Mobile device solution that provides enhanced user control for outgoing data handling

• US 8,315,616 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2006
• Issued: 11/20/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 10/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Martinez, Chris J., Sielken, Robert S., Wimer, William C. II
• Primary Examiner(s): Bost, Dwayne
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US11/552,442
• Publication Number:
  US 20080096505A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 455/418, 455/556.2, 455/466, 455/127.5, 455/502, 455/574, 709204-207, 709238-240, 715/748, 713300-320, 345/169, 707/618
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0261 managing power supply demand, e.g. depending on battery level
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/0267 by controlling user interface components
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

The present solution can include a configurable interface for controlling data sent from a mobile device. This interface can include multiple, configurable options that permit a mobile device user to control how often outgoing data is sent from the device. These options can include: a push on schedule option, a push within a time counted from when outgoing data was queued for delivery option, a push on volume option, a push immediately option, an auto-adjusting push option, and a customized push option based upon a user-adjustable sliding scale between two competing considerations.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising a configurable interface for controlling data sent from a mobile device, said apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to provide a plurality of three or more user configurable options that permit a mobile device user to control a manner in which a mobile device handles outgoing data, wherein all of the three or more user configurable options are options specially for outgoing data only, said user configurable options including at least three options selected from a group of options consisting of a push on schedule option, a push on volume option, a push within a designated time of item creation option, a push immediately option, an option based upon a relative importance of outgoing data, an auto-adjusting push option, and a customized push option based upon a user-adjustable sliding scale established between at least two competing considerations.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outgoing data is data contained within an outgoing data queue of the mobile device, wherein said outgoing data queue stores data in a physical storage memory of the mobile device, and wherein the manner permits the user to choose a data handling algorithm that matches their usage pattern, where said different ones of the data handling algorithms are designed to maximize battery life of the mobile device, to ensure outgoing data is delivered in a timely fashion, and to balance between timely delivery and maximizing battery life.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the established configuration options control all queue-able outgoing data transmissions from the mobile device including outgoing email messages, outgoing text messages, electronic document uploads and conveyances and synchronization between the mobile device and an external data store.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein all of the at least three configurable options are independent of any incoming data to the mobile device, wherein none of the configurable options are for regulating incoming data or bidirectional data to the mobile device.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said plurality of user configurable options comprise at least five options, and wherein said options include at least five options selected from the group.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein one of the said options includes the push on schedule option that includes a user-configurable time, and wherein another one of said options includes the push on volume options that includes a user-configurable volume.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outgoing data is data contained within an outgoing data queue of the mobile device, wherein said outgoing data queue stores data in a physical storage memory of the mobile device, and wherein one of said options includes said auto-adjusting push option that is configured to dynamically adjust an outgoing data frequency based upon at least two device specific conditions, one of which relates to battery life another of which relates to an outgoing data frequency, wherein the auto-adjusting option causes a related data handling algorithm to increase a frequency with which data is pushed as data items are more frequently created, and wherein the auto-adjusting option causes a related data handling algorithm to push data less frequently as battery life remaining for the mobile device decreases.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outgoing data is data contained within an outgoing data queue of the mobile device, wherein said outgoing data queue stores data in a physical storage memory of the mobile device, and wherein one of said options includes the customized push option, wherein the at least two competing considerations include one consideration to maximize battery life and another consideration to optimize delivery frequency.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the outgoing data includes outgoing email messages, electronic document uploads, and synchronizations between a mobile device data store of the mobile device and a corresponding remotely located data store.

10. A system for sending data from a mobile device to a remotely located server that is tailored for a user'"'"'s usage patterns comprising:

a graphical user interface configured to allow a user of a mobile device having communication capabilities to select a data transmission option from a set of data transmission options, wherein the set of data transmission options permits the user choose whether outgoing data transmissions of the mobile device are optimized to maximize battery life of the mobile device, whether outgoing data transmissions are optimized to ensure outgoing data items are delivered in a timely fashion, and whether outgoing data transmissions are set at a level designed to establish a balance between timely delivery of outgoing data and maximizing battery life of the mobile device, wherein said data transmission options related to maximizing battery life are explicit options of the graphical user interface specifically labeled as pertaining to battery life of the mobile device;

a data exchange manager configured to execute an algorithm to determine when to initiate a data transmission based upon a user selected option selected using the graphical user interface; and

an outgoing data queue configured to store a plurality of data items prior to transmission.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the set of user configurable options includes at least three options selected from a group of options consisting of a push on schedule option, a push on volume option, a push within a designated time of item creation option, a push immediately option, an option based upon a relative importance of outgoing data, an auto-adjusting push option, and a customized push option based upon a user-adjustable sliding scale established between at least two competing considerations.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said options include at least four options selected from the group.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein one of the options includes the push on schedule option that includes a user-configurable time, and wherein another one of said options includes the push on volume options that includes a user-configurable volume.

14. The interface of claim 11, wherein one of said at least two options includes said auto-adjusting push option that is configured to dynamically adjust an outgoing data frequency based upon at least two device specific conditions, one of which relates to battery life another of which relates to an outgoing data frequency, wherein the auto-adjusting option causes a related algorithm to increase a frequency with which data is pushed as data items are more frequently created, and wherein the auto-adjusting option causes a related algorithm to push data less frequently as battery life remaining for the mobile device decreases.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein one of said options includes the customized push option, wherein the at least two competing considerations include one consideration to maximize battery life and another consideration to optimize delivery frequency.

16. A method that allows users to adjust a manner in which a mobile device handles outgoing data comprising:

displaying a set of at least three user-selectable data transmission options within a transmission configuration interface of a mobile device having communication capabilities;

receiving a selection of one of the set of user-selectable data transmission options, wherein the established configuration options control all queue-able outgoing data transmissions from an outgoing data queue of the mobile device including outgoing email messages, outgoing text messages, electronic document uploads and conveyances and synchronization between the mobile device and an external data store;

storing outgoing data transmission in a physical storage memory of the mobile device; and

executing a data transmission algorithm associated with the selection.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the set of options permits a user to alter behavior of the data handling algorithm to matches a user specific usage pattern, wherein different ones of the options in the set are designed to maximize battery life of the mobile device, to ensure outgoing data is delivered in a timely fashion, and to balance between timely delivery and maximizing battery life.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein at least one of the data transmission options includes a user-configurable parameter, said method further comprising:

receiving a data value for the user-configurable parameter associated with the selected data transmission option, selectively executing the data transmission algorithm based upon a comparison of the data value against a system determinable value indicative of a system state relating to queued content that is awaiting transmission.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the set of user configurable options includes at least three options selected from a group of options consisting of a push on schedule option, a push on volume option, a push within a designated time of item creation option, a push immediately option, an option based upon a relative importance of outgoing data, an auto-adjusting push option, and a customized push option based upon a user-adjustable sliding scale established between at least two competing considerations.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said steps of claim 16 are steps performed by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program stored within a machine readable memory, said computer program having a plurality of code sections that are executable by the at least one machine.