METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR MANAGING TO DO ITEMS OR NOTES OR ELECTRONIC MESSAGES

• US 20120042028A1
• Filed: 10/20/2011
• Published: 02/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Langoulant, Brendan, Lemay, Stephen, Forstall, Scott, Hearst, David Paul, Eguiluz, Hernan Rodrigo, Christie, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 10,068,203 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/206
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

Methods and systems for managing To do items and/or notes and/or emails (or other electronic messages) are described. A record, such as a To do item, in a database maintained locally by the data processing system is encoded into metadata. The metadata is sent as a false email message by an email client application executing on the data processing system to a remote email message server. An email client application executing on a remote processing system accesses the email message server and receives the false email message containing the metadata. The remote client application then either converts the metadata back into a database record editable at the remote processing system or presents a non-editable view of the database record, for example as an incoming email message.

Claims

1. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

modifying or creating a record in a database maintained locally by the data processing system;

encoding the database record into metadata; and

sending the metadata, as a false email message, from the data processing system to a remote email message server.

2. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the metadata is convertible back into a remote database record by a client application executing on a remote platform to provide a synchronized view of the database record, as modified by the data processing system.

4. The machine readable medium of claim 1, wherein the metadata is in MIME format, and the database record is a To do item.

3. The machine readable medium of claim 3, wherein the metadata is further displayable by a remote messaging client executing on the remote platform as a non-editable view of the database record, as modified the data processing system.

5. A machine readable medium containing executable program instructions which cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving a metadata file, as a false email message, from a remote email message server, the metadata file encoding a database record stored on the message server; and

converting the metadata file to a database record with a client application executing locally by the data processing system, and

presenting a view of the database record with the client application.

6. The machine readable medium of claim 5, wherein the view of the database record is editable through the client application.

7. The machine readable medium of claim 5, the method further comprising:

reconciling a database on the message server and a database local to the data processing system, after converting the metadata file back to a database record.

8. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein the database local to the data processing system is a local cache of the message server database.

9. The machine readable medium of claim 7, wherein reconciling further comprises:

creating a first snapshot difference by comparing a current snapshot of the message server database with a reference snapshot of the message server database, wherein a snapshot comprises a list of paired database record identifiers, each pair containing both a universally unique database record ID and a message ID for a database record stored on the message server;

creating a second snapshot difference by comparing a current snapshot of the local database with a reference snapshot of the messaging server database; and

comparing the first and second snapshot differences.

10. The machine readable medium of claim 8, wherein reconciling further comprises:

determining the message server database is to be modified with the database record based on the first snapshot difference being indicative of no difference and the second snapshot difference being indicative of a difference; and

sending metadata, in a false email message, to the remote message server, the metadata encoding the database record.

11. A machine implemented method comprising:

modifying or creating a record in a database local to the data processing system;

encoding the modified database record into metadata; and

sending the metadata, as a false email message, from the data processing system to a remote email message server.

12. The machine implemented method of claim 11, wherein the metadata is convertible back into a database record by a client application executing on a remote platform to provide a synchronized view of the database record, as modified by the data processing system.

13. The machine implemented method of claim 11, wherein the metadata is in MIME format and the database record is a To do item.

14. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving a metadata file, as a false email message, from a remote email message server, the metadata file encoding a database record stored on the message server; and

converting the metadata file to a database record with a client application executing locally on the on the data processing system, and

presenting a view of the database record with the client application.

15. The machine implemented method of claim 14, wherein the view of the database record is editable through the client application.

16. The machine implemented method of claim 14, the method further comprising:

reconciling a database of the message server and a database local to the data processing system, after converting the metadata file to a database record.

17. The machine implemented method of claim 16, wherein the reconciling further comprises:

creating a first snapshot difference by comparing a current snapshot of the message server with a reference snapshot of the message server, wherein a snapshot is a list of paired database record identifiers, each pair containing both a universally unique database record ID and a message ID for a database record stored on the message server;

creating a second snapshot difference by comparing a current snapshot of the local database server with a reference snapshot of the message server; and

comparing the first and second snapshot differences.

18. The machine implemented method of claim 17, the method further comprising:

determining the message server database is to be modified with the database record based on the first snapshot difference being indicative of no difference and the second snapshot difference being indicative of a difference; and

sending metadata, in a false email message, to the remote message server, the metadata encoding the database record.

19. A computing system, comprising:

a local computing platform executing a first email client application providing a local live control of a database record;

a remote email message server communicatively coupled to the local computing platform via the internet; and

a remote computing platform communicatively coupled to the remote email server via the internet, the remote computing platform to execute a second email client application supporting remote live control of the database record or a remote non-editable view of the database record, wherein the remote live control or remote non-editable view of the database record is to be synchronized with the local live control through one or more false email messages comprising metadata encoding the database record and transmitted between the local computing platform, remote email message server, and remote computing platform.

20. The computing system as in claim 19, wherein the data base record comprises a To Do item, wherein second email client application supports remote live controls by providing an editable view of the To Do item and the false email message never presented as a received email message.

21. The computing system as in claim 19, wherein the data base record comprises a To Do item, wherein second email client application provides a non-editable view of the To Do item as a received email message.