Apparatus and Method For Context-Aware Mobile Data Management

• US 20110225368A1
• Filed: 03/15/2011
• Published: 09/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Howard University
• Original Assignee: Howard University
• Inventors: Burge, Legand L. III
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,743 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 711/118
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 12/0862 with prefetch
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0224 based on user history
• 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 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5683 Storage of data provided by user terminals, i.e. reverse caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2242/40 Data synchronization between user terminals and central server
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/029 Location-based management or tracking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/50 Service provisioning or reconfiguring

Abstract

A context of a mobile device is determined. A context preference of a user associated with the mobile device is determined. The context of the mobile device and the user context preference is transmitted to another node and responsively returned data is received. Available free space in the mobile device is determined. All data whose timestamp is within a predetermined threshold is cached. The data is cached in at least a portion of the free space.

Claims

1. A method that efficiently cache and replicate application data in a context-aware system, the method comprising:

determining a context of a mobile device;

determining a context preference of a user associated with the mobile device;

transmitting the context of the mobile device and the user context preference to another node and responsively receiving returned data;

determining available free space in the mobile device;

caching all data whose timestamp is within a predetermined threshold, the data being cached in at least a portion of the free space.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the context of the mobile device and the user context preference to another node comprises transmitting to a remote server periodically.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein transmitting the context of the mobile device and the user context preference to another node comprises exchanging the user context and user context preference with a peer mobile device when in communication range with the peer mobile device.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a context of the mobile device comprises determining at least one of an event associated with the mobile device, a time associated with the mobile device, a location associated with the mobile device, the pitch/yaw associated with the mobile device, and a heading associated with the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a context of the mobile user comprises determining at least one of a demographic associated with the user, or user activity within the application associated with the user.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein determining a users context preferences comprises setting the temporal, spatial, demographical, and user activity for interfacing and accessing mobile content.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising accessing content and services via a menu driven user interface and obtaining implicit access to content and services via asynchronous notifications.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the synchronous notifications are selected from the group consisting of:

a dynamically generated list of advertisements, SMS text messages, emails, and a dynamically generated list of content and services.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein determining available free space comprises calculating a relevance score for all local data in the system.

10. A mobile device that efficiently caches and replicates application data in a context-aware system, the device comprising:

an interface having an input and output;

a memory;

a controller coupled to the memory and interface, the controller configured to determine a context of the mobile device, determine a context preference of a user associated with the mobile device, and transmit the context of the mobile device and the user context preference to another mobile node at the output, the controller also configured to responsively receive returned data via the input, determine available free space in memory of the mobile device, and cache all data whose timestamp is within a predetermined threshold, the data being cached in at least a portion of the free space of the memory.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein the another node comprises a remote server.

12. The device of claim 10 wherein the another node comprises a peer mobile device.

13. The device of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to determine at least one of an event associated with the mobile device, a time associated with the mobile device, a location associated with the mobile device, the pitch/yaw associated with the mobile device, and a heading associated with the mobile device.

14. The device of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to determine at least one of a demographic associated with the user, or user activity within the application associated with the user.

15. The device of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to set the temporal, spatial, demographical, and user activity for interfacing and accessing mobile content.

16. The device of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to access content and services via a menu driven user interface at the interface and obtain implicit access to content and services via asynchronous notifications.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the synchronous notifications are selected from the group consisting of:

a dynamically generated list of advertisements, SMS text messages, emails, and a dynamically generated list of content and services.

18. The device of claim 10 wherein the controller is configured to calculate a relevance score for all local data in the system.