Font data processing system and method

• US 20050193336A1
• Filed: 02/27/2004
• Published: 09/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Fux, Vadim, Fedotenko, Denis
• Granted Patent: US 8,689,101 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/269
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 40/109 Font handling; Temporal or kinetic typography

Abstract

A method of facilitating the processing of font data for electronic data transfers to client devices includes storing a list of client font capabilities associated with one or more client devices, accessing font data in an electronic data transfer addressed to at least one client device, the at least one client device corresponding to the one or more client devices, comparing the accessed font data to the list of client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices, and identifying augment font data based on the comparing the accessed font data to the list of client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices. Augment font data is then included in the electronic data transfer to the at least one client device.

Claims

1. A system for facilitating the processing of font data for electronic data transfers to client devices, comprising:

a client font list store comprising a list of client font capabilities associated with one or more client devices; and

font processing software stored in a computer readable medium and comprising processor executable instructions that are operable to cause a processing device to receive an electronic data transfer addressed to at least one client device, the at least one client device corresponding to the one or more client devices, determine augment font data by accessing font data in the electronic data transfer and comparing the accessed font data to the list of client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices, and to include the augment font data in the electronic data transfer to the at least one client device.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the font processing software further comprises processor executable instructions that are operable to cause a processing device to request the list of client font capabilities from the one or more client devices and store the list of client font capabilities received in response in the client font list store.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more client devices comprises mobile communication devices.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the electronic data transfer comprises an electronic document.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the electronic data transfer comprise a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) deck.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the list of client font capabilities associated with one or more client devices comprises a list of fonts supported by each of the one or more client devices.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the font processing software is executed on a server computer having stored font data.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the font processing software further comprises processor executable instructions that are operable to cause the server computer to request and receive augment font data from an augment font provider if the augment font data is not included in the stored font data.

9. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a server font data store comprising server font data for a plurality of font types; and

a provider font list store comprising font provider access data;

wherein the processor executable instructions are operable to cause a processing device access the server font data store to obtain augment font data and to access the provider font list store to issue a request to a font provider to obtain augment font data.

10. A method of facilitating the processing of font data for electronic data transfers to client devices, comprising:

storing a list of client font capabilities associated with one or more client devices;

accessing font data in an electronic data transfer addressed to at least one client device, the at least one client device corresponding to the one or more client devices;

comparing the accessed font data to the list of client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices;

identifying augment font data based on the comparing the accessed font data to the list of client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices; and

including augment font data in the electronic data transfer to the at least one client device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising requesting the list of client font capabilities from the one or more client devices.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more client devices comprise mobile communication devices.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic data transfer comprises an electronic document.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic data transfer comprises a Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) deck.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the electronic data transfer comprises an e-mail message.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein storing a list of client font capabilities associated with one or more client devices comprises storing a list of fonts supported by each of the one or more client devices.

17. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining if the augment font data is stored in a font data store; and

requesting augment font data from an augment font provider if the augment font data if the augment font data is not stored in the font data store.

18. A system for facilitating the processing of font data for an electronic data transfer to a client device, comprising:

means for storing a list of client font capabilities associated with one or more client devices; and

means for accessing font data in the electronic data transfer addressed to at least one client device, the at least one client device corresponding to the one or more client devices, for comparing the accessed font data to the list of client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices, for identifying augment font data based on the comparing the accessed font data to the list of client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices, and for including augment font data in the electronic data transfer to the at least one client device.

19. A method of facilitating the processing of font data in electronic messages addressed to one or more client devices, comprising:

determining client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices;

receiving an electronic message addressed to at least one client device, the at least one client device corresponding to the one or more client devices;

accessing font data in the electronic message;

comparing the accessed font data to the client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices;

identifying augment font data based on the comparing the accessed font data to the client font capabilities associated with the one or more client devices;

including augment font data in the electronic message addressed to the at least one client device to create a font-augmented electronic message; and

transmitting the font-augmented electronic message to the at least one client device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the determining client font capabilities associated with one or more client devices comprises receiving a list of client font capabilities from each of the one or more client devices.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the one or more client devices are mobile communication devices.

22. A method of facilitating the processing of font data in an electronic message addressed to a mobile device, comprising:

receiving an electronic message;

determining if the electronic message includes a font attachment including augment font data; and

upon determining that the electronic message includes a font attachment including augment font data, automatically storing the augment font data in a client font data store.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising communicating a notification of the automatic storing of the font data in the client font data store to a font server.