Communications system providing reduced access latency and related methods

Abstract

A communications system may include data storage devices for storing data files, and mobile wireless communications devices (MWCDs) generating access requests for the data files. The data storage devices and MWCDs may each use one or more different operating protocols. Each data file may be associated with a respective MWCD and have a unique identification (UID) associated therewith. The system may also include a protocol interface device including a protocol converter module for communicating with the MWCDs using respective operating protocols thereof, and a protocol engine module for communicating with the data storage devices using respective operating protocols thereof. The protocol engine module may also poll the data storage devices for UIDs of data files stored thereon, and cooperate with the protocol converter module to provide UIDs for respective data files to the MWCDs upon receiving access requests therefrom.

1 - 33 . (canceled) 
     
     
         34 . A communications system comprising:
 a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices, each configured to use at least one of a plurality of different operating protocols for accessing electronic mail (email);   a plurality of email data storage devices configured to
 store email data files associated with respective mobile wireless communications devices, each email data file having a unique identification (UID) associated therewith, and 
 use at least one of the plurality of different operating protocols; 
   a protocol converter configured to communicate with each of said plurality of mobile wireless communications devices using respective operating protocols thereof; and   a protocol engine configured to
 communicate with said plurality of email data storage devices using respective operating protocols thereof, 
 initiate polling, at a first time and irrespective of communications with a given mobile wireless communication device, of said email data storage devices for UIDs of email data files stored thereon to maintain a UID list, and 
 cooperate with said protocol converter to provide the UID list to the respective mobile wireless communications devices upon receiving access requests therefrom so that respective ones of the email data files are to be retrieved at a second time different from the first time. 
   
     
     
         35 . The communications system of  claim 34  wherein said protocol engine is configured to detect new email data files stored on said email data storage devices based upon UIDs thereof, and wherein said protocol engine is configured to cooperate with said protocol converter to send alert notifications to respective mobile wireless communications devices upon detecting new email data files therefor. 
     
     
         36 . The communications system of  claim 34  further comprising a memory coupled to said protocol engine configured to store the UIDs. 
     
     
         37 . The communications system of  claim 34  wherein said protocol engine is configured to poll said email data storage devices based upon a static polling interval. 
     
     
         38 . The communications system of  claim 34  wherein said protocol engine is configured to poll said email data storage devices based upon an adaptive polling interval. 
     
     
         39 . The communications device of  claim 34  wherein said protocol converter and said protocol engine are configured to communicate using a common interface protocol able to represent a desired number of protocol-supported elements for a desired operating protocol. 
     
     
         40 . The communications system of  claim 39  wherein the common interface protocol is based upon a Web-based distributed authoring and versioning (WebDAV) protocol. 
     
     
         41 . The communications system of  claim 34  further comprising a wide area network (WAN) connecting at least one of said wireless mobile communications devices with said protocol converter. 
     
     
         42 . The communications system of  claim 34  further comprising a wide area network (WAN) connecting at least one of said email data storage devices with said protocol engine. 
     
     
         43 . A protocol interface device for a communications system comprising a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices, each configured to use at least one of a plurality of different operating protocols for accessing electronic mail (email); and a plurality of email data storage devices configured to store email data files associated with respective mobile wireless communications devices, each email data file having a unique identification (UID) associated therewith, and use at least one of the plurality of different operating protocols; the protocol interface device comprising:
 a protocol converter configured to communicate with each of the plurality of mobile wireless communications devices using respective operating protocols thereof; and   a protocol engine configured to
 communicate with the plurality of email data storage devices using respective operating protocols thereof, 
 initiate polling, at a first time and irrespective of communications with a given mobile wireless communication device, of the email data storage devices for UIDs of email data files stored thereon to maintain a UID list, and 
 cooperate with said protocol converter to provide the UID list to the respective mobile wireless communications devices upon receiving access requests therefrom so that respective ones of the email data files are to be retrieved at a second time different from the first time. 
   
     
     
         44 . The protocol interface device of  claim 43  wherein said protocol engine is configured to detect new email data files stored on the email data storage devices based upon UIDs thereof, and wherein said protocol engine is configured to cooperate with said protocol converter to send alert notifications to respective mobile wireless communications devices upon detecting new email data files therefor. 
     
     
         45 . The protocol interface of  claim 43  further comprising a memory coupled to said protocol engine configured to store the UIDs. 
     
     
         46 . The protocol interface of  claim 43  wherein said protocol engine is configured to poll the email data storage devices based upon a static polling interval. 
     
     
         47 . The protocol interface of  claim 43  wherein said protocol engine is configured to poll the email data storage devices based upon an adaptive polling interval. 
     
     
         48 . The protocol interface of  claim 43  wherein said protocol converter and said protocol engine are configured to communicate using a common interface protocol able to represent a desired number of protocol-supported elements for a desired operating protocol. 
     
     
         49 . The protocol interface of  claim 48  wherein the common interface protocol is based upon a Web-based distributed authoring and versioning (WebDAV) protocol. 
     
     
         50 . A method for operating a communications system comprising a plurality of mobile wireless communications devices, each configured to use at least one of a plurality of different operating protocols for accessing electronic mail (email); and a plurality of email data storage devices configured to store email data files associated with respective mobile wireless communications devices, each email data file having a unique identification (UID) associated therewith, and use at least one of the plurality of different operating protocols; the method comprising:
 using a protocol converter to communicate with each of the plurality of mobile wireless communications devices using respective operating protocols thereof; and   using a protocol engine to
 communicate with the plurality of email data storage devices using respective operating protocols thereof, 
 initiate polling, at a first time and irrespective of communications with a given mobile wireless communication device, of the email data storage devices for UIDs of email data files stored thereon to maintain a UID list, and 
 cooperate with said protocol converter to provide the UID list to the respective mobile wireless communications devices upon receiving access requests therefrom so that respective ones of the email data files are to be retrieved at a second time different from the first time. 
   
     
     
         51 . The method of  claim 50  further comprising using the protocol engine to detect new email data files stored on the email data storage devices based upon UIDs thereof, and using the protocol engine to cooperate with the protocol converter to send alert notifications to respective mobile wireless communications devices upon detecting new email data files therefor. 
     
     
         52 . The method of  claim 50  further comprising using protocol engine to poll the email data storage devices based upon a static polling interval. 
     
     
         53 . The method of  claim 50  further comprising using the protocol engine to poll the email data storage devices based upon an adaptive polling interval. 
     
     
         54 . The method of  claim 50  wherein further comprising using the protocol converter and the protocol engine to communicate using a common interface protocol able to represent a desired number of protocol-supported elements for a desired operating protocol. 
     
     
         55 . The method of  claim 54  wherein the common interface protocol is based upon a Web-based distributed authoring and versioning (WebDAV) protocol.