System and method for enabling a person to switch use of computing devices

• US 20060242278A1
• Filed: 04/12/2005
• Published: 10/26/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Hawkins, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,623,892 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• 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: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages

Abstract

A method is provided to enable the person to switch use of computing devices when working with records and/or documents. A method such as described may be implemented for an individual operating two (or more) computing devices that share and synchronize sets of records. One or more operations may be performed to update and maintain correspondence between the two sets of records. A switchover event may be detected, where the event corresponds to the individual using a second computing device while already using a first computing device. Once the switchover event is detected, state of use information may be received on the second computing device. This information indicates the state of use of one or more records on the first computing device. This information may be used to affect the state of use of corresponding records on the second computing device. In particular, the corresponding records on the second computing device may be placed in a state of use, or in a selected state for subsequent use.

Claims

1. A computing device comprising:

a communication port; and

one or more processors configured to;

establish a communication link with a associate device using the communication port;

detect a switchover event that signifies an intent of a user to switch from using the associate device to using the computing device;

in response to detecting the switchover event, use the communication link to acquire state information pertaining to a state of use of the associate device; and

perform one or more actions to ready the computing device for use based on the state information about the state of use of the associate device.

2. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

acquire the state information that pertains to the state of use of one or more application resources on the associate device; and

perform one or more actions to ready the computing device for use by (i) identifying one or more application resources that reside on the computing device and that have correspondence to the one or more application resources on the associate device for which the state information pertains to; and

(ii) provide the one or more identified application resources in a corresponding state of use that is based on the state of use of the one or more application resources on the associate device.

3. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more application resources that reside on the computing device include a set of one or more records that have correspondence to a set of one or more records on the associate device.

4. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

acquire state information that identifies one or more records in the set of records on the associate device that are opened; and

perform one or more actions to ready the computing device for use by opening the one or more records on the computing device that have correspondence to the one or more records in the set of records that are opened on the associate device.

5. The computing device of claim 3, wherein the one or more processors are configured to:

acquire state information that identifies one or more records in the set of records on the associate device that are in a selected state; and

perform one or more actions to ready the computing device for use by presenting the one or more records on the computing device in a corresponding selected state, wherein the one or more records on the computing device have correspondence to the one or more records in the set of records that are in the selected state on the associate device.

6. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more application resources that reside on the computing device include a set of one or more messages that have correspondence to a set of one or more messages on the associate device.

7. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more application resources that reside on the computing device include a resource selected from a group consisting of a record, a document, a program, an executable, a script, and a macro.

8. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to acquire the state information that includes system data about a setting of the associate device.

9. The computing device of claim 8, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform the one or more actions to ready the computing device for use by using the system data to configure a corresponding setting on the computing device.

10. The computing device of claim 9, wherein the setting on the associate device and the corresponding setting on the computing device include an account designation that determines one or more application resources that are to be made available for access and use.

11. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to acquire the state information that includes the system data about a folder view of the associate device.

12. The computing device of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform the one or more actions to ready the computing device for use by using the system data to create a folder view on the computing device that corresponds to the folder view of the associate device.

13. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to establish correspondence between the set of records on the computing device and the set of records on the associate device using one or more synchronization processes.

14. The computing device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to perform, at least selectively, the given synchronization process concurrently with acquiring the state information.

15. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the given synchronization process performed by the one or more processors includes determining whether a given record on the associate device is new and without a corresponding record on the computing device, and then creating the corresponding record of the given record on the associate device.

16. The computing device of claim 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to open the corresponding record created in the given synchronization process in response to acquiring the state information, wherein the state information indicates the given record is opened on the associate device.

17. The computing device of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate a body or an address for the corresponding record created in the given synchronization processing response to acquiring the state information, wherein the state information indicates the given record on the associate device is opened and contains the body or the address entered after the given record was most recently opened or created.

18. The computing device of claim 14, wherein the synchronization process includes:

(i) determining whether a given record on the associate device is modified in relation to a corresponding record on the computing device, and then (ii) updating the corresponding record on the computing device.

19. The computing device of claim 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to open the corresponding record with the modification based on the state information, wherein the state information indicates the given record is opened on the associate device and contains the modification.

20. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the communication port is a local wireless link, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to establish the communication link over a local wireless medium.

21. The computing device of claim 20, wherein the one or more processors are configured to detect the switchover event by (i) communicating with the associate device over the wireless link immediately upon the computing device being activated, and (ii) detecting that the associate device was already activated when the computing device was activated..

22. The computing device of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are configured to use the communication link to automatically acquire state information pertaining to the state of use of the associate device in response to detecting the switchover event.

23. A method for enabling a person to switch use of computing devices, the method comprising:

establishing a local communication link between a first computing device and a second computing device;

detecting a switchover event that signifies an intent of a user to switch from using the first computing device to using the second computing device;

in response to detecting the switchover event, causing the second computing device to receive state information about a state of use of the first computing device; and

performing one or more actions to ready the second computing device for use based on the state information received about the state of use of the first computing device.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the steps of:

causing the second computing device to receive state information about a state of use of the first computing device includes causing the second computing device to receive information that at least identifies a record or document in an open state on the first computing device; and

performing one or more actions to ready the second computing device includes (i) identifying a record on the second computing device that has correspondence to the given record of the first computing device, and (ii) programmatically providing that record in the open state on the second computing device.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising the step of performing one or more synchronization processes to establish correspondence between a first set of records on the first computing device and a set of records on the second computing device, including between the given record of the first computing device and the record of the second computing device that has correspondence to the given record.

26. A method for exchanging communication between a first computing device and a second computing device, wherein the first computing device maintains a first set of records and the second computing device maintains a second set of records that corresponds to the first set of records, the method comprising:

performing one or more operations to establish correspondence between the first set of records and the second set of records, and to update the second set of records residing on the second computing device based on the first set of records residing on the first computing device;

detecting a switchover event corresponding to a user operating the second computing device after operating the first computing device;

in response to detecting the switchover event, causing state information to be received on the second computing device, wherein the state information identifies one or more records in the first set of records that are in an open or selected state;

automatically identifying from the state information one or more records in the second set of records that correspond to the one or more records in the first set of records;

causing the identified one or more records in the second set of records to be in the open or selected state.