Method and apparatus for tailoring electronic content retrieval according to wireless communication device capabilities

• US 20070207794A1
• Filed: 10/25/2005
• Published: 09/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Dunko, Gregory
• Granted Patent: US 9,060,260 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/419
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/18 Selecting a network or a communication service
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/20 Selecting an access point
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/22 Processing or transfer of terminal data, e.g. status or physical capabilities

Abstract

A wireless communication device, such as a cellular handset, is configured to tailor its retrieval of electronic content, such as through a web feed, according to one or more capability parameters of the device. In one embodiment, a wireless communication device is configured, such as by including appropriate computer program instructions, to tailor its retrieval of electronic content based on maintaining device capability information in the wireless communication device, and filtering one or more electronic feeds received by the wireless communication device to identify electronic content having content characteristics commensurate with the device capability information.

Claims

1. A method of tailoring electronic content retrieval by a wireless communication device comprising:

maintaining device capability information in the wireless communication device; and

filtering one or more electronic feeds received by the wireless communication device to identify electronic content having content characteristics commensurate with the device capability information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the device capability information comprises maintaining dynamic device capability information as a function of changing connection data rates available to the wireless communication device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the device capability information comprises maintaining dynamic device capability information as a function of changing radio access network types available to the wireless communication device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the device capability information comprises maintaining dynamic device capability information as a function of changing memory capacity available to the wireless communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the device capability information comprises maintaining dynamic device capability information as a function of changing user interface capability available to the wireless communication device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein maintaining the device capability information comprises maintaining static device capability information in a memory of the wireless communication device bearing on at least one of device display characteristics, device user interface characteristics, device audio characteristics, device memory characteristics, content type compatibility characteristics, and device processor characteristics.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein maintaining the device capability information additionally comprises maintaining dynamic device capability information as a function of at least one of changing connection data rates available to the wireless communication device, changing radio access network types available to the wireless communication device, changing memory capacity available to the wireless communication device, and changing user interface capability available to the wireless communication device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein filtering the one or more electronic feeds comprises receiving content information from or for the one or more electronic feeds that identifies available electronic content and corresponding content characteristics, and evaluating the content characteristics with respect to the device capability information to identify electronic content having commensurate content characteristics.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein evaluating the content characteristics with respect to the device capability information comprises at least one of identifying electronic content having file sizes commensurate with connection data rates available to the wireless communication device, identifying electronic content having file sizes commensurate with storage capacities of the wireless communication device, and identifying electronic content having content encoding or file types compatible with the wireless communication device.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising selectively retrieving the identified electronic content for processing by the wireless communication device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein selectively retrieving the identified content comprises automatically retrieving identified electronic content associated with any electronic feeds to which the wireless communication device has an active subscription.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein selectively retrieving the identified electronic content for processing by the wireless communication device comprises retrieving identified electronic content responsive to user input indicating that such retrieval is desired.

13. A wireless communication device comprising one or more processing circuits configured to:

maintain device capability information; and

filter one or more electronic feeds received by the wireless communication device to identify electronic content having content characteristics commensurate with the device capability information.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to maintain at least a portion of the device capability information as dynamic device capability information corresponding to changing connection data rates available to the wireless communication device.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to maintain at least a portion of the device capability information as dynamic device capability information corresponding to changing radio access network types available to the wireless communication device.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to maintain at least a portion of the device capability information as dynamic device capability information corresponding to changing memory capacity available to the wireless communication device.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to maintain at least a portion of the device capability information as dynamic device capability information corresponding to changing user interface capability available to the wireless communication device.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein the one or more processing circuits are configured to maintain at least a portion of the device capability information as static device capability information in a memory of the wireless communication device bearing on at least one of device display characteristics, device user interface characteristics, device audio characteristics, device memory characteristics, content type compatibility characteristics, and device processor characteristics.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 18, wherein maintaining the device capability information additionally comprises maintaining dynamic device capability information as a function of at least one of changing connection data rates available to the wireless communication device, changing radio access network types available to the wireless communication device, changing memory capacity available to the wireless communication device, and changing user interface capability available to the wireless communication device.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 13, wherein filtering the one or more electronic feeds comprises receiving content information from or for the one or more electronic feeds that identifies available electronic content and corresponding content characteristics, and evaluating the content characteristics with respect to the device capability information to identify electronic content having commensurate content characteristics.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 20, wherein evaluating the content characteristics with respect to the device capability information comprises at least one of identifying electronic content having file sizes commensurate with connection data rates available to the wireless communication device, identifying electronic content having file sizes commensurate with storage capacities of the wireless communication device, and identifying electronic content having content encoding or file types compatible with the wireless communication device.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 13, further comprising selectively retrieving the identified electronic content for processing by the wireless communication device.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 22, wherein selectively retrieving the identified content comprises automatically retrieving identified electronic content associated with any electronic feeds to which the wireless communication device has an active subscription.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 22, wherein selectively retrieving the identified electronic content for processing by the wireless communication device comprises retrieving identified electronic content responsive to user input indicating that such retrieval is desired.

25. A computer readable medium storing a computer program configured to tailor electronic content retrieval by a wireless communication device, said computer program comprising:

program instructions to maintain device capability information in the wireless communication device; and

program instructions to filter one or more electronic feeds received by the wireless communication device to identify electronic content having content characteristics commensurate with the device capability information.

26. The computer readable medium of claim 25, wherein the computer program comprises an electronic content retrieval program configured to retrieve electronic content and to provide corresponding output information to a user of the wireless communication device via a user interface of the wireless communication device.