of at least one application between a first database, in a terminal, and a second database, associated with a synchronization server, said settings information comprises settings of at least a second database;

a computer code configured to transmit said configuration message from the synchronization server to at least one terminal;

a computer code configured to initialize synchronization using synchronization connection, between the terminal and the synchronization server, according to at least part of said settings information; and

a computer code configured to synchronize data of at least a first database and the second database according to at least part of said settings information.

21. A method comprising:

receiving at least one configuration message comprising settings information for arranging data synchronization of at least one application between a first database, in a telecommunication device, and a second database, associated with a synchronization server, said settings information comprising settings of at least the second database;

storing said settings information in a memory;

retrieving at least part of said settings information as a response to a need for a synchronization service;

establishing a synchronization connection between the telecommunications device and the synchronization server to perform the synchronization; and

initializing synchronization with the synchronization server using at least part of said settings information retrieved from memory.

22. A method according to claim 21, wherein said settings information further comprises settings defining the timing of the synchronization;

and said establishing of the synchronization connection and the initialization of the synchronization starting at the moment of time according to said settings information.

23. A method according to claim 21, wherein said settings information further comprises user text;

and the method further comprises displaying the user text to the user of the telecommunications device.

24. A method according to claim 21, wherein said setting of at least the second database comprise at least the name of the database, information on the content types supported, and address;

and the method further comprises transmitting in the initialization of the synchronization at least said address to the synchronization server as a response to the need to synchronize data of said database.