Hyperkey access to network-based services

• US 20040203970A1
• Filed: 07/16/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Solutions and Networks US LLC (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Savinen, Teppo, Rooke, Michael
• Granted Patent: US 7,142,842 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/515
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/184 Messaging devices, e.g. message centre

Abstract

A method, system, and device for providing access to network-based services by analyzing a symbol associated with a network service. A representation of a symbol associated with a network service is captured. For example, a graphic symbol associated with a network-connected business may be captured using a mobile telephone equipped with a camera. The symbol may depict a business logo or any other symbol associated with the network service. The representation of the symbol is analyzed by comparing the symbol to a library of ideal symbols. Each ideal symbol is associated with a network address of the network service. If the representation of the symbol matches an ideal symbol, the network address associated with the ideal symbol is used to access the network-based service.

Claims

1. A method for accessing a network service, comprising:

capturing a representation of a symbol associated with the network service using a wireless terminal;

analyzing the captured representation to determine a network service address of the network service associated with the symbol; and

accessing the network service through the wireless terminal using the network service address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the representation comprises digitizing the representation including a graphical icon associated with the network service.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the representation comprises digitizing the representation including a character string associated with the network service.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the representation comprises digitizing the representation including a URL character string.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein capturing the representation comprises digitizing an audio symbol associated with the network service.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the captured representation further comprises comparing the captured representation to a database of ideal symbols, each ideal symbol corresponding to a particular network service address.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein analyzing the captured representation further comprises:

digitizing the representation of the symbol; and

transferring the digitized representation from the wireless terminal to a service center.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transferring the digitized representation to a service center comprises transferring the digitized representation to a multimedia messaging service center as a multimedia message.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising transferring the digitized representation from the multimedia messaging service center to a hypersymbol service center for analysis.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the network service further comprises:

sending a web site address associated with an ideal symbol corresponding to the captured representation from a service center to the wireless terminal; and

accessing the web site using web site address.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein accessing the network service further comprises initiating an e-commerce transaction.

12. A wireless terminal, comprising:

a hypersymbol capturing system configured to capture representations of symbols associated with network services;

hypersymbol service initiating circuitry arranged to initiate determination of a network address associated with the captured symbol representations; and

mobile communications circuitry for providing mobile telephone and data communications and for accessing the network address associated with the captured symbol representations.

13. The wireless terminal of claim 12, wherein the hypersymbol service initiating circuitry includes a camera for capturing representations of visual symbols.

14. The wireless terminal of claim 12, wherein the hypersymbol service initiating circuitry includes a microphone for capturing representations of audio symbols.

15. The wireless terminal of claim 12, wherein the hypersymbol service initiating circuitry includes a hyperkey for initiating determination of the network address associated with the captured symbol representations.

16. The wireless terminal of claim 12, wherein the hypersymbol service initiating circuitry is configured to initiate an analysis of the captured symbol representations to determine the network address associated with the captured symbol representations.

17. The wireless terminal of claim 16, wherein the hypersymbol service initiating circuitry is configured to initiate the analysis of the captured symbol representations if a hypersymbol function has been selected.

18. The wireless terminal of claim 12, wherein the mobile communications circuitry further comprises:

speaker circuitry for converting electrical signals corresponding to received radio communication transmissions into audible sounds;

display circuitry for producing graphical messages to facilitate the radio transmission communications and serving as a viewfinder for the camera;

transmitter circuitry for transmitting the radio communication transmissions;

receiver circuitry for receiving radio communication transmissions;

a control system coupled to the speaker, display, microphone, camera, keypad transmitter, and receiver, for controlling the operation of the wireless terminal.

19. A method for accessing a network service, comprising:

capturing a digitized representation of a symbol associated with the network service;

transmitting the digitized representation of the symbol to a service center for analysis to determine a network service address corresponding to the network service;

receiving the network service address corresponding to the network service determined from the analysis of the digitized representation from the service center; and

accessing the network service using the received network service address.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein capturing the digitized representation of the symbol comprises capturing a graphical symbol.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein capturing the digitized representation of the symbol comprises capturing a character string.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein capturing the digitized representation of the symbol comprises capturing an audio symbol.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein accessing the network service comprises accessing a web page associated with the network service.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein accessing the network service comprises conducting an e-commerce transaction associated with the network service.

25. The method of claim 19, wherein accessing the network service comprises executing a software application to provide access to the network service.

26. A system, comprising

a mobile communications terminal configured to provide mobile telephone and data communications, the mobile terminal arranged to capture representations of symbols corresponding to network services;

and

a service center coupled to the mobile terminal and receiving from the mobile terminal multimedia messages including the captured representations, the service center configured to analyze the captured representations, determine the network service addresses corresponding to the network services associated with the symbols, and provide the mobile terminal with access to the network services associated with the symbols.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the service center provides the mobile terminal with access to the network services by providing the network service addresses of the network services to the mobile terminal.

28. The system of claim 26, wherein the service center provides the mobile terminal with access to the network services by initiating e-commerce transactions between the mobile terminal and the network services.

29. The system of claim 26, wherein the symbols are audio symbols.

30. The system of claim 26, wherein the symbols are graphic symbols.

31. The system of claim 30, wherein the graphic symbols include at least one feature identifying the graphic symbols as hypersymbols.

32. The system of claim 30, wherein the graphic symbols are character strings.

33. The system of claim 30, wherein the character strings are network address URLs.

34. The system of claim 26, wherein the service center further comprises:

a multimedia messaging service center configured to transfer multimedia messages to and from the mobile terminal; and

a hypersymbol service center coupled to the multimedia messaging service center configured to receive multimedia messages including the captured representations of the symbols from the multimedia messaging service center, analyze the captured representations of the symbols, and determine a network address associated with the symbol.

35. The system of claim 26, wherein the service center analyzes the captured representations by comparing digital representations of the symbols to ideal symbols stored in the service center.

36. A method for accessing a network service, comprising:

capturing a representation of a symbol associated with a network service;

analyzing the representation of the symbol to determine a network service address of the network service associated with the symbol; and

accessing the network service using the network service address.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein capturing the representation comprises digitizing the representation including a graphical icon associated with the network service.

38. The method of claim 36, wherein capturing the representation comprises digitizing the representation including a character string associated with the network service.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein capturing the representation comprises digitizing an audio symbol associated with the network service.

40. The method of claim 36, wherein analyzing the captured representation further comprises:

digitizing the captured representation; and

comparing the captured representation to a database of ideal symbols, each ideal symbol corresponding to a particular network service address.

41. A system for accessing a network service, comprising:

means for capturing a representation of a symbol associated with a network service using a wireless terminal;

means for analyzing the captured representation to determine a network service address of the network service associated with the captured representation; and

means for accessing the network service through the wireless terminal using the network service address.

42. A network service access system, comprising:

means for capturing a digitized representation of a symbol associated with the network service;

means for transmitting the digitized representation of the symbol to a service center for analysis to determine a network service address corresponding to the network service;

means for receiving the network service address corresponding to the network service determined from the analysis of the digitized representation from the service center; and

means for accessing the network service using the received network service address.

43. A system, comprising:

means for capturing a representation of a symbol associated with a network service;

means for analyzing the representation of the symbol to determine a network service address of the network service associated with the symbol; and

means for accessing the network service using the network service address.

44. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for accessing a network service, the computer-executable instructions performing a method comprising:

capturing a representation of a symbol associated with the network service using a wireless terminal;

analyzing the captured representation to determine a network service address of the network service associated with the symbol; and

accessing the network service through the wireless terminal using the network service address.