Method, system and devices for communicating between an internet browser and an electronic device

• US 9,043,282 B2
• Filed: 12/01/2010
• Issued: 05/26/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Tyhurst, Timothy Richard, Omar, Salim Hayder
• Primary Examiner(s): Hwa, Shyue Jiunn
• Application Number:
  US12/957,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20110078120A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,637 Days
• US Class Current: 707/654
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/025 for remote control or remote monitoring of applications
• 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 method, system and devices for backing up data on a mobile device connected to a host computer is disclosed. The method comprises: displaying a web page of a web-based device management application in an Internet browser on the host computer, the web page including an interface element for inputting a request to backup data on the mobile device; receiving, via the interface element, the request to backup data on the mobile device; and in response to receiving the request to backup data on the mobile device: obtaining, at the host computer, first data from the mobile device; and storing the first data.

Claims

1. A method of backing up data on a mobile device connected to a host computer via a communications protocol, wherein the host computer includes a scripting-language capable (SC) device controller which interfaces communications between a scripting engine of an Internet browser of the host computer and the mobile device in accordance with the communications protocol, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of the host computer, a web page of a web-based device management application in an Internet browser, the web page including a backup interface element for inputting a request to backup data on the mobile device;

receiving, by the scripting engine, the request to backup data on the mobile device in response to interaction with the backup interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to backup data on the mobile device;

obtaining, by the SC device controller, device data from the mobile device, wherein the device data comprises application data;

sending, by the SC device controller, the device data to the scripting engine of the Internet browser; and

sending, by the Internet browser, the device data to a remote server over a communications network for storage on the remote server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, on the display of the host computer, a web page of the web-based device management application in the Internet browser, the web page including a restore interface element for inputting a request to restore data to the mobile device;

receiving, by the scripting engine, the request to restore data to the mobile device in response to interaction with the restore interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to restore the data to the mobile device;

retrieving, by the Internet browser, the stored device data from the remote server over the communications network; and

sending, by the scripting engine of the Internet browser, the device data to the SC device controller;

sending, by the SC device controller, the device data to the mobile device for storage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the device data includes one or more of email messages, address book and contact information, calendar and schedule information, notepad documents, or image files.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page is a Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) web page which includes a script which is executed by the scripting engine of the Internet browser.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing, by the remote server, the device data as a backup.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the SC controller is an ActiveX control.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the SC controller is a plug-in of the Internet browser.

8. An apparatus connected to a mobile device via a communications protocol, wherein the apparatus comprises a scripting-language capable (SC) device controller which interfaces communications between a scripting engine of an Internet browser of the apparatus and the mobile device in accordance with the communications protocol, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a display coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, to;

display, on the display, a web page of a web-based device management application in an Internet browser, the web page including a backup interface element for inputting a request to backup data on the mobile device;

receive, by the scripting engine, the request to backup data on the mobile device in response to interaction with the backup interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to backup data on the mobile device;

obtain, by the SC device controller, device data from the mobile device, wherein the device data comprises application data;

send, by the SC device controller, the device data to the scripting engine of the Internet browser; and

send, by the Internet browser, the device data to a remote server over a communications network for storage on the remote server.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display, on the display, a web page of a web-based device management application in an Internet browser, the web page including a restore interface element for inputting a request to restore data on the mobile device;

receive, by the scripting engine, the request to restore data to the mobile device in response to interaction with the restore interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to restore the data to the mobile device;

retrieve, by the Internet browser, the stored device data from the remote server over the communications network; and

send, by the scripting engine of the Internet browser, the device data to the SC device controller;

send, by the SC device controller, the device data to the mobile device for storage.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the device data includes one or more of email messages, address book and contact information, calendar and schedule information, notepad documents, or image files.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the web page is a Dynamic Hypertext Markup Language (DHTML) web page which includes a script which is executed by the scripting engine of the Internet browser.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to store, by the remote server, the device data as a backup.

13. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the SC controller is an ActiveX control or a plug-in of the Internet browser.

