Synchronization technique for exchanging data with a mobile device that conserves the resources of the mobile device

• US 7,710,975 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2006
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Commarford, Patrick M., Martinez, Chris J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Beamer; Temica M
• Application Number:
  US11/383,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20070265025A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,453 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/404.1, 455/466, 455/572, 455/574, 455/434, 455/556.2, 370/230, 370/395.21
• US Class Current: 370/395.21
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/14 using intermediate storage
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/569 of the traffic information

Abstract

A method for exchanging data with a mobile device that begins with the step of detecting a data exchange event. Next, at least one data exchange threshold is identified for the mobile device. An exchange urgency value is then determined and compared to the data exchange threshold. If the comparison is favorable, then the data exchange occurs immediately. Otherwise, the data exchange is placed in a delayed transmission queue, to be sent after a delay period.

Claims

1. A method for exchanging data with a mobile device comprising:

detecting a data exchange event where a data item is to be exchanged between the mobile device and a second device;

identifying at least one data exchange threshold for a mobile device;

determining an exchange urgency value for the data exchange event based on a data exchange type of the data item;

when the exchange urgency value favorably compares to the data exchange threshold, immediately initializing a data exchange associated with the data exchange event such that the data item is exchanged without being queued in a delayed transmission queue; and

when the exchange urgency value unfavorably compares to the data exchange threshold, queuing the data item into the delayed transmission queue, wherein data items queued in the delayed transmission queue are exchanged after a delay period.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein exchange urgency value is configurable by a message sender.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data exchange threshold is configurable by a mobile device user via a mobile device setting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a system administrator of a server that exchanges data with the mobile device configures at least one of the exchange urgency value and the data exchange threshold.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

ascertaining the data exchange type for the data exchange event; and

querying a previously established table for the data exchange type to determine the exchange urgency value.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the previously established table is a configurable table specified by at least one of a system administrator and an owner of the mobile device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data exchange threshold is associated with a specific resource of the mobile device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

detecting a change in a state of the mobile device that affects the device resource; and

automatically adjusting the data exchange threshold of the device resource responsive to the detecting step.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the specific mobile device resource is associated with a power source of the mobile device, whereby the threshold is lowered when the mobile device shifts from battery power to a direct power source and is raised when the mobile device shifts from a direct power source to battery power.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the specific mobile device resource is associated with available bandwidth, whereby the threshold is lowered when bandwidth to the mobile device increases and is raised when bandwidth to the mobile device decreases.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one data exchange threshold comprises a plurality of data exchange thresholds, wherein each of the plurality of data exchange thresholds is associated with a different mobile device resource.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

detecting a change in a state of the mobile device that affects one of the plurality of mobile device resources; and

automatically adjusting the data exchange threshold corresponding to the affected mobile device resource responsive to the detecting step.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the data item is a data item selected from a group of data items consisting of a data store synchronization item, an email message, an instant message, and a text message.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein said steps of claim 1 are steps performed by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program having a plurality of code sections that are executable by the at least one machine.

15. A system for exchanging a data item comprising:

a mobile device;

a second device communicatively linked to the mobile device; and

an exchange immediacy engine configured to adjust an immediacy of a data exchange of the data item based upon a device resource of the mobile device and an urgency level of the data exchange based on a data exchange type of the data item, wherein the mobile device performs a data exchange of the data item between the mobile device and the second device based on the results of the exchange immediacy engine, wherein the results indicate that the data item is to be exchanged either without being queued in a delayed transmission queue or after being queued in the delayed transmission queue after a period of time.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a communications server configured to facilitate the exchange of data between the mobile device and the second device, wherein the exchange immediacy engine resides upon the communications server.

17. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a table containing predetermined values used by the exchange immediacy engine to determine the immediacy of the data exchange.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the predetermined values include data exchange types, each data exchange type having a corresponding value for the urgency level.

19. A software method for exchanging a data item between a mobile device and a second device, said software method being stored upon a machine-readable medium and specifying instructions causing a machine to perform the steps of:

determining a resource level of a consumable resource of a mobile device, wherein the mobile device is to be included in an exchange of the data item;

examining the data item to ascertain its exchange urgency value based on a data exchange type of the data item;

automatically calculating an exchange immediacy level based upon the determined resource level and the exchange urgency value, wherein at least two exchange immediacy levels situationally result from the calculating step, said at least two exchange immediacy levels comprising a level indicating that the exchange is to occur approximately immediately and a level indicating that the exchange is to be delayed; and

automatically performing the exchange in accordance with the calculated exchange immediacy level.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising the steps of:

ascertaining the data exchange type for the exchange; and

querying a previously established table for the exchange type to determine the exchange urgency value, wherein values of the previously established tables are configurable by at least one of a user of the mobile device and an administrator of a communication server involved in the exchange.