Method and apparatus for controlling data provided to a mobile device

• US 20030224760A1
• Filed: 05/31/2002
• Published: 12/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle Corporation
• Inventors: Day, Jia-Der
• Granted Patent: US 7,522,910 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Techniques are provided for communicating data to a mobile device. A system receives a request for data from a mobile device. The system identifies filter criteria associated with the mobile device. The filter criteria is applied to a set of data to identify particular data elements that satisfy the filter criteria. The identified data elements are then transmitted to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for handling email messages, the method comprising:

receiving a request for email messages from a mobile device;

identifying filter criteria associated with the mobile device;

applying the filter criteria to a set of email messages to identify selected email messages that satisfy the filter criteria; and

transmitting the selected email messages to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein:

the request from the mobile device is associated with a particular email account;

the method further comprising;

receiving a subsequent request for email messages associated with the particular email account;

determining that the subsequent request if from a device other than the mobile device; and

in response to determining that the subsequent request is from a device other than the mobile device, transmitting email messages from the email account to the device without applying the filter criteria.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting email messages from the email account to the device without applying the filter criteria includes:

determining that a different filter criteria has been established for the device; and

applying the different filter criteria before transmitting email messages from the email account to the device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein transmitting email messages from the email account to the device without applying the filter criteria includes:

determining that no filter criteria should be used for the device; and

transmitting email messages from the email account to the device without applying any filter criteria.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying filter criteria associated with the mobile device includes identifying a profile associated with the mobile device, wherein the profile contains email filtering criteria.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter criteria associated with the mobile device includes an urgency associated with each email message.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter criteria associated with the mobile device includes a source associated with each email message.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter criteria associated with the mobile device includes a date associated with each email message.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the filter criteria is predetermined by a user of the mobile device.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request to delete one of the selected email messages; and

deleting the requested email message from the set of email messages.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

receiving a request to change the filter criteria; and

updating the filter criteria applied to the set of email messages.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the received request for email messages includes information identifying an email account associated with a user of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the received request for email messages is communicated from the mobile device using the Internet Messaging Access Protocol.

14. A method for handling access to data, the method comprising:

receiving from a mobile device a request for data;

in response to determining that the request came from the mobile device, identifying filter criteria associated with a device group that includes the mobile device;

applying the filter criteria to a set of data to identify particular data elements that satisfy the filter criteria; and

transmitting the identified data elements to the mobile device.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein identifying filter criteria associated with the mobile device includes identifying a profile associated with the mobile device, and wherein the profile contains at least one data filtering criteria.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the filter criteria associated with the mobile device is predetermined by a user of the mobile device.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

receiving a request to delete a specific data element; and

deleting the specific data element from the set of data.

18. The method of claim 14 further comprising storing the filter criteria in a non-volatile memory device.

19. A method comprising:

defining filter criteria to be selectively applied to a plurality of email messages by an email server;

providing the filter criteria to the email server;

sending a request to receive email messages to the email server; and

receiving an email message from the email server, wherein the received email message satisfies the filter criteria transmitted to the email server.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising:

sending modified filter criteria provided to the email server; and

receiving a second email message from the email server, wherein the second email message satisfies the modified filter criteria.

21. The method of claim 19 further comprising sending a request to delete the received email message to the email server.

22. The method of claim 19 wherein sending a request to receive email messages includes identifying an inbox associated with the email server from which the email server is to retrieve email messages for applying the filter criteria.

23. The method of claim 19 wherein sending a request to receive email messages includes identifying at least one folder associated with an email inbox, and wherein the email server is instructed to retrieve email messages from the at least one folder for applying the filter criteria.

24. A computer-readable medium containing one or more sequences of instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to:

receive a request for email messages from a mobile device, wherein the request for email messages includes an identification of an email account;

identify filter criteria associated with the mobile device;

apply the filter criteria to email messages associated with the identified email account to locate email messages that satisfy the filter criteria; and

communicate the located email messages to the mobile device.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the identified email account is associated with a user of the mobile device.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the filter criteria includes at least one attribute associated with a plurality of email messages.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 24 wherein the request for email messages further includes an identification of the mobile device type.

28. An apparatus comprising:

a first storage device configured to store a plurality of email messages;

a second storage device configured to store filter criteria;

a processor coupled to the first storage device and the second storage device, wherein the processor is configured to apply filter criteria associated with a device group to the plurality of email messages to identify a subset of email messages that satisfy the filter criteria, wherein the device group includes a mobile device, and wherein the processor is further configured to transmit the subset of email messages to the mobile device.

29. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the filter criteria applied to the plurality of email messages is associated with a user of the mobile device.

30. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the second storage device is a non-volatile memory device.

31. The apparatus of claim 28 wherein the second storage device is a volatile memory device and the filter criteria is also stored on the first storage device.

32. The apparatus of claim 28 further comprising an Internet application server coupled to the processor and configured to exchange data between the processor and an Internet-based mobile device.

33. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving a request from a mobile device to receive data;

means for identifying filter criteria associated with a user of the mobile device;

means for applying the filter criteria to a set of data to identify specific data entries from the set of data that satisfy the filter criteria; and

means for communicating the specific data entries to the mobile device.

34. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the filter criteria associated with the user of the mobile device is predefined by the user of the mobile device.

35. The apparatus of claim 33 further comprising means for editing the filter criteria based on instructions received from the user of the mobile device.

36. The apparatus of claim 33 wherein the means for communicating the specific data entries to the mobile device communicates a portion of each of the specific data entries to the mobile device.