System and method for retrieving internet data files using a screen-display telephone terminal

• US 5,937,041 A
• Filed: 03/10/1997
• Issued: 08/10/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Clearinghouse LLC (RPX Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Northern Telecom Limited (Nortel Networks Corporation)
• Inventors: Kredo, Thomas, Cardillo, IV, Raymond A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing F.
• Application Number:
  US08/815,663
• Time in Patent Office: 883 Days
• Field of Search: 379/90.01, 379/93.01, 379/93.05-93.09, 379/93.12-93.15, 379/93.17-93.31, 379/93.37, 379/110.01, 379/387, 379/900
• US Class Current: 379/93.25
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2478 Telephone terminals specially adapted for non-voice services, e.g. email, internet access centralized arrangements where telephones services are combined H04M7/0024; for recording text messages H04M3/5322; for accessing Internet H04M3/4938
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 11/066 Telephone sets adapted for data transmision
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/493 Interactive information services, e.g. directory enquiries ; Arrangements therefor, e.g. interactive voice response [IVR] systems or voice portals
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/12 for working between exchanges having different types of switching equipment, e.g. power-driven and step by step or decimal and non-decimal

Abstract

A system and method for interfacing screen-display telephone terminals with the Internet. A browser device located on an ADSI capable telephone platform server retrieves requested data files from an Internet site and formats the retrieved data file specifically for display on the screen-display telephone terminal. The browser also permits a link between ADSI specific applications by giving the user imbedded softkey commands which retrieve other data files including ADSI applications.

Claims

1. A method for retrieving and displaying data files from an Internet location comprising the steps of:

receiving, at a screen-display telephone terminal, a data file request from a user;

transmitting the data file request to a telephony platform server;

receiving the data file request at the telephony platform server and transmitting an Internet protocol message to an Internet site location, wherein the Internet protocol message corresponds to the data file and the Internet site location corresponds to the data file;

retrieving an Internet data file from the Internet site location and formatting the Internet data file received in response to the Internet protocol message for display on the screen-display telephone terminal;

transmitting, from the telephony platform server, the Internet data file to the telephone terminal, wherein said Internet data file is formatted for display on the screen-display telephone terminal; and

displaying the formatted data file on the screen-display telephone terminal.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of transmitting the data file request to a telephony platform server includes the substeps of

receiving the data file request at a first memory of the telephony platform server;

and

interpreting the received data file request to generate an Internet protocol message.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the Internet protocol is a Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and wherein the step of interpreting the received data file request includes the substep of

generating an HTTP formatted data file request message.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of retrieving and formatting the Internet data file includes the substeps of

receiving the retrieved Internet data file at a second memory of the telephony platform, wherein the data file received is formatted in a markup language;

and

converting the retrieved Internet data file to a data display block formatted for display on the screen-display telephone terminal.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the screen-display telephone terminal is an ADSI compatible device, and wherein the step of converting the retrieved Internet data file to the data display block includes the substep of

converting the markup language formatted data file to an ADSI protocol data display block.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the markup language is a Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), and wherein the step of converting the markup language formatted data file to the ADSI protocol data display block includes the substep of

converting the HTML data file to the ADSI protocol data display block.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the markup language is a Handheld Device Markup Language (HDML), and wherein the step of converting the markup language formatted data file to the ADSI protocol data display block includes the substep of

converting the HDML data file to the ADSI protocol data display block.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of receiving the data file request includes the substeps of

presenting a selection of Internet site locations on a display screen of the screen-display telephone terminal, wherein said selection of Internet site locations correspond to a selection of data files that may be retrieved;

and

receiving the Internet data file request through at least one of a softkey selection device or a numeric keypad selection device.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the screen-display telephone terminal is an ADSI compatible telephone terminal and the telephony platform is an ADSI capable telephony platform server, and wherein the step of transmitting the Internet data file request includes the substep of

transmitting an ADSI protocol data file request message.

10. A system for interfacing at least one ADSI screen-display telephone terminal with a plurality of Internet site locations, wherein the Internet site locations contain data files, the system comprising:

an ADSI screen-display telephone terminal for transmitting a data file request to an ADSI telephony platform server and displaying an Internet data file retrieved from one of the plurality of Internet site locations; and

a browser device residing on the ADSI telephony platform server for retrieving the Internet data file and formatting the retrieved data file for display on the ADSI screen-display telephone terminal.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the telephony platform further includes

a first memory, accessible by the browser device, for receiving and storing the data file request;

and

a second memory, accessible by the browser device, for receiving and storing a data file.

12. The system in claim 10, wherein the browser device further includes

a request message receiving and formatting section, connected to the first memory of the telephony platform, for receiving the data file request from the telephony platform and generating an Internet compatible protocol message corresponding to the data file request received;

a request message transmitting section, connected to request message receiving and formatting section, for transmitting the Internet compatible protocol message to an Internet site location;

a data file retrieval section, connected to the second memory of the telephony platform, for retrieving the data file from Internet site location; and

a data file formatting and transmitting section for converting the retrieved data file to an ADSI data display block formatted for display on the ADSI terminal and transmitting the ADSI data display block to the ADSI terminal.

13. The system in claim 10, wherein the data file retrieved from the Internet is formatted in a markup language, and wherein the data file formatting and transmitting section further includes

a converter for converting the retrieved data file formatted in the markup language to the ADSI data display block.

14. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the markup language is a HTML.

15. The system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the markup language is a HDML.

16. A system in an ADSI protocol environment for linking an ADSI terminal user with a plurality of ADSI application servers, wherein the ADSI application servers contain a plurality of ADSI protocol application files, said system comprising:

an ADSI screen-display telephone terminal for transmitting an ADSI application request to a telephony platform server and displaying a retrieved application data file, wherein said ADSI application request corresponds to the ADSI application data file requested by the user;

a browser device, residing on the telephony platform server, for retrieving an ADSI application data file from one of the plurality of ADSI application servers and transmitting the retrieved ADSI application data file to the ADSI terminal.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the telephony platform further includes

a first memory, accessible by the browser device, for receiving and storing the ADSI application request;

and

a second memory, accessible by the browser device, for receiving and storing the ADSI application data file retrieved from the ADSI application server.

18. The system in claim 16, wherein the browser device further includes

means for transmitting the ADSI application request to the ADSI application server containing the ADSI application data file;

means, connected to the second memory of the telephony platform, for retrieving the ADSI application data file received from the ADSI application server and stored in the second memory of the telephony platform server wherein said ADSI application data file corresponds to the user requested ADSI application file; and

means, connected to means for retrieving, for transmitting the ADSI data display block to the ADSI terminal.