Method and system for presenting information

• US 7,028,102 B1
• Filed: 08/15/2000
• Issued: 04/11/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Axis AB (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Larsson, Olof, Fagerberg, Lennart
• Primary Examiner(s): Kang, Paul H.
• Application Number:
  US09/639,011
• Time in Patent Office: 2,065 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/227, 709/232, 709/236, 709/246, 379/93.24
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• 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 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]

Abstract

A presentation of a selected document, stored at a node of a network, is accomplished by means of a system essentially comprising a handheld device, a communication device for a presentation unit and a device that handles presentation requests. By operating the handheld device, a user is able to get a presentation unit specification from said communication device. This specification is then sent, together with an address to a selected document, to a device handling presentation requests. In this device the selected document is then converted to a format suitable for the presentation unit of said communication device, where the converted document is presented. The system could be using WAP-technology for sending information from the handheld device to the device that handles presentation requests and for accessing information on the Internet. Further the system could, for example, be using Bluetooth or IrDA for the communication between the handheld device and said communication device. The system also makes it possible to achieve mobile printing and portable access to documents that cannot be presented on a small display.

Claims

1. A method for presentation of documents comprising the acts of:

selecting on a wireless communication device both a document provided by an information service provider and a presentation unit for presentment of the document;

receiving a specification on the wireless communication device from the presentation unit selected in the selecting act, and said specification specifying both a transport route to the presentation unit together with characteristics of the presentation unit;

comprising at least one of;

a manufacturer name together with a model number of the presentation unit;

a filename of a device driver compatible with the presentation unit; and

a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device driver compatible with the presentation unit;

identifying both a device driver for the presentation unit based on the characteristics of the presentation unit specified in the specification and an application for interpreting the document selected in the selecting act based on a format of the document;

performing a conversion of the selected document to a presentation file suitable for presentment on the presentation unit, utilizing both the application and the device driver identified in the identifying act to perform the conversion; and

delivering the presentation file via the transport route specified in the specification to the presentation unit for presentment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport route in the specification received by the wireless device from the presentation unit in the receiving act specifies at least one of:

an address of the presentation unit, URL of the presentation unit, and an e-mail address associated with the presentation unit.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting act further comprises:

broadcasting an identity request from the wireless device;

receiving on the wireless device, responses to the identity request from proximate presentation units; and

selecting the presentation unit based on the responses to the identity request received in the receiving act.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting act further comprises the acts of:

establishing a first communication link over a cellular telephonic network between the wireless communication device and the information service provider for selection of the document; and

establishing a second communication link over a short-range wireless communication protocol between the wireless communication device and the presentation unit for selection of the presentation unit.

5. A system for presentation of information comprising:

at least one presentation unit configured to respond to an identity request by delivering a specification specifying both a transport route to and characteristics of the presentation unit, comprising at least one of;

a manufacturer together with a model number of the at least one presentation unit;

a filename of a device driver compatible with the at least one presentation unit; and

a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device driver compatible with the at least one presentation unit;

at least one information service provider providing documents;

at least one wireless communication device configured to select one of the documents provided by the information service provider to receive the specification from the at least one presentation unit, and to generate a presentation request including the specification and information identifying the selected one of the documents; and

a device for handling presentation requests responsive to the presentation request to identify both a device driver for the at least one presentation unit based on the characteristics of the presentation unit in the specification and an application for interpreting the document based on a format of the selected one of the documents; and

the device for handling presentation requests configured to convert the selected document to a presentation file suitable for presentment on the at least one presentation unit, utilizing both the identified application and the device driver to perform the conversion; and

to deliver the presentation file via the transport route specified in the specification to the at least one presentation unit for presentment.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the transport route specified in the specification delivered by the at least one presentation unit specifies at least one of:

an address of the presentation unit, an URL of the presentation unit, and an e-mail address associated with the presentation unit.

7. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

the wireless communication device further configured to establish a first communication link over a cellular telephonic network between the wireless communication device and the at least one information service provider for selection of the document; and

to establish a second communication link by a broadcast of an identity request and a selection of the at least one presentation unit responding to the identity request utilizing a short-range wireless communication protocol.

8. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

the wireless communication device further configured to establish a first communication link over a cellular telephonic network between the wireless communication device and the information service provider for selection of the document; and

a second communication link over a short-range wireless communication protocol with the at least one presentation unit.

9. The system of claim 5, further comprising:

an e-mail server coupled to the at least one presentation unit to accept delivery of the presentation file to the at least one presentation unit via e-mail when the transport route specified in the specification specifies an e-mail delivery of the presentation file.

10. The system of claim 5, wherein further the information services provider comprises a server, and the device for handling presentation requests comprises processes executed on the server.

11. A presentation unit communication device for a presentation unit, comprising:

a short-range wireless communication interface for short-range wireless communications with a wireless communication device;

a presentation unit interface for communication with the presentation unit; and

a processor responsive to an identity request received via the short-range wireless communication interface to deliver a specification to the wireless communication device specifying both a transport route for delivery of a presentation file to the presentation unit together with characteristics of the presentation unit, including at least one of;

a manufacturer together with a model number of the presentation unit;

a filename of a device driver compatible with the presentation unit; and

a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device driver compatible with the presentation unit; and

the processor further responsive to a delivery of a presentation file from an information service provider to communicate the presentation file via the presentation unit interface to the presentation unit for presentment.

12. The presentation unit communication device of claim 11, wherein the transport route specified in the specification specifies at least one of:

an address of the presentation unit, an URL of the presentation unit, and an e-mail address associated with the presentation unit.

13. The presentation unit communication device of claim 11, further comprising:

a network interface for communication over a network with the information service provider and receipt there from of the presentation file.

14. A wireless communication device comprising:

a short-range wireless communication interface for short range wireless communications;

a telephonic interface for cellular telephonic network communications; and

a processor responsive to user inputs to establish via the telephonic interface a telephonic communication link with an information service provider providing documents, to establish via the short-range wireless communication interface a short-range wireless communication link with a presentation unit, for receipt therefrom a specification specifying both a transport route to the presentation unit together with characteristics of the presentation unit, including at least one of;

a manufacturer together with a model number of the presentation unit;

a filename of a device driver compatible with the presentation unit; and

a uniform resource locator (URL) of a device driver compatible with the presentation unit; and

to forward the specification to the information service provider via the telephonic communication link, thereby to initiate conversion of a document provided by the information service provider to a corresponding presentation file, and delivery via the specified transport route of the corresponding presentation file to the presentation unit for presentment.

15. The wireless communication device of 14, further comprising:

a processor further responsive to user inputs to broadcast an identity request via the short-range wireless communication interface and to establish the short-range communication link with a selected presentation unit responding to the identity request.