Hybrid replication scheme with data and actions for wireless devices

#The following related patent applications, all of which have at least one common inventor and are commonly assigned, are hereby incorporated by reference as if set forth in their entirety: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/928,646, entitled “PERSONALIZED DATA REPLICATION FOR WIRELESS DEVICES USING FILTERS,” filed concurrently; U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/928,650, entitled “PROACTIVE DATA REPLICATION FOR WIRELESS DEVICES,” filed concurrently; and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/928,964, entitled “LOCATION BASED DATA REPLICATION FOR WIRELESS DEVICES,” filed concurrently.

#1. Technical Field

#The invention relates to a method of synchronizing a local data storage on a wireless computing device with a remote data storage on a remote server by transmitting both data objects and actions that have occurred to those data objects.

#The invention can be better understood with reference to the following figures. The components in the figures are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating the principles of the invention. Moreover, in the figures, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the different views.

#FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communication system, including two exemplary mobile computing devices that practice the method of the disclosed subject matter.

#FIG. 2 is a diagram of a typical personal digital assistant (PDA) that implements the claimed subject matter.

#Although described with particular reference to mobile wireless computing, the following method is applicable to a number of other industries such as factory inventory management systems and distributed database management systems. The method of the claimed subject matter may be used advantageously in many other data networking settings to maximize limited data bandwidth, whether wireless or not, and to maximize available computer memory.

#Turning now to FIG. 1, illustrated is a block diagram of a typical communication system 100 that can support the method of the disclosed subject matter. A communication tower 105 provides multiple wireless, communication paths such as a communications path 115 to a personal digital assistant (PDA) 101 and a communications path 117 to a laptop computer 103. The communication system 100, PDA 101 and laptop computer 103 are examples of types of mobile computing systems and devices that can support the method of the invention. For the sake of convenience, a computing device, whether mobile or not, that employs wireless communication is referred to a “wireless computing device.” Many types of mobile devices, both already in use and yet to be invented, can benefit from the claimed subject matter. For example, many cellular phones in use today can employ the disclosed method to facilitate data and Internet access. Another type of system that can employ the disclosed method is wireless, electronic badges and transmitters and receiver guns that are used to communicate with the badges.

#The communication tower 105 is connected, through either a private or public communication line 119 to a server 107. Of course, as should be obvious to those with skill in the art, the communication line 119 may or may not be wireless, i.e. employing wireless communication. The server 107 executes portions of the claimed subject matter and is described in more detail below. The server 107 is coupled to a local area network (LAN) 121, which is attached to a computing device 109 and a computing device 111. The network 121 provides access to the Internet 113 for the server 107 and the computing devices 109 and 111. The PDA 101 and the laptop computer 103 therefore also have access to the Internet 113 via the network 121, the server 107, the communication path 119, and either communication path 115 or communication path 117.