Wireless, radio-frequency communications using a handheld computer

• US 6,590,588 B2
• Filed: 10/29/1998
• Issued: 07/08/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Palm, Inc. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lincke, Scott D., Sipher, Joseph K., Marianetti, Ronald II
• Primary Examiner(s): Kincaid, Kristine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Thomas T.
• Application Number:
  US09/182,945
• Publication Number:
  US 20020109706A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,713 Days
• Field of Search: 345/336, 345/333, 345/334, 345/335, 345/348, 345/329, 345/331, 345/332, 345/714, 345/763, 345/765, 345/744, 707/501, 707/513, 709/213, 709/218, 380/255, 380/270
• US Class Current: 715/744
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/958 Organisation or management of web site content, e.g. publishing, maintaining pages or automatic linking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0272 Virtual private networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0442 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply asymmetric encryption, i.e. different keys for encryption and decryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for public-key encryption H04L9/30
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/045 wherein the sending and receiving network entities apply hybrid encryption, i.e. combination of symmetric and asymmetric encryption cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements using a plurality of keys or algorithms H04L9/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0471 applying encryption by an intermediary, e.g. receiving clear information at the intermediary and encrypting the received information at the intermediary before forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/123 received data contents, e.g. message integrity
• 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 67/288 Distributed intermediate devices, i.e. intermediate devices for interaction with other intermediate devices on the same level
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/561 Adding application-functional data or data for application control, e.g. adding metadata
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/566 Grouping or aggregating service requests, e.g. for unified processing
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/16 Implementation or adaptation of Internet protocol [IP], of transmission control protocol [TCP] or of user datagram protocol [UDP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/161 Implementation details of TCP/IP or UDP/IP stack architecture; Specification of modified or new header fields
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/162 involving adaptations of sockets based mechanisms secure socket layer H04L63/168
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/165 : Combined use of TCP and UDP protocols; selection criteria therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/22 : Parsing or analysis of headers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/326 : in the transport layer [OSI layer 4] H04L69/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 : in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 : Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 12/033 : of the user plane, e.g. user's traffic

Abstract

A communications device provides a user with a sensory cue that informs the user of certain characteristics of a subsequent action that includes data communications. By informing the user of the data communication characteristics before the user initiates the data communication action, the invention appropriately sets user expectations regarding the data communication characteristics. For example, one embodiment of the invention is implemented in a portable communications device with a screen. For subsequent actions that include wireless communications, the portable communications device simultaneously displays a wireless link icon sensory cue next to a user interface graphic element. The user interface element is used to initiate the subsequent action. The user interface element can be an operating system object having an embedded link type icon. The wireless link icon informs the user that the subsequent action corresponding to the user interface element requires wireless communication and the expense and time associated therewith. A method, a system and an apparatus for indicating characteristics of a subsequent action to a user before the user begins the subsequent action are provided.

Claims

1. A method for providing wireless, radio-frequency communications on a handheld computer, the method comprising:

providing an interface to receive a user-input requesting a content from a network over a wireless, radio-frequency channel;

displaying, as at least part of the interface, a plurality of graphical user-interface features to provide information about one or more detectable characteristics associated with displaying the content in response to receiving the wireless, radio-frequency communications over the wireless, radio-frequency channel;

in response to receiving the user-input, signaling a wireless, radio-frequency request over the wireless, radio-frequency channel to retrieve the content from the network; and

receiving a network transmission corresponding to the content over the wireless, radio-frequency channel; and

wherein a first graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of graphical user-interface features indicates whether at least one of signaling the request and receiving the network transmission for the content is to be encrypted prior to receiving the user-input; and

wherein a second graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of graphical user-interface features indicates, prior to receiving the user-input, an available bandwidth of the wireless, radio-frequency channel.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying an icon along with information about the characteristics of the request or the transmission.

3. A handheld computer coupleable to a base station to communicate with a server, the handheld computer comprising:

a display;

a processor configured to provide a user-interface on the display, the user-interface including a plurality of graphical user-interface features to provide information about one or more detectable characteristics associated with displaying a content rendered from wireless, radio-frequency communications forwarded from the base station, wherein;

a first graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of graphical user-interface features indicates whether at least one of signaling a request for the content to the base station, and receiving the content from the base station, is to be encrypted; and

a second graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of graphical user-interface features indicates, prior to receiving a user-input to signal the request, an available bandwidth of the wireless radio-frequency channel; and

an antenna coupled to the processor to signal the request to the base station for the content, and to receive a network transmission corresponding to the network content.

