Method, system, and computer program product for prefetching sync data and for edge caching sync data on a cellular device

• US 20060069742A1
• Filed: 09/30/2004
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Snap, Inc.
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Segre, Marc
• Granted Patent: US 9,049,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5681 Pre-fetching or pre-delivering data based on network characteristics

Abstract

The present invention provides a method, system, and computer program product for prefetching sync data and for edge caching on a cellular device (e.g., a cell phone). The method for prefetching sync data comprises: providing unprocessed sync data at a first location; downloading the unprocessed sync data from the first location to a second location over a first network; processing the unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide preprocessed sync data; storing the preprocessed sync data in a cache; receiving a sync request from a mobile device; and immediately providing at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device.

Claims

1. A method for prefetching sync data, comprising:

providing unprocessed sync data at a first location;

downloading the unprocessed sync data from the first location to a second location over a first network;

processing the unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide preprocessed sync data;

storing the preprocessed sync data in a cache;

receiving a sync request from a mobile device; and

immediately providing at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

querying the first location for unprocessed sync data prior to a next scheduled sync request from the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

immediately providing at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device in response to the next scheduled sync request.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

querying the first location for additional unprocessed sync data available after the storage of the preprocessed sync data in the cache but before the next scheduled sync request from the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

downloading the additional unprocessed sync data, if available, over the network from the first location to the second location;

processing the additional unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide supplemental preprocessed sync data; and

transferring the supplemental preprocessed sync data to the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

transferring the supplemental preprocessed sync data to the mobile device in parallel with, or immediately after receipt of, the preprocessed sync data.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the preprocessed sync data is provided to the mobile device over a second network, wherein a data transfer speed of the second network is substantially greater than a data transfer speed of the first network.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first network comprises a cellular network, and wherein the second network comprises a personal area network (PAN).

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache stores preprocessed sync data for a plurality of mobile devices, and wherein the method further comprises:

erasing the cache only after all of the plurality of mobile devices have accessed the cache.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

filtering the preprocessed sync data according to at least one filtering criterion; and

providing the filtered preprocessed sync data to the mobile device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the cache is located on a cellular device.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the cellular device comprises a cell phone.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

examining the preprocessed sync data according to an alert criterion; and

alerting a user of the cellular device that the alert criterion has been satisfied.

14. A system for prefetching sync data, comprising:

a system for downloading unprocessed sync data from a first location to a second location over a first network;

a system for processing the unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide preprocessed sync data;

a system for storing the preprocessed sync data in a cache;

a system for receiving a sync request from a mobile device; and

a system for immediately providing at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a system for querying the first location for unprocessed sync data prior to a next scheduled sync request from the mobile device.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising:

a system for immediately providing at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device in response to the next scheduled sync request.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a system for querying the first location for additional unprocessed sync data available after the storage of the preprocessed sync data in the cache but before the next scheduled sync request from the mobile device.

18. The system of claim 17, further comprising:

a system for downloading the additional unprocessed sync data, if available, over the network from the first location to the second location;

a system for processing the additional unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide supplemental preprocessed sync data; and

a system for transferring the supplemental preprocessed sync data to the mobile device.

19. The system of claim 18, further comprising:

a system for transferring the supplemental preprocessed sync data to the mobile device in parallel with, or immediately after receipt of, the preprocessed sync data.

20. The system of claim 14, wherein the preprocessed sync data is provided to the mobile device over a second network, wherein a data transfer speed of the second network is substantially greater than a data transfer speed of the first network.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the first network comprises a cellular network, and wherein the second network comprises a personal area network (PAN).

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the first network comprises a cellular network, and wherein the second network comprises a personal area network (PAN).

23. The system of claim 14, further comprising:

a system for filtering the preprocessed sync data according to at least one filtering criterion; and

a system for providing the filtered preprocessed sync data to the mobile device.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein the cache is located on a cellular device.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the cellular device comprises a cell phone.

26. The system of claim 24, further comprising:

a system for examining the preprocessed sync data according to an alert criterion; and

a system for alerting a user of the cellular device that the alert criterion has been satisfied.

27. A program product stored on a recordable medium for prefetching sync data, which when executed comprises:

program code for providing unprocessed sync data at a first location;

program code for downloading the unprocessed sync data from the first location to a second location over a first network;

program code for processing the unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide preprocessed sync data;

program code for storing the preprocessed sync data in a cache;

program code for receiving a sync request from a mobile device; and

program code for immediately providing at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device.

28. The program product of claim 27, further comprising:

program code for querying the first location for unprocessed sync data prior to a next scheduled sync request from the mobile device.

29. The program product of claim 28, further comprising:

program code for immediately providing at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device in response to the next scheduled sync request.

30. The program product of claim 29, further comprising:

program code for querying the first location for additional unprocessed sync data available after the storage of the preprocessed sync data in the cache but before the next scheduled sync request from the mobile device.

31. The program product of claim 30, further comprising:

program code for downloading the additional unprocessed sync data, if available, over the network from the first location to the second location;

program code for processing the additional unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide supplemental preprocessed sync data; and

program code for transferring the supplemental preprocessed sync data to the mobile device.

32. The program product of claim 31, further comprising:

program code for transferring the supplemental preprocessed sync data to the mobile device in parallel with, or immediately after receipt of, the preprocessed sync data.

33. The program product of claim 32, wherein the preprocessed sync data is provided to the mobile device over a second network, wherein a data transfer speed of the second network is substantially greater than a data transfer speed of the first network.

34. The program product of claim 33, wherein the first network comprises a cellular network, and wherein the second network comprises a personal area network (PAN).

35. The program product of claim 27, wherein the cache stores preprocessed sync data for a plurality of mobile devices, and wherein the program product further comprising:

program code for erasing the cache only after all of the plurality of mobile devices have accessed the cache.

36. The program product of claim 27, further comprising:

program code for filtering the preprocessed sync data according to at least one filtering criterion; and

program code for providing the filtered preprocessed sync data to the mobile device.

37. The program product of claim 27, wherein the cache is located on a cellular device.

38. The program product of claim 37, wherein the cellular device comprises a cell phone.

39. The program product of claim 37, further comprising:

program code for examining the preprocessed sync data according to an alert criterion; and

program code for alerting a user of the cellular device that the alert criterion has been satisfied.

40. A method for deploying an application for prefetching sync data, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure being operable to;

provide unprocessed sync data at a first location;

download the unprocessed sync data from the first location to a second location over a first network;

process the unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide preprocessed sync data;

store the preprocessed sync data in a cache;

receive a sync request from a mobile device; and

immediately provide at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device.

41. Computer software embodied in a propagated signal for prefetching sync data, the computer software comprising instructions to cause a computer system to perform the following functions:

provide unprocessed sync data at a first location;

download the unprocessed sync data from the first location to a second location over a first network;

process the unprocessed sync data at the second location to provide preprocessed sync data;

store the preprocessed sync data in a cache;

receive a sync request from a mobile device; and

immediately provide at least a portion of the preprocessed sync data stored in the cache to the mobile device.