Telephone activated web server

• US 6,338,085 B1
• Filed: 06/29/1998
• Issued: 01/08/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Philips Electronics North America Corporation (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Ramaswamy, Muralidharan
• Primary Examiner(s): Geckil, Mehmet B.
• Application Number:
  US09/107,183
• Time in Patent Office: 1,289 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 379/90.01, 379/93.25
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries

Abstract

In general, the invention provides for on-demand access to web pages that are stored remote from, and independent of, a web page service provider. In a preferred embodiment, the web page service provider provides an index that contains a reference to more detailed web pages. The more detailed web pages are stored local to the party supplying the web pages, for example, on a computer located at a client'"'"'s site. When a user of the web page service initiates a request for a more detailed web page, the web page service telephones the computer at the client'"'"'s site, uploads the requested web page, and provides it to the user. The index can be based on geographic information, thereby providing for web page access based on the locale of the client and the user.

Claims

1. A method for providing access to a web page that is located at a client system, comprising:

storing a telephone number associated with an identifier of the web page on a web server;

dialing the telephone number when a user selects the identifier to the web page on the web server; and

initiating a transmission of the web page from the client system to the web server, in response to the dialing of the telephone number, so as to facilitate the access to the web page by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the web page includes at least one of the following:

text data, graphics data, audio data, and video data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is one of a plurality of identifiers that are stored in an index.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the identifier is a hypertext reference to a program that dials the telephone number, and the user selects the identifier by selecting a hypertext region of a hypertext page that is associated with the hypertext reference.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the identifier is one of a plurality of identifiers that are each selectable from the hypertext page.

6. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

notifying the user of a delay in accessing the web page; and

,

alerting the user when the transmission of the web page occurs.

7. A web server comprising:

an index page that includes at least one identifier to a remote web page, and at least one telephone number that is associated with the at least one identifier;

a user interface that provides the index page to a user and allows the user to select the at least one identifier;

a telephone interface, operably coupled to the user interface, that establishes a communications link with a remote computer based on the telephone number associated with the selected at least one identifier, and communicates a request that initiates a transmission of the remote web page via the communications link; and

a receiver, operably coupled to the telephone interface, that receives the remote web page via the communications link, thereby facilitating an access to the remote web page by the user.

8. The web server of claim 7, further including a geographic sorter that provides the at least one identifier to the index page based on a geographic reference.

9. The web server of claim 8, wherein the geographic reference is provided by the user.

10. The web server of claim 7, wherein the index page also includes at least one other identifier to a local web page that is stored in a memory at the web server.

11. The web server of claim 7, wherein the user interface also provides a notification to the user of a delay for accessing the remote web page and thereafter provides an alert to the user when the remote web page is received by the receiver.

12. The web server of claim 7, wherein the user interface also provides a notification to the user of a delay in dependence upon whether the at least one identifier to the remote web page is selected, and thereafter provides an alert to the user when the remote web page is received by the receiver.

13. A communication system comprising:

a web server that provides web page access to a user, that includes;

a web page index that indicates a telephone number associated with a client web page,

a telephone interface, operably coupled to the web page index, that calls the telephone number and requests the client web page, and,

a receiver that receives the client web page, thereby facilitating the user access to the client web page; and

,

a client system that includes;

the client web page,

a telephone interface that receives telephone calls made to the telephone number, and transmits the client web page in response to the telephone calls.

14. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the web server also includes a geographic sorter that facilitates creation of the web page index based upon a geographic reference.

15. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the web page index is a hypertext page, and the user selects the client web page by selecting hypertext highlighted text, and the telephone number is associated with a hypertext reference that is associated with the selected hypertext highlighted text.

16. The communication system of claim 13, wherein the client web page includes at least one of text data, video data, audio data, and graphics data.