Data exchange between a handheld device and another computer system using an exchange manager via synchronization

• US 7,693,949 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2007
• Issued: 04/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Peacock, Gavin
• Primary Examiner(s): Hu; Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US11/687,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20080028102A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/204, 709/206, 709/248, 455/461, 455/462
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/482 Application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• 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: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A method and electronic system for exchanging data between a handheld device and another computer system are described. A data file is transferred to the handheld device using the install application of a synchronization manager. The transferred file is stored as a digital stream file with its native data encoding. After synchronization, a message is sent to notify the exchange manager about the data file. The exchange manager then uses an application registry to identify the application program that corresponds to the file stream based on the extension of the stream file. The pertinent application program is then invoked and the stream file is dispatched to the application for processing. During processing, the pertinent application then formats the stream file such that the data file becomes a record within the database file that is associated with the pertinent application.

Claims

1. A method for sending data from a portable device to a destination, comprising:

at an application program executing on a processor on a portable device, the application generating a message,

the application program passing the message from the application program to an exchange manager program executing on the processor on the portable device,

at the exchange manager program, the exchange manager program selecting a transport mechanism from a library of transport mechanisms, and

exporting the message by the exchange manager program from the portable device to the destination using the selected transport mechanism,

whereby the application program is shielded from details of the transport mechanism.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is specified in a universal resource locator (URL) format.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is specified in the message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is obtained from a dialog between the exchange manager program and a user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the dialog includes a window having a pick-list presenting a selection of at least one transport mechanism.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination is specified in a universal resource locator (URL) format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination is specified in the message.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the destination is obtained from a dialog between the exchange manager program and a user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the dialog includes a window having a pick-list presenting a selection of at least one destination.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism is for one of synchronization, infra-red object exchange (IROBEX), Bluetooth object exchange (BTOBEX), hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP), file transfer protocol (FTP), CTP, wireless application protocol (WAP), simple message transfer protocol (SMTP) and short messaging service (SMS).