Information Delivery System And Method For Mobile Appliances

• US 20070203879A1
• Filed: 11/21/2006
• Published: 08/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cerence Operating Company (Cerence Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ZI Corporation of Canada Incorporated (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Templeton-Steadman, William, Williams, Roland
• Granted Patent: US 9,842,143 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/24575 using context
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/90 Details of database functions independent of the retrieved data types
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04892 Arrangements for controlling cursor position based on codes indicative of cursor displacements from one discrete location to another, e.g. using cursor control keys associated to different directions or using the tab key arrangements for controlling cursor position based on coordinate signals G06F3/038

Abstract

Information delivery systems and methods are disclosed. In a system according to the invention, there is a database system, a user appliance, a first communication channel and a second communication channel. The database system may have records that are alterable by a service provider. The user appliance may have an input device with polysemous keys. Further, the user appliance may also have a monitor, which is able to provide the user with information corresponding to records of the database system.

Claims

1. An information delivery system, comprising:

a database system having records, each record of the database system being alterable by a service provider;

a user appliance having an input device and a monitor;

(a) wherein the input device has polysemous keys, each key representing more than one symbol so as to allow a user to indicate more than one word via a single sequence of key presses, and

(b) wherein the monitor is able to provide the user with information corresponding to records of the database system, and

a first communication channel linking the user appliance with the database system, and able to provide to the database system a sequence of key presses indicated by the user via the input device, and

a second communication channel able to provide the appliance with information corresponding to at least one record of the database system which corresponds to the sequence of key presses indicated by the user.

2. The delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a selection device able to receive from the user a selection of information provided via the monitor.

3. The delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor programmed to:

(a) determine a time of day corresponding to the user appliance,

(b) determine, based on the time of day, whether the at least one record of the database system should be provided to the communication channel.

4. The delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor programmed to:

(a) determine a time of day corresponding to the user appliance,

(b) determine, based on the time of day, whether the at least one record of the database system should be provided to the monitor.

5. The delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor programmed to:

(a) determine a location of the user appliance,

(b) determine, based on the location, whether the at least one record of the database system should be provided to the communication channel.

6. The delivery system of claim 1, further comprising a microprocessor programmed to:

(a) determine a location of the user appliance,

(b) determine, based on the location, whether the at least one record of the database system should be provided to the monitor.

7. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the records of the database system include a flag, the flag indicating conditions under which information should be provided to the user.

8. The delivery system of claim 7, wherein the flag indicates a time during which the information may be provided to the user.

9. The delivery system of claim 7, wherein the flag indicates a geographic area within which the information may be provided to the user.

10. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the records of the database system include a flag, the flag indicating conditions under which information should not be provided to the user.

11. The delivery system of claim 10, wherein the flag indicates a time after which the information should not be provided to the user or the communication channel.

12. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein at least some of the records of the database system include a flag, the flag indicating conditions under which information should be removed from the database system.

13. The delivery system of claim 1, wherein the communication channel is able to provide a flag to the appliance, the flag indicating whether the database system has records corresponding to a particular sequence of key presses.

14. A method of providing information, comprising:

providing a database system having records, each record of the database system being alterable by a service provider;

providing a user appliance having an input device, a monitor, and a selection device;

(a) wherein the input device has polysemous keys, each key representing more than one symbol so as to allow a user to indicate more than one word via a single sequence of key presses, and

(b) wherein the monitor is able to provide the user with information corresponding to records of the database system;

providing a first communication channel linking the user appliance with the database system, and (i) able to provide to the database system a sequence of key presses indicated by the user via the input device; and

providing a second communication channel able to provide the appliance with information corresponding to at least one record of the database system which corresponds to the sequence of key presses indicated by the user;

pressing the keys to provide a sequence of key presses;

providing the sequence to the first communication channel;

identifying at least one of the records in the database that corresponds to the sequence to provide an identified record;

providing to the second communication channel information corresponding to the identified record;

providing the information to the user via the monitor.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a time of day corresponding to the user appliance,

determining whether the identified record indicates acceptable-time-of-day information;

comparing the time of day corresponding to the user appliance to the acceptable-time-of-day information;

determining whether the time of day corresponding to the user appliance is within the acceptable-time-of-day information;

indicating that information corresponding to the identified record should be provided to the communication channel if the time of day corresponding to the user appliance is within the acceptable-time-of-day information.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a time of day corresponding to the user appliance,

determining whether the identified record indicates acceptable-time-of-day information;

comparing the time of day corresponding to the user appliance to the acceptable-time-of-day information;

determining whether the time of day corresponding to the user appliance is within the acceptable-time-of-day information;

indicating that information corresponding to the identified record should be provided to the monitor if the time of day corresponding to the user appliance is within the acceptable-time-of-day information.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a location of the user appliance,

determining whether the identified record indicates acceptable-location information;

comparing the location of the user appliance to the acceptable-location information;

determining whether the user appliance location is within an area identified by the acceptable-location information;

indicating that information corresponding to the identified record should be provided to the communication channel if the location of the user appliance is within an area identified by the acceptable-location information.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining a location of the user appliance,

determining whether the identified record indicates acceptable-location information;

comparing the location of the user appliance to the acceptable-location information;

determining whether the user appliance location is within an area identified by the acceptable-location information;

indicating that information corresponding to the identified record should be provided to the monitor if the location of the user appliance is within an area identified by the acceptable-location information.

19. The method of claim 14, further comprising checking a flag to determine whether the database system has records corresponding to the sequence of key presses.