Method and System for Establishing a User-Friendly Data Transfer Service Application Executing Within a Heterogeneous Distributed Service Application Execution Environment

Abstract

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods and systems for data transfer between electronic, hand-held devices, including cell phones, and computer systems, including servers and PCs, as well as component methods and systems of these data-transfer methods and systems. Component methods and systems of the present invention include secure links between various devices, enhancements to electronic hand-held devices that enable service applications to run continuously or intermittently on the devices, deployment of dynamically created service applications to electronic, hand-held devices, and various additional component methods and systems that facilitate the above-mentioned component methods and systems. One embodiment of the present invention is a robust, efficient, secure, and user-friendly method and system for transferring data between cell phones and personal computers.

1 . A method for providing a service-application-execution environment in a heterogeneous computing environment comprising electronic, hand-held devices, a server, and personal computers interconnected by multiple communications media and networks, the method comprising:
 deploying a dynamically created device-side service application on a plurality of electronic, hand-held devices, the device-side service application specifically tailored for deployment to the electronic, hand-held device and preconfigured to allow for communications with the server and, when multitasking facilities are not available to the device-side service application on the electronic, hand-held device, employing features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to establish a multitasking environment on the electronic, hand-held device; and   establishing secure connections between each electronic, hand-held device and the server.   
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1  wherein employing features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to establish a multitasking environment on the electronic, hand-held device further includes:
 using features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to provide for inter-process communication for processes associated with the electronic, hand-held device;   using features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to provide for persistent data storage for processes associated with the electronic, hand-held device; and   using features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to provide for launching and reawakening processes associated with the electronic, hand-held device.   
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 2  wherein features and functions used to provide for inter process communication include one or more of:
 an internal messaging facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   network messages;   memory local to the electronic, hand-held device; and   a remote-procedure-call facility within the electronic, hand-held device.   
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 2  wherein features and functions used to provide for persistent data storage include one or more of:
 an internal messaging facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   network messages;   memory local to the electronic, hand-held device;   server memory; and   server message queues.   
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 2  wherein features and functions used to provide for launching and reawakening processes include one or more of:
 an operating system or control program native to the electronic, hand-held device; an event handling facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   a scheduling and monitoring process running within the electronic, hand-held device; an timer facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   a monitor program running on the server; and   simulation by execution of processes on the server.   
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 1  wherein establishing a secure connection between an electronic, hand-held device and the sewer further includes:
 generating a public/private encryption-key pair by a client running on the electronic, hand-held device;   generating an identifier by the client running on the electronic, hand-held device; using a server public key included in the client to encrypt the generated public key and identifier and sending the encrypted generated public key and identifier to the server; receiving from the server an indication of whether or not the public key and identifier are accepted for communications, the indication digitally signed by the server;   using the server public key included in the client to verify that the indication was sent by the server; and   when the indication indicates acceptance of the generated public key and identifier, using the identifier as a client and/or device identifier for subsequent communications via the secure connection and using the public/private encryption-key pair to encrypt and decrypt messages and data exchanged with the server.   
   
   
       7 . A digital-image transfer service application running within a service-application execution environment created by the method of  claim 1 , the digital-image transfer service application transferring digital images captured by a digital camera included in a cell phone through the server to user device. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 1  wherein the dynamically created device-side service application includes credentials tailored for each of the plurality of electronic, hand held devices, said credentials configured to facilitate communication between the plurality of electronic, hand held devices and a server. 
   
   
       9 . An apparatus for providing a service-application-execution environment in a heterogeneous computing environment comprising electronic, hand-held devices, a server, and personal computers interconnected by multiple communications media and networks, the apparatus comprising:
 means for deploying a dynamically created device-side service application on a plurality of electronic, hand-held devices, the device-side service application specifically tailored for deployment to the electronic, hand-held device and preconfigured to allow for communications with the server and, when multitasking facilities are not available to the device-side service application on the electronic, hand-held device, means for employing features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to establish a multitasking environment on the electronic, hand-held device; and   means for establishing secure connections between each electronic, hand-held device and the server.   
   
   
       10 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the means for employing features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to establish a multitasking environment on the electronic, hand-held device further includes:
 means for using features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to provide for inter-process communication for processes associated with the electronic, hand-held device;   means for using features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to provide for persistent data storage for processes associated with the electronic, hand-held device; and   means for using features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to provide for launching and reawakening processes associated with the electronic, hand-held device.   
   
   
       11 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein features and functions used to provide for inter process communication include one or more of:
 an internal messaging facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   network messages;   memory local to the electronic, hand-held device; and   a remote-procedure-call facility within the electronic, hand-held device.   
   
   
       12 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein features and functions used to provide for persistent data storage include one or more of:
 an internal messaging facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   network messages;   memory local to the electronic, hand-held device;   server memory; and   server message queues.   
   
   
       13 . The apparatus of  claim 10  wherein features and functions used to provide for launching and reawakening processes include one or more of:
 an operating system or control program native to the electronic, hand-held device; an event handling facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   a scheduling and monitoring process running within the electronic, hand-held device; an timer facility within the electronic, hand-held device;   a monitor program running on the server; and   simulation by execution of processes on the server.   
   
   
       14 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the means for establishing a secure connection between an electronic, hand-held device and the sewer further includes:
 means for generating a public/private encryption-key pair by a client running on the electronic, hand-held device;   means for generating an identifier by the client running on the electronic, hand-held device; using a server public key included in the client to encrypt the generated public key and identifier and sending the encrypted generated public key and identifier to the server; receiving from the server an indication of whether or not the public key and identifier are accepted for communications, the indication digitally signed by the server;   means for using the server public key included in the client to verify that the indication was sent by the server; and   when the indication indicates acceptance of the generated public key and identifier, means for using the identifier as a client and/or device identifier for subsequent communications via the secure connection and using the public/private encryption-key pair to encrypt and decrypt messages and data exchanged with the server.   
   
   
       15 . A digital-image transfer service application running within a service-application execution environment created by the apparatus of  claim 9 , wherein the digital-image transfer service application is configured to transfer digital images captured by a digital camera included in a cell phone through the server to user device. 
   
   
       16 . The apparatus of  claim 9  wherein the dynamically created device-side service application includes credentials tailored for each of the plurality of electronic, hand held devices, said credentials configured to facilitate communication between the plurality of electronic, hand held devices and a server. 
   
   
       17 . A device for providing a service-application-execution environment in a heterogeneous computing environment comprising electronic, hand-held devices, a server, and personal computers interconnected by multiple communications media and networks, the device comprising:
 a processor for deploying a dynamically created device-side service application on a plurality of electronic, hand-held devices, the device-side service application specifically tailored for deployment to the electronic, hand-held device and preconfigured to allow for communications with the server and, when multitasking facilities are not available to the device-side service application on the electronic, hand-held device, employing features and functions provided by one or more of the electronic, hand-held device, server, and a network to establish a multitasking environment on the electronic, hand-held device; and   a processor for establishing secure connections between each electronic, hand-held device and the server.   
   
   
       18 . The device of  claim 17  wherein the dynamically created device-side service application includes credentials tailored for each of the plurality of electronic, hand held devices, said credentials configured to facilitate communication between the plurality of electronic, hand held devices and a server.