Method and system for providing efficient and complex database functionality to a mobile device

• US 9,535,967 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 09/10/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Salesforce.com, Inc.
• Inventors: Pragides, Ron, Fell, Simon, Schroeder, Jason, Bergamo, Pierpaolo, Wittman, Allen, Singh, Siddhartha, Kothule, Deepak, McDowall, Jason
• Primary Examiner(s): TORGRIMSON, TYLER J
• Application Number:
  US12/557,094
• Publication Number:
  US 20100077468A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,672 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/26 Visual data mining; Browsing structured data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/56 Financial cryptography, e.g. electronic payment or e-cash
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/60 Digital content management, e.g. content distribution
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2209/80 Wireless network architectures or network communication protocols for wireless network security H04W12/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1001 for accessing one among a plurality of replicated servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/101 based on network conditions
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3226 using a predetermined code, e.g. password, passphrase or PIN network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using passwords in a packet data network H04L63/083
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/3234 involving additional secure or trusted devices, e.g. TPM, smartcard, USB or software token network architectures or network communication protocols for supporting authentication of entities using an additional device in a packet data network H04L63/0853

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus provide efficient and complex database functionality for an electronic device, e.g. a mobile device. These mechanisms and methods for providing efficient and complex database functionality to an electronic device can enable embodiments to provide quick access to certain data using a local application and seamless access within the local application to other data and complex presentation formats that are supplied by a server. The ability of embodiments to provide this hybrid functionality can enable users of the electronic devices to be more productive.

Claims

1. A method of obtaining, with an electronic user device, access to data that is stored on a database, the method comprising:

receiving, at the electronic user device, a first set of data records from a database server of the database;

storing the first set of data records in a memory of the electronic user device;

providing, with a local application, an application screen including a display page, one or more search objects, and one or more server activation objects, wherein the local application is executed on one or more processors of the electronic user device;

receiving a user selection of a first search object from the one or more search objects on the application screen, the user selection of the first search object causing a first user search query to be performed only on data records in the memory of the electronic user device, the data records in the memory of the electronic user device including the first set of data records and one or more additional sets of data records previously received from the database server of the database;

displaying, on the display page, a first data object of the first set of data records in response to receiving the selection of the first search object, the first data object being identified by the electronic user device in response to the first user search query, the display page also displaying information associated with the first data object;

receiving a user selection of the displayed first data object, the user selection causing the first user search query to be performed on data records stored at the database server of the database, the data records stored at the database server of the database including a set of data records not stored in the memory of the electronic user device;

causing to be displayed, on the display page, additional information associated with the first data object stored at the database server of the database but not stored in the memory of the electronic user device;

receiving a user selection of one of the server activation objects from the one or more server activation objects, the user selection of the one of the server activation objects causing a second user search query to be performed only on data records stored at the database server, the second user search query being for different information than provided by the displayed first data object;

in response to the user selection of the one of the server activation objects, sending a user request to the database server for a new display page, wherein the new display page is created by the database server and includes a second set of data records, the second set of data records being identified by the database server in response to the second user search query;

receiving the new display page from the database server; and

displaying the new display page on the electronic user device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving a change associated with the first data object in the new display page by user input;

sending the change to the database server; and

receiving a new set of data records from the database server, wherein the new set of data records includes the change sent to the database server.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein sending the change to the database server is in response to receiving a user selection of a save object.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending an access token to the database server,

wherein if the access token is not valid, the new display page is not received.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the access token is sent as part of the user request for the new display page.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein sending an access token to the database server includes:

creating a hash with the access token; and

sending the hash to the database server.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

receiving the access token from the database server in response to an activation of the electronic user device, wherein the activation of the electronic user device includes;

receiving a username and password entered by a user of the electronic user device;

sending the username and password to the database server; and

if the username and password are valid, receiving the access token.

