System and Method for Sending Local Information from a Wireless Browser to a Web Server

• US 20080194293A1
• Filed: 02/08/2008
• Published: 08/14/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Leap Wireless International Incorporated (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Jessup, Raymond K., Dinh, John
• Granted Patent: US 8,078,150 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/556.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/02 Services making use of location information
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/00 Locating users or terminals or network equipment for network management purposes, e.g. mobility management

Abstract

A system and method for using a wireless browser to send local information from a wireless handset to a Web server. A service request received from a handset user includes the type of local information needed to carry out the request as well as the URL address of the server. The handset confirms that the input is not a telephone number to be dialed. If the input is a telephone number, the browser is terminated and the number is dialed. Otherwise, the browser acquires the local information needed to carry out the request from the handset. The local information is appended to the URL address, which is extracted from the user input, and the browser is instructed to navigate to the URL address to provide the local information to the server.

Claims

1. A method for sending local information from a wireless handset to a Web server comprising the following steps:

(a) receiving a service request from a user of the wireless handset, wherein the service request comprises a type of local information needed to carry out the service request;

(b) acquiring the local information; and

(c) sending the local information to the Web server.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the service request received in step (a) also comprises the URL address of the Web server.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein step (c) comprises extracting the URL address from the service request, appending the local information to the URL address, and navigating a wireless browser to the URL address.

4. A method as claimed in claim 3, wherein the wireless browser is an HDML/WML browser.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the local information comprises the geographic location of the handset.

6. A method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the geographic location is obtained from GPS data provided by a position determination system associated with the handset.

7. A method for using a wireless browser to send local information from a wireless handset to a Web server or to dial a telephone number comprising the following steps:

(a) receiving an input from a user of the wireless handset, wherein the input comprises either a service request containing a type of local information needed to carry out the service request, or a telephone number to be dialed;

(b) determining whether the input comprises a service request or a telephone number;

(c) if the input is a telephone number, terminating the browser and dialing the telephone number; and

(d) if the input is a service request, acquiring the local information and sending the local information to the Web server via the wireless browser.

8. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wireless browser is an HDML/WML browser.

9. A method as claimed in claim 8, wherein in step (a), if the input is a telephone number, the telephone number is inserted into the NUMBER field following an HDML/WML CALL command, and if the input is a service request, the type of local information needed and the URL address of the Web server is inserted into the NUMBER field following the HDML/WML CALL command.

10. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises determining whether the NUMBER field includes a local information type.

11. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein step (b) comprises determining whether the NUMBER field includes a URL address.

12. A method as claimed in claim 9, wherein step (d) comprises extracting the URL address from the NUMBER field and appending the local information to the URL address, and navigating the browser to the URL address.

13. A method as claimed in claim 7, wherein the local data comprises the GPS position of the handset.

14. A wireless communications system comprising:

a wireless handset comprising a transceiver for sending and receiving communications across a wireless communication network and an Internet browser configured to accept a user input comprising either a telephone number to be dialed or a service request comprising a type of local information needed to carry out the request and a URL address; and

a Web server located at the URL address contained in the service request and in communication with the handset over the network, the Web server receiving the local information from the Internet browser and carrying out the service request based on the local information.

15. A system as claimed in claim 14, and further comprising a position determination system for providing local information to the browser comprising the geographic location of the handset.

16. A system as claimed in claim 15, wherein the position determination system is a GPS receiver.