Server assisted system for accessing web pages from a personal data assistant

• US 6,920,488 B1
• Filed: 07/28/2000
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cueff, Jean-Charles, Michel, Patrick, Benayoun, Alain, Le Pennec, Jean Francois
• Primary Examiner(s): EDELMAN, BRADLEY E
• Application Number:
  US09/627,741
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 709/219, 709/202, 709/246, 715744-747, 345744-747, 345/760, 345/762, 345/769, 340/755, 340/7.55, 340/7.56
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• 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 67/5682 Policies or rules for updating, deleting or replacing the stored data

Abstract

Server assisted system for accessing web page fields comprising a wireless Personal Data Assistant (PDA) communicating with the Internet by the intermediary of a wireless Internet gateway and a portal server capable of accessing the resources of the Internet such as servers. The portal server comprises a data base containing at least identifying information enabling fields of web pages selected by the user to be retrieved, and portal handling means for accessing the selected web page fields, and the PDA comprises portal browsing means for browsing the selected web page fields and retrieving at least one of them and display means for displaying the retrieved web page field.

Claims

1. A server assisted system for accessing web page fields in which system a wireless Personal Data Assistant (PDA) communicates with an Internet network by an intermediary of a wireless Internet gateway, said server assisted system comprising:

a portal server coupled to the intermediary of the wireless Internet gateway and having a configuration for accessing resources of the Internet network,

a user data base associated with said portal server, said user database containing at least identifying information selected by a user which information determines for each of said web page fields, whether data in said each of said web page fields is to be retrieved in real-time or from a pre-stored update;

portal handling means associated with said portal server, said portal handling means having a configuration for accessing said web page fields;

portal browsing means disposed in said wireless PDA, said portal browsing means comprising a configuration for browsing said web page fields and for retrieving at least one of said web page fields; and

,

display means disposed in said wireless PDA and having a configuration for displaying said at least one retrieved web page field in said wireless PDA.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said portal handling means comprises a portal real time server for accessing resources of said Internet network and for retrieving from said servers web page fields requested by said portal browsing means.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein said portal handling means also comprise a portal back server for periodically updating defined web page fields stored in said user data base.

4. A system according to claim 3, wherein said portal real time server comprises a configuration for accessing said user data base before accessing said resources of said Internet network to determine whether said web page fields requested by said portal browsing means are within said defined web page fields being periodically updated.

5. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said system includes a PC web browser for accessing the resources of said Internet network and for browsing web pages selected by a user, and a portal configurator for configuring selected web page fields before transferring them to said portal server, and wherein said portal server includes a user data base builder for storing at least identifying information relating to said web page fields into said user data base.

6. A system according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein said PDA includes a PDA web browser for accessing the resources of said Internet network and for browsing web pages selected by a user and a PDA configurator for configuring selected web page fields before transferring them to said portal server, and wherein said portal server includes a user data base builder for storing at least the identifying information relating to said web page fields into said user data base.

7. A system according to claim 5 wherein said PC web browser further comprises means for accessing to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address of a selected web page, means for selecting at least one of said URL web page fields and means for converting said selected at least one URL web page field into a format for being stored in said user data base.

8. A system according to claim 6 wherein said PDA web browser further comprises means for accessing to a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) address of a selected web page, means for selecting at least one of said URL web page fields and means for converting said selected at least one URL web page field into a format for being stored in said user data base.

9. A system according to claim 6, wherein said portal browsing means in said PDA include input means for selecting at least one web page field stored in said user data base of said portal server in order to display said at least one web page field in said PDA display means.

10. A system according to claim 9, wherein said input means include means for modifying said at least one web page field being displayed by said PDA display means to view only one field among said at least one web page field previously displayed.

11. A server assisted method for accessing web page fields in which a wireless Personal Data Assistant (PDA) communicates with an Internet network by an intermediary of a wireless Internet gateway, the method comprising the steps of:

selecting different web page fields in a web page;

determining for each of said selected different web page fields, whether an update is to occur in real time or in a background process;

elected web page fields in a portal page;

serving said portal page to a portal browser; and

,

updating each of said selected different web page fields individually based upon said determination for each of said selected different web page fields.