Technique for synchronizing data with a mobile device based on a synchronization context

• US 8,121,585 B2
• Filed: 08/25/2006
• Issued: 02/21/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Commarford, Patrick, Griffin, David Lee, Martinez, Chris J., Woodward, Steven G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Batista, Marcos
• Application Number:
  US11/467,380
• Publication Number:
  US 20080049714A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,006 Days
• Field of Search: 455418-420
• US Class Current: 455/418
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/105 involving programming of a portable memory device, e.g. IC cards, "electronic purses"
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

The present invention discloses a technique for a user to control a manner in which a data store of a mobile device synchronizes with a remotely located data store. More specifically, synchronization actions can be automatically executed by comparing combinations of user modifiable device settings against device-specific conditions. Device conditions can include device resources, timing parameters, and user-defined criteria, such as data priority, device location, and application-specific conditions. In one embodiment, the invention provides a means to override an application'"'"'s existing synchronization rules. This permits synchronization for a device that includes multiple applications to be centrally and consistently handled, even when the applications normally lack synchronization control capabilities.

Claims

1. A method for a mobile device to synchronize data comprising:

permitting users via a graphical user interface to define a plurality of different custom contexts independent of a plurality of applications of the mobile device, wherein each custom context is able to be evaluated by a context engine of the mobile device as being true or false, wherein each custom context permits a user to establish via the graphical user interface a plurality of different dynamic conditions of the mobile device and user configurable thresholds for the dynamic conditions;

associating via the graphical user interface each custom context with a user selected synchronization action, wherein the synchronization actions apply to any of the plurality of applications of the mobile device;

a resource monitor continuously monitoring values of the dynamic conditions of the mobile device;

a context engine running on the mobile device continuously evaluating the custom contexts utilizing the values of the dynamic conditions provided by the resource monitor;

whenever any custom context evaluates as TRUE, the mobile device triggering the associated set of synchronization actions, wherein at least one of the set of synchronization actions are application-specific actions to be taken by a specific one of the plurality of applications executing upon the mobile device, wherein application specific synchronization rules are overridden by those established by the custom contexts and associated with synchronization actions; and

wherein the context engine, a synchronization engine, and the resource monitor are computer program products that are stored in a tangible medium executing on hardware of the mobile device and that are implemented independent of any of the plurality of applications of the mobile device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein for each custom context, the user is further able to specify via the graphical user interface combinatory logic for evaluating the set of dynamic conditions and user configurable thresholds in combination with each other, said combinatory logic comprising at least an “

AND” and

an “

OR”

operator, and wherein at least a portion of the dynamic conditions established for the custom contexts comprise application specific conditions and application independent resource consumption conditions of mobile device resources, wherein said application specific conditions are usage conditions specific to different ones of a plurality of application of the mobile device, wherein said application independent resource consumption conditions indicate a state of a physical component of the mobile device or a physical location of the mobile device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic conditions are associated with at least one of a resource level for a resource of the mobile device and an environmental condition of an external environment in which the mobile device is located, wherein the mobile device is configured to automatically detect the environmental condition.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamic conditions include a power source type, a battery level, a network connection type, a level of available bandwidth, a CPU load, a service cost associated with the synchronization action, and a geographic location of the mobile device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the method permits the synchronization of plurality of applications of the mobile device to be centrally and consistently handled via the graphical user interface even when at least some of the applications lack application-specific synchronization control capabilities, wherein a plurality of standard contexts are established for the device, each context being associated with a plurality of standard settings and setting values, wherein user selected ones of the plurality of contexts are selectively active for the mobile device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the synchronization action comprise:

an action to send email from the mobile device, an action to receive email to the mobile device, and an action to synchronize a specific document being used by an application executing on the mobile device with an external data source etc.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

defining via the graphical user interface a plurality of different synchronization profiles, each synchronization profile including a plurality of profile specific custom contexts associated with it, wherein different ones of the synchronization profiles can be dynamically activated and deactivated for the mobile device in accordance with user established settings.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the method utilizes a framework that is independent of any particular synchronization application or device, and wherein the graphical user interface permits server-specific synchronization actions to be associated with any of the different custom contexts, wherein a plurality of different servers are able to be synchronized with the mobile device via the graphical user interface, said method further comprising:

evaluating the combinatory logic of each active one of the custom contexts; and

determining whether to automatically initiate a synchronization action based upon the results of the evaluating step.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

intercepting an attempted application-specific synchronization action fired by one of the plurality of applications executing upon the mobile device;

considering the attempted application-specific synchronization action as one of the different dynamic conditions of one of the custom contexts; and

executing the attempted application-specific synchronization action only when the custom context evaluates as TRUE.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

permitting specific levels of shared resources of the mobile device to be reserved by applications executing upon the mobile device, wherein the levels of shared resources reserved by the applications are one of the dynamic conditions for determining whether the synchronization context evaluates as TRUE.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein said steps of claim 1 are steps performed automatically by at least one machine in accordance with at least one computer program having a plurality of code sections that are executable by the at least one machine, and wherein at least one of the application specific conditions comprise a condition triggered by a user attempt to access a collaborative document from within one of the plurality of applications executing upon the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein for each associated synchronization action, a user can configure via the graphical user interface timing for the synchronization action in relationship to a time at which the associated context evaluated as TRUE, wherein triggering of the synchronization action causes the synchronization action to execute within a user designated time window, wherein use of the designed time windows as opposed to forcing immediate execution or execution at a specific time permits multiple synchronization actions to be performed concurrently to conserve mobile device resources.

