Communication system having a client device and at least one transmitting device

• US 6,771,952 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2001
• Issued: 08/03/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Komatsu, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay
• Assistant Examiner(s): LELE, TANMAY S
• Application Number:
  US09/818,869
• Publication Number:
  US 20010036848A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,224 Days
• Field of Search: 455/426.1, 455/414.1, 455/414.3, 455/414.4, 455/556.1, 455/556.2, 455/563, 455/566, 455/569.1, 455/90.1, 455/90.2, 455/90.3, 455/3.01, 455/3.06, 340/286.01, 340/286.02, 345/173, 345/507, 345/901
• US Class Current: 455/414.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• 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 67/56 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 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72403 with means for local support of applications that increase the functionality
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/7243 with interactive means for internal management of messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications

Abstract

A communication system having a client device, a processing server and a contents server. When the client device makes a request for textual information to the processing server, the processing server searches for and receives the requested textual information from the contents server. Then, the processing server generates both abridged textual information and voice information from the received textual information, and transmits the abridged textual information to the client device. The client device requests the voice information, which corresponds to an unabridged version of the textual information, at the user'"'"'s request.

Claims

1. A communication system, comprising:

a client device, comprising;

a textual information request unit that makes a request for at least one piece of textual information;

a textual information receive unit that receives an abridged version of the requested textual information;

a display unit that displays the abridged version of the requested textual information;

a voice information request unit that makes a request for voice information corresponding to an unabridged version of the requested textual information;

a voice information receive unit that receives the voice information; and

a reproducing unit that reproduces the voice information;

a first information transmitting device, comprising;

a request information receive unit that receives the unabridged version of the textual information;

an abridging unit that abridges the unabridged version of the textual information received by the request information receive unit and produces the abridged version of the textual information;

a converting unit that converts the unabridged version of the textual information into the voice information;

a textual information transmit unit that transmits the abridged version of the textual information produced by the abridging unit to the textual information receive unit upon request from the textual information request unit;

a voice information transmit unit that transmits the voice information produced by the converting unit upon request from the voice information request unit; and

a second information transmitting device, comprising;

a storage unit that stores the unabridged version of the textual information; and

a storage information transmit unit that retrieves, from the storage unit, the unabridged version of the textual information requested by the textual information request unit, and transmits the retrieved unabridged version of the textual information to the request information receive unit.

2. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first information transmitting device comprises a transmission request unit that requests the second information transmitting unit to transmit the unabridged version of the textual information thereto upon request from the textual information request unit.

3. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the voice information request unit comprises a signal generator that generates a voice information transmission request signal for locating the voice information, and the voice information transmit unit transmits the voice information upon receipt of the transmission request signal.

4. The communication system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the first information transmitting device further comprises a linking unit that links the voice information with the abridged version of the textual information, and produces linking information indicative of a link between the voice information and the abridged version of the textual information.

5. The communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first information transmitting device further comprises a linking information transmit unit that transmits the linking information, the client device further comprises a linking information receive unit that receives the linking information, and the display unit also displays the linking information received by the linking information receive unit.

6. The communication system as claimed in claim 4, wherein the signal generator generates the transmission request signal based on the linking information.

7. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the textual information request unit and the voice information request unit is operable by an operator.

8. The communication system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the converting unit further comprises a packetizing unit that packetizes the voice information, the voice information transmit unit transmits the packetized voice information, the voice data receive unit receives the packetized voice information, and the reproducing unit reproduces the packetized voice information.

9. A communication system, comprising:

a client device, comprising;

a textual information request unit that makes a request for at least one piece of textual information;

a textual information receive unit that receives an abridged version of the requested textual information;

a display unit that displays the abridged version of the requested textual information;

a voice information request unit that makes a request for voice information corresponding to an unabridged version of the requested textual information;

a voice information receive unit that receives the voice information; and

a reproducing unit that reproduces the voice information; and

a first information transmitting device, comprising;

a storage unit that stores the unabridged version of the textual information;

a retrieving unit that retrieves, from the storage unit, the unabridged version of the textual information upon request from the textual information request unit;

an abridging unit that abridges the unabridged version of the textual information received by the request information receive unit and produces the abridged version of the textual information;

a converting unit that converts the unabridged version of the textual information into the voice information;

a textual information transmit unit that transmits the abridged version of the textual information produced by the abridging unit to the textual information receive unit upon request from the textual information request unit; and

a voice information transmit unit that transmits the voice information produced by the converting unit upon request from the voice information request unit.

10. The communication system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the voice information request unit comprises a signal generator that generates a voice information transmission request signal for locating the voice information, and the voice information transmit unit transmits the voice information upon receipt of the transmission request signal.

11. The communication system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the first information transmitting device further comprises a linking unit that links the voice information with the abridged version of the textual information, and produces linking information indicative of a link between the voice information and the abridged version of the textual information.

12. The communication system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first information transmitting device further comprises a linking information transmit unit that transmits the linking information, the client device further comprises a linking information receive unit that receives the linking information, and the display unit also displays the linking information received by the linking information receive unit.

13. The communication system as claimed in claim 11, wherein the signal generator generates the transmission request signal based on the linking information.

14. The communication system as claimed in claim 9, wherein at least one of the textual information request unit and the voice information request unit is operable by an operator.

15. The communication system as claimed in claim 9, wherein the converting unit further comprises a packetizing unit that packetizes the voice information, the voice information transmit unit transmits the packetized voice information, the voice data receive unit receives the packetized voice information, and the reproducing unit reproduces the packetized voice information.