Synchronization methods and systems

• US 8,239,504 B2
• Filed: 01/07/2007
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Freedman, Gordon J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US11/650,728
• Publication Number:
  US 20080168126A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,039 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/206, 709/248, 713/156, 713/375, 707/100, 707/201, 707/E17.01, 707/E17.044
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/00 User-to-user messaging in packet-switching networks, transmitted according to store-and-forward or real-time protocols, e.g. e-mail
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1095 Replication or mirroring of data, e.g. scheduling or transport for data synchronisation between network nodes

Abstract

Systems, methods and computer readable media for synchronization of electronic message accounts. In one embodiment, a method includes receiving information to establish an electronic message account on a first data processing system, the electronic message account being defined by setup information, and synchronizing the setup information onto a store on a second data processing system. In another embodiment, a method includes receiving information to establish an electronic message account, defined by first setup information, on a host and synchronizing the first setup information onto a device when the device is coupled to the host for synchronization. Systems, other methods and computer readable media are also described.

Claims

1. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving information to establish a first electronic message account on a first client data processing system, the first electronic message account being defined by setup information, wherein the setup information comprises one of;

(a) a name;

(b) an email address;

(c) an instant messaging address;

(d) an email server to send email out;

(e) an email server to receive an email from; and

(f) a type of email server;

synchronizing the setup information to establish the first electronic message account onto a store on a second client data processing system the second data processing system storing a second electronic message account, wherein each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account is one of an email account or an instant message account, wherein the first and second data processing systems do not synchronize the second electronic message account from the second data processing system to the first data processing system, and wherein the second data processing system uses the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account to create and send electronic messages to another data processing system; and

synchronizing structured data in other stores comprising one of;

(a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) bookmarks, wherein the synchronizing of the structured data is a two way synchronization from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and from the second data processing system to the first data processing system.

2. The method as in claim 1 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device.

3. The method as in claim 1 wherein the first data processing system is a handheld device and the second data processing system is a host.

4. The method as in claim 2 wherein

the second electronic message account on the second data processing system is not synchronized even if the setup information for the second electronic message account has been changed on the first data processing system.

5. The method as in claim 2, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the second data processing system to establish a third electronic message account on the second data processing system, the third electronic message account being defined by additional setup information, and wherein the additional setup information is not synchronized to a store on the first data processing system.

6. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing executable program instructions which when executed cause a data processing system to perform a method comprising:

receiving information to establish a first electronic message account on a first client data processing system, the first electronic message account being defined by setup information, wherein the setup information comprises one of;

(a) a name;

(b) an email address;

(c) an instant messaging address;

(d) an email server to send email out;

(e) an email server to receive an email from; and

(f) a type of email server;

synchronizing the setup information to establish the first electronic message account onto a store on a second client data processing system, the second data processing system storing a second electronic message account, wherein each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account is one of an email account or an instant message account, wherein the first and second data processing systems do not synchronize the second electronic message account from the second data processing system to the first data processing system, and wherein the second data processing system uses the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account to create and send electronic messages to another data processing system; and

synchronizing structured data in other stores comprising one of;

(a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) bookmarks, wherein the synchronizing of the structured data is a two way synchronization from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and from the second data processing system to the first data processing system.

7. The medium as in claim 6 wherein the first data processing system is a host and the second data processing system is a handheld device.

8. The medium as in claim 6 wherein the first data processing system is a handheld device and the second data processing system is a host.

9. The medium as in claim 7 wherein the second electronic message account on the second data processing system is not synchronized even if the setup information for the second electronic message account has been changed on the first data processing system.

10. The medium as in claim 7, the method further comprising:

receiving information at the second data processing system to establish a third electronic message account on the second data processing system, the third electronic message account being defined by additional setup information, and wherein the additional setup information is not synchronized to a store on the first data processing system.

11. A data processing system comprising:

means for receiving information to establish a first electronic message account on a first client data processing system, the first electronic message account being defined by setup information, wherein the setup information comprises one of;

(a) a name;

(b) an email address;

(c) an instant messaging address;

(d) an email server to send email out;

(e) an email server to receive an email from; and

(f) a type of email server;

means for synchronizing the setup information to establish the first electronic message account onto a store on a second client data processing system, the second data processing system storing a second electronic message account, wherein each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account is one of an email account or an instant message account, wherein the first and second data processing systems do not synchronize the second electronic message account from the second data processing system to the first data processing system, and wherein the second data processing system uses the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account to create and send electronic messages to another data processing system; and

synchronizing structured data in other stores comprising one of;

(a) a contact database;

(b) a calendar database;

(c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) bookmarks, wherein the synchronizing of the structured data is a two way synchronization from the first data processing system to the second data processing system and from the second data processing system to the first data processing system.