System for synchronizing information

• US 9,112,944 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2013
• Issued: 08/18/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, William A., Meuninck, Troy
• Primary Examiner(s): Golabbakhsh, Ebrahim
• Application Number:
  US13/910,898
• Publication Number:
  US 20130275562A1
• Time in Patent Office: 804 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/27 Replication, distribution or synchronisation of data between databases or within a distributed database system; Distributed database system architectures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/70 Admission control; Resource allocation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/08 for authentication of entities cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication H04L9/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/75 Media network packet handling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/756 adapting media to device capabilities
• 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: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium operating in a mobile device server having computer instructions to execute a web server application at the mobile device server. The web server application can be operable to detect a media resource center while roaming in a communication zone of the media resource center, and to transmit a pairing key to the media resource center. The web server application can be further operable to receive authorization from the media resource center to synchronize differences between content stored in the media resource center and content stored in the mobile device server responsive to the media resource center validating the pairing key. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A portable communication device, comprising:

a memory that stores instructions; and

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein the controller, responsive to executing the instructions, performs operations comprising;

detecting a media resource center when roaming into a communication zone of the media resource center;

transmitting a pairing key to the media resource center to enable communications with the media resource center;

establishing communications with the media resource center responsive to a validation of the pairing key;

detecting differences between content stored in the media resource center and content stored in the portable communication device as content differences;

synchronizing differences between content stored in the media resource center and content stored in the portable communication device; and

transmitting a message to a remote server to direct the media resource center to cause a software application to be executed at the portable communication device,

wherein transmitting of the message causes the remote server to identify the media resource center according to header information from a gateway that transmits the message, wherein the message comprises the header information, wherein the header information comprises an internet address assigned to the gateway, and wherein the media resource center enables communications with the portable communication device responsive to authenticating the portable communication device according to the pairing key.

2. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center performs operations comprising:

identifying a subscriber account associated with the pairing key;

determining from the subscriber account that synchronization services have been authorized for the portable communication device; and

enabling the portable communication device to synchronize the content in the portable communication device with the content stored in a resource of the media resource center.

3. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center comprises a plurality of resources, and wherein the message comprises an identifier of the software application, and wherein the operations further comprise:

scanning each of the plurality of resources for a content update; and

synchronizing differences between the content stored in the portable communication device and the content updates detected at a resource of the plurality of resources.

4. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the content differences comprise changes in media files, changes in email messages, changes in phone book contacts, changes in calendar entries, or changes in user profiles.

5. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

detecting a resource control manager; and

receiving authorization from the resource control manager to synchronize content stored in the portable communication device with content stored in a resource selected by the resource control manager according to the pairing key.

6. The portable communication device of claim 5, wherein the resource comprises a set-top box, a computing device, a storage device, or a gaming console.

7. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the software application comprises a web server application.

8. The portable communication device of claim 7, wherein the web server application comprises a hypertext transfer protocol server application, and wherein the software application comprises a media application, a gaming application, a productivity application, or a combination thereof.

9. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the message transmitted to the remote server comprises a uniform resource locator with a plurality of descriptors that identify the software application, and wherein the gateway inserts an internet protocol address of the gateway into the message transmitted to the remote server.

10. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein communications between the portable communication device and the media resource center conform to an extensible markup language or a multimedia retrieval markup language.

11. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the media resource center performs operations comprising:

detecting the portable communication device and an other portable communication device;

detecting that the portable communication device and the other portable communication device are requesting a same resource managed by the media resource center; and

arbitrating between the portable communication device and the other portable communication device an assignment of the same resource being requested by the portable communication device and the other portable communication device.

12. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

submitting to the media resource center a request to delegate management of a resource under control of the media resource center to the portable communication device; and

receiving from the media resource center an acceptance to the request in response to the media resource center determining that the pairing key authorizes the portable communication device to manage the resource.

13. The portable communication device of claim 1, wherein the portable communication device comprises a cellular telephone or a cordless telephone.

14. A machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, a processor of a mobile device server performs operations comprising:

detecting a media resource center while roaming in a communication zone of the media resource center;

transmitting a pairing key to the media resource center;

receiving authorization from the media resource center to synchronize differences between content stored in the media resource center and content stored in the mobile device server responsive to the media resource center validating the pairing key; and

transmitting a message to a remote server to direct the media resource center to cause a software application to be executed at the mobile device server, wherein the message comprises an internet protocol address and an identifier of the software application, and wherein the internet protocol address enables the remote server to identify the media resource center,

wherein the transmitting of the message causes the remote server to identify the media resource center according to header information from a gateway that transmits the message, wherein the message comprises the header information, wherein the header information comprises an internet address assigned to the gateway, and wherein the media resource center enables communications with the media resource center responsive to authenticating the media resource center according to the pairing key.

15. The machine-readable storage device of claim 14, wherein the media resource center performs operations comprising:

identifying a subscriber account associated with the pairing key;

determining from the subscriber account that synchronization services have been authorized for the mobile device server; and

enabling the mobile device server to synchronize the content in the mobile device server with content stored in a resource of the media resource center.

16. The machine-readable storage device of claim 15, wherein the operations further comprise:

transmitting a second pairing key to the media resource center to enable execution of an other software application that utilizes a resource of the media resource center; and

receiving authorization to execute the other software application responsive to the media resource center validating the second pairing key.

17. The machine-readable storage device of claim 16, wherein the other software application comprises a media application, a gaming application, a productivity application, or any combination thereof.

18. A resource control manager, comprising:

a memory to store instructions; and

a controller coupled to the memory, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, the controller performs operations comprising;

managing a plurality of resources communicatively coupled to the resource control manager;

receiving an identifier from a mobile device server;

identifying a service grade from the identifier;

selected a resource from the plurality of resources according to the service grade;

enabling the mobile device server to synchronize content stored in the mobile device server with content stored in the resource;

receiving a message from a remote server; and

directing the mobile device server to initiate a software application identified by the message received from the remote server,

wherein the remote server identifies a media resource center according to header information from a gateway that transmits the message, wherein the message comprises the header information, and wherein the header information comprises an internet address assigned to the gateway, and wherein the media resource center enables communications with the media resource center responsive to authenticating the media resource center according to the identifier.

19. The resource control manager of claim 18, wherein the resource control manager comprises a set top box, wherein the mobile device server comprises a cellular telephone, and wherein the message comprises an internet protocol address that identifies the software application to be initiated by the mobile device server.