8. The method of claim 4, wherein the hash is created at least with the access token, a timestamp, and an organization ID that is associated with an entity that subscribes to the database.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the new display page corresponds to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) of the database server.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

uploading a portion of the first set of data with the user request for the new display page, the portion of the first set of data records being associated with a first data object stored on the database, wherein the second set of data records of the new display page includes data about the first data object that was not previously stored on the electronic user device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic user device is a mobile device.

12. A method of providing, to an electronic user device, access to data records that are stored on a database, the method comprising:

pushing, with a server of the database, a first set of data records to a local application running on the electronic user device, the local application displaying an application screen including a display page, one or more search objects, and one or more server activation objects, the display page including a first data object of the first set of data records and information associated with the first data object displayed in response to a first user search query performed only on data records in a memory of the electronic user device;

sending, with the server of the database, additional information associated with the first data object stored at the database server of the database but not pushed to the local application running on the electronic user device upon receiving, from the local application, a user selection of the displayed first data object that causes a search query to be performed on data records stored at the server of the database, the data records stored at the server of the database including a set of data records not pushed to the local application running on the electronic user device;

receiving, from the local application, a second user search query to be performed only on data records stored at the database server, the second user search query being for different information than provided by the displayed first data object, and a user request to the database server for a new display page, the second user search query and the user request being received in response to a user selection of one of the server activation objects from the one or more server activation objects;

creating, with the database server, the new display page, wherein the new display page includes a second set of data records that is stored at the database server and is included in the new display page, the second set of data records being identified by the database server in response to the second user search query; and

sending the new display page to the electronic user device.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, at the database server, an access token;

determining whether the access token is valid;

if the access token is not valid, not sending the new display page to the electronic user device; and

if the access token is not valid, sending the new display page to the electronic user device.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the access token is valid includes comparing the access token to a token stored on the database and associated with the electronic user device.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the access token is received as part of a hash, and wherein determining whether the access token is valid includes:

creating a hash with a token stored on the database and associated with the electronic user device; and

comparing the hash to the hash received from the electronic user device.

16. A method of obtaining, with an electronic user device, access to data that is stored on a database, the method comprising:

receiving, at the electronic user device, a first set of data records from a first server of the database;

storing the first set of data records in a memory of the electronic user device;

receiving a user selection of a first search object from one or more search objects on a detail page, the detail page being a portion of an application screen of a local application, the user selection of the first search object causing a first user search query to be performed only on data records in the memory of the electronic user device, the data records including the first set of data records and one or more additional sets of data records previously received from the database server of the database;

displaying, on the detail page, one or more server activation objects and a first data object stored on the database, the first data object being displayed in response to receiving the selection of the first search object, the first data object being identified by the electronic user device in response to the first user search query, the first data object being in the first set of data records, wherein the local application is executed on one or more processors of the electronic user device;

receiving, on the detail page, a user selection of the displayed first data object, the user selection causing the first user search query to be performed on data records stored at the database server of the database, the data records stored at the database server of the database including a set of data records not stored in the memory of the electronic user device;

causing to be displayed, on the detail page, additional information associated with the first data object stored at the database server of the database but not stored in the memory of the electronic user device;

receiving a user selection of one of the server activation objects, the user selection of the one of the server activation objects causing a second user search query to be performed only on data records stored at the database server, the second user search query being for different information than provided by the displayed first data object;

in response to the user selection of the one of the server activation objects, providing, to a second server associated with the selected server activation object, a user request for a new detail page, wherein providing the user request includes uploading, to the second server, a portion of the first set of data records that is associated with the first data object;

receiving the new detail page from the second server, the new detail page including information associated with the first data object in response to a second user search query of data records stored at the second server; and

displaying the new detail page on the electronic user device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the second server is not part of the database.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the second server is the first server of the database.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the portion of the first set of data that is uploaded to the second server includes an object identification code that the database uses for indexing the first data object.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the detail page includes a plurality of server activation objects, and wherein each server activation objects is associated with a different server.