System and method for client synchronization for a communication device

• US 8,825,815 B2
• Filed: 07/10/2008
• Issued: 09/02/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Amdocs Development Limited (Amdocs Ltd.), Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Amdocs Software Systems Limited (Amdocs Ltd.)
• Inventors: Gidron, Yoad, Ton, Rafael, Shulman, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): MACILWINEN, JOHN MOORE JAIN
• Application Number:
  US12/216,810
• Publication Number:
  US 20090177800A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,245 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-222
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

A system and method for synchronizing data between a communication device and a server, through an agent installed on the device.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an agent installed at a device, the device including a hardware processor and being connected to a network, and the agent including a thin client installed on the device for handling synchronization of data with a server and further including a user interface, the agent initiated remotely by the server and performing a batch session in response to accepting a communication initiation request sent by the server to wake up the agent and start a specific session, the communication initiation request including a command, a type of media involved, an initiator of the communication initiation request, and a signature, wherein the communication initiation request is accepted by the agent only when the signature is valid, based on a private key of the device;

a synchronization module installed at the server, the server including a hardware processor and being connected to the network, wherein the synchronization module and the agent communicate for synchronization and wherein a majority of synchronization activities are performed by the server; and

a repository stored at the server, the repository containing device capabilities and limitations for the device, such that the server adapts the data to the capabilities and limitations of the device during synchronization, handles data received from the device, and merges the received data with data stored in a database, the server distinguishing between a property that was deleted in the device, and a property that is missing because the device'"'"'s capabilities do not support the property, based on formatting rules for merging the received data;

wherein the repository includes a profile for each of a plurality of devices, and each profile includes a preferred client type, at least one vCard formatting rule, at least one vCalendar formatting rule, at least one calendar restriction, at least one capacity limitation, at least one file system directory, and at least one category mapping of the device associated with the profile;

wherein, upon receiving a request from the server, the agent deletes all content of the device and blocks the device from further synchronization with the server.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one device specific feature is enabled by the server and not by the agent.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the agent is configured for a platform and wherein one or more device specific features for the device are handled by the server.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein all device related customization independent of the platform is handled by the server.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the synchronized data includes one or more of contacts in a vCard format, calendar events and tasks in a vCalendar format, files in a binary format, messages including at least one of a short message service (SMS) and a multimedia messaging service (MMS), pictures, audio data and video data.

6. The system of claim 5 wherein the server adapting the data to the capabilities and limitations of the device during synchronization includes at least one of the server splitting a single instance of a contact in vCard format into multiple instances, and the server splitting a single instance of a calendar event in vCalendar format into multiple instances, due to the capabilities and limitations of the device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the server and the device communicate through the network.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the network includes a plurality of networks, wherein each network can be wireless and/or fixed.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is a telephone.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the device is any mobile communication device.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile communication device includes a voice and/or a video communication capability.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein a local event occurring on the device triggers a starting of the agent, the local event including at least one of adding a contact and taking a photograph.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein upon receiving the data from the device during synchronization, the server stores the data in the database and automatically propagates the data to at least one user that the server is pre-configured to automatically propagate the data to according to user preferences.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein a body of the communication initiation request includes a name of the command for starting the specific session and the signature.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein the signature is a result of an MD5 function on the command included in the communication initiation request and the private key, and wherein the private key identifies the device.

16. A method, comprising:

providing an agent for being operated by a device, the device including a hardware processor and being connected to a network, and the agent including a thin client installed on the device for handling synchronization of data and further including a user interface, the agent initiated remotely and performing a batch session in response to accepting a communication initiation request to wake up the agent and start a specific session, the communication initiation request including a command, a type of media involved, an initiator of the communication initiation request, and a signature, wherein the communication initiation request is accepted by the agent only when the signature is valid, based on a private key of the device;

providing a server, the server including a synchronization module and hardware processor, and being connected to the network;

providing data being installed on the agent and on the server;

providing automatic synchronization of the data between the agent and the synchronization module; and

providing a repository stored at the server, the repository containing device capabilities and limitations for the device, such that the server adapts the data to the capabilities and limitations of the device during synchronization, handles data received from the device, and merges the received data with data stored in a database, the server distinguishing between a property that was deleted in the device, and a property that is missing because the device'"'"'s capabilities do not support the property, based on formatting rules for merging the received data;

wherein at least one device specific feature is enabled by the server and not by the agent;

wherein the repository includes a profile for each of a plurality of devices, and each profile includes a preferred client type, at least one vCard formatting rule, at least one vCalendar formatting rule, at least one calendar restriction, at least one capacity limitation, at least one file system directory, and at least one category mapping of the device associated with the profile;

wherein the agent is initiated remotely by the server, and the communication initiation request accepted by the agent is sent from the server;

wherein, upon receiving a request from the server, the agent deletes all content of the device and blocks the device from further synchronization with the server.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the agent is configured for a platform and wherein one or more device specific features for the device are handled by the server.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein all device related customization independent of the platform is handled by the server.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein a checksum is used in order to detect changes that were made to the data on the device since last sync, and to minimize the traffic in the synchronization process by transferring only the data that has been changed.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the synchronized data includes one or more of contacts in a vCard format, calendar events and tasks in a vCalendar format, files in a binary format, messages including at least one of a short message service (SMS) and a multimedia messaging service (MMS), pictures, audio data and video data.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the files are transferred in their original binary format.

22. The method of claim 16 wherein the agent user interface and user interface flow can be customized.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the customization occurs according to one or more of changing icons, menus per operator and/or service.

24. The method of claim 16 wherein the synchronized data is divided into chunks in order to enable the transferring of a large amount of data.

25. The method of claim 16 wherein both a user and the device are authenticated before performing any data transaction.

26. The method of claim 16 wherein an over the air (OTA) protocol is used for updating the agent on the device.

27. The method of claim 16 wherein the agent is remotely initiated using a communication initiation request (CIR).

28. The method of claim 16 wherein the agent is automatically configured without user intervention.

29. The method of claim 16 wherein data can be downloaded from the agent to the server.

30. The method of claim 16 wherein data can be uploaded from the server to the agent.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein the agent presents to a user only the data that is missing in the server.