Method and apparatus for implementing alerts on a browser running on a portable handheld device

• US 20070005751A1
• Filed: 06/06/2005
• Published: 01/04/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/1995
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Symbol Technologies, LLC (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symbol Technologies, Inc. (Zebra Technologies Corporation)
• Inventors: Joseph, Eugene, Mason, John, Nikzad, Arman, Watson, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 7,577,745 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/181 Enclosures for portable computers G06F1/1613
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/955 using information identifiers, e.g. uniform resource locators [URL]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9554 by using bar codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/00 Network arrangements, protocols or services for addressing or naming
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 68/00 User notification, e.g. alerting and paging, for incoming communication, change of service or the like
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]

Abstract

A method and apparatus for implementing alerts on a browser running on a portable handheld device is disclosed. The method generates an asynchronous notification action from the server and in response transmits an alert containing a message indicating availability of HTML pages that describe the nature of the alert. The alert is received at a node on a network and translated into the original message. An alert receipt acknowledgment is transmitted to the server. Access to the alert HTML page is provided through a URL containing the appropriate query strings necessary to present the appropriate HTML page. The invention also discloses a wireless local area network (WLAN) adapter associated with a wireless network that receives paging signals from a server on the network and returns an acknowledgment signal back to the server. The invention also discloses a client/server based method of delivering messages initiated by a client. After a connection is established between a client and server, the client requests a message from the server. In response, the server retrieves and returns the message back to the client.

Claims

1-6. -6. (canceled)

7. A method of messaging in a virtual network of spatially separate individual wireless local area network (WLANs) comprising:

establishing a web server at an Internet node;

connecting an access point in each of said WLANs to said Internet node;

executing a browser program on a first mobile unit in a first WLAN;

in a second mobile unit in a second WLAN encoding a textual message into a packet with a destination address corresponding to the first mobile unit;

transferring the packetized textual message to the web server;

at the web server, creating a web page with the textual message;

at the web server, determining if the first mobile unit is active on the network at the time the packetized textual message is received at the web server, and the WLAN in which the first mobile unit is active;

if the first mobile unit is active, transmitting an alert from the web server to the first mobile unit that a message destined for such unit is available; and

displaying a window on the display of the first mobile unit advising the user that said alert has been received, and allowing the user to enter a command if the message is to be displayed on the display.

8. A wireless mobile network unit, comprising:

an input device for receiving data input from a user;

a display device supporting HTML functionality allowing the user to examine data;

a processor programmed to support the user of asynchronous application alerts;

a transmission device for receiving the alerts and transmitting an alert receipt acknowledgment; and

a memory containing instructions to receive a paging signal.

9. The network unit of claim 8 further comprising:

a processor which supports user datagram protocol frames and processes protocol data units consisting of command elements constructed as ASCII, comma delimited, strings.

10. The network unit of claim 8 further comprising:

a transmission device which transmits data via user datagram protocol services.

11. A wireless network comprising:

at least one host computer processor configured to generate an alert signal;

a plurality of access points which are linked to at least one host processor; and

mobile wireless network units configured to receive the alert signals and transmit notification of receipt of such signals.

12-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A client initiated message delivery method, comprising;

establishing a connection between a client and server;

generating a request from the client to the server; and

generating a response from the server to the client based on the request;

receiving a response at the client.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein generating a request further comprising:

creating a message originated by the client; and

transmitting said message to server.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein generating a request further comprising:

constructing a request to view a user-message stored at the server; and

transmitting said request to server.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein generating a response further comprising;

interpreting client request, wherein if request is a header type, response is a header retrieved from the server, and wherein if request is not header type, response is a user-message retrieved from the server; and

transmitting said response to client.

22. The method of claim 18 wherein receiving response further comprising;

determining response type;

if response type is text, displaying user-message as text;

if response type is audio, displaying user-message as audio;

if response type is image, displaying user-message as image; and

if response type header, displaying header information.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the client is a portable computer device with network capabilities.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the server is a computer device with network capabilities.

25-30. -30. (canceled)

31. An apparatus for messaging in a virtual network of spatially separate individual wireless local area network (WLANs) comprising:

means for establishing a web server at an Internet node;

means for connecting an access point in each of said WLANs to said Internet node;

means for executing a browser program on a first mobile unit in a first WLAN;

in a second mobile unit in a second WLAN, means for encoding a textual message into a packet with a destination address corresponding to the first mobile unit;

means for transferring the packetized textual message to the web server;

at the web server, means for creating a web page with the textual message;

at the web server, means for determining if the first mobile unit is active on the network at the time the packetized textual message is received at the web server, and the WLAN in which the first mobile unit is active;

if the first mobile unit is active, means for transmitting an alert from the web server to the first mobile unit that a message destined for such unit is available; and

means for displaying a window on the display of the first mobile unit advising the user that said alert has been received, and allowing the user to enter a command if the message is to be displayed on the display.

32. A client initiated message delivery apparatus, comprising;

means for establishing a connection between a client and server;

means for generating a request from the client to the server; and

means for generating a response from the server to the client based on the request;

means for receiving a response at the client.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein generating a request further comprising:

means for creating a message originated by the client; and

means for transmitting said message to server.

34. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein generating a request further comprising:

means for constructing a request to view a user-message stored at the server; and

means for transmitting said request to server.

35. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein generating a response further comprising;

means for interpreting client request, wherein if request is a header type, response is a header retrieved from the server, and wherein if request is not header type, response is a user-message retrieved from the server; and

means for transmitting said response to client.

36. The apparatus of claim 32 wherein receiving response further comprising;

means for determining response type;

wherein if response type is text, means for displaying user-message as text;

wherein if response type is audio, means for displaying user-message as audio;

wherein if response type is image, means for displaying user-message as image; and

wherein if response type header, means for displaying header information.

37. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the client is a portable computer device with network capabilities.

38. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the server is a computer device with network capabilities.