Utilizing mobile device functionality from remote computers

• US 8,081,963 B2
• Filed: 02/12/2008
• Issued: 12/20/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Aftab, Omar, Jafry, Syed Mansoor
• Primary Examiner(s): SHEDRICK, CHARLES TERRELL
• Application Number:
  US12/029,567
• Publication Number:
  US 20090203402A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,407 Days
• Field of Search: 455/419, 455/557, 455/466
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/08 specially adapted for terminal emulation, e.g. Telnet
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements

Abstract

Various technologies and techniques are disclosed for utilizing mobile device information and functionality from separate computing devices. A synchronization operation is performed to update a data store with communication information from a mobile device. The synchronization operation is performed wirelessly with the mobile device. A user of a separate computing device can access the communication information stored in the data store separately from the mobile device. The user of the separate computing device can remotely initiate operations on the mobile device from the separate computing device. For example, the user can initiate the sending of text messages through the mobile device from the separate computing device. As another example, the user can initiate the placing of a telephone call through the mobile device from the separate computing device.

Claims

1. A tangible computer-readable storage medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform steps comprising:

performing a synchronization operation to update a data store with a copy of communication information from a mobile device of a user, the synchronization operation being performed wirelessly with the mobile device;

enabling the user to access the data store and view the copy of the communication information using a separate computing device, the copy of the communication information being stored in the data store remotely from the mobile device and the separate computing device;

enabling the user to view communication activities that have occurred on the mobile device using the separate computing device and to select a text message or call received by the mobile device from the copy of the communication information stored in the data store; and

enabling the user to remotely initiate operations on the mobile device from the separate computing device for responding to a selected text message or a selected call.

2. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the copy of the communication information contents of text messages received by the mobile device.

3. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selected text message is a short message service (SMS) message.

4. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the selected text message is a multimedia message service (MMS) message that includes one or more multimedia objects.

5. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein:

the copy of the communication information includes a missed calls list; and

the selected call is selected from the missed calls list.

6. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein:

the copy of the communication information includes a call history list; and

the selected call is selected from the call history list.

7. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions enable the user to initiate sending a reply to a selected text message through the mobile device from the separate computing device by:

receiving the reply to the selected text message composed by the user using the separate computing device;

placing the reply to the selected message in a server-side outbox; and

synchronizing the reply to the selected text message to an outbox of the mobile device over a wireless connection for causing the mobile device to send the reply to the selected text message.

8. The tangible computer-readable storage medium of claim 1, wherein the computer-executable instructions enable the user to initiate placing a call through the mobile device from the separate computing device when the separate computing device and the mobile device are physically located in different countries.

9. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving, by a server over a network, message details for a text message to be sent through a mobile device of a user, the message details having been input by the user using a separate computing device;

receiving, at the server from the separate computing device, a selection to send the text message through the mobile device of the user;

placing the text message in a server-side outbox; and

synchronizing, by the server over a wireless connection, the text message placed in the server-side outbox down to an outbox of the mobile device of the user for causing the text message to be sent by the mobile device of the user.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the message details include a telephone number of a target recipient of the text message to be sent through the mobile device of the user.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the text message to be sent through the mobile device of the user is a reply to a text message received by the mobile device of the user.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing, by the server, a copy of the text message sent by the mobile device of the user in a server-side sent items folder.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein the text message to be sent through the mobile device of the user is a short message service (SMS) message.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the text message to be sent through the mobile device of the user is a multimedia message service (MMS) message that includes one or more multimedia objects.

15. A method comprising the steps of:

performing a synchronization operation to update a data store with a copy of communication information from a mobile device of a user, the synchronization operation being performed wirelessly with the mobile device;

enabling the user to access the data store and view the copy of the communication information using a separate computing device, the copy of the communication information being stored in the data store remotely from the mobile device and the separate computing device;

receiving a selection of a call from a third party received by the mobile device from the copy of the communication information stored in the data store, the selection made by the user using the separate computing device;

sending a telephone number of the third party corresponding to the call selected by the user to the mobile device for causing the mobile device to initiate a dialing process to place a telephone call to the telephone number of the third party;

maintaining a connection with the mobile device and the separate computing device simultaneously;

receiving one or more data packets from the mobile device for transmission to the separate computing device, the one or more data packets received from the mobile device containing a spoken voice of the third party; and

sending one or more data packets to the mobile device for transmission to the third party, the one or more data packets sent to the mobile device containing a spoken voice of the user of the separate computing device.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

receiving data packets from the mobile device and sending data packets to the mobile device until the telephone call is terminated.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the copy of the communication information includes a missed calls list; and

the telephone number is programmatically selected when the user selects the call from the third party from the missed calls list.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein:

the copy of the communication information includes a call history list; and

the telephone number is programmatically selected when the user selects the call from the third party from the call history list.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the dialing process is initiated by the mobile device when the separate computing device is physically located remotely from the mobile device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the separate computing device and the mobile device are physically located in different countries.