Bookmark beacon system and method

• US 7,000,001 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Lazaridis, Mihal
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Zarni
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Nghi V.
• Application Number:
  US09/929,375
• Publication Number:
  US 20020032746A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,645 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217, 709/213, 709/220, 709/206
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/20 Point-of-sale [POS] network systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/202 Interconnection or interaction of plural electronic cash registers [ECR] or to host computer, e.g. network details, transfer of information from host to ECR or from ECR to ECR
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/204 comprising interface for record bearing medium or carrier for electronic funds transfer or payment credit
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• 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 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 48/08 Access restriction or access information delivery, e.g. discovery data delivery signalling during connection H04W76/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/00 Wireless channel access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support

Abstract

A bookmark beacon system comprises a computer network, a wireless network configured to enable a wireless device to access the computer network, and a bookmark beacon that transmits a bookmark data packet to the wireless device. The bookmark data packet includes a resource address that enables the wireless device to retrieve information stored on the computer network.

Claims

1. An electronic messaging system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless devices;

a computer network;

a wireless network that enables the plurality of wireless devices to access the computer network;

one or more printers coupled to the computer network, wherein each printer has a unique printer address on the computer network;

a bookmark beacon associated with each printer that transmits a bookmark data packet identifying the unique printer address of the associated printer, wherein the bookmark data packet can be received by the plurality of wireless devices; and

a message server having a unique location on the computer network that transmits and receives electronic messages to and from the plurality of wireless devices over the computer network and wireless network, and that is also configured to (a) receive one of the unique printer addresses from one of the wireless devices, and (b) transmit an electronic message identified by the one wireless device over the computer network to the printer associated with the one unique printer address;

an attachment processor and reformator operating on the message server that (a) receives electronic messages from the message server that include attachments which have been identified for printing by the one wireless device, (b) extracts the attachment from the electronic message, (c) formats the attachment for printing, and (d) transmits the attachment over the computer network to the printer associated with the one unique printer address;

wherein the message server (1) notifies a wireless device user when an one or more of said electronic messages is received that includes one or more of said an attachments that are is too long unable to be transmitted to one of the wireless devices, and (2) provides the wireless device user with an option to print the one or more attachments using the attachment processor and reformator.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein communications between the computer network and the wireless network are made through a proxy server.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique location of the message server on the computer network is an Internet website.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the bookmark data packet is stored on the wireless device.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the bookmark data packet contains information enabling the wireless device to format the attachment before transmission to the printer over the computer network such that the attachment is transmitted in a format associated printer.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer network is an Internet.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the bookmark beacon includes an infrared data communicator, and transmits the bookmark data packet by the infrared data communicator.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the infrared data communicator comprises an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) port.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique location of the message server on the computer network is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique location of the message server on the computer network is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the message server provides the wireless device user with an option to transmit the attachment to a facsimile machine using the attachment processor and reformator.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the resource is a printer.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the resource is a facsimile machine.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the resource address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the resource address is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

17. The system of claim 11, wherein communications between the computer network and the wireless network are made through a proxy server.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the computer network is an Internet.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the bookmark beacon includes an infrared data communicator, and transmits the bookmark data packet by the infrared data communicator.

20. The system of claim 18, wherein the infrared data communicator comprises an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) port.

21. The system of claim 11, wherein the unique location of the message server on the computer network is an Internet website.

22. The system of claim 11, wherein the bookmark data packet is stored on the wireless device.

23. The system of claim 11, wherein the bookmark data packet contains information enabling the wireless device to format the attachment before transmission to the resource over the computer network such that the attachment is transmitted in a format associated with the resource.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the resource is a printer.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the resource is a facsimile machine.

27. The method of claim 23, wherein the resource address is an Internet Protocol (IP) address.

28. The method of claim 23, wherein the resource address is a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

29. The method of claim 23, wherein computer network is an Internet.

30. The method of claim 23, wherein the bookmark beacon includes an infrared data communicator, and transmits the bookmark data packet by the infrared data communicator.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein the infrared data communicator comprises an Infrared Data Association (IrDA) port.

32. The method of claim 23, wherein the unique location of the message server on the computer network is an Internet website.

33. The method of claim 23, wherein the bookmark data packet is stored on the wireless device.

34. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of formatting the attachment such that the attachment is transmitted in a format associated with the resource before the step of transmitting the bookmark data packet from the wireless device to the message server.

12. An electronic messaging system, comprising:

a plurality of wireless devices;

a computer network;

a wireless network that enables the plurality of wireless devices to access the computer network;

one or more resources coupled to the computer network, wherein each resource has a unique resource address on the computer network;

a bookmark beacon associated with each resource that transmits a bookmark data packet identifying the unique resource address of the associated resource, wherein the bookmark data packet can be received by the plurality of wireless devices; and

a message server having a unique location on a computer network that transmits and receives electronic messages to and from a plurality of wireless devices over a computer network and wireless network, and that is also configured to (a) receive one of the unique resource addresses from one of the wireless devices, and (b) transmit an electronic message identified by the one wireless device over the computer network to the resource associated with the one unique resource address;

an attachment processor and reformator operating on the message server that (a) receives electronic message from the one wireless device that include an attachments which has been identified for transmission to the resource, (b) extracts the attachment from the electronic message, (c) formats the attachment for printing, and (d) transmits the attachment over the computer network to the resource associated with the one unique resource address;

wherein the message server (1) notifies a wireless device user when one or more of said electronic messages is received that includes one or more attachments that are unable to be transmitted to one of the wireless devices, and (2) provides the wireless device user with an option to transmit one or more attachments to the resource associated with the one unique resource address.

24. A method for electronic messaging, comprising the steps of:

transmitting to a wireless device a bookmark data packet from a bookmark beacon associated with a resource that identifies a unique resource address of the associated resource;

transmitting the bookmark data packet from the wireless device to a message server having a unique location on a computer network, and that is also configured to (a) receive one of the unique printer addresses from one of the wireless devices, and (b) transmit an electronic message identified by the one wireless device over the computer network to the resource associated with the unique resource address;

receiving electronic messages from the message server that include attachments which have been identified for printing by the one wireless device;

extracting the attachment from the electronic message;

formatting the attachment for the identified resource;

transmitting the attachment over the computer network to the resource associated with the one unique resource address;

notifying a wireless device user when one or more of said electronic messages are received that include one or more of said attachments that are unable to be transmitted to one of the wireless devices; and

providing the wireless device user with an option to print the one or more attachments using an attachment processor and reformator.