Bayou is a replicated, weakly consistent storage system designed for a mobile computing environment that includes portable machines with less than ideal network connectivity. To maximize availability, users can read and write any accessible replica. Bayou’s design has focused on supporting application-specific mechanisms to detect and resolve the update conflicts that naturally arise in such a system, ensuring that replicas move towards eventual consistency, and defining a protocol by which the resolution of update conflicts stabilizes. It includes novel methods for conflict detection, called dependency checks, and per-write conflict resolution based on client-provided merge procedures. To guarantee eventual consistency, Bayou servers must be able to rollback the effects of previously executed writes and redo them according to a global serialization order. Furthermore, Bayou permits clients to observe the results of all writes received by a server, including tentative writes whose conflicts have not been ultimately resolved. This paper presents the motivation for and design of these mechanisms and describes the experiences gained with an initial implementation of the system.

Intelligent agents are being used widely and effectively to assist users in their information processing chores. In our prior work, we have developed a distributed negotiation mechanism by which automated scheduling agents can schedule meetings on behalf of their associated users. In this paper, we present the current status of a network-based implementation of our automated meeting scheduling system. The distributed agents are stand alone applications written in Java. By using a simple graphical user interface, users can request meetings to be scheduled. These requests ar processed by distibuted agents communicating via e-mail. We highlight the usage of user preferences and priorities by the scheduling agent with regards to time of day, day of week, status of other invitees, topic of the meeting, etc. as specified by the associated user. The system is designed to be adaptive to environmental demands as well as to user preferences.

In order to transfer data between two databases, a computer program automatically establishes a field map between the record structures of the two databases using information identifying the record structure of one of the databases. The field map is established automatically by correlating a first plurality of the fields of the first database to a second plurality of the fields of the second database to establish a field map. The data stored in the first plurality of fields of a plurality of the records of the first database is then translated in accordance with the field map. The information identifying the record structure of one of the databases identifies the record structure according to a selected field identification protocol identifying the categories and properties of the fields in the record structure of that database. This information may be transmitted to the computer program ahead of any data transfer so that a data transfer protocol, including the field map, may be established prior to the start of the data transfer.

A fully integrated email system for a desktop computer with an associated palmtop computer is disclosed. The portable computer has an email client for viewing incoming email messages and composing outgoing email messages. The personal computer has an email synchronization conduit that synchronizes email on the portable computer email client with email for the desktop computer system. The email synchronization conduit ensures that the email state on the portable computer system matches the email state on the desktop personal computer system exactly. Thus, if an email message is deleted on the portable computer system then that email message will be deleted from the desktop personal computer system. Similarly, if an email message is deleted on the desktop personal computer system then that email message will be deleted from the portable computer system.

A method for partially synchronizing a local database stored on a local computer and a remote database stored on a remote computer. The method includes forming a message including information related to a local update of the local database, selecting a path from one or more communication paths coupling the local computer to the remote computer to pass the message to the remote computer, and transmitting data including the message to the remote computer over the selected path. The method can include determining whether the local update to the local database should be sent to the remote computer. The method includes receiving the data at the remote computer, processing the message included in the received data, and providing the information related to the local update to a remote application executing on the remote computer. A remote database coupled to the remote application is then updated using the information related to the local update. Information related to an update of the remote can also be selectively sent to update the local database. Messages sent between a local computer and a remote computer can be passed through a networked server computer, coupled by wired or wireless data networks to both the local computer and the remote computer.

Synchronization system and associated methods provide synchronization of an arbitrary number of datasets, including more than two datasets. To achieve this, a reference dataset is used to store a super-set of the latest or most-recent data from all user datasets to provide a repository of information that is available at all times. Therefore, if the user later wishes to synchronize a new user dataset, such as one in a server computer that stores user information, the system already has all the information necessary for synchronizing the new dataset, regardless of whether any of the other datasets are then available. Further, to simplify use, a unified user interface is provided that allows the user to easily determine which of his or her datasets are currently set to be synchronized and allows the user to conveniently alter the current settings to select one, two, or even more than two clients for synchronization. Various "conflict" or "duplicate" resolution strategies are described for intelligently handling complexities resulting from allowing synchronization for an arbitrary number of datasets and allowing synchronization using even data from datasets that are not available. Architectural support for "plug-in" client accessors and type modules is also provided. This allows support to be added for new datasets or new types of data merely by developing and plugging in new, compact client accessors or type modules, without updating or replacing the core synchronization engine.

A system and method enabling a user to remotely access an electronic calendar using a telephone network is provided. The system includes the electronic calendar for storing a plurality of schedules and a scheduler for accessing the schedules as a function of input signals received over the telephone network. Each schedule contains future appointments and events for either daily, weekly or other data interval periods. The scheduler enables selective retrieval and display of the appointments and events for any selected time period. The system is coupled to interfaces allowing the schedule information to be transmitted as audio information, video information, or e-mail information. The scheduler can compare the schedules to one another to automatically generate common meeting times. The common meeting time can then be transmitted to the various attendees using e-mail, audible instructions or voice mail.

