DATA EXCHANGE BETWEEN A HANDHELD DEVICE AND ANOTHER COMPUTER SYSTEM USING AN EXCHANGE MANAGER VIA SYNCHRONIZATION

• US 20100153604A1
• Filed: 02/23/2010
• Published: 06/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/20/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Peacock, Gavin
• Granted Patent: US 8,452,836 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 710/260
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/1794 Details of file format conversion
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/482 Application
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4843 by program, e.g. task dispatcher, supervisor, operating system
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5055 considering software capabilities, i.e. software resources associated or available to the machine
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/544 Buffers; Shared memory; Pipes
• 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: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

A method and electronic system for exchanging data between a handheld device and another computer system are described. A data file is transferred to the handheld device using the install application of a synchronization manager. The transferred file is stored as a digital stream file with its native data encoding. After synchronization, a message is sent to notify the exchange manager about the data file. The exchange manager then uses an application registry to identify the application program that corresponds to the file stream based on the extension of the stream file. The pertinent application program is then invoked and the stream file is dispatched to the application for processing. During processing, the pertinent application then formats the stream file such that the data file becomes a record within the database file that is associated with the pertinent application.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for receiving data at a portable device from a source, comprising:

at the portable device, receiving a message from the source at a communication program on the portable device, the message indicating a type of data;

passing the message by and from the communication program to an exchange manager program;

at the exchange manager program, the exchange manager program selecting an application program from a registry of application programs; and

importing the message as a record in a database associated with the selected application program.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is initiated by a user.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is initiated by external notification that causes an interrupt of an active application.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving is initiated by one of an interrupt and a timer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the type of data is specified as one of an creator identification, a MIME type, and a filename including an extension.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the message specifies the application program in a universal resource locator (URL) format.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the application program is obtained from a dialog between the exchange manager program and a user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the dialog includes a window having a pick-list presenting a selection of at least one application program.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising checking whether a user should verify acceptance of the message.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein when it is determined that the user should verify acceptance of the message, the acceptance is obtained from a dialog between the exchange manager program and the user.