Mobile device network data synchronization

• US 9,514,089 B1
• Filed: 03/31/2010
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Emc IP Holding Company LLC (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Raj, Anand, Suryanarayanan, Rangarajan, Claudatos, Christopher Hercules, Basavaraj, Satish, Fernandes, Joseph Elwin, Sheshadrivasan, Sudhindra M., Visweswaraiah, Deepak
• Primary Examiner(s): Lazaro, David
• Assistant Examiner(s): Henry, Marie Georges
• Application Number:
  US12/752,066
• Time in Patent Office: 2,442 Days
• Field of Search: 709/248, 709/224
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/16 Combinations of two or more digital computers each having at least an arithmetic unit, a program unit and a register, e.g. for a simultaneous processing of several programs coordinating program control therefor G06F9/52; in regulating and control system G05B
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/47 End-user applications

Abstract

A method, article of manufacture, and apparatus for synchronizing mobile device data in a mobile device network is disclosed. In some embodiments, this includes using a processor to identify server data, first comparing the server data with a first mobile device data, and updating the server data based on the first comparison. In some embodiments, the updated server data may be compared (second comparison) to a second mobile device. The second mobile device may be updated based on the second comparison.

Claims

1. A method of automatically synchronizing mobile device data among a plurality of mobile devices in a network, comprising:

storing data from a source mobile device on a server computer, wherein the data is transmitted wirelessly from the source mobile device to the server immediately after creation or storage on the source mobile device;

periodically comparing at regular first defined time intervals data stored on the source mobile device with data stored for a first user account associated with the source mobile device on the server computer coupled to the source mobile device over the network;

updating the data stored on the server computer during the first defined time intervals by adding new data present on the source mobile device but not on the server computer, or removing old data present on the server computer but not on the source mobile device, wherein the data stored on the server computer is represented as minimized data stored in a cache of the source mobile device through a process of creating server metadata based on stored source mobile device data, storing the server metadata in the cache of the source mobile device, and using the source mobile device to access the server metadata in the cache of the source mobile device; and

synchronizing a target mobile device subsequent to the updating and during regular second defined time intervals by downloading the new data to the target mobile device or removing the old data from the target mobile device, the target mobile device being different from the source mobile device and associated with a second user account associated with the first user account through a mobile device group.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the data comprises at least one of images and text files generated by or on the source mobile device, and wherein the minimized data comprises one of thumbnail representations of the images, and metadata of the data.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first defined time intervals are different from the second defined time intervals.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the updating step comprises:

wirelessly e-mailing the data to the server computer from the source mobile device using a defined user name and password for a user of the source mobile device as first account credentials; and

storing the data in memory of the server computer for later access by one of the source mobile device or target mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving valid first account credentials from the first user prior to the updating step; and

receiving valid second account credentials from the second user prior to the synchronizing step.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the first and second account credentials each comprise user name and password combinations for each respective user of the first and second users.

7. The method of claim 5 wherein the mobile device group comprises a group of users including the second user known to the first user through one of a family, friend, and business relationship.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the mobile device group comprises a hierarchy of users, and an amount of storage on the server computer allocated to the source mobile device for storage of the data depends on a membership level of the first user in the hierarchy.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the data stored on the server computer is represented as minimized data stored in a cache of the target mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

checking a level of sharing assigned by the first user to the second user within the mobile device group; and

synchronizing data in accordance with the level of sharing to block a subset of the new data downloaded to the target mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the defined time interval is selected to not overly consume bandwidth between the server and the first mobile device and the second mobile device.

12. A system for automatically synchronizing mobile device data among a plurality of mobile devices in a network, comprising:

a first hardware processing component storing data from a source mobile device on a server computer, wherein the data is transmitted wirelessly from the source mobile device to the server immediately after creation or storage on the source mobile device, and periodically comparing at regular first defined time intervals data stored on the source mobile device with data stored for a first user account associated with the source mobile device on the server computer coupled to the source mobile device over the network;

a second hardware processing component updating the data stored on the server computer during the first defined time intervals by adding new data present on the source mobile device but not on the server computer, or removing old data present on the server computer but not on the source mobile device, wherein the data stored on the server computer is represented as minimized data stored in a cache of the source mobile device through a process of creating server metadata based on stored source mobile device data, storing the server metadata in the cache of the source mobile device, and using the source mobile device to access the server metadata in the cache of the source mobile device; and

a third hardware processing component synchronizing a target mobile device subsequent to the updating and during regular second defined time intervals by downloading the new data to the target mobile device or removing the old data from the target mobile device, the target mobile device being different from the source mobile device and associated with a second user account associated with the first user account through a mobile device group.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the data comprises at least one of images and text files generated by or on the source mobile device and wherein the minimized data comprises one of thumbnail representations of the images, and metadata of the data.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the second hardware processing component further causes the data to be e-mailed to the server computer from the source mobile device, and stored the data in memory of the server computer for later access by one of the source mobile device or target mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14 further comprising a validation component receiving valid first account credentials from the first user, and receiving valid second account credentials from the second user, wherein the first and second account credentials each comprise user name and password combinations for each respective user of the first and second users.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the validation component further checks a level of sharing assigned by the first user to the second user within the mobile device group, and synchronizes the data in accordance with the level of sharing to block a subset of the new data downloaded to the target mobile device.

17. The system of claim 12 wherein the mobile device group comprises a group of users including the second user known to the first user through one of a family, friend, and business relationship, and further wherein the mobile device group comprises a hierarchy of users, and an amount of storage on the server computer allocated to the source mobile device for storage of the data depends on a membership level of the first user in the hierarchy.

18. The system of claim 12 wherein the first defined time intervals are different from the second defined time intervals, and wherein the data stored on the server computer is represented as minimized data stored in a cache of the target mobile device.