System and method for displaying electronic mail messages on a low bandwidth device

• US 6,684,088 B1
• Filed: 03/01/2000
• Issued: 01/27/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/01/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: AXI Mobile Limited
• Inventors: Halahmi, Erez
• Primary Examiner(s): VUONG, QUOCHIEN B
• Application Number:
  US09/516,118
• Time in Patent Office: 1,427 Days
• Field of Search: 455/412.1,412.2,466,566 340/7.51,7.52,7.55
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/1101 Session protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/764 at the destination reformatting of additional data in video clients H04N21/4355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability

Abstract

A method and a system for transmitting e-mail messages to, and displaying the contents of such messages by, a low bandwidth device, such as a wireless communication device for example. The system and method are particularly preferred for WAP-enabled devices of any type. The system and method are operative with any e-mail protocol.

Claims

1. A method for displaying an e-mail (electronic mail) message on a low bandwidth display device to a user, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) providing a network connected to the display device;

(b) determining at least one property of the display device;

(c) dividing the e-mail message into a plurality of portions, such that each portion is at least partially determined according to said at least one property of the display device;

(d) receiving at least one portion of said plurality of portions through said network by the display device; and

(e) displaying said at least one portion by the display device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said display device is a wireless communication device, and said network is a wireless network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said wireless communication device is a cellular telephone, and said wireless network is a cellular telephone network.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said at least one property of said cellular telephone is a size of a display screen of said cellular telephone.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said at least one property of said cellular telephone is an amount of bandwidth available on said cellular telephone network.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the e-mail message is encoded and step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(i) decoding at least part of the e-mail message to form decoded data;

and

(ii) converting at least part of the decoded data into a formatted message for being displayed by the display device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein step (ii) is performed before the entirety of the e-mail message is decoded.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the e-mail message includes an attachment, and steps (i) are (ii) performed on said attachment.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein step (c) includes the step of:

(i) converting at least part of the e-mail message into a formatted message for being displayed by the display device.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (i) is performed after the e-mail message is divided into said plurality of portions, such that said at least part of the e-mail message is one of said plurality of portions.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein step (i) is performed before the e-mail message is divided into said plurality of portions.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said formatted message features a plurality of delineated sections, each delineated section having at least one attribute, such that each portion of said plurality of portions features said at least one attribute.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said formatted message is written in a mark-up language, said mark-up language featuring a plurality of elements, each element corresponding to an attribute, such that step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(ii) detecting a start for each element;

(iii) applying said attribute to said portion; and

(iv) if said portion ends before an end element is detected, generating a generated end element for said portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein step (c) further comprises the steps of:

(v) storing a marker for each generated end element; and

(vi) applying each element corresponding to said marker to a subsequent portion.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein said mark-up language is WML (Wireless Mark-up Language), such that the display device is a WAP (wireless application protocol) enabled device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the e-mail message includes an attachment, such that said at least a part of the e-mail message is at least a part of said attachment.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein a new portion is started according to an amount of data, said attribute being applied to said new portion.

18. The method of claim 1, wherein step (e) includes the step of displaying at least one navigation option for selecting a portion to the user through the display device, the method further comprising the steps of:

(f) selecting said at least one navigation option by the user through the display device; and

(g) retrieving at least one additional portion according to said at least one navigation option.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the plurality of portions has a sequence, and at least one portion is not displayed by said display device according to said sequence.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein said at least one navigation option is selected from the group consisting of an icon and a link.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the display device has a keypad with a plurality of keys, at least one key being mapped to a navigation option, and said at least one navigation option is selected through a key on said keypad, such that said at least one navigation option is displayed by said key.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein steps (b) and (c) are performed in advance, before the user requests the e-mail message.

23. A system for displaying an e-mail (electronic mail) message to a user, at least a part of the e-mail message being divided into a plurality of portions for display to a user, the system comprising:

(a) a low bandwidth display device for displaying at least one portion to the user, said low bandwidth display device having at least one property;

(b) an e-mail server for transmitting the e-mail message;

(c) an e-mail portion server for receiving the e-mail message from said e-mail server and for dividing the at least a part of the e-mail message into the plurality of portions at least partially according to said at least one property, and for sending at least one portion to said low bandwidth display device; and

(d) a network for connecting at least said low bandwidth display device to said e-mail portion server.