13. A mobile device comprising:

a data store;

a user interface configured to permit a user to establish a plurality of different contexts independent of a plurality of applications on the mobile device, each context is able to be evaluated by a context engine of the mobile device as being true or false, wherein each context permits a user to establish via the user interface a plurality of different dynamic conditions of the mobile device and user configurable thresholds for the dynamic conditions, wherein the user interface permits a user to associate each custom context with a user selected synchronization action, wherein the synchronization actions apply to any of the plurality of applications of the mobile device, wherein at least a portion of the dynamic conditions established for the custom contexts comprise application specific conditions and application independent resource consumption conditions of mobile device resources, wherein said application specific conditions are usage conditions specific to different ones of a plurality of application of the mobile device, wherein said application independent resource consumption conditions indicate a state of a physical component of the mobile device or a physical location of the mobile device;

a resource monitor configured to continuously monitor values of the dynamic conditions of the mobile device;

a condition engine configured to intercept an attempted application-specific synchronization actions fired by at least one of the plurality of applications executing upon the mobile device;

a context engine running on the mobile device configured to continuously evaluate the context utilizing the values of the dynamic conditions provided by the resource monitor, wherein the attempted application-specific synchronization action is considered as one of the dynamic conditions; and

a synchronization engine configured to automatically and selectively synchronize the mobile device responsive to results of the comparisons between the condition values and synchronization settings, wherein whenever any context evaluates as TRUE, the synchronization engine triggers the associated set of synchronization actions, wherein the context engine, the synchronization engine, the condition engine and the resource monitor are implemented independent of any of the plurality of applications of the mobile device.

14. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein the user interface is a graphical user interface of the mobile device, and wherein at least one of the set of synchronization actions are application-specific actions to be taken by a specific one of the plurality of applications executing upon the mobile device.

15. The mobile device of claim 13, further wherein the context engine evaluates combinatory logic that related the plurality of condition values, wherein the result of the evaluation determines whether to automatically synchronize the mobile device, wherein triggering of the synchronization action causes the synchronization action to execute within a user designated time window, wherein use of the designed time windows as opposed to forcing immediate execution or execution at a specific time permits multiple synchronization actions to be performed concurrently to conserve mobile device resources.

16. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein application specific synchronization rules are overridden by those established by the contexts and that are associated with synchronization actions.

17. The mobile device of claim 13, wherein said synchronization engine handles synchronization for a plurality of different applications, and wherein at least a portion of the different applications lack an application specific mechanism to control synchronization of application data.

18. A computer program product for a mobile device to synchronize data the computer program product comprising:

a non-transitory computer usable storage having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising;

computer usable program code operable to permit users via a graphical user interface to define a plurality of different custom contexts independent of a plurality of application on the mobile device, wherein each custom context is able to be evaluated by a context engine of the mobile device as being true or false, wherein each custom context permits a user to establish via the graphical user interface a plurality of different dynamic conditions of the mobile device and user configurable thresholds for the dynamic conditions, wherein at least a portion of the dynamic conditions established for the custom contexts comprise application specific conditions and application independent resource consumption conditions of mobile device resources, wherein said application specific conditions are usage conditions specific to different ones of the plurality of application of the mobile device, wherein said application independent resource consumption conditions indicate a state of a physical component of the mobile device or a physical location of the mobile device;

computer usable program code operable to associate via the graphical user interface each custom context with a user selected synchronization action, wherein the synchronization actions apply to any of a plurality of applications of the mobile device, wherein the graphical user interface permits the user to associate, with at least one custom context, only a portion of synchronization actions performed by any one of the plurality of applications of the mobile device;

computer usable program code operable to, via a resource monitor, continuously monitor values of the dynamic conditions the mobile device;

computer usable program code operable to, via a context engine running on the mobile device, continuously evaluate the custom context utilizing the values of the dynamic conditions provided by the resource monitor;

computer usable program code operable to whenever any custom context evaluates as TRUE, trigger the associated set of synchronization actions, wherein the context engine, the synchronization engine, wherein at least one of the set of synchronization actions are application-specific actions to be taken by a specific one of the plurality of applications executing upon the mobile device; and

wherein, the context engine, the synchronization engine, and the resource monitor are computer program products that are stored in a tangible medium executing on hardware of the mobile device and that are implemented independent of any of the plurality of applications of the mobile device.

19. The computer program product of claim 18, wherein the user is further able to specify via the graphical user interface combinatory logic for evaluating the set of dynamic conditions and user configurable thresholds in combination with each other, said combinatory logic comprising at least an “

AND” and

an “

OR”

operator, said computer program product further comprising;

computer usable program code operable to intercept an attempted application-specific synchronization action fired by one of the plurality of applications executing upon the mobile device, considering the attempted application-specific synchronization action one of the different dynamic conditions of one of the custom contexts, executing the attempted application-specific synchronization action only when the custom context evaluates as TRUE.