Dynamic content filter in a gateway

• US 6,678,518 B2
• Filed: 12/09/1999
• Issued: 01/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Callahan Cellular LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Eerola, Severi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Sinh
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, DAVID Q
• Application Number:
  US09/458,125
• Publication Number:
  US 20030203732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,496 Days
• Field of Search: 455/422, 455/426, 455/466, 455/552, 455/553, 707/13, 707/15, 709/227
• US Class Current: 455/422.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• 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 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/08 Protocols for interworking; Protocol conversion
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for dynamically converting data between a mobile station in a wireless communication network and an origin server in a wide area network. The method includes sending from the mobile station to a gateway server a request for resource located on an origin server in a wide area network. One or more servlets are initiated in the gateway server. The request is processed and information is dynamically generated related to the request by the one or more servlets. The processed request is sent by the one or more servlets to the origin server. The requested resource received from the origin server is then processed by the one or more servlets, which then generate a response including information indicating content type of the requested resource. The requested resource is thereafter converted from the indicated content type to another content type prior to transmission to the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method for dynamically converting data between a mobile station in a wireless communication network and a resource server in a wide area network (WAN), the method comprising in sequence the steps of:

(a) sending from the mobile station to a gateway server in the wireless communication network a request for a resource located on the resource server;

(b) identifying, by an administrative module in the ateway server, a request chain of Java servlets appropriate for processing the request based on parameters contained in the request;

(c) selectively invoking, by the administrative module, the request Java servlet chain identified in step (b);

(d) re-formatting, by at least one Java request conversion servlet in the request Java servlet chain, the request for transmission over the WAN to the resource server;

(e) selectively invoking, by the at least one Java request conversion servlet, a next Java servlet in the request Java servlet chain;

(f) sending, by at least one Java fetch servlet in the request Java servlet chain, the re-formatted request from the gateway server over the WAN to the resource server;

(g) receiving, by the at least one Java fetch servlet, the requested resource from the resource server at the gateway server;

(i) selectively invoking, by the at least one Java fetch servlet, at least one Java content-parsing servlet;

(j) sending, by the at least one Java fetch servlet, the requested resource to the at least one Java content-parsing servlet;

(k) generating, by the at least one Java content-parsing servlet, information indicating a content type of the received requested resource;

(l) selectively invoking at least one Java content conversion servlet appropriate for the content type of the received resource; and

(m) converting, by the at least one Java contend conversion, servlet, the content type of the received requested resource to a different content type.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one Java content conversion servlet comprises a plurality of Java servlets sequentially linked to each other as a content conversion chain of Java servlets.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein step m comprises the step of:

translating the requested resource from one language to another language.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein step m comprises the step of:

converting the requested resource between Graphics Interchange Format and Joint Photographic Experts Group format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein step (l) comprises the step of:

selectively invoking the at least one Java content conversion servlet by one of the at least one Java content-parsing servlet and the at least one Java fetch servlet, based on the information indicating content type of the received requested resource.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the different content type in step (m) is readable by the mobile terminal, and the content type of the received requested resource is unreadable by the mobile terminal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the requested resource is at least one of text, application software, audio, and video.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

instantiating, by the gateway server, at least one of the at least one Java request conversion servlet, the at least one Java fetch servlet, the at least one Java content-parsing servlet, and the at least one Java content conversion servlet upon startup of the gateway server.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of:

looping continuously, by the at least one instantiated Java servlet, and awaiting invocation by at least one of the administrator module and a Java servlet.

10. A system for dynamically converting data between a mobile station in a wireless communication network and a resource server in a wide area network (WAN), the system comprising:

a user agent running in the mobile station for sending a request for a resource located on the resource server;

an administrator module in a gateway server for identifying and invoking a request chain of Java servlets appropriate for processing the request;

the request chain of Java servlets comprising;

at least one Java request conversion servlet for re-formating the request for transmission over the WAN to the resource server, and for invoking a next request Java servlet in the request Java servlet chain;

at least one Java fetch servlet for sending the re-formatted request to the resource server, for receiving the requested resource from the resource server, and for selectively invoking at least one Java content-parsing servlet;

said at least one Java content-parsing servlet for processing the received requested resource and for generating information indicating content type of the requested resource; and

at least one Java content conversion servlet for converting the content type of the received requested resource to a different content type.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the administrator module identifies the request Java servlet chain based on parameters contained in the request.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the at least one Java content conversion servlet comprises a plurality of Java servlets sequentially linked to each other as a content conversion chain of Java servlets.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein the mobile terminal is one of a wireless terminal, a wireless phone, and a palm size personal computer.

14. The system of claim 10, wherein the request Java servlet chain, the at least one Java content-parsing servlet, and the at least one Java content conversion servlet are linked together to form a larger chain of Java servlets, wherein each servlet (except the last servlet) in the chain selectively invokes a subsequent servlet in the chain.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein a single Java fetch/content-parsing servlet performs the functions of the at least one Java fetch servlet and the at least one Java content-parsing servlet.

16. A gateway server for dynamically converting data transmitted between a mobile station in a wireless communication network and a resource server in a wide area network, the system comprising:

an administrator module for receiving a request from the mobile station for a resource located on the resource server;

a Java environment for processing and transmitting the request to the resource server, for receiving the requested resource from the resource server, and for processing and transmitting the resource to the mobile station, said Java environment comprising;

a request chain of Java servlets comprising;

at least one Java request conversion servlet for re-formatting the request for transmission over the WAN to the resource server, and for invoking a next request Java servlet in the request Java servlet chain;

at least one fetch Java servlet for sending the re-formatted request to the resource server, for receiving the requested resource from the resource server, and for selectively invoking at least one content-parsing Java servlet;

said at least one Java content-parsing servlet for processing the received requested resource and for generating information indicating content typ of the requested resource; and

at least one Java content conversion Java servlet for converting tee content type of the received requested resource to a different content type.

17. The gateway server of claim 16, wherein one or more of the Java servlets are instantiated upon startup of the gateway server.

18. The gateway server of claim 16, wherein, after one or more of the Java servlets are instantiated, the one or more instantiated Java servlets loop continuously and await invocation by the administrator module.

19. The gateway server of claim 16, wherein the request Java servlet chain, the at least one Java content-parsing servlet, and the at least one Java content-conversion servlet are linked to each other to form a larger chain of Java servlets, wherein each servlet (except the last servlet) in the chain selectively invokes a subsequent servlet in the chain.