Technique for enabling remote data access and manipulation from a pervasive device

• US 7,254,621 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2005
• Issued: 08/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Clouding Corporation (Marathon Patent Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Singhal, Sandeep Kishan, Levinson, Barry Eliot, Sanders, Darren Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Meky, Moustafa M.
• Application Number:
  US11/075,437
• Publication Number:
  US 20050216492A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-203, 709217-227
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/564 Enhancement of application control based on intercepted application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program instructions for enabling users of pervasive devices to remotely access and manipulate information in ways that might otherwise be impossible or impractical because of inherent limitations of the device. The disclosed techniques enable a wide variety of data manipulation operations to be performed on behalf of the pervasive device, for a wide variety of content types. In preferred embodiments, no modifications or add-ons are required to the pervasive device.

Claims

1. A method of enabling data access and manipulation from a pervasive device, comprising the steps of:

receiving a data access request from a pervasive device;

obtaining the requested data;

determining what data manipulation operations are available for the obtained data; and

providing references to the determined data manipulation operations to the pervasive device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein a reference to a determined data manipulation operation comprises a service invocation address.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to perform a selected one of the determined data manipulation operations; and

performing the requested operation on behalf of the pervasive device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises determining what data manipulation operations are available for a content type of the obtained data.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises determining what data manipulation operations are available for a user of the pervasive device.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

determining a current location of the pervasive device; and

determining what data manipulation operations are available for the current location of the pervasive device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining step further comprises determining what data manipulation operations are available responsive to a type of the pervasive device.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

performing one or more data manipulation operations on the obtained data, thereby creating transformed data;

determining what data manipulation operations are available for the transformed data; and

providing references to the determined data manipulation operations for the transformed data to the pervasive device.

9. A computer program product having a computer-readable medium having computer program code encoded thereon to be executed by a processor for enabling data access and manipulating from a pervasive device, the computer program code adapted to perform steps comprising:

receiving a data access request from a pervasive device;

obtaining the requested data;

determining what data manipulation operations are available for the obtained data; and

providing references to the determined data manipulation operations to the pervasive device.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein a reference to a determined data manipulation operation comprises a service invocation address.

11. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

receiving a request to perform a selected one of the determined data manipulation operations; and

performing the requested operation on behalf of the pervasive device.

12. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the determining step further comprises determining what data manipulation operations are available for a content type of the obtained data.

13. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the determining step further comprises determining what data manipulation operations are available for a user of the pervasive device.

14. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

determining a current location of the pervasive device; and

determining what data manipulation operations are available for the current location of the pervasive device.

15. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the determining step further comprises determining what data manipulation operations are available responsive to a type of the pervasive device.

16. The computer program product of claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

performing one or more data manipulation operations on the obtained data, thereby creating transformed data;

determining what data manipulation operations are available for the transformed data; and

providing references to the determined data manipulation operations for the transformed data to the pervasive device.

17. A system for enabling data access and manipulation from a pervasive device, comprising:

a data manipulation server for maintaining a repository of data manipulation operations; and

a protocol proxy in communication with the pervasive device and the data manipulation server and adapted to;

receive a data access request from the pervasive device;

obtain the requested data;

communicate with the data manipulation server to determine, responsive to the obtained data, what data manipulation operations are available; and

provide references to the determined data manipulation operations to the pervasive device.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the data manipulation server maintains a service invocation address for a data manipulation operation in the repository and wherein the reference to the determined data manipulation operation comprises the service invocation address.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the data manipulation server is adapted to receive a request to perform a selected one of the determined data manipulation operations and invoke the requested operation on behalf of the pervasive device.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the protocol proxy is further adapted to determine what data manipulation operations are available for a content type of the obtained data.

21. The system of claim 17, wherein the protocol proxy is further adapted to determine what data manipulation operations are available for a user of the pervasive device.

22. The system of claim 17, wherein the protocol proxy is further adapted to:

determine a current location of the pervasive device; and

determine what data manipulation operations are available responsive to the current location of the pervasive device.

23. The system of claim 17, wherein the protocol proxy is further adapted to determine what data manipulation operations are available responsive to a type of pervasive device.

24. The system of claim 17, wherein the protocol proxy is further adapted to:

perform one or more data manipulation operations on the obtained data, thereby creating transformed data;

determine what data manipulation operations are available for the transformed data; and

provide references to the determined data manipulation operations for the transformed data to the pervasive device.