Systems, Methods, Devices, and Computer Program Products for Downloading Content for Offline Browsing

• US 20090006308A1
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Published: 01/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Fonsen, Mika
• Granted Patent: US 8,117,303 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/06 De-registration or detaching

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices and computer program products are provided for: receiving an indication that an electronic device is to be communicatively disconnected from a network; downloading information from the network in response to the received indication, but before the electronic device is disconnected from the network; and storing the downloaded information in the electronic device so that the information is available for offline browsing. For example, a user may instruct an electronic device to disconnect from a network. The user may also specify an amount of time before the device must disconnect from the network. The device may then begin pre-caching network content until the specified amount of time expires. When the specified amount of time expires, the device may disconnect from the network, but the user can continue to browse network content offline by browsing the pre-cached network content stored in a local memory.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a processor operatively coupled to a communication interface and configured to use the communication interface to communicate with at least one other device on a network when the communication interface is communicatively connected to the network,

wherein, when the communication interface is communicatively connected to the network, the processor is configured to receive an indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, and

wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the processor is configured to use the communication interface to download information from at least one device on the network and store the downloaded information so that the processor may access the downloaded information when the apparatus is communicatively disconnected from the network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface operatively coupled to the processor and configured to permit communication between a user of the apparatus and the processor,

wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the processor is configured to use the user interface to ask the user whether the processor should download and store information from at least one device on the network to allow for offline browsing of the downloaded information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to automatically begin downloading and storing information from at least one device on the network in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the processor is configured to use the communication interface to perform pre-caching of network content by downloading the information from the at least one device and storing the downloaded information without displaying the downloaded information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the processor is configured to only perform the pre-caching of network content after receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface operatively coupled to the processor and configured to permit communication between a user of the apparatus and the processor,

wherein the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises user input received from the user interface, the user input instructing the processor to communicatively disconnect from the network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to wirelessly connect to the network, and wherein the processor receiving an indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises the processor determining that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network based on information about the position of the apparatus and/or wireless characteristics of the communication interface, the network, and/or a network communication signal received by the communication interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network provides an indication of an amount of time before the communication interface is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the amount of time is defined by user input.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to download and store as much information from the network as the processor is capable of downloading and storing within the indicated amount of time, the processor downloading and storing the information in accordance with predetermined instructions.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the processor is configured to download and store user-selected information from the network.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the user-selected network information comprises network information associated with network destinations identified in a user'"'"'s favorites list.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the processor is configured to download and store information from the network based on predefined rules.

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the predefined rules instruct the processor to download and store network information associated with at least one link identified in at least one previously viewed network page.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface operatively coupled to the processor and configured to permit communication between a user of the apparatus and the processor,

wherein the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises user input received from the user interface, the user input instructing the processor to communicatively disconnect from the network at a particular point in time,

wherein, in response to the received indication, the processor is configured to download and store network content before the particular point in time; and

wherein the processor is configured to disconnect from the network at the particular point in time.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the processor is configured to download and store predefined information from the network, and wherein the processor is configured to automatically disconnect from the network after the processor downloads the predefined information from the network.

17. A method comprising:

while a first device is communicatively connected to a network, receiving an indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network;

downloading information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network; and

storing the downloaded information.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

receiving user input instructing the first device to communicatively disconnect from the network.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

receiving an indication of an amount of time before the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein receiving an indication of an amount of time before the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

receiving user input specifying the amount of time before the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

21. The method of claim 19, wherein downloading information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

downloading as much information from the network as permitted within the indicated amount of time, in accordance with predetermined downloading instructions.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein, downloading information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

downloading user-selected information from the network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the user-selected network information comprises network information associated with network destinations identified in a user'"'"'s favorites list.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein downloading information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

downloading information from the network based on predefined rules.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein the predefined rules instruct the processor to download and store network information associated with at least one link identified in at least one previously viewed network page.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein downloading information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises downloading predefined information from the network, the method further comprising:

disconnecting the first device from the network in response to an indication that the predefined information from the network has been downloaded and stored.

27. A computer program product comprising at least one computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code logic stored therein, the computer-readable program code logic comprising:

first code logic configured for receiving an indication that a first device is to be communicatively disconnected from a communication network; and

second code logic configured for downloading information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

28. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the first code logic is further configured to receive an indication of an amount of time before the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

29. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the first code logic comprises code logic configured for receiving user input specifying the amount of time before the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

30. The computer program product of claim 28, wherein the second code logic comprises code logic configured for downloading as much information from the network as permitted within the indicated amount of time, in accordance with predetermined downloading instructions.

31. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

third code logic configured for allowing a user to specify the network information to be downloaded by the second code logic in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

32. The computer program product of claim 27, further comprising:

third code logic configured for defining the network information to be downloaded by the second code logic in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

33. The computer program product of claim 32, wherein the third code logic is configured to define the network information to be downloaded based on network information recently accessed by the user and/or other network information not accessed by the user but identified in the network information recently accessed by the user.

34. The computer program product of claim 27, wherein the second code logic is configured to download predefined information from the network, the computer-readable program code logic further comprising:

third code logic configured for disconnecting the first device from the network in response to an indication that the predefined information from the network has been downloaded and stored.

35. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an indication, while the apparatus is communicatively connected to the network, that the apparatus will be communicatively disconnected from the network;

means for downloading information from at least one device on the network in response to a received indication that the apparatus will be communicatively disconnected from the network; and

means for storing the downloaded information so that the apparatus may access the downloaded information when the apparatus is communicatively disconnected from the network.