NETWORK DEVICE HAVING SELECTED FUNCTIONALITY

• US 20080046879A1
• Filed: 08/15/2007
• Published: 02/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Japan Communications Inc.
• Original Assignee: Japan Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Hostetler, Michael, Fries, Kevin, Krewson, Brian Gregory
• Application Number:
  US11/838,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20080046879A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 717/171
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/44505 Configuring for program initiating, e.g. using registry, configuration files
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/34 involving the movement of software or configuration parameters network booting or remote initial program loading [RIPL] G06F9/4416

Abstract

Certain aspects and embodiments of the present invention provide a local device capable of delivering selected functionalities without requiring users with little or no familiarity with computers or other processor-based devices to configure the local device. In some embodiments of the present invention, the local device includes a display integrated with a housing having a keyboard input that is adapted to communicate with a remote server and/or datacenter through a network. The local device can include network interface that is a telecom battery adapted to connect to the network and datacenter. The datacenter can include user data and/or functions that the user can access over the network using the local device.

Claims

1. A system for delivering selected Internet functionality, the system comprising:

a local device comprising;

a display integrated with a device housing;

a processor;

a computer-readable medium comprising an operating system and a web server, the operating system being adapted to provide selected functions to a user, the web server being adapted to communicate with a datacenter through a network, and

a telecom battery adapted to automatically connect the local device to the network when the local device is turned on.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the web server is adapted to display a menu to the user, the menu comprising a list of selected functions.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the selected functions comprise:

electronic mail;

stored photograph access;

Internet access; and

network account management.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a remote server adapted to provide a gateway between the datacenter and network, the remote server comprising user login data and is adapted to receive user login information from the local device and allow the local device to access the input data stored in the data storage if the user login information matches the user login data.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the datacenter is adapted to detect software stored on the local device and automatically update the software stored on the local device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the datacenter is adapted to determine if the software stored on the local device is out-of-date and update the software stored on the local device if it is out-of-date.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the web server displays an Internet browser on the display, the Internet browser comprising a first frame and a second frame, the first frame comprising a plurality of links providing the user with access to the selected functions, the second frame being adapted to display a function selected by the user.

8. A method for delivering selected Internet functionality, the method comprising:

providing a local device adapted to connect to a datacenter;

automatically connecting the local device to the datacenter through a network using a telecom battery when the local device is turned on;

displaying a network browser;

receiving user login information;

validating the user login information;

displaying links on the network browser, each link associated with a selected function;

receiving a user selection of a link; and

displaying the selected function on the network browser.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

requesting data from the datacenter;

receiving the requested data from the datacenter; and

displaying the received data on the network browser.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

storing the received data in the local device.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the network browser is an Internet browser comprising a first frame and a second frame.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving user login information at a remote server;

validating the user login information at the remote server; and

providing access to the datacenter if the user login information is validated.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

receiving information regarding software stored on the local device; and

updating the software on the local device automatically through the network.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein receiving information regarding software stored on the local device comprises:

receiving a software version of the software stored on the local device.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

determining if the software version of the software stored on the local device is out-of-date; and

automatically updating the software stored on the local device if the software version of the software stored on the local device is out-of-date.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving information regarding software stored on the local device comprises:

receiving an identification of software stored on the local device.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

determining if additional software is available that is not stored on the local device; and

automatically installing and storing the additional software on the local device.

18. A method for automatically updating software stored on a local device, the method comprising:

receiving an identification of stored software on the local device through a network;

receiving a version of the stored software on the local device through the network;

determining if additional software is available that is not stored on the local device;

determining if the version of the stored software on the local device is out-of-date;

automatically storing and installing available additional software if it is not stored on the local device, wherein the additional software is automatically stored and installed through the network; and

automatically updating the version of the stored software on the local device if the stored software is out-of-date, wherein the version of the stored software is automatically updated by automatically storing and installing an updated version of the software on the local device through the network.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the additional software is automatically stored and installed without disrupting local device functionality.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the version of the stored software is automatically updated without disrupting local device functionality.