System and method for efficient adaptation of multimedia message content

• US 20040181550A1
• Filed: 03/13/2003
• Published: 09/16/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Timonen, Petri, Savinen, Teppo, Warsta, Ville
• Application Number:
  US10/388,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20040181550A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/104.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• 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 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals

Abstract

A system and method for providing previously adapted content to requesting network devices. The requesting network device capabilities are compared to the previous requesting network device capabilities, such that if a capability match is found, previously adapted content may be transmitted to the requesting network device, obviating the need for an additional adaptation. In another embodiment, a pre-adaptation method is employed, whereby content adaptations for all known network device capabilities are cached for future use.

Claims

1. A content adaptation system to provide adapted content to a plurality of content consumers having differing capabilities, the content adaptation system comprising:

a capabilities service coupled to receive content requests from the plurality of content consumers and to retrieve their respective capabilities;

a content adaptation service coupled to provide content adaptations in accordance with the plurality of content consumer capabilities; and

a database coupled to store the content adaptations, wherein the content adaptations are reused by content consumers having substantially equivalent capabilities.

2. The content adaptation system according to claim 1, wherein multiple content adaptations are stored based upon the capabilities of a predetermined set of content consumers.

3. The content adaptation system according to claim 2, wherein a first content request initiates the storage of the multiple content adaptations.

4. The content adaptation system according to claim 2, wherein the content adaptations stored in the database are indexed by a terminal type indicative of their corresponding capabilities.

5. The content adaptation system according to claim 4, wherein the content adaptations stored in the database are further indexed by a content identification.

6. The content adaptation system according to claim 5, wherein the content adaptation service provides the index to the database to retrieve content adaptations from the database relating to the index.

7. The content adaptation system according to claim 1, wherein a content adaptation is stored based upon the capabilities of the requesting content consumer.

8. The content adaptation system according to claim 7, wherein a content request from the requesting content customer initiates the storage of the content adaptation.

9. The content adaptation system according to claim 8, wherein the content adaptation stored in the database is indexed by a terminal type indicative of its corresponding capabilities.

10. The content adaptation system according to claim 9, wherein the content adaptation stored in the database is further indexed by a content identification.

11. The content adaptation system according to claim 10, wherein the content adaptation service provides the index to the database to retrieve the content adaptation from the database relating to the index.

12. The content adaptation system according to claim 1, wherein the capabilities service, the content adaptation service and the database are co-located.

13. The content adaptation system according to claim 12, wherein the co-location exists within a Web proxy.

14. The content adaptation system according to claim 12, wherein the co-location exists within a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) gateway.

15. The content adaptation system according to claim 12, wherein the co-location exists within a Multimedia Messaging Service Center (MMSC).

16. The content adaptation system according to claim 1, wherein the capabilities service, the content adaptation service and the database are distributed throughout the content adaptation system.

17. A server for facilitating content adaptations on a network, comprising:

means for receiving a first content request;

means for receiving capabilities associated with the first content request;

means for providing adapted content in response to the first content request, wherein the adaptation of content is performed in accordance with the received capabilities; and

means for reusing the adapted content for a second content request having capabilities substantially corresponding to the capabilities associated with the first content request.

18. The server according to claim 17, wherein the means for reusing the adapted content comprises a database arranged to store the adapted content.

19. The server according to claim 18, wherein the database is arranged to receive an index indicative of the received capabilities.

20. The server according to claim 19, wherein the database retrieves previously adapted content in response to receiving the index.

21. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by a content adaptation server for facilitating content adaptation by performing steps comprising:

receiving a content retrieval request and its associated capability;

performing a lookup function to determine availability of previously adapted content that is compatible with the associated capability; and

providing the previously adapted content in response to the content retrieval request.

22. A method for providing adapted content, comprising:

receiving capability characteristics of a content requester;

locating previously adapted content relating to capability characteristics of previous content requestors; and

transmitting the previously adapted content to the content requester when the capability characteristics of the content requestor substantially match the capability characteristics of the previous content requestors.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the previously adapted content is generated based on all known capability characteristics of a predetermined set of content requesters.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the previously adapted content is cached.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the previously adapted content is retrieved from the cache based upon an index comprising a content identification and a terminal type.

26. The method according to claim 22, wherein the previously adapted content is generated based on the capability characteristics of the content requestor.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the previously adapted content is cached.

28. The method according to claim 27, wherein the previously adapted content is retrieved from the cache based upon an index comprising a content identification and a terminal type.