Roaming personal information items across multiple computing devices using an IMAP server

• US 8,161,107 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2008
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Gregg, Ryan Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair, Douglas
• Application Number:
  US12/344,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20100169406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,205 Days
• Field of Search: 709/204, 709/206, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/204
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail

Abstract

Technologies for roaming personal information items across multiple computing devices using an IMAP server are provided. When a change is detected to a personal information item maintained by a PIM program one computing device, the data representing the personal information item is uploaded from the computing device to an IMAP server, where it is stored as a message in a user mailbox designated to hold personal information items. A second computing device then downloads the message storing the data representing the personal information item from the IMAP server and makes it available to a PIM program executing on the second computing device.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for roaming personal information items across multiple computing devices using an Internet Message Access Protocol (“

IMAP”

) server, the method comprising;

receiving data representing a personal information item from a PIM program executing on a first computing device;

utilizing the IMAP protocol to upload the data representing the personal information item from the first computing device to the IMAP server, wherein the data representing the personal information item is stored as a message in a user mailbox designated to hold personal information items on the IMAP server;

at a second computing device, utilizing the IMAP protocol to download the data representing the personal information item from the message in the user mailbox from the IMAP server to the second computing device; and

providing the data representing the personal information item to a PIM program executing on the second computing device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal information item comprises one of a calendar item, a contact, a task, a note, and a journal entry.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the message storing the data representing the personal information item comprises a message in the Internet Message Format, and wherein the data representing the personal information item is encoded as a file attachment to the message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving the data representing the personal information item from the PIM program executing on the first computing device comprises detecting a change to a personal information item in a local information cache of the PIM program on the first computing device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

upon detecting the change to the personal information item, converting the data representing the personal information item from a first format of the data stored in the local information cache to a second format for storage on the IMAP server.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein providing the data representing the personal information item to the PIM program executing on the second computing device comprises storing the data representing the personal information item in a local information cache of the PIM program on the second computing device.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

upon downloading the data representing the personal information item, converting the data representing the personal information from the second format of the data stored in the message on the IMAP server to a third format for storage in the local information cache of the PIM program executing on the second computing device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

utilizing the IMAP protocol to create a user mailbox on the IMAP server designated to hold messages storing data representing personal information items of a particular type.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein designating the user mailbox on the IMAP server to hold messages storing data representing personal information items of the particular type comprises storing a type-identifying message within the user mailbox.

10. A system for roaming personal information items across multiple computing devices using an Internet Message Access Protocol (“

IMAP”

) server, the system comprising;

a first computing device comprising a processor and a memory;

a PIM program stored in the memory and executing on the processor of the first computing device and operative to maintain personal information items in a local information cache on the first computing device; and

an IMAP client extension module stored in the memory and executing on the processor of the first computing device and operative to

detect a changed personal information item maintained by the PIM program, and

utilize the IMAP protocol to upload data representing the changed personal information item from the first computing device to the IMAP server, wherein the data representing the changed personal information item is stored as a message in a user mailbox designated to hold personal information items on the IMAP server, and wherein the message in the user mailbox containing the data representing the changed personal information item is downloaded through the IMAP protocol by a second computing device and provided to a PIM program executing on the second computing device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the changed personal information item comprises one of a calendar item, a contact, a task, a note, and a journal entry.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the message storing the data representing the changed personal information item comprises a message in the Internet Message Format, and wherein the data representing the changed personal information item is encoded as a file attachment to the message.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the IMAP client extension module is further operative to:

upon detecting the changed personal information item, convert the data representing the changed personal information item from a first format of the data stored in the local information cache to a second format for storage on the IMAP server.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein providing the data representing the changed personal information item to the PIM program executing on the second computing device comprises:

converting the data representing the changed personal information from the second format of the data stored in the message on the IMAP server to a third format for storage in a local information cache of the PIM program executing on the second computing device; and

storing the data representing the changed personal information item in the local information cache of the PIM program on the second computing device.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the IMAP client extension module is further operative to utilize the IMAP protocol to create a user mailbox on the IMAP server designated to hold messages storing data representing personal information items of a particular type.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein designating the user mailbox on the IMAP server to hold messages storing data representing personal information items of the particular type comprises naming the user mailbox with a mailbox name corresponding to the particular type.

17. A computer-readable storage medium that is not a signal, the medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a computing device, cause the computing device to:

receive data representing a first personal information item from a PIM program executing on the computing device;

convert the data representing the first personal information item from a first format native to the PIM program to a second format for storage as a message on an Internet Message Access Protocol (“

IMAP”

) server;

utilize the IMAP protocol to append the message storing the data representing the first personal information item to a user mailbox designated to hold personal information items on the IMAP server;

detect a new message in the user mailbox on the IMAP server, the new message storing data representing a second personal information item in the second format;

utilize the IMAP protocol to request the new message from the IMAP server;

receive the new message at the computing device;

extract the data representing the second personal information item from the new message;

convert the data representing the second personal information item from the second format to the first format native to the PIM program; and

provide the data representing the second personal information item to the PIM program.

18. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the personal information items consist essentially of one or more of a calendar item, a contact, a task, a note, and a journal entry.

19. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein the messages storing the data representing the first and second personal information items comprise messages in the Internet Message Format, and wherein the data representing the first and second personal information items are encoded as a file attachments to the messages.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 17, wherein providing the data representing the second personal information item to the PIM program comprises storing the data representing the second personal information item in a local information cache of the PIM program on the computing device.