System and method for providing subscriber-initiated information over a microbrowser

• US 20030211845A1
• Filed: 04/22/2003
• Published: 11/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/24/1999
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Original Assignee: Openwave Systems Incorporated (JP Morgan Chase & Co)
• Inventors: Lohtia, Sunit, James, Wilfred Martin, Hwang, Boon Chong
• Application Number:
  US10/420,507
• Publication Number:
  US 20030211845A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1859 adapted to provide push services, e.g. data channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42382 Text-based messaging services in telephone networks such as PSTN/ISDN, e.g. User-to-User Signalling or Short Message Service for fixed networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/487 Arrangements for providing information services, e.g. recorded voice services or time announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/14 Short messaging services, e.g. short message services [SMS] or unstructured supplementary service data [USSD]

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and a method for providing information to a communication device in response to a request for such service received from the communication device. The request may be in the form of a digits request trigger or short message service (SMS) origination message that is initiate from a wireless telephone. The digits request trigger and SMS origination request may be initiated when a user selects a menu option or it may be initiated using a microbrowser. The digits request trigger or SMS origination message is sent from the communication device to a wireless web information services gateway. The gateway retrieves the requested information from one or more sources. The gateway then forwards the retrieved information to the user via an SMS message or via a microbrowser message. The information may be formatted according to a preselected configuration that is stored in a user service information profile.

Claims

1. A method for providing information to users via communications devices associated with said users, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a digits request trigger from said communication devices;

retrieving information corresponding to said digits request trigger; and

sending said retrieved information to said communication devices for display to said users.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said digits request trigger is initiated when said users select a menu option on said communication devices.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said digits request trigger is initiated by said users from a microbrowser on said communication devices.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieving step further comprises the steps of:

identifying users associated with said digits request trigger;

correlating said digits request trigger with specific information requests for said users; and

retrieving said specific information.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieved information is sent to said communications devices via a short message service message.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said retrieved information is sent to said communications devices via a microbrowser message.

7. (Amended) A system for providing information to a wireless network subscriber in response to a digits request trigger that includes dialed digits or a feature code, the system comprising:

means for receiving said digits request trigger from said wireless network;

means for retrieving data corresponding to said digits request trigger; and

means for sending said retrieved data to a user who initiated said digits request trigger.

8. The system of claim 7 further comprising:

means for correlating said digits request trigger to requested data.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein said correlating means accesses a user profile database to identify said requested information for a particular digits request trigger.

10. The system of claim 7 wherein said sending means sends said retrieved data via a short message service message.

11. The system of claim 7 wherein said sending means sends said retrieved data via a microbrowser message.

12. A method for providing information to a microbrowser on a wireless device, comprising:

receiving an information request trigger message from the wireless device, wherein the information request trigger message does not identify the source of the requested information;

identifying the source of the requested information;

obtaining the requested information;

formatting the requested information into a microbrowser message; and

sending the microbrowser message to the wireless device.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

entering a feature code on the wireless device;

creating the information request trigger message based upon the feature code;

displaying the requested information using the microbrowser on the wireless device.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

entering a string of digits on the wireless device;

creating the information request trigger message based upon the string of digits;

displaying the requested information using the microbrowser on the wireless device.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

referring to a user profile to identify the source of the requested information.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the source of the requested information is selected from the group consisting of:

the Internet;

an intranet;

an extranets;

a World Wide Web (WWW) site; and

a File Transfer Protocol (FTP) server.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

sending the requested information to a device other than the wireless device that sent the information request trigger message.

16. The method of claim 16 wherein the user profile includes information linking feature codes or digit strings or both to one or more sources of the requested information.