14. A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, cause the processor to perform a method of backing up data on a mobile device connected to the apparatus via a communications protocol, wherein the apparatus includes a scripting-language capable (SC) device controller which interfaces communications between a scripting engine of an Internet browser of the apparatus and the mobile device in accordance with the communications protocol, the processor being configured to:

display, on a display of the apparatus, a web page of a web-based device management application in an Internet browser, the web page including a backup interface element for inputting a request to backup data on the mobile device;

receive, by the scripting engine, the request to backup data on the mobile device in response to interaction with the backup interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to backup data on the mobile device;

obtain, by the SC device controller, device data from the mobile device, wherein the device data comprises application data;

send, by the SC device controller, the device data to the scripting engine of the Internet browser; and

send, by the Internet browser, the device data to a remote server over a communications network for storage on the remote server.

15. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:

display, on the display of the apparatus, a web page of the web-based device management application in the Internet browser;

receive, by the scripting engine, a request to restore data to the mobile device; and

in response to receiving the request to restore the data to the mobile device;

retrieve, by the Internet browser, the stored device data from the remote server over the communications network; and

send, by the scripting engine of the Internet browser, the device data to the SC device controller;

send, by the SC device controller, the device data to the mobile device for storage.

16. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to store, by the remote server, the device data as a backup.

17. The non-transitory machine readable medium of claim 14, wherein the SC controller is an ActiveX control or a plug-in of the Internet browser.

18. A method of restoring data on a mobile device connected to a host computer via a communications protocol, wherein the host computer includes a scripting-language capable (SC) device controller which interfaces communications between a scripting engine of an Internet browser of the host computer and the mobile device in accordance with the communications protocol, the method comprising:

displaying, on a display of the host computer, a web page of the web-based device management application in the Internet browser, the web page including a restore interface element for inputting a request to restore data to the mobile device;

receiving, by the scripting engine, the request to restore data to the mobile device in response to interaction with the restore interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to restore the data to the mobile device;

retrieving, by the Internet browser, the stored device data from the remote server over the communications network, wherein the device data comprises application data; and

sending, by the scripting engine of the Internet browser, the device data to the SC device controller;

sending, by the SC device controller, the device data to the mobile device for storage.

19. An apparatus connected to a mobile device via a communications protocol, wherein the apparatus comprises a scripting-language capable (SC) device controller which interfaces communications between a scripting engine of an Internet browser of the apparatus and the mobile device in accordance with the communications protocol, the apparatus comprising:

a processor;

a display coupled to the processor;

a memory coupled to the processor, the memory storing executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the processor, to;

display, on the display, a web page of the web-based device management application in the Internet browser, the web page including a restore interface element for inputting a request to restore data to the mobile device;

receive, by the scripting engine, the request to restore data to the mobile device in response to interaction with the restore interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to restore the data to the mobile device;

retrieve, by the Internet browser, the stored device data from the remote server over the communications network, wherein the device data comprises application data; and

send, by the scripting engine of the Internet browser, the device data to the SC device controller;

send, by the SC device controller, the device data to the mobile device for storage.

20. A non-transitory machine readable medium having tangibly stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a processor of an apparatus, cause the processor to perform a method of restoring data on a mobile device connected to the apparatus via a communications protocol, wherein the apparatus includes a scripting-language capable (SC) device controller which interfaces communications between a scripting engine of an Internet browser of the apparatus and the mobile device in accordance with the communications protocol, the processor being configured to:

display, on the display of the apparatus, a web page of the web-based device management application in the Internet browser, the web page including a restore interface element for inputting a request to restore data to the mobile device;

receive, by the scripting engine, the request to restore data to the mobile device in response to interaction with the restore interface element of the web page; and

in response to receiving the request to restore the data to the mobile device;

retrieve, by the Internet browser, the stored device data from the remote server over the communications network, wherein the device data comprises application data; and

send, by the scripting engine of the Internet browser, the device data to the SC device controller;

send, by the SC device controller, the device data to the mobile device for storage.