METHODS AND APPARATUS FOR USE IN TRANSFERRING USER DATA BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT MOBILE COMMUNICATION DEVICES USING A REMOVABLE MEMORY CARD

• US 20080171578A1
• Filed: 01/17/2007
• Published: 07/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Tysowski, Piotr Konrad
• Granted Patent: US 7,865,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for use in transferring user data from a first (“source”) mobile communication device to a second (“target”) mobile communication device using a removable memory card are disclosed. The source and target devices may be possessed and/or owned by the same end user. The source device is initially enabled to maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network via a first wireless transceiver (e.g. a cellular transceiver) for user data of an application program (e.g. an e-mail application program) associated with the user account. To enable the target device for the communications associated with the user account, the source device is operative to establish a programming session with the target device via a second wireless transceiver (e.g. a short-range wireless transceiver). During the programming session, the source device causes user account data (e.g. at least one encryption/decryption key for the data-synchronized communications) for the user account to be transmitted to the target device via the second wireless transceiver. Preferably, the user account data is encrypted based on a passkey for the programming session. The user data associated with the application program may then be transferred from the source device to the target device via a removable memory card such as a secure digital (SD) card. With this data, the target device is thereby enabled to maintain data synchronization with the host server for the user data of the application program associated with the user account. Advantageously, most if not all of the account switching steps may be facilitated by the end user “on-the-fly” without third-party involvement.

Claims

11-1. The method of claim 1, wherein the data synchronization comprises at least one of address book synchronization for address book contacts in an address book organizer and calendar appointment synchronization for calendar appointments in a calendar application program.

12. A mobile communication device, comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors;

the memory for storing a client application program;

an interface coupled to the one or more processors which is adapted to receive a removable memory card;

the one or more processors being operative to;

maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network via the wireless transceiver for user data of a host application program associated with a user account;

for the data synchronization;

regularly cause user data associated with the user account to be stored in the memory for the client application program of the mobile communication device; and

cause a copy of the user data to be further stored in the memory of the removable memory card, for use in transferring the user data to memory of an alternate mobile communication device for a client application program of the alternate mobile communication device.

13. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the removable memory card is subsequently transferred from the mobile communication device to the alternate mobile communication device for transferring the user data to the memory of the alternate mobile communication device.

14. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein after the removable memory card is transferred from the mobile communication device to the alternate mobile communication device, the user data is transferred from the memory of the removable memory card to the memory of the alternate mobile communication device.

15. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the removable memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) card.

16. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

causing the copy of the user data to be further stored in the memory of the removable memory card in an encrypted format.

17. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

maintain storage of an encryption/decryption key in memory of the mobile communication device;

refrain from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card; and

causing the copy of the user data to be further stored in the memory of the removable memory card in an encrypted format in accordance with encryption/decryption key.

18. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the mobile communication device further comprises a short-range wireless transceiver, and the one or more processors are further operative to:

maintain storage of an encryption/decryption key in memory of the mobile communication device;

refrain from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card;

cause the encryption/decryption key to be transmitted to the second mobile communication device via the short-range wireless transceiver during a programming session; and

causing the copy of the user data to be further stored in the memory of the removable memory card in an encrypted format in accordance with encryption key.

19. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the mobile communication device further comprises a short-range wireless transceiver, and the one or more processors are further operative to:

maintain storage of an encryption/decryption key in memory of the mobile communication device;

refrain from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card;

cause the encryption/decryption key to be transmitted to the second mobile communication device via a short-range wireless transceiver of the first mobile communication device during a programming session;

causing the copy of the user data to be further stored in the memory of the removable memory card in an encrypted format in accordance with encryption key; and

after causing the removable memory card to be transferred from the mobile communication device to the alternate mobile communication device, cause the user data to be transferred from the memory of the removable memory card to the memory of the alternate mobile communication device.

20. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the data synchronization comprises message synchronization for electronic mail (e-mail) messages associated with the user account for an e-mail application program.

21. The mobile communication device of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further operative to:

during the data synchronization;

receive, via the wireless communication network, the user data in an encrypted, type-length format;

decrypt the user data from the encrypted, type-length format into a decrypted, type-length format;

convert the user data from the decrypted, type-length format into a binary format;

cause the user data in the binary format to be stored in the memory of the first mobile communication device for the first client application program; and

cause the copy of the user data in the encrypted, type-length format to be stored in the memory of the removable memory card.

