Personal information management data synchronization

• US 8,209,437 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2009
• Issued: 06/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Spectrum Patents, Inc. (Brian Yates)
• Original Assignee: Rockliffe Systems, Inc.
• Inventors: Davies, John, Henders, Michael, Fitzpatrick, Rory
• Primary Examiner(s): WON, MICHAEL YOUNG
• Application Number:
  US12/567,725
• Publication Number:
  US 20100235434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,005 Days
• Field of Search: 709/220, 709/248, 709/203, 709/219, 709/225, 709/228, 709/229, 709/230, 709/246, 717/168
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/275 Synchronous replication

Abstract

A data management application that may be implemented in a mobile device to perform two-way synchronization of electronic messages and/or PIM data with a server device. The device may be a mobile device such as a mobile phone or Smartphone, as well as a personal digital assistant, notebook computer, or other mobile device communicating using any of several wireless protocols. PIM data may include PIM application objects or other data, including but not limited to calendar, contact, and task object data. The data management application may synchronize e-mail and PIM data on a client device with that of a server where the server and client utilize one or more different protocols.

Claims

1. A method for synchronizing data, comprising:

accessing a first data object stored on a client, the first data object having a first format associated with a client application, the first client configured to synchronize the first data object with a remote device using a first protocol;

generating an update request by an executable application at the client for a second data object stored on a server, the server configured to synchronize the second data object using a second protocol;

the update request having a second format associated with the second data object and sent by the executable application at the first client using the second protocol, the update request synchronizing the second data object with the first data object;

accessing a server identifier corresponding to a client identifier; and

transmitting the update request to the server, the update transmitted to the server associated with the server identifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data object and the second data object are personal information management data objects.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising performing a hash on a set of data objects stored at the client to determine changes to the set of data objects, the update request generated based on the hash.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first data object includes fewer fields that the second data object.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the update request for the second data object includes fields stored at the client and excluded from the first data object.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising modifying a queue of update requests to transmit to the server based on the number of messages in the queue.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein modifying the queue includes removing update requests based on an index for each update request.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising detecting an incomplete data object update occurred.

9. A method for synchronizing data, comprising:

receiving from a client and by a server an update request for a first data object having a first format and stored at the server, the first client configured to synchronize the first data object with a remote device using a first protocol, the update request associated with a second data object having a second format and stored at the client, the server configured to synchronize the second data object using a second protocol, the update request from the client received in the second protocol;

accessing a server identifier corresponding to a client identifier, the update transmitted to the server associated with the server identifier;

retrieving a client identifier in the update request; and

updating the first object associated with the client identifier.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

detecting an incomplete update to a data object; and

adding the incomplete update to an in-progress update queue.

11. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for synchronizing data, the method comprising:

accessing a first data object stored on a client, the first data object having a first format associated with a client application, the first client configured to synchronize the first data object with a remote device using a first protocol;

generating an update request by the program at the client for a second data object stored on a server, the server configured to synchronize the second data object using a second protocol, the update request having a second format associated with the second data object and sent by the program at the first client using the second protocol, the update request synchronizing the second data object with the first data object;

accessing a server identifier corresponding to a client identifier; and

transmitting the update request to the server, the update transmitted to the server associated with the server identifier.

12. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first data object and the second data object are personal information management data objects.

13. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, the method further comprising performing a hash on a set of data objects stored at the client to determine changes to the set of data objects, the update request generated based on the hash.

14. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, wherein the first data object includes fewer fields that the second data object.

15. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 14, wherein the update request for the second data object includes fields stored at the client and excluded from the first data object.

16. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, the method further comprising modifying a queue of update requests to transmit to the server based on the number of messages in the queue.

17. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein modifying the queue includes removing update requests based on an index for each update request.

18. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 11, the method further comprising detecting an incomplete data object update occurred.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having embodied thereon a program, the program being executable by a processor to perform a method for synchronizing data, the method comprising:

receiving from a client and by a server an update request for a first data object having a first format and stored at the server, the first client configured to synchronize the first data object with a remote device using a first protocol, the update request associated with a second data object having a second format and stored at the client, the server configured to synchronize the second data object using a second protocol, the update request from the client received in the second protocol;

accessing a server identifier corresponding to a client identifier, the update transmitted to the server associated with the server identifier;

retrieving a client identifier in the update request; and

updating the first object associated with the client identifier.

20. The non-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 19, the method further comprising:

detecting an incomplete update to a data object; and

adding the incomplete update to an in-progress update queue.