System and method for delivering information on demand

• US 20050203917A1
• Filed: 03/11/2005
• Published: 09/15/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ocean and Coastal Environmental Sensing, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Ocean and Coastal Environmental Sensing, Inc.
• Inventors: Freeberg, Mark, Soltero, Luis
• Granted Patent: US 7,949,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC

Abstract

A system and method designed to optimize the delivery of information on demand via wired or wireless connections. Dynamic information such as weather data can be delivered as compressed text, images, charts, buoy data, radar, GRIB files, and many more formats. Numerous continuously updated products can be delivered to a user of a client application on demand by the push of a button. The user can generate a batch folder having a list of data products to download. The data list in the batch folder can be requested from a server using a single command. The system and method can be configured to immediately connect to a server via a wireless connection or email, including satellite phone and HF/Pactor Radio, and downloads the requested data. After the download the client can be configured to automatically display the requested data.

Claims

1. A method of receiving content on demand from a system having stored content, the method comprising:

generating, prior to establishing a connection with the system, a content request;

establishing a communication link with a server in the system;

transmitting the content request to the server;

receiving content from the server in response to the content request; and

outputting, based on a predetermined configuration, at least one of the content received from the server.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising disconnecting the communication link with the server upon receipt of all of the requested content.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the content request comprises:

receiving selections from a predetermined content library; and

generating a batch file identifying the selections from the predetermined content library.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein each entry in the predetermined content library has an associated cost.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein establishing the communication link with the server comprises establishing a wireless communication link using at least one from the list comprising a satellite communication link, a cellular telephone communication link, and an HF radio communication link.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the content request comprises transmitting the content request including an offset indicating a portion of the content request received in a prior communication.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the content request comprises transmitting a request for at least one content type from the group comprising weather, news, sports, financial information, software, electronic charts, and fishing quotas.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the content request comprises transmitting a request for weather content of a type from the group comprising GRIB, satellite images, charts, text, ice, radar, and ocean charts.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the content request comprises transmitting a request for stored Really Simple Syndication (RSS) content.

10. A method of receiving content on demand from a system having stored content, the method comprising:

generating, prior to establishing a connection with the system, a content request by receiving one or more selections from a predetermined library of available content, each of the available content having an associated cost;

establishing a communication link with a server in the system;

receiving access to the system;

transmitting the content request to the server;

receiving content from the server in response to the content request;

automatically disconnecting the communication link with the server upon receipt of all content in the content request; and

outputting, based on a predetermined configuration, at least one of the content received from the server.

11. A method of providing content on demand from a system having stored content, the method comprising:

receiving a content request;

retrieving a plurality of content files, based on the content request, from a data store having a copy of the content file obtained from an original content source;

compressing each of the plurality of content files in a predetermined manner associated with a content type to generate a plurality of compressed content files;

concatenating the plurality of compressed content files; and

providing the content in response to the content request.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

determining a cost associated with the content request by summing a cost associated with each of the plurality of content files; and

applying a charge to a user account corresponding to an originator of the content request.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the plurality of content files is available from a corresponding original content source free of charge.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving an offset value in addition to the content request; and

providing only a portion of the concatenated plurality of compressed content files based on the offset value.

15. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

periodically retrieving each of the content files corresponding to a content library from a corresponding original content source; and

storing the copy of the content file in the data store.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein receiving the content request comprises:

receiving a username and a password; and

accepting the content request if the usemame and the password correspond to a valid username and password combination.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein compressing each of the plurality of content files comprises:

compressing Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML) files using Burrows-Wheeler block sorting text compression; and

compressing GIF files by resampling the GIF file at a lower resolution to generate a resampled GIF file and applying JPEG compression to the resampled GIF file.

18. The method of claim 11, wherein concatenating the plurality of compressed content files comprises:

generating a header field identifying information regarding the concatenated plurality of compressed content files; and

appending the header to the concatenated plurality of compressed content files.

19. An apparatus for receiving content on demand from a system having stored content, the apparatus comprising:

a user communication device configured to establish a communication link with the system;

a user terminal coupled to the user communication device and configured to communicate with the system when the communication link is established; and

a client application operating in conjunction with the user terminal, and configured to receive user selections from a content library;

generate a content request based on the user selections;

command the user communication device to establish the communication link, communicate the content request to the system via the user terminal;

receive content in response to the content request; and

automatically command the user communication device to disconnect the communication link upon receipt of all of the content in the content request.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the user terminal commands the user communication device to establish the communication link in response to a user input received after generating the content request.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the content request comprises a batch file listing a plurality of content, and wherein the user can selectively enable or disable retrieval of a content file corresponding to any of the plurality of content.

22. A system for providing content on demand, the system comprising:

a data store configured to store one or more content files and a cost associated with each of the one or more content files;

a robot configured to access one or more original content sources for content files and copy the content files from the original content source to the data store;

a server coupled to the data store and configured to receive a content request from a user having a system account, retrieve requested content files based on the content request, deliver the requested content files to the user, determine a cost associated with fulfilling the content request, and apply the cost to the system account corresponding to the user.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the server is further configured to compress each of the requested content files based on a format of the requested content file, concatenate the compressed requested content files, and communicate the concatenated compressed requested content files to the user exclusive of an acknowledgement message from the user.

24. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more original content sources comprise at least one source selected from the group comprising a file transfer protocol (FTP) server, an Internet web server, a private source, and a Distributed Oceanographic Data System (DODS).

25. The system of claim 22, wherein the one or more original content sources provides the content files free of charge.

26. The system of claim 22, wherein the robot is configured to periodically access the one or more original content sources at a period that is determined based on an update rate of the content files.

27. A method of providing content on demand from a system having stored content, the method comprising:

receiving an email content request at a predetermined email address, the email address including a reply address corresponding to an authorized user;

retrieving a plurality of content files, based on the email content request, from a data store having a copy of the content file obtained from an original content source;

generating at least one email message addressed to the reply address, the at least one email message including at least one of the plurality of content files as an email attachment; and

delivering the at least one email message in response to the content request.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein receiving the email content request comprises receiving the email content request having a request for scheduled delivery of requested content, and wherein retrieving the plurality of content files comprises retrieving the plurality of content files in accordance with a schedule included 1 the request for scheduled delivery.

29. A method of providing content on demand from a system having stored content, the method comprising:

receiving a content request including at least one parameter for modifying a high level information file;

retrieving the high level information file from a data store;

modifying the high level information file based at least in part on the at least one parameter to generate a dynamic content file; and

delivering the dynamic content file in response to the content request.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the high level file comprises global weather information and the at least one parameter includes a latitude value and a longitude value.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the high level file comprises financial information.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the high level file comprises sports related information.