Synchronization among pluralbrowsers

• US 20080098130A1
• Filed: 10/09/2007
• Published: 04/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kirusa Inc.
• Inventors: Sibal, Sandeep, Mumick, Inderpal
• Granted Patent: US 7,584,249 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/248
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/543 Local
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A technique for synchronizing a visual browser and a voice browser. A visual browser is used to navigate through visual content, such as WML pages. During the navigation, the visual browser creates a historical record of events that have occurred during the navigation. The voice browser uses this historical record to navigate the content in the same manner as occurred on the visual browser, thereby synchronizing to a state equivalent to that of the visual browser. The creation of the historical record may be performed by using a script to trap events, where the script contains code that records the trapped events. The synchronization technique may be used with a multi-modal application that permits the mode of input/output (I/O) to be changed between visual and voice browsers. When the mode is changed from visual to voice, the record of events captured by the visual browser is provided to the voice browser, thereby allowing the I/O mode to change seamlessly from visual to voice. Likewise, the voice browser captures events which may be provided to the visual browser when the I/O mode is changed from voice to visual.

Claims

1. A device for engaging in wireless communications comprising:

a memory to store data and instructions;

a processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said data;

a visual display to render output;

a data input;

an antenna which transmits information over a wireless network and which receives information from said wireless network;

a microphone which captures audio to be sent over said wireless network using said antenna;

a speaker which renders audio received from said wireless network using said antenna;

a browsing module storable in said memory and executable on said processor, wherein said browsing module enables interaction with a content page using said visual display and said data input, and which stores state information that indicates a state of interaction with said content page and which causes said information to be transmitted over said wireless network.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said browsing module facilitates navigation of said content page by a user of the device, and wherein said state information comprises a historical record of events occurring during said navigation.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein said browsing module signals occurrence of said events, and wherein the device further comprises:

a script engine; and

a script comprising a plurality of sets of instructions interpretable by said script engine, each of said sets of instructions being adapted to create a record of a particular one of said events, said script engine being adapted to invoke a particular one of said sets of instructions according to which of said events is signaled by said browsing module.

4. A system of using a visual browser for navigation through a collection of data and the synchronization of the state of a voice browser to the state of a visual browser, comprising:

a first wireless device further comprising;

a first memory to store data and instructions;

a first processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said data;

a visual display to render output;

a data input;

an audio speaker to render audio output;

a microphone to accept audio input;

said visual browser storable in said first memory and executable on said first processor, said visual browser enables interaction with a content page using said visual display and said data input, and stores state information that indicates a state of interaction with said content page, wherein said state information comprises state records;

a second device further comprising;

a second memory to store data and instructions;

a second processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said data stored in said second memory;

said voice browser storable in said second memory and executable on said second processor, wherein the voice browser enables interaction with said content page using said audio speaker and said microphone;

wherein said first wireless device is in communication with said second device and a state manager via a network, wherein said network comprises a wireless network;

and wherein said state manager receives the state information and provides the state information to the voice browser, whereby the voice browser recreates the state of the visual browser.

5. The system of claim 4, further comprising a data store for storing said state information received by said state manager.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein said state information comprises a historical record of events occurring during said navigation.

7. A system of using a voice browser for navigation through a collection of data and the synchronization of a visual browser to the state of said voice browser, comprising:

a first device further comprising;

a first memory to store data and instructions;

a first processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said stored data;

a visual display to render output;

a data input;

an audio speaker to render audio output;

a microphone to accept audio input;

said visual browser storable in said first memory and executable on said first processor, said visual browser enables interaction with a content page using said visual display and said data input;

a second device further comprising;

a second memory to store data and instructions;

a second processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said data stored in said memory

said voice browser storable in said second memory and executable on said second processor, said voice browser enables interaction with a content page using said audio speaker and said microphone, and which stores state information that indicates a state of interaction with said content page, wherein said state information comprises state records;

wherein said first wireless device is in communication with said second device and a state manager via a network, wherein said network comprises a wireless network;

and wherein said state manager receives the state information, stores the state information in a data store, and provides the state information to the visual browser, whereby the visual browser recreates the state of the voice browser.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a data store for storing said state information received by said state manager.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein said state information comprises a historical record of events occurring during said navigation.

10. A system of using a visual browser for navigation through a collection of data, resulting in the generation of events, and the synchronization of a voice browser to the state of said visual browser, comprising:

a first device further comprising;

a first memory to store data and instructions;

a first processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said stored data;

a visual display to render output;

a data input;

an audio speaker to render audio output;

a microphone to accept audio input;

said visual browser storable in said first memory and executable on said first processor, said visual browser enables interaction with a content page using said visual display and said data input;

a script engine that records the generated events and memorialize the events during event recording, wherein said event recording is an instruction executable by said script engine; and

and wherein said scripts comprise a plurality of sets of instructions interpretable by the script engine, each of said sets of instructions being adapted to create a record of a particular one of the events, said script engine being adapted to invoke a particular one of said sets of instructions according to which of said events is signaled by said visual browsing module;

a second device further comprising;

a second memory to store data and instructions;

a second processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said data stored in said memory

said voice browser storable in said second memory and executable on said second processor, said visual browser enables interaction with a content page using said audio speaker and said microphone;

wherein said first wireless device is in communication with said second device and a state manager via a network, wherein said network comprises a wireless network;

and wherein said state manager receives the record of events and provides the record of events to the voice browser, whereby the voice browser recreates the state of the visual browser.

11. A system of using a voice browser for navigation through a collection of data, resulting in the generation of events, and the synchronization of a visual browser to the state of said voice browser, comprising:

a first device further comprising;

a first memory to store data and instructions;

a first processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said stored data;

a visual display to render output;

a data input;

an audio speaker to render audio output;

a microphone to accept audio input;

said visual browser storable in said first memory and executable on said first processor, said visual browser enables interaction with a content page using said visual display and said data input;

a script engine that records the generated events and memorialize the events during event recording, wherein said event recording is an instruction executable by said script engine; and

and wherein said scripts comprise a plurality of sets of instructions interpretable by the script engine, each of said sets of instructions being adapted to create a record of a particular one of the events, said script engine being adapted to invoke a particular one of said sets of instructions according to which of said events is signaled by said visual browsing module;

a second device further comprising;

a second memory to store data and instructions;

a second processor to execute said instructions and manipulate said data stored in said memory

said voice browser storable in said second memory and executable on said second processor, said visual browser enables interaction with a content page using said audio speaker and said microphone;

wherein said first wireless device is in communication with said second device and a state manager via a network, and wherein said network comprises a wireless network;

and wherein said state manager receives the record of events, and provides the record of events to the visual browser, whereby the visual browser recreates the state of the voice browser.