Synchronization methods and systems

• US 8,375,112 B2
• Filed: 08/03/2012
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• 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 F
• Assistant Examiner(s): YI, DAVID
• Application Number:
  US13/566,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20120317216A1
• Time in Patent Office: 193 Days
• Field of Search: 709/202, 709/206, 709/221, 709/248
• 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, by a first client data processing system during synchronization with a second client data processing system, setup information to establish a first electronic message account on the first client data processing system;

storing, by the first client data processing system, the received setup information for the first electronic message account and setup information for a second electronic message account; and

transmitting, and receiving and storing, by the first client data processing system during the synchronization, structured data in at least one of;

(a) a contact database, (b) a calendar database, (c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) a bookmarks database, wherein synchronization of the structured data is a two way synchronization including the first data processing system transmitting structured data to the second data processing system and receiving structured data from the second data processing system,

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 setup information for each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account comprises one of (a) a name, (b) an email address, (c) an instant messaging address, (d) an email server to which to send email, (e) an email server from which to receive email, and (f) a type of email server,

wherein the first client data processing system creates and sends electronic messages to another data processing system using each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account, and

wherein the first client data processing system does not synchronize the second electronic message account with the second client data processing system.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client data processing system is a handheld device and the second client data processing system is a host.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first client data processing system is a host and the second client data processing system is a handheld device.

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

receiving, by the first client data processing system during synchronization with a second client data processing system, setup information to establish a first electronic message account on the first client data processing system;

storing, by the first client data processing system, the received setup for the a first electronic message account and setup information for a second electronic message account; and

transmitting, and receiving and storing, by the first client data processing system during the synchronization, structured data in at least one of;

(a) a contact database, (b) a calendar database, (c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) a bookmarks database, wherein synchronization of the structured data is a two way synchronization including the first data processing system transmitting structured data to the second data processing system and receiving structured data from the second data processing system,

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 setup information for each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account comprises one of (a) a name, (b) an email address, (c) an instant messaging address, (d) an email server to which to send email, (e) an email server from which to receive email, and (f) a type of email server,

wherein the first client data processing system creates and sends electronic messages to another data processing system using each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account, and

wherein the first client data processing system does not synchronize the second electronic message account with the second client data processing system.

5. The medium of claim 4, wherein the first client data processing system is a handheld device and the second client data processing system is a host.

6. The medium of claim 4, wherein the first client data processing system is a host and the second client data processing system is a handheld device.

7. A first client data processing system comprising:

a processing device, wherein the processing device executes instructions that cause the first client data processing system to

receive, during synchronization with a second client data processing system, setup information to establish a first electronic message account on the first client data processing system;

store the received setup information for the first electronic message account and setup information for a second electronic message account; and

transmit, and receive and store, during the synchronization, structured data in at least one of;

(a) a contact database, (b) a calendar database, (c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) a bookmarks database, wherein synchronization of the structured data is a two way synchronization including the first data processing system transmitting structured data to the second data processing system and receiving structured data from the second data processing system,

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 setup information for each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account comprises one of (a) a name, (b) an email address, (c) an instant messaging address, (d) an email server to which to send email, (e) an email server from which to receive email, and (f) a type of email server,

wherein the first client data processing system creates and sends electronic messages to another data processing system using each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account, and

wherein the first client data processing system does not synchronize the second electronic message account with the second client data processing system.

8. The first client data processing system of claim 7, wherein the first client data processing system is a handheld device and the second client data processing system is a host.

9. The first client data processing system of claim 7, wherein the first client data processing system is a host and the second client data processing system is a handheld device.

10. A machine implemented method comprising:

receiving, by a first client data processing system during synchronization with a second client data processing system, setup information to establish a first electronic message account on the first client data processing system;

storing, by the first client data processing system, the received setup information for the first electronic message account and setup information for a second electronic message account; and

transmitting, and receiving and storing, by the first client data processing system during the synchronization, structured data in at least one of;

(a) a contact database, (b) a calendar database, (c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) a bookmarks database, wherein synchronization of the structured data is a two way synchronization including the first data processing system transmitting structured data to the second data processing system and receiving structured data from the second data processing system,

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 setup information for each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account comprises an email address,

wherein the first client data processing system creates and sends electronic messages to another data processing system using each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account, and

wherein the first client data processing system does not synchronize the second electronic message account with the second client data processing system.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first client data processing system is a handheld device and the second client data processing system is a host.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the first client data processing system is a host and the second client data processing system is a handheld device.

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

receiving, by the first client data processing system during synchronization with a second client data processing system, setup information to establish a first electronic message account on the first client data processing system;

storing, by the first client data processing system, the received setup for the a first electronic message account and setup information for a second electronic message account; and

transmitting, and receiving and storing, by the first client data processing system during the synchronization, structured data in at least one of;

(a) a contact database, (b) a calendar database, (c) a notes database, (d) a To Do database, and (e) a bookmarks database, wherein synchronization of the structured data is a two way synchronization including the first data processing system transmitting structured data to the second data processing system and receiving structured data from the second data processing system,

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 setup information for each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account comprises an email address,

wherein the first client data processing system creates and sends electronic messages to another data processing system using each of the first electronic message account and the second electronic message account, and

wherein the first client data processing system does not synchronize the second electronic message account with the second client data processing system.

14. The medium of claim 13, wherein the first client data processing system is a handheld device and the second client data processing system is a host.

15. The medium of claim 13, wherein the first client data processing system is a host and the second client data processing system is a handheld device.