Mapping an internet document to be accessed over a telephone system

• US 20010032234A1
• Filed: 05/11/2001
• Published: 10/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/16/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellisync Corporation (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Morton, David L., Wesemann, Darren L., Xu, Chimiao, Summers, David L.
• Granted Patent: US 7,116,765 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/40 using speech recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2201/42 Graphical user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2207/18 wireless networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42153 by subscriber
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/4938 comprising a voice browser which renders and interprets, e.g. VoiceXML

Abstract

Methods and systems for enabling a user to create a user-defined map of an Internet document to control how text and links of the Internet document are presented to the user. A user selects and names regions of text or links of an Internet document to create a user-defined map. A user accesses a voice browser which provides an audio representation of the Internet document based on the user-defined map. Prompts assist a user in creating and navigating through the user-defined map. User requests cause an audio representation of the text or links associated with the user-defined map to be played to the user. When selected content associated with the user-defined map is modified then the updated content is provided to the user.

Claims

1. In a network that includes a server system connected to the Internet, and a computer system and a telephone system that communicate with the server system, a method performed at the computer system for enabling a user to a map an Internet document to control how text and links of the Internet document will be presented to the user over the telephone system, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving an Internet document in response to a first user input received from the computer system, wherein the Internet document comprises at least one of text and links; and

creating a user-defined map of the Internet document by performing the acts of;

receiving a second user input that selects a region of the Internet document to be mapped;

receiving a third user input that causes one of either text and links of the selected region to be mapped; and

receiving a fourth user input that associates a name with the selected region; and

wherein the user-defined map is transmitted to and stored in a database of the server system.

2. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein the server system generates an audio representation of any text and any links contained in the Internet document that correspond to the user-defined map in response to a first user request entered at the telephone system.

3. A method as defined in

claim 2

, wherein said audio representation is transmitted to the user over the telephone system in response to a second user request entered at the telephone system.

4. A method as defined in

claim 2

, wherein prior to the act of generating an audio representation of any text and any links, the Internet document is parsed to identify any text and any links included in the selected region of the Internet document.

5. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein said Internet document comprises HTML content.

6. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein the first user input comprises a Uniform Resource Locator.

7. A method as defined in

claim 1

, further comprising the act of displaying the Internet document on a user interface associated with the computer system.

8. A method as defined in

claim 1

, further comprising the act of prompting the user for the first user input, second user input, third user input, and fourth user input.

9. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein the second user input comprises a user highlighting a region of the Internet document.

10. A method as defined in

claim 3

, wherein the third user input indicates that links are to be mapped, such that at least one link associated with the selected region is mapped, and wherein the at least one link is associated with at least one other Internet document.

11. A method as defined in

claim 10

, wherein the user is presented with a prompt at the telephone system to select the at least one link.

12. A method as defined in

claim 11

, wherein the second user request selects the at least one link in response to the prompt at the telephone system to select the at least one link.

13. A method as defined in

claim 12

, wherein upon receiving the second user request at the telephone, an audio representation of text of the at least one other Internet document is transmitted to the user over the telephone system.

14. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein the act of creating a user-defined map further comprises the acts of:

receiving a fifth user input that selects a second region to be mapped; and

receiving a sixth user input that causes one of either text and links of the second selected region to be mapped; and

receiving a seventh user input that associates a second name with the second selected region.

15. A method as defined in

claim 14

, wherein the second region comprises a region of at least one other Internet document.

16. A method as defined in

claim 15

, wherein the at least one other Internet document corresponds to at least one link of said any links of said Internet document.

23. A method as defined in

claim 1

, wherein the act of transmitting the user-defined map comprises the act of transmitting the user-defined map to the server system.

17. In a network that includes a server system connected to the Internet, and a computer system and a telephone system that communicate with the server system, a method performed at the server system for enabling a user to access an Internet document with the telephone system, such that content of the Internet document is presented to the user according to a user-defined map of the Internet document, the method comprising the acts of:

receiving an access request for the Internet document from a user using a telephone system;

accessing a user-defined map, the user-defined map comprising;

information that identifies at least one region of the Internet document;

at least one name associated with the at least one region; and

information that associates the at least one region with one of either text and links;

parsing the Internet document to identify any text and any links included in the at least one region;

generating an audio representation of said any text and any links contained in the at least one region; and

transmitting said audio representation to the user over the telephone system.

18. A method as defined in

claim 17

, wherein the audio representation is generated using a text to speech module at the server system.

19. A method as defined in

claim 17

, wherein the Internet document comprises HTML content.

20. A method as defined in

claim 17

, wherein the Internet document comprises Voice eXtensible Markup Language content.

21. A method as defined in

claim 17

, wherein said one of text and links of the at least one region has been modified after the user-defined map was created.

22. A method as defined in

claim 21

, wherein the audio representation includes said one of text and links of the at least one region that has been modified after the user-defined map was created.

24. In the mapping module of a server system that communicates with a telephone system and a computer system, a method for enabling a user to a map an Internet document to control how text and links of the Internet document will be presented to the user over the telephone system, the method comprising the acts of:

retrieving an Internet document in response to a first user input received from the computer system, wherein the Internet document comprises at least one of text and links;

creating a user-defined map of the Internet document by performing the acts of;

receiving a second user input from the computer system, the second user input selecting a region of the Internet document to be mapped;

receiving a third user input from the computer system, the third user input causing the mapping module to map one of either text and links of the selected region; and

receiving a fourth user input from the computer system, the fourth user input causing the mapping module to associate a name with the selected region; and

storing a copy of the user-defined map at a database that is associated with the server system.

25. A method as defined by

claim 24

, wherein the Internet document comprises HTML content.

26. A method as defined by

claim 24

, further comprising, prior to the act of creating the user-defined map, the act of transmitting the Internet document to the computer system, wherein the Internet document is displayed on a user interface.

27. A method as defined in

claim 24

, wherein the server system generates an audio representation of any text and any links contained in the Internet document that correspond to the user-defined map in response to a user input entered at the telephone system.

28. A method as defined in

claim 27

, wherein said audio representation is transmitted to the user over the telephone system in response to a second user input entered at the telephone system.

29. A method as defined in

claim 24

, further comprising the act of prompting the user for the first user input, second user input, third user input, and fourth user input.

30. A method as defined in

claim 27

, wherein prior to the act of generating an audio representation of said any text and any links, the server system performs the act of parsing the Internet document to identify said any text and any links included in the Internet document.

31. A computer program product for implementing, in a computer system that communicates with an Internet-connected server system, the server system communicating with a telephone system, a method for enabling a user to a map an Internet document to control how text and links of the Internet document will be presented to the user over the telephone system, the computer program product comprising:

a computer-readable medium carrying computer-executable instructions for implementing the method, the computer-executable instructions comprising;

program code means for receiving an Internet document in response to a first user input received from the computer system, wherein the Internet document comprises at least one of text and links;

program code means for creating a user-defined map of the Internet document, wherein creating a user-defined map comprises the acts of;

receiving a second user input that selects a region of the Internet document to be mapped;

receiving a third user input that causes one of either text and links of the selected region to be mapped; and

receiving a fourth user input that associates a name with the selected region; and

program code means for transmitting a copy of a user-defined map to the server system.

32. A computer program product as defined in

claim 31

, where in the computer-readable medium further comprises program code means for prompting the user for first user input, second user input, third user input, and forth user input.

33. A computer program product as defined in

claim 31

, where in the computer-readable medium further comprises program code means for displaying the Internet document on a user interface.