Method and apparatus for synchronizing databases connected by wireless interface

• US 8,099,386 B2
• Filed: 12/27/2006
• Issued: 01/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Tysowski, Piotr K., Bells, Matthew
• Primary Examiner(s): Ortiz, Belix M
• Application Number:
  US11/616,323
• Publication Number:
  US 20080162597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,847 Days
• Field of Search: 707/610, 709/219, 348/207.1
• US Class Current: 707/610
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

A method for synchronizing a database at a portable electronic device with a backup database including backup data records includes receiving information representative of data records of the database at the portable electronic device, determining if the database at the portable electronic device is to be updated with the backup data records, and if the database at the portable electronic device is to be updated, transmitting representative viewable or audible samples of ones of the backup data records.

Claims

1. A method in a synchronization server for synchronizing a backup database with a device database of a portable electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving device-generated hash information corresponding to device data records of the device database;

generating server-generated hash information corresponding to backup data records of the backup database;

comparing the server-generated hash information with the device-generated hash information to identify mismatched backup data records of the backup database that are not synchronized to the device database;

for at least one mismatched backup data record;

generating a representative viewable or audible portion of the mismatched backup data record in the form of at least one of a thumbnail image, a sound file clip, and a representative page of a multi-page record; and

transmitting the representative viewable or audible portion in a partial data record to the device for storage in the device database in lieu of the mismatched backup data record.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein generating the server-generated hash information comprises generating hash information relating to only representative viewable or audible portions for particular ones of said backup data records.

3. The method according to claim 1, comprising associating a data record update type with each mismatched backup data record, the data record update type identifying those mismatched backup data records for which representative viewable or audible portions are to be transmitted.

4. The method according to claim 1, comprising:

after transmitting representative viewable or audible portions of ones of the mismatched backup data records, transmitting a full content data record corresponding to one of the mismatched backup data records for which only a representative viewable or audible portion has been transmitted.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein said full content data record is transmitted in response to a request.

6. The method according to claim 3, comprising for at least one other mismatched backup data record, transmitting a corresponding full content data record, based on the data record update type of the at least one other mismatched backup data record.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

before transmitting the representative viewable or audible portion of the mismatched backup data record, adding a flag in a record header of the partial data record to indicate that the partial data record comprises a representative viewable or audible portion of the mismatched backup data record.

7. A synchronization server for synchronizing a backup database with a device database of a portable electronic device, the synchronization server comprising:

a memory device for storing backup data records of the backup database;

a radio device for receiving device-generated hash information corresponding to device data records of the device database and for transmitting data to the portable electronic device; and

a processor operably coupled to said memory device and to said radio device for;

generating server-generated hash information corresponding to backup data records of the backup database;

comparing the server-generated hash information with the device-generated hash information to identify mismatched backup data records of the backup database that are not synchronized to the device database;

generating, for at least one mismatched backup data record, a representative viewable or audible portion of the mismatched backup data record in the form of at least one of a thumbnail image, a sound file clip, and a representative page of a multi-page record; and

causing the radio device to transmit the representative viewable or audible portion in a partial data record to the device for storage in the device database in lieu of the mismatched backup data record.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for:

receiving, at a synchronization server, device-generated hash information corresponding to device data records of a device database of a portable electronic device;

generating, at the synchronization server, server-generated hash information corresponding to backup data records of a backup database;

comparing, at the synchronization server, the server-generated hash information with the device-generated hash information to identify mismatched backup data records of the backup database that are not synchronized to the device database;

for at least one mismatched backup data record;

generating a representative viewable or audible portion of said the mismatch backup data record in the form of at least one of a thumbnail image, a sound file clip, and a representative page of a multi-page record; and

transmitting the representative viewable or audible portion in a partial data record to the device for storage in the device database in lieu of the mismatched backup data record.

9. A portable electronic device comprising:

a storage device for maintaining at least one device database comprising device data records;

an antenna; and

,

a processor interconnected with the storage device and the antenna, the processor configured to generate device-generated hash information corresponding to the device data records of the device database;

the processor further configured to transmit the device-generated hash information, via the antenna, to a synchronization server maintaining a backup database comprising backup data records, the device-generated hash information for comparison at the synchronization server with server-generated hash information corresponding to the backup data records of the backup database to identify mismatched backup data records of the backup database that are not synchronized to the device database;

the processor further configured to receive for storage in the storage device, via the antenna, a partial data record comprising a representative viewable or audible portion of at least one mismatched backup data record from the synchronization server to store in the device database in lieu of the mismatched backup data record, wherein the representative viewable or audible portion of the mismatched backup data record comprises at least one of a thumbnail image, a sound file clip, and a representative page of a multi-page record.

10. The portable electronic device of claim 9, the processor being further configured to generate the device-generated hash information in response to at least one of an input received at an input device of the portable electronic device and an input received at the antenna.

11. The portable electronic device of claim 9, the processor being further configured to generate a record hash for each of the device data records, and to generate the device-generated hash information based on a plurality of record hashes.

12. The portable electronic device of claim 11, wherein the device-generated hash information is a group hash.

13. The portable electronic device of claim 10, the processor being further configured to receive, via the antenna, a request for the device-generated hash information and to transmit, via the antenna, the device-generated hash information.

14. The portable electronic device of claim 11, the processor being further configured to generate at least one of the record hashes based on a device data record comprising only a representative viewable or audible portion of one of the backup data records.

15. The, portable electronic device of claim 9, the processor being further configured to associate the partial data record received for storage with a flag indicating that the partial data record comprises a representative viewable or audible portion of the mismatched backup data record.

16. The portable electronic device of claim 9, the processor being further configured to receive, after receiving the representative viewable or audible portion, a full content data record corresponding to one of the mismatched backup data records for which only a representative viewable or audible portion has been received.