4. The handheld computer of claim 3, wherein the user-interface includes a visual cue to indicate whether the request or the network transmission is encrypted.

5. The handheld computer of claim 4, wherein the visual cue includes an icon.

6. The handheld computer of claim 5, wherein the icon is displayed along with information about the network transmission.

7. A computer system comprising:

a proxy server to communicate with a web server on the Internet;

a base station to forward a wireless request to the proxy server, and to receive a network content from the web server forwarded via the proxy server, the base station signaling the network content as a wireless network transmission; and

a handheld computer comprising an antenna to signal the wireless request to the base station, and to receive the wireless network transmission from the base station, the handheld computer including a user-interface to provide a plurality of graphical user-interface features that indicate one or more detectable characteristics associated with receiving the wireless network transmission, the user-interface providing a selectable first graphical user-interface feature to signal the request to the base station, and a second graphical user-interface feature being configured to indicate whether at least one of the request and the network transmission is encrypted, and a third graphical user-interface feature to indicates an available bandwidth for transmitting at least one of the request and receiving the network transmission.

8. The computer system of claim 7, wherein the proxy server forwards a hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) request to the web server, and receives an HTTP response from the web server, the HTTP response comprising the network content.

9. The computer system of claim 8, wherein the proxy server receives a compact transfer protocol (CTP) communication from the base station, the CTP communication comprising the request.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the proxy server returns a CTP response to the base station, the CTP response comprising the network content.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the handheld computer signals a wireless CTP query to the base station, the wireless CTP query comprising the request.

12. The computer system of claim 11, wherein the base station signals a wireless CTP response to the handheld computer, the CTP response comprising the network content.

13. A method for providing wireless, radio-frequency communications on a handheld computer, the method comprising:

providing a user-interface that includes a plurality of graphical user-interface features for providing information about one or more detectable characteristics associated with displaying content in response to receiving the wireless, radio-frequency communications, the plurality of graphical user-interface features including a first graphical user-interface feature that is selectable by a user to request the content from a network; and

a second graphical user-interface feature that indicates which one of a plurality of wireless channels has more available bandwidth for conducting the wireless, radio-frequency communications, wherein each wireless channel in the plurality of wireless channels operates under a different protocol;

in response to selection of the first graphical user-interface feature, signaling a wireless, radio-frequency request to retrieve the content from the network using the one wireless channel that has more available bandwidth for conducting the wireless, radio frequency communications as indicated by the second graphical user interface feature; and

receiving a wireless, radio-frequency network transmission corresponding to the network content using the one wireless channel that has more available bandwidth for conducting the wireless, radio frequency communications as indicated by the second graphical user interface feature.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein one or more of the plurality of graphical user-interface features is an icon.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the icon is selectable on the interface to display the duration for retrieving the content.

16. A method for providing wireless, radio-frequency communications on a handheld computer, the method comprising:

providing a user-interface that includes a plurality of graphical user-interface features for providing information about one or more detectable characteristics associated with displaying content in response to receiving the wireless, radio-frequency communications, wherein a first graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of graphical user-interface features is selectable by a user to display the content;

wherein a second graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of graphical user-interface features indicates whether the content is remote to the handheld computer or stored in a memory of the handheld computer; and

wherein a third graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of handheld computer; and

wherein a third graphical user-interface feature in the plurality of graphical user-interface features indicates an available bandwidth for conducting the wireless, radio-frequency communications;

responsive to the user-input indicating that the content is remote, signaling a wireless, radio-frequency request to retrieve the content from the network; and

receiving the wireless, radio-frequency communications for rendering the content.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the third graphical user-interface feature is an icon that is selectable to display the approximate duration for retrieving the remote content.

18. A computer system comprising:

a proxy server to communicate with a web server on the Internet;

a base station to forward a wireless request to the proxy server, and to receive a network content from the web server forwarded via the proxy server, the base station signaling the network content as a wireless network transmission; and

a handheld computer comprising a wireless communication mechanism to signal the wireless request to the base station over a wireless channel, and to receive the wireless network transmission from the base station over the wireless channel, the handheld computer including a user-interface providing one or more graphical user-interface features for providing information about communications with at least one of the proxy server or base station, the one or more graphical user-interface features including a selectable feature to signal the request to the base station, the user-interface being configured to indicate, prior to selection of the selectable feature, a duration for retrieving a content specified by the request based on an available bandwidth of the wireless channel.