System and method for adaptive formatting of image information for efficient delivery and presentation

• US 20020131072A1
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Published: 09/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jackson, Jared J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,313 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 358/1.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A content server distributes image information to networked devices. The content server receives a request for delivery of information to a networked device, including image information. The content server determines, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device. The content server sends a response to the networked device, responding to the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format. The image delivery parameter corresponds to at least one network communication link type and the image presentation parameter corresponds to at least one presentation platform type.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for delivery of information to a networked device, the information comprising image information;

determining, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device; and

providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

2. A computer readable medium including computer instructions for an image server system, the computer instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a request for delivery of information to a networked device, the information comprising image information;

determining, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device; and

providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

3. A content server system comprising:

a first memory for storing at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with a networked device;

a network interface for communicating with a network;

a controller, communicatively coupled to the first memory and to the network interface; and

a second memory, communicatively coupled to the controller, for storing computer instructions for the controller to control the content server system to;

receiving a request for delivery of information to a networked device, the information comprising image information;

determining, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device; and

providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

4. The content server system of claim 3, wherein the second memory includes computer instruction for the controller to control the server system to:

couple the response to the network interface, the response being destined for reception by the networked device.

5. The content server system of claim 3, wherein the second memory includes computer instruction for the controller to control the server system to:

receive, along with the request, the at least one of the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device; and

store the at least one of the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter in the first memory.

6. The content server system of claim 5, wherein the program memory includes computer instruction for the controller to control the server system to:

receive the request from one of the networked device and another requester device.

7. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request for delivery of information to a networked client device, the information comprising displayable image information; and

determining an image format for the displayable image information from at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked client device.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising the step of providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the displayable image information in the image format.

9. A computer readable medium including computer instructions for:

receiving a request for delivery of information to a networked client device, the information comprising displayable image information; and

determining an image format for the displayable image information from at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked client device.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer instructions further include instructions for providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the displayable image information in the image format.

11. A method comprising the steps of:

storing at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with a networked device;

receiving a request for delivery of information to the networked device, the information comprising displayable image information;

determining available image formats for the displayable image information; and

selecting one of the available image formats, based at least in part on the at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter, for delivery to and presentation at the networked device.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

building a file comprising at least a portion of the displayable image information in the selected one of the available image formats; and

sending the file to a network interface, the file being destined for reception by the networked device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second memory further stores computer instructions for the controller to control the content server for:

providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first memory comprises

a first database for storing records containing image delivery parameters and image presentation parameters associated with the at least one networked device, and

a second database for storing at least one image record, the at least one image record containing

an image header for at least identifying an image and identifying at least one available image format in the image record, and

image information formatted in the at least one available image format.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller uses Application Programming Interface (API) calls to request at least the determination, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the at least one networked device, an image format for the image information.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising an image server, responsive to the API calls, for serving up the image information in the determined image format.

18. The system of claim 16, further comprising an image proxy engine, responsive to the API calls, for determining, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the at least one networked device, the image format for the image information.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the determined image format is selected from a set of image formats including binary bitmap and vector-based graphics.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the determined image format is selected from a set of image formats including JPEG, GIF, TIFF, JPEG 2000, VML, and WAVELETS.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the image delivery parameter corresponds to at least one network communication link type of the following link types:

T-1, DSL, CABLE, POTS, CELLULAR, PAGING, SATELLITE, RADIO, and WIRELESS.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the image presentation parameter corresponds to at least one presentation platform type of the following types:

PC-like, Mac-like, Desktop Workstation, Laptop, Handheld, Notebook, Palm-like, Cellular Phone, Cordless Phone, Two-Way Pager, and PDA.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the step of storing computer instructions that request a copy of the image information comprises the step of storing computer instructions that request a copy of the image information by at least one call to an Application Programming Interface.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the image header further includes at least one weighted parameter associated, respectively, with the at least one image format.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one weighted parameter includes at least one of:

device processor capability, device memory capability, device display capability, device presentation interface capability, network link type, and network link grade of service.

28. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the computer instructions that store computer instructions that request a copy of the image information comprises instructions that request a copy of the image information by at least one call to an Application Programming Interface.

29. The computer readable medium of claim 27, wherein the image header further includes at least one weighted parameter associated, respectively, with the at least one image format.

30. The computer readable medium of claim 29, wherein the at least one weighted parameter includes at least one of:

device processor capability, device memory capability, device display capability, device presentation interface capability, network link type, and network link grade of service.

13. A system comprising:

at least one networked device; and

a content server for delivering content information to the at least one networked device, the content server including;

a first memory for storing at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with a networked device;

a network interface for communicating with a network link communicatively coupled with the at least one networked device;

a controller, communicatively coupled to the first memory and to the network interface; and

a second memory, communicatively coupled to the controller, for storing computer instructions for the controller to control the content server for;

receiving a request for delivery of content information to the at least one networked device, the content information comprising image information; and

determining, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the at least one networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the at least one networked device and for presentation of the image information at the at least one networked device.

23. A method comprising the steps of:

storing image information in at least one image format;

storing an image header comprising an image ID and at least one image format identification corresponding, respectively, to the image information in the at least one image format;

associating the image header and the image information in at least one image format; and

storing computer instructions that request a copy of the image information in one of the at least one image format.

27. A computer readable medium including computer instructions comprising instructions for:

storing image information in at least one image format;

storing an image header comprising an image ID and at least one image format identification corresponding, respectively, to the image information in the at least one image format;

associating the image header and the image information in at least one image format; and

storing computer instructions that request a copy of the image information in one of the at least one image format.