Synchronization modification

• US 7,739,412 B2
• Filed: 03/13/2008
• Issued: 06/15/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/05/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Hall, Gary, Nalliah, Selvaraj
• Primary Examiner(s): SALAD, ABDULLAHI ELMI
• Application Number:
  US12/047,757
• Publication Number:
  US 20080155123A1
• Time in Patent Office: 824 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/248, 709227-228
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/178 Techniques for file synchronisation in file systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

Notifications are sent to a mobile device to indicate that there is data on a computing device to be synchronized. Upon receiving a notification, the mobile device determines if a minimum number of notifications required to begin synchronization have been received, where the minimum number is greater than one. If the minimum number of notifications has been received, a two-way communication channel is established and synchronization is performed.

Claims

1. A computer memory having computer-executable instructions for performing steps comprising:

on a mobile device, receiving a notification message sent using a one-way communication protocol indicating that there has been a synchronization event on a computing device;

determining whether more than a minimum number of notification messages have been received at the mobile device without providing feedback that the mobile device received the notification messages before establishing a connection along a two-way channel, wherein the minimum number is greater than one;

establishing a connection along a two-way channel between the mobile device and the computing device based on the notification message; and

synchronizing data between the mobile device and the computing device through the two-way channel connection.

2. The computer memory of claim 1 wherein receiving a message comprises receiving a short message service message.

3. The computer memory of claim 1 wherein the notification message comprises a globally unique identifier.

4. The computer memory of claim 1 wherein the notification message comprises an identifier of a container object that has had a change in its contents.

5. The computer memory of claim 4 wherein the notification message further comprises an identifier of an object that has changed and that is part of the contents of the container object.

6. The computer memory of claim 1 wherein the notification message is broadcast by a carrier based upon a message received by the carrier.

7. The computer memory of claim 6 wherein the message received by the carrier is in a different format than the notification message.

8. The computer memory of claim 7 wherein the message received by the carrier is in a simple mail transfer protocol format and the notification message is in a short messaging service format.

9. The computer memory of claim 6 wherein the message received by the carrier is formed by forming a first message addressed to the mobile device, determining that the first message is a synchronization notification, and generating a second message that is sent to the carrier such that the second message has a different address than the first message.

10. A method comprising:

receiving a notification message sent using a one-way communication protocol indicating that there has been a synchronization event on a computing device;

determining the number of notification messages that have been received without providing feedback that the mobile device received the notification messages;

comparing the number of notification messages received without providing feedback that the mobile device received the notification messages to a minimum number of notifications that must be received before synchronization is to begin, wherein the minimum number is greater than one;

if the number of notification messages received without providing feedback that the mobile device received the notification messages exceeds the minimum number of notifications, establishing a connection to the computing device along a two-way communication channel; and

synchronizing data with the computing device through the two-way communication channel connection.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein receiving a message comprises receiving a short message service message.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the notification message comprises a globally unique identifier.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the notification message comprises an identifier of a container object that has had a change in its contents.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein the notification message further comprises an identifier of an object that has changed and that is part of the contents of the container object.

15. The method of claim 10 wherein the notification message is broadcast by a carrier based upon a message received by the carrier.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the message received by the carrier is in a different format than the notification message.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the message received by the carrier is in a simple mail transfer protocol format and the notification message is in a short messaging service format.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the message received by the carrier is formed by forming a first message, determining that the first message is a synchronization notification, and generating a second message that is sent to the carrier such that the second message has a different address than the first message.

19. A mobile device comprising:

an antenna that receives a message;

a message driver that decodes the message received by the antenna to form a decoded message;

a router that scans the decoded message and determines that the message is a synchronization notification message;

a synchronization engine that receives the message from the router based on the determination that it is a synchronization notification message, that determines that synchronization is to be performed by determining that the number of synchronization notification messages received without providing feedback that the mobile device received the synchronization notification messages exceeds a minimum number greater than one required for synchronization to begin; and

a wireless network driver that establishes a wireless connection with a computing device to perform synchronization based on the synchronization engine'"'"'s determination that synchronization is to be performed.

20. The mobile device of claim 19 wherein the synchronization engine further compares a globally unique identifier for the message to globally unique identifiers for previously received messages to ensure that the message is not a replayed message.