Bypassing uploading of data from a wireless device using outbound attachment caching

• US 7,970,881 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Issued: 06/28/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Ocampo, Nestor
• Primary Examiner(s): Jacobs; Lashonda T
• Application Number:
  US12/070,637
• Publication Number:
  US 20090210502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,225 Days
• Field of Search: 709/223, 709/224, 709/203, 709/206, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219
• US Class Current: 709/223
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

A method comprising: storing outbound attachments uploaded from a wireless device in a cache memory of a wireless service; receiving, over the wireless network, an electronic message that includes an attachment from a wireless device; determining whether the attachment is stored within the cache memory; and sending the electronic message to one or more addressees based on the determining.

Claims

1. A method implemented by a wireless device, the method comprising:

determining, with synchronization logic executed by a processor of the wireless device, whether an attachment of an electronic message to be sent from the wireless device is stored in a first memory of the wireless device or a second memory of the wireless device, the first memory configured to automatically replicate data stored in the first memory to a wireless data service;

sending the electronic message to the wireless data service without the attachment responsive to determining that the attachment is stored in the first memory;

sending the electronic message to the wireless data service without the attachment responsive to determining that the attachment is stored in the second memory and that the attachment was previously sent to the wireless data service; and

sending the electronic message to the wireless data service with the attachment responsive to determining that the attachment is stored in the second memory and that the attachment was not previously sent to the data service.

2. The method as in claim 1, wherein the first memory is built into the wireless device and the second memory is an expandable memory that is removable from the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising maintaining a list on the wireless device having identification information of previously sent file attachments, wherein the list indicates file attachments currently stored in a cache memory of the wireless data service.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the identification information includes a file name and a checksum of file size.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic message comprises an email message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the electronic message is directed to a social networking site and the attachment comprises a file to be posted on the social networking site.

7. A method implemented by a server, the method comprising:

receiving, at the server, an electronic message over a wireless network intended to include an attachment originating from an expandable memory inserted in a wireless device;

determining whether the attachment is stored in a cache memory with a software program executed by a processor of the server;

instructing the wireless device not to upload the attachment responsive to determining that the attachment is located in the cache memory;

uploading the attachment from the wireless device responsive to determining that the attachment is not located in the cache memory; and

sending the electronic message with the attachment either retrieved from the cache memory or uploaded from the wireless device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining comprises comparing identification information of the attachment with identification information of files currently stored in the cache memory.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the identification information includes a file name and a checksum of file size.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic message may originate from the wireless device or from a different wireless device.

11. The method of claim 7, further comprising updating the cache memory periodically according to a cache update policy.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the cache update policy includes a time-based expiration to delete unused data stored in the cache memory after a period of time.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the cache update policy includes maintaining data stored in the cache memory for as long as the attachment is stored on the expandable memory and the expandable memory is inserted in the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising synchronizing content stored in a built-in memory of the wireless device with data stored in the cache memory by periodically copying the data from the built-in memory over the wireless network to the cache memory.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising synchronizing data stored on the expandable memory with the cache memory, wherein data deleted from the expandable memory is also deleted from the cache memory.

16. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic message comprises an email message.

17. The method of claim 7, wherein the electronic message is directed to a social networking site and the attachment comprises a file to be posted on the social networking site.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a wireless service including;

a dispatcher for sending and receiving electronic messages over a wireless network;

a server coupled to the dispatcher to manage the electronic messages;

a user database to store user data;

a cache memory to store attachment data attached to the electronic messages originating from an expandable memory inserted in the wireless device; and

a synchronization logic for maintaining the attachment data in the cache memory as long as corresponding data is stored on the expandable memory and the expandable memory is inserted in the wireless device.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the cache memory further comprises a cache snoop logic for determining whether the attachment data is currently stored within the cache memory.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the cache snoop logic compares identification information of the attachment data with identification information of files currently stored in the cache memory.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the identification information includes a file name and a checksum of file size.

22. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the server sends electronic messages to one or more addressees with an attachment either retrieved from the cache memory or uploaded from the wireless device based on whether the attachment is stored within the cache memory.

23. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the cache memory further comprises a cache policy logic to periodically update the cache memory according to a cache update policy.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the cache policy logic updates the cache memory based on an expiration policy to delete data stored in the cache memory after a period of time.

25. The apparatus of claim 18, further comprising a second synchronization logic to synchronize data stored in a built-in memory of the wireless device with the wireless service by periodically copying the data over the wireless network to the cache memory.

26. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electronic messages comprise email messages.

27. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the electronic messages are directed to one or more social networking sites and the attachment data comprises a file to be posted on the social networking sites.

28. A system comprising:

a wireless network;

a wireless device comprising;

a transceiver to send and receive information over the wireless network;

an electronic messages client to manage electronic messages;

a built-in memory to store information;

an expandable memory to store data; and

a first synchronization logic to notify the wireless service whenever data stored on the expandable memory is deleted; and

a wireless service comprising;

a dispatcher for sending and receiving the electronic messages over the wireless network;

a user database to store user information;

a server coupled to the dispatcher to manage the electronic messages;

a cache memory to store attachment data attached to the electronic messages received from the expandable memory inserted in the wireless device; and

a second synchronization logic for maintaining the attachment data in the cache memory as long as the attachment data is stored on the expandable memory and the expandable memory is inserted in the wireless device.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the server sends electronic messages to one or more addressees with attachment data either retrieved from the cache memory or uploaded from the wireless device based on whether the attachment data is stored within the cache memory.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the wireless device further comprises a list containing identification information of previously sent attachments, wherein the list indicates file attachments currently stored in the cache memory of the wireless service.

31. The system of claim 28, wherein the electronic messages comprise email messages.

32. The system of claim 28, wherein the electronic messages are directed to one or more social networking sites and the attachment data comprises a file to be posted on the social networking sites.