Extensible transcoder annotation for transcoding proxy servers

• US 7,020,721 B1
• Filed: 04/02/2001
• Issued: 03/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Inventors: Levenberg, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): PWU, JEFFREY C
• Application Number:
  US09/825,031
• Time in Patent Office: 1,821 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Within one embodiment of the present invention, the rules for transcoding web content are abstracted from the transcoding functionality of a transcoding proxy server. Specifically, within the transcoding proxy server, the functions that perform the transcoding of web content for a device having limited display capabilities is completely separate and distinct from the transcoding rules, e.g., extensible transcoder annotation (XTA), that provide the order, manner, and/or what web content should be transcoded for the requesting device. Therefore, when the transcoding proxy server receives a web page request from a device, its transcoding software accesses an XTA file to find a rule set that pertains to the web page request. Upon finding a corresponding XTA rule set, the transcoding proxy server follows the instructions of the rule set in order to transcode the requested web page for the device having limited display capabilities.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

a transcoding proxy server receiving a web page request from a portable computing device;

said transcoding proxy server transmitting said web page request to a server computer coupled to said transcoding proxy server;

said transcoding proxy server receiving from said server computer a web page element corresponding to said web page request;

determining if said transcoding proxy server is storing a file, wherein said file comprises an annotation rule set;

provided said transcoding proxy server is not storing said file, said transcoding proxy server not transcoding said web page element and transmitting said web page element to said portable computing device;

provided said transcoding proxy server is storing said file, locating said annotation rule set within said file that corresponds to said web page request, wherein said annotation rule set is distinct from a transcoding functionality utilized by said transcoding proxy server; and

said transcoding proxy server transcoding said web page element for said portable computing device by following said annotation rule set and utilizing said transcoding functionality.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

said transcoding proxy server receiving and storing a second annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is transcoding said web page element.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

editing said annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is transcoding said web page element.

4. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising:

deleting a second annotation rule set within said file while said transcoding proxy server is transcoding said web page element.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA).

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device comprises a mobile phone.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device comprises a pager.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said annotation rule set is extensible.

9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said annotation rule set comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that corresponds to said web page request.

10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said annotation rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that share a common web page object.

11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said annotation rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that share a common web page layout.

12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device has limited display capability.

13. A computer readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a transcoding proxy computer to perform:

receiving a web page request from a portable computing device;

transmitting said web page request to a server computer coupled to said transcoding proxy computer;

receiving from said server computer a web page element corresponding to said web page request;

determining if a file is stored by said transcoding proxy server, wherein said file comprises an annotation rule set;

if said file is not stored by said transcoding proxy server, said transcoding proxy server not transcoding said web page element and transmitting said web page element to said portable computing device;

if said file is stored by said transcoding proxy server, locating said annotation rule set that corresponds to said web page request, wherein said annotation rule set is distinct from transcoding functionality utilized by said transcoding proxy server; and

transcoding said web page element for said portable computing device by following said annotation rule set and utilizing said transcoding functionality.

14. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 further comprising:

said transcoding proxy server receiving and storing a second annotation rule set while transcoding.

15. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 further comprising:

editing said annotation rule set while transcoding.

16. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 further comprising:

deleting a second annotation rule set within said file while transcoding.

17. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA).

18. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device comprises a mobile phone.

19. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device comprises a pager.

20. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said annotation rule set is extensible.

21. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said annotation rule set comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that corresponds to said web page request.

22. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said annotation rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that share a common web page object.

23. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said annotation rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that share a common web page layout.

24. The computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device has limited display capability.

25. A method comprising:

a transcoding proxy server receiving a web page request from a computing device;

said transcoding proxy server transmitting said web page request to a server computer coupled to said transcoding proxy server;

said transcoding proxy server receiving from said server computer web page content corresponding to said web page request;

determining if a database is stored by said transcoding proxy server, wherein said database comprises an extensible annotation rule set;

if determined that said transcoding proxy server is not storing said database, said transcoding proxy server not transcoding said web page content and transmitting said web page content to said computing device;

if determined that said transcoding proxy server is storing said database, locating said extensible annotation rule set within said database that corresponds to said web page request, wherein said extensible annotation rule set is distinct from a transcoding functionality utilized by said transcoding proxy server; and

said transcoding proxy server transcoding said web page content for said computing device by following said extensible annotation rule set and utilizing said transcoding functionality.

26. The method as described in claim 25 further comprising:

said transcoding proxy server receiving and storing a second extensible annotation rule set while transcoding.

27. The method as described in claim 25 further comprising:

editing said extensible annotation rule set while said transcoding.

28. The method as described in claim 25 further comprising:

deleting a second extensible annotation rule set within said database while transcoding.

29. The method as described in claim 25 wherein said extensible annotation rule set comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that corresponds to said web page request.

30. The method as described in claim 25 wherein said extensible annotation rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that share a common web page object.

31. The method as described in claim 25 wherein said extensible annotation rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that share a common web page layout.