Universal data aggregation

• US 7,853,563 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2005
• Issued: 12/14/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seven Networks LLC (SoftBank Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Seven Networks Inc
• Inventors: Alvarado, Billy, Ariel, Ido, Gent, Robert Paul van
• Primary Examiner(s): Morrison, Jay A
• Application Number:
  US11/217,203
• Publication Number:
  US 20070027930A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,931 Days
• Field of Search: 707/104, 707/104.1, 707/616, 707/622, 707/632, 707/999.107
• US Class Current: 707/616
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46

Abstract

A system for aggregating and managing PIM data from multiple sources is provided. By aggregating various sources of data, the present system allow for the bridging of networked communities and organizations. Limitations of data aggregation as a result of proprietary and/or protocol concerns are overcome through the development of trusted relationships amongst users of the data aggregation and management system.

Claims

1. A data aggregation system comprising:

a data aggregation server configured to aggregate data from a plurality of users in a community of users, wherein the plurality of users are enrolled in the data aggregation system, the data aggregation server comprising at least one module stored in memory and executable by a processor to acquire data from available user data sources that are a part of an integrated data environment and from available user data sources that are outside the integrated data environment, wherein the data acquired from the user data sources outside the integrated data environment is acquired using proxied credentials, the data aggregation server further comprising a contacts module stored in memory and executable by a processor to;

query an available user data source to find data deemed absent by a module of the data aggregation server, and

add the found data to the data aggregated from the plurality of users, the data aggregation server further comprising a groups module stored in memory and executable by a processor to;

identify a common characteristic in the data aggregated from the plurality of users, and

generate a group of users in accordance with the common characteristic in the data aggregated from the plurality of users; and

a mobile device communicatively coupled to the data aggregation server, the mobile device configured to selectively access the data acquired from the available user data sources in response to a request by a requesting user.

2. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the integrated data environment is a service provider network and the data aggregation server is implemented by the service provider as a part of the service provider network.

3. The data aggregation system of claim 1, further comprising a computing device coupled to the data aggregation server, the computing device associated with at least one of the plurality of users.

4. The data aggregation system of claim 3, wherein the computing device maintains personal information management (PIM) data of the at least one of the plurality of users.

5. The data aggregation system of claim 3, wherein the computing device is also communicatively coupled to the mobile device, the mobile device associated with the at least one of the plurality of users.

6. The data aggregation system of claim 3, wherein the computing device is a personal computer.

7. The data aggregation system of claim 3, wherein the computing device is an enterprise server.

8. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregation of data by the data aggregation server comprises a push operation initiated by one of the plurality of users.

9. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregation of data by the data aggregation server comprises a pull operation initiated by the mobile device.

10. The data aggregation system of claim 4, wherein the aggregated data comprises PIM data originating at the computing device.

11. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregated data comprises calendar data.

12. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregated data comprises contact data.

13. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregated data comprises presence data.

14. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregated data comprises location data.

15. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the aggregated data comprises non-PIM data.

27. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a location of the requesting user.

28. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a time of the request.

29. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a device used to make the request.

30. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a connection used to make the request.

31. The data aggregation system of claim 1, wherein the one or more request attributes includes the identity of the requesting user.

16. A method of aggregating data comprising:

querying an availability of data sources in an integrated data environment;

acquiring data from the available data sources in the integrated data environment;

querying an availability of data sources outside the integrated data environment;

providing proxied credentials to access the available data sources outside the integrated data environment;

acquiring data from the available data sources outside the integrated data environment;

aggregating the data acquired from the available data sources in and outside the integrated data environment at a storage medium coupled to a data management server, the aggregated data made selectively accessible to one or more users of the data management server in response to a request by a requesting user, wherein the data is made selectively accessible based on one or more request attributes identified in the request of the requesting user;

determining data that is absent from the aggregated data;

querying an available data source to find the absent data;

adding the found data to the aggregated data;

identifying a common characteristic in the aggregated data; and

generating a group of users in accordance with the common characteristic in the aggregated data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the available data sources outside the integrated data environment comprise a first user data source and a second user data source.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a first user provides the data management server credentials to access the first user data source and a second user provides the data management server credentials to access the second user data source prior to the data management server querying the availability of available data sources outside the integrated data environment.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the first user data source and second user data source are a common source of data.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the common source of data comprises a personal computer, an enterprise server, a mobile device, an instant messenger network, or an Internet portal.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first user data source and second user data source are different sources of data.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the aggregated data is shared between the first user and the second user as a result of the aggregation of data from the different sources of data.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein querying the availability of data sources outside the integrated data environment comprises the use of a communications protocol native to the data source outside the integrated data environment.

32. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a location of the requesting user.

33. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a time of the request.

34. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a device used to make the request.

35. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more request attributes includes a connection used to make the request.

36. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more request attributes includes the identity of the requesting user.

24. A computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program executable by a processor to cause a computing device to execute a method for aggregating data, the method comprising:

querying an availability of data sources in an integrated data environment;

acquiring data from the available data sources in the integrated data environment;

querying an availability of data sources outside the integrated data environment;

providing proxied credentials to access the available data sources outside the integrated data environment;

acquiring data from the available data sources outside the integrated data environment;

aggregating the data acquired from the available data sources in and outside the integrated data environment, the aggregated data to be made selectively accessible to one or more users in response to a request by a requesting user, wherein the data is made selectively accessible based on one or more request attributes identified in the request of the requesting user;

determining data that is absent from the aggregated data;

querying an available data source to find the absent data;

adding the found data to the aggregated data;

identifying a common characteristic in the aggregated data; and

generating a group of users in accordance with the common characteristic in the aggregated data.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, wherein querying the availability of data sources outside the integrated data environment comprises the use of a communications protocol native to the data source outside the integrated data environment.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 24, the method further comprising sharing aggregated data between a first user and a second user as a result of the aggregation of data from at least two sources of data outside the integrated data environment.