Wireless telephone data backup system

• US 7,505,762 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2004
• Issued: 03/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated
• Original Assignee: FusionOne Incorporated (Synchronoss Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Stannard, Liam J., Ridgard, Leighton A., Onyon, Richard M., Garner, Robert E.
• Primary Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US10/789,816
• Publication Number:
  US 20050191998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,845 Days
• Field of Search: 4554121- 2, 4554141- 3, 455418-420, 455/466, 455/558, 455/550.1, 455/566, 455/502, 379/93.17, 709/206, 704/260, 707/204, 707/201, 711/162, 711/100, 714/15, 345/169, 345/173
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1458 Management of the backup or restore process
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1464 for networked environments
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/1469 Backup restoration techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2757 by data transmission, e.g. downloading
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/205 Transfer to or from user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99953 Recoverability
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99955 Archiving or backup

Abstract

A system for backing up data on a wireless telephone having a data store containing a user'"'"'s personal information. A method and application are provided.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a processing device on a wireless telephone for backing up personal information stored in the wireless telephone, comprising:

presenting a back-up system user account set-up interface on a user interface on the wireless phone, the set-up interface enabling establishment of a back-up service account, and the set-up interface including a display, one or more alphanumerical buttons and one or more soft buttons, different than the alphanumerical buttons, on the wireless phone, the function of the one or more soft buttons on the wireless phone changing, under control of a software application agent on the wireless phone, depending on the content displayed on the display screen;

presenting a backup scheduling interface to the user interface on the wireless phone, the backup scheduling interface accepting user input on a backup schedule, and the backup scheduling interface including a display, one or more alphanumerical buttons and one or more soft buttons, different than the alphanumerical buttons, on the wireless phone, the function of the one or more soft buttons on the wireless phone changing, under control of a software application agent on the wireless phone, depending on the content displayed on the display screen; and

presenting a restore information interface on the user interface on the wireless phone, the restore interface enabling a user to retrieve backup information to a data store on the wireless phone, and the restore information interface including a display, one or more alphanumerical buttons and one or more soft buttons, different than the alphanumerical buttons, on the wireless phone, the function of the one or more soft buttons on the wireless phone changing, under control of a software application agent on the wireless phone, depending on the content displayed on the display screen.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user account setup interface calls a method allowing the user to set up a backup account with a backup store.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the backup scheduling interface sets an interval to regularly send personal information to the backup store.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the backup scheduling interface causes the transmission of personal information to the backup store upon modification of the information on the phone.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the restore interface calls a method to upload all stored information on a backup data store to the data store on the phone.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the method further includes providing a rollback interface to the user interface on the phone.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the rollback interface is accessed via a web browser.

8. The method of claim 6 where the rollback interface is accessed via a wireless protocol.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein the rollback interface calls a method uploading changes based on a particular date.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further includes providing an undelete interface.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the undelete interface is accessed via a web browser.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein the undelete interface is accessed via a wireless protocol such as WAP.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein the undelete interface calls a method which transmits a change associated with a particular record in a user'"'"'s personal information space.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said personal information comprises an address book data store.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein said personal information comprises a task entry data store.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein said personal information comprises a calendar entry data store.

17. The method of claim 1 wherein said personal information comprises a note entry data store.

18. The method of claim 1 wherein said personal information comprises an alarm data store.

19. The method of claim 1 wherein said personal information comprises a custom dictionary data store.

20. A method for storing personal information in a wireless telephone in a backup storage database, comprising:

providing a phone agent including instructions operable by a processor in the phone to implement an automated phone data transmission method capable of regularly transmitting changes to a backup store via a communications link, and a restore method retrieving backup information to a data store on the phone, the agent including a backup service sign-up interface, a backup method scheduling interface and a restore interface, calling the restore method, all provided to a user interface on the phone, the user interface on the phone including a display and one or more buttons on the phone; and

responsive to user entry at the restore interface of said agent, providing changes from the backup store to the wireless telephone.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the method further includes accepting personal information from the telephone at intervals defined by the user defined by the user via the backup method scheduling interface.

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the method further includes accepting user account set-up data from the service sign-up interface of the agent.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the method further includes assigning a schedule of download intervals to the agent.

24. The method of claim 21 wherein the method further includes modifying the interval schedule to load balance amongst a plurality of users.

