Patent ID: 6868451

Claim:
A method of transferring data to a handheld device from a host device, said method comprising: a) using a universal conduit to transfer data to said handheld device during a synchronization process between said host and handheld devices, said data containing an indication of a file type corresponding to an identified application, said universal conduit providing, a software link between a first database on said host device comprising said data and a second database on said handheld device associated with said identified application, wherein said universal conduit is used with more than one of applications known to said handheld device in lieu of a custom conduit specific to said identified application; b) storing said data as a stream within said handheld device and associating said file type with said stream; c) indexing a registry with said file type of said stream to determine said identified application of said handheld device that corresponds to said file type; d) an exchange manager reading said stream and dispatching said stream to said identified application; and e) said identified application processing said stream in accordance with other objects associated with said identified application.