22. A method for use in transferring user data associated with a user account from a first mobile communication device having a first client application program to a second mobile communication device having a second client application program, the first mobile communication device being operative to maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network for user data of a host application program associated with the user account, to save the user data in memory of the first mobile communication device for the first client application program, and to copy the user data in a removable memory card in the first mobile communication device, the method being performed at the second mobile communication device and comprising the acts of:

receiving the removable memory card at a removable memory card interface of the second mobile communication device;

retrieving the user data from the removable memory card via the removable memory card interface and storing the user data in memory of the second mobile communication device for the second client application program; and

maintaining data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network for the user data associated with the user account.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

causing a message to be displayed in a user interface of the second mobile communication device for receiving the removable memory card.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein die removable memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) card.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

decrypting the user data prior to storing it in memory of the second mobile communication device.

26. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

maintaining storage of an encryption/decryption key in memory of the second mobile communication device;

refraining from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card; and

decrypting the user data in accordance with the encryption/decryption key prior to storing it in memory of the second mobile communication device.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

wherein the act of maintaining data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network is performed via a first wireless transceiver of the second mobile communication device;

receiving an encryption/decryption key from the first mobile communication device via a second wireless transceiver of the second mobile communication device during a programming session;

maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory of the second mobile communication device;

refraining from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card; and

decrypting the user data in accordance with the encryption/decryption key prior to causing it to be stored in memory of the second mobile communication device.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

sending a request through the wireless communication network for activating the second mobile communication device at the host server.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein the data synchronization comprises message synchronization for electronic mail (e-mail) messages associated with the user account for an e-mail application program.

30. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

wherein the act of retrieving the user data from the removable memory card comprises encrypted compressed serialized user data;

decrypting the encrypted compressed serialized user data;

decompressing the compressed serialized user data for producing serialized user data;

converting the serialized user data into binary user data; and

storing the binary user data in the memory.

31. A mobile communication device which is adapted to receive user data in a removable memory card from a source mobile communication device, the source mobile communication device having a client application program and being operative to maintain data synchronization with a host server over a wireless communication network for user data of a host application program associated with a user account, to regularly store user data associated with the user account in memory of the mobile communication device for the client application program for the data synchronization, and to copy the user data in the removable memory card for use in transferring the user data to the mobile communication device, the mobile communication device comprising:

one or more processors;

a wireless transceiver coupled to the one or more processors;

memory coupled to the one or more processors and having the client application program stored therein;

an interface coupled to the one or more processors which is adapted to receive the removable memory card;

the one or more processors being operative to;

retrieve the user data from the removable memory card via the removable memory card interface and storing the user data in the memory; and

maintain data synchronization with the host server over the wireless communication network via die wireless transceiver for the user data associated with the user account.

32. The mobile communication device of claim 31, the one or more processors being further operative to:

cause a message to be displayed in a user interface for receiving the removable memory card.

33. The mobile communication device of claim 31, wherein the removable memory card comprises a secure digital (SD) card.

34. The mobile communication device of claim 31, the one or more processors being further operative to:

decrypt the user data prior to storing it in the memory.

35. The mobile communication device of claim 31, the one or more processors being further operative to:

maintain storage of an encryption/decryption key in the memory;

refrain from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card; and

decrypt the user data in accordance with the encryption/decryption key prior to storing it in the memory.

36. The mobile communication device of claim 31, the one or more processors being further operative to:

receive an encryption/decryption key from the source mobile communication device via a wireless transceiver of the source mobile communication device during a programming session; and

maintain storage of the encryption/decryption key in memory;

refrain from maintaining storage of the encryption/decryption key in the memory of the removable memory card; and

decrypting the user data in accordance with the encryption/decryption key prior to causing it to be stored in memory of the mobile communication device.

37. The mobile communication device of claim 31, further comprising:

sending a request through the wireless communication network for activating the mobile communication device at the host server.

38. The mobile communication device of claim 31, wherein the data synchronization comprises message synchronization for electronic mail (e-mail) messages associated with the user account for an e-mail application program.

39. The mobile communication device of claim 31, wherein the data synchronization comprises at least one of address book synchronization for address book contacts in an address book organizer and calendar appointment synchronization for calendar appointments in a calendar application program.