Pervasive, personal data interactivity over voice-grade circuit-switched cellular networks

• US 20030041119A1
• Filed: 08/21/2001
• Published: 02/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bisdikian, Chatschik, Jerome, William F., Naghshineh, Mahmoud
• Granted Patent: US 7,899,912 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

Provides methods and apparatus for accessing and controlling services, such as home automation services, visually employing established wireless, cellular telecommunication technologies for voice communications. In example embodiments, users of personal portable devices connect to services over dial-up, wireless, cellular, circuit-switched voice telephone networks, receive and display listings of available services and use these listings to access and manipulate the services.

Claims

29. An apparatus for a user to interact with at least one remote service, comprising:

user connecting means for said user connecting to a serving entity using a client device attached to a wireless, circuit-switched, voice telephony network;

user viewing means for obtaining and viewing a list of accessible remote services from said serving entity;

user selecting means for selecting said at least one remote service from said list; and

user access means for accessing and viewing said at least one remote service in obtaining desired results.

31. An apparatus for a user using a client device attached to a wireless, circuit-switched, voice telephony network, to interact with at least one service, said apparatus comprising:

a telephone modem to receive an incoming call from a client device, and also to receive and transmit data over a telephone network, said telephone modem having a client port through which the apparatus attaches to the telephone network;

a dial-in service module to implement dial-in logic for the client device; and

a protocol transport module to implement protocols needed to transport data back and forth between a browser application in the client device and a browser server.

1. A method for a user to interact with at least one remote service, comprising:

said user connecting to a serving entity using a client device attached to a wireless, circuit-switched, voice telephony network;

obtaining and viewing a list of accessible remote services from said serving entity;

selecting said at least one remote service from said list; and

accessing and viewing said at least one remote service in obtaining desired results.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the client device is portable.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the client device is a cellular telephone.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of connecting includes dialing-up directly to the serving entity.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of viewing is performed employing a viewing device collocated with said client device.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the viewing device depicts information in a form including at least one of:

text, graphics, images, light display, or any combination of these.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of selecting includes employing a menu.

8. A method as recited in claim 5, wherein the step of viewing is performed employing a web-browser and the serving entity is a web-server.

9. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of connecting includes dialing-up to the serving entity through a data network to which the serving entity is connected.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the data network is the Intranet controlled by an Internet Service Provider.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the data network uses the TCP/IP protocol suite for transporting information.

12. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising said serving entity employing attributes of said circuit switch network in authenticating said user.

13. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said attributes include a telephone number of said client device.

14. A method as recited in claim 12, wherein said attributes include a telephone number of said serving entity.

15. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising establishing credentials so that said at least one remote service can be manipulated in a secure manner on the serving entity.

16. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the step of viewing views the list on a viewing device in a manner that depends on the user'"'"'s access privileges to said at least one remote service.

17. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the serving entity providing access to at least one service agent used to access and control said at least one remote service.

18. A method as recited in claim 17, wherein at least one of said at least one service agent is a computer software module executable on a computer.

19. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising activating said software module prior to invoking a particular remote service.

20. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising activating said software module on demand after a particular remote service has been invoked.

21. A method as recited in claim 18, further comprising storing said software module at a data repository.

22. A method as recited in claim 21, further comprising dynamically retrieving and activating said software module from the data repository after invoking a particular remote service.

23. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said wireless, circuit-switched, voice telephony network is a first generation, analog, cellular network.

24. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said wireless, circuit-switched, voice telephony network is a second generation, digital, cellular network.

25. A method as recited in claim 4, wherein the step of dialing-up directly to the service entity further includes passing dialing signaling and control data to the serving entity through an intermediary data network.

26. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the step of dialing-up to the serving entity through a data network, further includes dialing-up to the serving entity through a sequence of at least one data network, the last one of which the serving entity is attached to.

27. An article of manufacture comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a user to interact with at least one remote service, the computer readable program code means in said article of manufacture comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the steps of claim 1.

28. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for causing a user to interact with at least one remote service, said method steps comprising the steps of claim 1.

30. A computer program product comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program code means embodied therein for causing a user to interact with at least one remote service, the computer readable program code means in said computer program product comprising computer readable program code means for causing a computer to effect the functions of claim 28.

32. An apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein said browser server is used to obtain, organize, and manipulate data received from and data sent to the client device through the protocol transport module.

33. An apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein said data sent to the client device are displayed and viewed by the browser application in the client device.

34. An apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein said data received by the browser application in the client device include a selection of at least one service the user of the client device controls and an action to be taken for a selected service, and upon receipt of the action the browser server interacts with a particular service agent to implement the control logic for controlling the selected service, wherein a control signal generated by the service agent exits the apparatus through the client port.

35. An apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein said dial-in server module triggers at least one particular module in the apparatus to process any incoming calls and requests from a client device.

36. An apparatus as recited in claim 31, wherein said dial-in server module performs user authentication.

33-1. An apparatus as recited in claim 32, wherein said data sent includes a list of services that are accessible by the client device.