25. The method of claim 20 further including providing a notification to the agent that changes have been made to the backup store via a secondary interface.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein the phone agent updates the data store on phone upon receipt of a notification.

27. The method of claim 25 wherein the notification is a SMS message.

28. The method of claim 20 wherein the notification is a result of polling the server for changes.

29. The method of claim 25 wherein the method further includes providing the secondary interface and the secondary interface is a web interface.

30. A wireless telephone having a user interface for storing personal information and having a data store backup system, comprising:

means for creating an automated user account initiated by a user via a user interface on a wireless telephone, the means for creating accessing the back up system using a unique identifier for the user to create a user account on the backup system;

means for automatically backing up and transmitting changes to the backup system at user defined intervals; and

means for restoring called by the user through a restore interface presented on the user interface of the phone, the means for restoring providing user data to a phone.

31. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein the application includes a rollback method providing a state of user data existing as of a specified date.

32. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein the application includes an undelete method providing at least one restored data item previously deleted by a user action.

33. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein at least the backup method and the account creation method are initiated by the agent.

34. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein the intervals are defined by user but altered by administrator.

35. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein the intervals are regular.

36. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein the intervals are arbitrary.

37. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein the restore method operates responsive to a phone recognized as having no data and an existing user account.

38. The wireless telephone of claim 30 wherein the account creation method is performed by the backup system via a secondary interface provided to the user.

39. A user interface implemented by a processing device on a telephone for backing up personal information stored in a telephone, comprising:

an account set-up interface on the phone enabling establishment of a back-up service account;

a scheduling interface on the phone allowing a user to manually set up a schedule for backing up data on the phone, the scheduling interface including;

a display on the phone,

alphanumeric buttons on the phone,

soft buttons on the phone, different than the alphanumeric buttons, the function of the soft buttons changing depending on what is displayed on the display, and

a software application agent on the phone for;

     1) controlling what is displayed on the display,

     2) controlling the function of the soft buttons, and

     3) setting up a back-up schedule when information is sent to a back-up store based on information manually entered into the scheduling interface; and

a restore information interface enabling a user to retrieve backup information to a data store on the phone.

40. The user interface of claim 39 wherein the backup scheduling interface causes the transmission of personal information to the backup store upon modification of the information on the phone.

41. The user interface of claim 39 wherein the restore interface calls a method to upload all stored information on a backup data store to the data store on the phone.

42. The user interface of claim 41 wherein the user interface further includes a rollback interface which returns data on the phone to a state existing on a specified date.

43. The user interface of claim 39 wherein said information comprises an address book data store.

44. The user interface of claim 39 wherein said information comprises a task entry data store.

45. The user interface of claim 39 wherein said information comprises a calendar entry data store.

46. The user interface of claim 39 wherein said information comprises a note entry data store.

47. The user interface of claim 39 wherein said information comprises an alarm data store.

48. The user interface of claim 39 wherein said personal information comprises a custom dictionary data store.

49. A user interface implemented by a processing device on a telephone for backing up personal information stored in a telephone, comprising:

an account set-up interface on the phone allowing establishment of a back-up service account;

a scheduling interface on the phone allowing a user to manually set up a schedule for backing up data on the phone;

a restore information interface enabling a user to retrieve backup information to a data store on the phone, one or more of the account-setup interface, scheduling interface and the restore information interface including;

a display on the phone,

alphanumeric buttons on the phone,

soft buttons on the phone, different than the alphanumeric buttons, the function of the soft buttons changing depending on what is displayed on the display, and

a software application agent on the phone for;

     1) controlling what is displayed on the display, and

     2) variably setting the function of the soft buttons.

50. A user interface implemented by a processing device on a telephone for backing up personal information stored in a telephone, comprising:

an account set-up interface on the phone enabling establishment of a back-up service account;

a scheduling interface on the phone allowing a user to manually set up a schedule for backing up data on the phone; and

a restore information interface enabling a user to retrieve backup information to a data store on the phone;

one or more of the account-setup interface, scheduling interface and the restore information interface including a display on the phone, the display displaying one or more of words and icons, a user interacting with the user interface by selecting one or more of the words and icons on the display; and

a software application agent on the phone for;

     1) controlling what is displayed on the display, and

     2) controlling backup of personal information based on the selection of one or more of the words and icons on the display.