System and method for delivering content to mobile devices

• US 20030023755A1
• Filed: 12/18/2001
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ACK Ventures Holdings LLC, Kargo Ooo (RIAL Gruppa Kompaniy)
• Original Assignee: Kargo Ooo (RIAL Gruppa Kompaniy)
• Inventors: Boyle, Lee, LeRoux, Tom, Liu, Dan, DeLucia, Peter, Harris, Michelle, Yi, George, Katsanis, Rocio, Herbst, Evan, Tripp, Corey, Hsu, Lin, Kargman, Harry, Jethanamest, Dan
• Granted Patent: US 7,644,400 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/10 in which an application is distributed across nodes in the network software deployment G06F8/60; multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/46
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/2895 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data provider application, e.g. reverse proxies
• 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 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

The illustrative embodiment of the present invention provides a platform that enables a content developer to distribute uniform content to multiple types of requesting mobile devices. By authoring content in a generic markup language and using the technologies included in the Mobile Content Framework(MCF), the content developer is able to provide content to multiple types devices without providing different versions of the content. The content may be authored originally in the generic markup language or translated from other languages into the generic markup language by the MCF. The MCF exploits the capabilities and accommodates the limitations of different types of wireless devices by converting generic markup language content to device-specific content. The MCF interacts with device registries holding records of the device attributes in order to provide the device-specific content. The MCF handles these issues for current mobile devices while also being extensible for future mobile devices.

Claims

1. In a network having an electronic device, a method, comprising the steps of:

providing content, said content capable of being displayed to a user of a mobile device interfaced with said network;

providing at least one registry containing device information for multiple types of mobile devices, said information including device attributes for each type of mobile device, said attributes including a programming language; and

receiving a request for said content from a user of a mobile device interfaced with said network;

retrieving said device information from said at least one registry;

converting said content from a generic markup language into device-specific content in response to said request, said converting using said device information, said generic markup language capable of translating content written in said generic markup language into multiple programming languages.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of:

translating said content from an original programming language into said generic markup language prior to converting said content into device-specific content.

3. The method of claim 2, comprising the further steps of:

providing a translator capable of converting WML content into said generic markup language content; and

translating WML formatted content into said generic markup language content using said WML translator.

4. The method of claim 2, comprising the further steps of:

providing a translator capable of converting HTML content into said generic markup language content; and

translating HTML formatted content into said generic markup language content using said HTML translator.

5. The method of claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

marking the generic markup language content with identifiers; and

performing the retrieving of device information from said at least one registry based on one of said identifiers marking said content.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said device information includes data rendering attributes of mobile devices.

7. The method of claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

providing a set of rules regarding the translating of said content from said generic markup language into device-specific content; and

applying said rules in combination with said information from said at least one registry to generate device-specific content.

8. The method of claim 7, comprising the further steps of:

receiving user preferences relating to the display of content on a mobile device; and

using at least one user preference to generate said device-specific content.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein the at least one user preference is at least one of user interface choices, key mappings, key behavior, functionality, amount of information to be rendered, language, and location.

10. The method of claim 1, comprising the further steps of:

providing a plurality of stylesheets for said generic markup language;

using said stylesheets in converting said content in said generic markup language into said device-specific content.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of said stylesheets converts said generic markup language content into HTML content.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of said stylesheets converts said generic markup language content into WML content.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of said stylesheets converts said generic markup language content into HDML content.

14. The method of claim 10 wherein at least one of said stylesheets converts said generic markup language content into i-mode content.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the amount of said device-specific content that is delivered to said user is based on the display capacity of said mobile device.

16. In a network having an electronic device, a method, comprising the steps of:

providing content stored in a location interfaced with said electronic device, said content capable of being displayed to a user of a wireless device interfaced with said network;

providing a plurality of registries containing device information for multiple types of wireless devices, said information including device attributes for each type of wireless device, said attributes including a programming language; and

translating said content from an original programming language into a generic markup language, said generic markup language capable of translating content written in said generic markup language into multiple programming languages;

receiving a request for said content from a user of a wireless device interfaced with said network;

retrieving said wireless device information from at least one of said plurality of registries.

converting said content into device-specific content in response to said request using said wireless device information.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising the further steps of:

providing a database storing sets of individual user preferences, said database interfaced with said network;

retrieving a set of individual user preferences from said database; and

using said set of individual user preferences to create said device-specific content.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein said set of individual user preferences includes at least one of user interface choices, key mappings, key behavior, functionality, amount of information to be rendered, language, and location.

19. The method of claim 16 wherein said wireless device is a cellular phone.

20. The method of claim 16 wherein said wireless device is a PDA.

21. In a network having an electronic device with a medium located theron, said medium holding computer-executable steps for a method, said method, comprising the steps of:

providing content, said content capable of being displayed to a user of a mobile device interfaced with said network;

providing at least one registry containing device information for multiple types of mobile devices, said information including device attributes for each type of mobile device, said attributes including a programming language; and

receiving a request for said content from a user of a mobile device interfaced with said network;

retrieving said device information from said at least one registry;

converting said content from a generic markup language into device-specific content in response to said request, said converting using said device information, said generic markup language capable of translating content written in said generic markup language into multiple programming languages.

22. The medium of claim 21 wherein said method, comprises the further steps of:

providing a database storing sets of individual user preferences, said database interfaced with said network;

retrieving a set of individual user preferences from said database; and

using said set of individual user preferences to create said device-specific content.