A personal calendaring system includes a portable calendaring system and a complementary office calendar system, each synchronizing calendar entries by two-way wireless transmission. The portable calendaring system includes a GPS receiver interface providing location data. The office calendar system and the portable calendar system each includes a calendar memory storing calendar entries, a wireless paging interface for exchanging schedule change requests and location data, a traffic receiver interface receiving wireless traffic data from an external source, and a perceptual software agent that automatically updates stored calendar entries in response to detected events. The perceptual agents of the respective portable and office systems communicate using the two-way wireless paging interfaces to ensure the stored schedules are synchronized, and to minimize conflicts between schedule change requests entered at respective locations. If a conflict is generated between the stored schedule and a schedule request, the agents arbitrate resolution of the generated conflict. The perceptual agents also update scheduled travel times and associated reminder alarms in response to detected changes in traffic or the location of the portable calendaring system, and advise the user if a schedule conflict arises due to the updated travel time.

A schedule management system has a dispersive management unit. A data communication unit provides for communicating between a common schedule data storage memory units and for updating the schedule data which is so commonly stored. Data storage is based on the names of the storage unit and the user's, which names are transmitted from the schedule data storage unit. The schedule data storage unit may be updated from the storage unit management table in order to transmit the updated information to the other schedule data storage units. Therefore, the adjustment of the schedule can be effectively realized even among the remote users so that every one will be aware of the update data.

A system including a rate governor is provided for monitoring and controlling the amount of communications between a remote communication unit (201) and communication server (220). Preferably, as threshold are passed a user is alerted to amounts (time and/or charges) spent or remaining, and once a use limit is reached further communication is restricted. A main rate governor (234) is maintained at the communication server (220), allowing access, control and the like by administrators (260) and the like. A further rate governor (209), responsive to the main rate governor, may also be used at the remote unit (201). By means of the rate governors a method is provided for both limiting user or group data transfer beyond a set amount, as well as providing alerts to users as a limit is approached.

A system for scheduling time intervals for a plurality of users comprises a database associated with one or more server means for storing a profile for each potential invitee of the system. Each invitee profile comprises user profiles that have information regarding available and unavailable times for that user and the electronic mail address for the user and resource profiles having information about the available times for a particular resource such as a room or equipment. A request generator connected over a network to the one or more server generates a request for allocation of a time interval for one or more of the plurality of invitees. The system then provides a busy time determination device that gathers the profiles for the plurality of invitees that were requested by the request generating means and that are available in the databases and determines whether those invitees are available during the time interval requested by the request generating means. For all available invitees, the electronic mail address in the profile is used to send each available requested invitee an invitation to attend at the requested time interval.

A method and apparatus for remotely updating a portable calendar includes a receiver for receiving a first wireless data transmission which includes a proposed scheduling update to the calendar. A memory provides storage for data comprising the calendar. A display which is responsive to the receiver displays a graphical representation of the calendar and the proposed scheduling update. A user interface, such as a set of keys of a keypad or an alternative input device, is configured to transmit control signals to a processor in response to manipulation of the interface by the user. The processor is connected to the memory to execute a calendar control program and is configured to effect a scheduling update in response to a control signal received from the user interface. A preferred embodiment of the invention provides a transmitter for transmitting a second wireless data transmission in response to the proposed schedule update, the second transmission including either a scheduling update acceptance, a scheduling update rejection, or a rescheduling proposal.

A synchronization system may include: A Source (outbound). An "Accessor" communicating with a device's data store. A corresponding Target Accessor is provided for inbound data. Both Accessors work in conjunction with a "Conduit," which is provided for understanding the data that is being read so that the data can be mapped to a universal schema or "unirecord" or to a target dataset. The Conduit serves to broker the services of the Source Accessor and the Target Accessor and to provide field mapping and conversion. Core synchronization functionality is provided by a Synchronizer or "Sync Core" (engine). The Synchronizer performs its specific functionality on a per record or per data item basis, such as determining which records need to be inserted, deleted, updated, or the like.

An "active" calendar automatically analyzes a user's calendar entries and sends machine-readable messages to destinations appropriate to content of the calendar entry. A group of event categories is established, each category specifying one class of anticipated calendar entry. An action rule database pre-associates each event category with one or more message formats each having a content and a destination. The action rule database also contains data identifying sources containing the content and destination for each message format. These sources include records of the action rule database itself, subparts of calendar entries of the pre-associated event category, one or more other databases, or a combination of the foregoing. After the calendar receives a user-submitted computer calendar entry describing a planned event, it identifies one of the event categories of the established group that classifies the planned event. For each message format pre-associated with the identified event category, the calendar determines the content and destination for the message as specified by the action rule database, and transmits the message to the destination.

n electronic information processing device (300) capable of communicating a message to a paging terminal (112) uses an input device (309) to enter the message, select a messaging subscriber and their corresponding selective call address identifier, and schedule communication of the message to the paging terminal (112) for transmission to at least one selective call receiver corresponding to the selected messaging subscriber.

The user's remote unit (201) and communication server (220) maintain S&S indices containing identifying (summary) information about data which has not been fully transferred between the communication server and remote unit.

A two-way data communication device such as a data ready cellular telephone, a two-way pager, or a telephone communicates via a two-way data communication network with a server computer on a computer network that has an interface to the two-way data communication network, i.e, is coupled to the two-way data communication network.