System and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device

• US 7,689,721 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2007
• Issued: 03/30/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mousseau, Gary P., Ferguson, Tabitha K., Linkert, Barry, Vander Veen, Raymond P., Castell, William D., Lazaridis, Mihal
• Primary Examiner(s): Lim, Krisna
• Application Number:
  US11/926,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20080109521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 709/248, 709/206, 709/238, 707/201
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]

Abstract

A scheme for message folder synchronization. In one embodiment, a method may comprise: automatically detecting arrival of a message at a messaging server for a user; storing the message in a first folder of a first folder system associated with the user at the messaging server; processing at least a portion of an instance of the message for transmission to the user'"'"'s mobile data communication device over a wireless network; receiving a status signal from the mobile data communication device indicating that the message has been moved from a first folder at the mobile data communication device to a second folder of a second folder system associated with the user at the mobile data communication device; and responsive to the status signal, moving the message from the first folder of the first folder system at the messaging server to a second folder thereat corresponding to the second folder of the second folder system.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing data storage between a host system and a mobile data device that is associated with a computer connected over a network to the host system, wherein the host system comprises a first folder hierarchy of messages and data stored thereon and the mobile data device comprises a second folder hierarchy of messages and data stored thereon, the method comprising:

retrieving the first folder hierarchy from the host system;

tagging and modifying a first folder list from the retrieved first folder hierarchy;

sending the tagged and modified first folder list to the mobile data device;

retrieving the second folder hierarchy from the mobile data device;

tagging and modifying a second folder list from the retrieved second folder hierarchy;

comparing messages and folders within the first and second folder lists and identifying which messages have different folder locations within the first and second folder lists;

identifying messages from the first folder list that have been moved on the mobile data device and tagging the identified messages for movement on the host system;

identifying messages from the second folder list that have been moved on the host system and tagging the identified messages for movement on the mobile data device;

moving any messages that have been moved on the mobile data device to a corresponding folder location on the host system; and

sending a command to the mobile data device comprising the identified messages from the second list tagged for movement thereon.

2. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 1 wherein the host system comprises a redirector component that interfaces and synchronizes data between the mobile data device and the host system.

3. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 1 wherein each message comprises a unique message identification tag.

4. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 3 wherein a redirector component associated with the host system assigns the unique message identification tag to each message before redirecting the message to the mobile data device.

5. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 1 wherein each folder within the first and second folder hierarchies comprises a unique folder identification tag.

6. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 1 wherein each message comprises a message identification tag and an assigned folder identification tag identifying the folder wherein the message is located.

7. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 6 wherein comparing messages and folders within the first and second folder lists and identifying which messages have different folder locations within the first and second folder lists comprises:

checking each message in the first folder hierarchy retrieved from the host system for a message identification tag and an assigned folder identification tag;

checking each message in the second folder hierarchy retrieved from the mobile data device for a message identification tag and an assigned folder identification tag;

comparing the folder identification tags of each message within the first folder hierarchy retrieved from the host system against folder identification tags of each message within the second folder hierarchy retrieved from the mobile data device;

tagging a first set of messages retrieved from the host system comprising any messages having a different folder identification tag than the corresponding messages retrieved from the mobile data device;

tagging a second set of messages retrieved from the mobile data device comprising any messages having a different folder identification tag than the corresponding messages retrieved from the host system;

assigning a move flag to any messages within the first set of messages that have been moved on the mobile data device; and

assigning a move flag to any messages within the second set of messages that have been moved on the host system.

8. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 2 wherein the redirector component at the host system receives a move indicator from the mobile data device when a message has been moved from one folder to another and thereafter directs the host system to initiate the same move.

9. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 2 wherein the redirector component at the host system receives a move indicator when a message is moved on the host system from one folder to another and thereafter sends a move signal to the mobile data device to initiate the same move thereon.

10. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 1 wherein the synchronization is completed continuously over-the-air across a wireless network.

11. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 1 wherein the synchronization is completed in one bulk transmission.

12. The method for synchronizing data storage according to claim 1 wherein the synchronization is completed in several batch transmissions set to occur during nonpeak network times of a wireless network.

13. A system for synchronizing data storage between a host system and a mobile data device that is associated with a computer connected over a network to the host system, wherein the host system comprises a first folder hierarchy of messages and data stored thereon and the mobile data device comprises a second folder hierarchy of messages and data stored thereon, the system comprising:

means for retrieving the first folder hierarchy from the host system;

means for tagging and modifying a first folder list from the retrieved first folder hierarchy;

means for sending the tagged and modified first folder list to the mobile data device;

means for retrieving the second folder hierarchy from the mobile data device;

means for tagging and modifying a second folder list from the retrieved second folder hierarchy;

means for comparing messages and folders within the first and second folder lists and identifying which messages have different folder locations within the first and second folder lists;

means for identifying messages from the first folder list that have been moved on the mobile data device and tagging the identified messages for movement on the host system;

means for identifying messages from the second folder list that have been moved on the host system and tagging the identified messages for movement on the mobile data device;

means for moving any messages that have been moved on the mobile data device to a corresponding folder location on the host system; and

means for sending a command to the mobile data device comprising the identified messages from the second list tagged for movement thereon.

14. The system for synchronizing message storage according to claim 13 wherein the host system comprises a redirector component that interfaces and synchronizes data between the mobile data device and the host system.

15. The system for synchronizing message storage according to claim 13 wherein the means for retrieving the first folder hierarchy from the host system is a redirector component associated with the host system.

16. The system for synchronizing message storage according to claim 13 wherein the means for retrieving the second folder hierarchy from the mobile data device is a redirector component associated with the host system.

17. The system for synchronizing data storage according to claim 13 wherein each message comprises a message identification tag and an assigned folder identification tag identifying the folder wherein the message is located.

18. The system for synchronizing data storage according to claim 17 wherein comparing messages and folders within the first and second folder lists and identifying which messages have different folder locations within the first and second folder lists further comprises:

means for checking each message in the first folder hierarchy retrieved from the host system for a message identification tag and an assigned folder identification tag;

means for checking each message in the second folder hierarchy retrieved from the mobile data device for a message identification tag and an assigned folder identification tag;

means for comparing the folder identification tags of each message within the first folder hierarchy retrieved from the host system against folder identification tags of each message within the second folder hierarchy retrieved from the mobile data device;

means for tagging a first set of messages retrieved from the host system comprising any messages having a different folder identification tag than the corresponding messages retrieved from the mobile data device;

means for tagging a second set of messages retrieved from the mobile data device comprising any messages having a different folder identification tag than the corresponding messages retrieved from the host system;

means for assigning a move flag to any messages within the first set of messages that have been moved on the mobile data device; and

means for assigning a move flag to any messages within the second set of messages that have been moved on the host system.

19. The system for synchronizing data storage according to claim 13 further comprising means for receiving a move indicator from the mobile data device when a message has been moved from one folder to another and thereafter directing the host system to initiate the same move.

20. The system for synchronizing message storage according to claim 13 further comprising means for receiving a move indicator when a message is moved on the host system from one folder to another and thereafter sending a move signal to the mobile data device to initiate the same move thereon.

21. The system for synchronizing data storage according to claim 13 wherein the synchronization is completed continuously over-the-air across a wireless network.

22. The system for synchronizing data storage according to claim 13 wherein the synchronization is completed in one bulk transmission.

23. The system for synchronizing data storage according to claim 13 wherein the synchronization is completed in several batch transmissions set to occur during non-peak network times of a wireless network.