Secondary data encoded along with original data for generating responses to requests from wireless devices

• US 7,043,235 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2001
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: MobUI, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Action Engine Corp. (MobUI, Inc.)
• Inventors: Eisler, Craig G., Roundtree, Brian C., Meyer, Shane D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trost, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAMPURIA, SHARAD K
• Application Number:
  US09/834,649
• Publication Number:
  US 20010049277A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,849 Days
• Field of Search: 455/466, 4554141-4144, 4554121-4122, 455/456.3, 709/246, 705/14, 37920101-20102
• US Class Current: 455/414.3
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/748 Hypervideo linking data to content, e.g. by linking an URL to a video object in the context of video distribution systems H04N21/858
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/94 Hypermedia Hyperlinking G06F40/134
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9537 Spatial or temporal dependent retrieval, e.g. spatiotemporal queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9558 Details of hyperlinks; Management of linked annotations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/06 Buying, selling or leasing transactions
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/005 Discovery of network devices, e.g. terminals

Abstract

Encoding secondary data with original data for providing robust responses to requests from wireless devices. As a server receives data from various sources for wireless device users, it saves the data, associates it with the corresponding users, and sets flags to provide an indication of the secondary data. When the server receives a request from a wireless device, it can respond to the specific request and check the status of the flags for the user to determine if secondary data exists. If it has secondary data for the user, it encodes that data with original data for generating a response. Upon receiving the response, the wireless device obtains both the data for the original request and the secondary data, or an indication of it, representing other data pending for the user and providing the user with the data without necessarily requiring that the user submit specific requests for it.

Claims

1. A method for a server to provide a response to a request for service from a wireless device, comprising:

receiving by the server the request for service from the wireless device;

determining by the server one or more associated service providers based at least in part on the service requested;

retrieving by the server from one or more other servers of the one or more service providers primary response data for responding to the request;

determining by the server whether secondary data unrelated to responding to the request are to be provided to the wireless device;

associating by the server the primary response data, retrieved from the one or more servers of the one or more service providers, with either one or more indications of locations of the secondary data or at least a portion of the secondary data;

generating by the server an expanded response to the request, including the primary response data and the portion or the indication(s) of the location(s) of the secondary data; and

transmitting by the server the expanded response to the request to the wireless device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the generating includes:

generating a data stream containing the retrieved primary response data and the portion or indication of the secondary data; and

formatting the data stream for transmission to the wireless device.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes:

obtaining an identifier for a user related the wireless device; and

performing at least one task related to the user'"'"'s identifier.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the retrieving includes sending the request to a process that can respond to commands.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the determining includes checking a status of a flag associated with a transaction type.

6. The method of claim 5 further including updating the status of the flag.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the associating includes providing a first indication identifying the retrieved primary response data and a second indication identifying the secondary data, for inclusion within the expanded response to be generated.

8. The method of claim 1 further includes receiving the secondary data to provide an indication of the existence of saved secondary data.

29. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises the server determining a user associated with the wireless device, and the determining of secondary data is performed based at least in part on the determined user of the wireless device.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is for a reservation service, the primary response data is associated with making a reservation, and the secondary data comprises indication(s) of received email messages or email message(s), or both.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the request is for retrieval of received emails, the primary response data is associated with retrieving received emails, and the secondary data comprises non-email completion confirmation of prior transactions.

32. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises retrieving the secondary data from one or more remote secondary data providers.

33. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises determining whether the wireless device remains currently connected to a network, and delaying said transmitting until the wireless device is re-connected to the network, if it is determined that the wireless device is not currently connected to the network.

34. The method of claim 1, wherein the request has an associated request type, and the determining of secondary data is further based on the associated request type.

9. A method for processing and presenting via a wireless device a response received from a server to a request for service from the wireless device, comprising:

transmitting to a server from a wireless device a request for service;

receiving a response from the server to the request for service;

determining whether the response includes primary response data retrieved from one or more servers of one or more service providers for responding to the request and either one or more indication(s) of the location(s) of the secondary data or at least a portion of secondary data unrelated to the primary response data; and

presenting the response including either the portion or the indication(s) of the locations of the secondary data.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the receiving includes receiving a data stream having the portion or the indication(s) of the location(s) of the secondary data encoded with the primary response data.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein the determining includes parsing the data stream to detect for the portion or indication of the secondary data.

12. The method of claim 9 wherein the transmitting includes using a browser program to format the request for wireless network transmission.

13. The method of claim 9 wherein the presenting includes providing a visual indication of the expanded response.

14. The method of claim 9 wherein the presenting includes providing an audible indication of the expanded response.

15. An apparatus for providing a response to a request for service from a wireless device, comprising:

a receive module adapted to receive a request for service from a wireless device;

at least one of one or more processing modules being adapted to;

determine one or more associated service providers based at least in part on the service request,

retrieve from one or more other servers of the one or more service providers primary response data for responding to the request, and/or

determine whether secondary data unrelated to responding to the request are to be provided to the wireless device;

an associate module adapted to associate the primary response data retrieved from one or more servers of one or more service providers with either at least a portion of the secondary data or one or more indications of locations of the secondary data;

a response generation module adapted to generate an expanded response including the primary response data and the portion or the indication(s) of the locations of the secondary data; and

a transmit module adapted to transmit the expanded response to the wireless device.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more processing modules are adapted to:

generate a data stream containing the retrieved primary response data and the portion or the indication(s) of the location(s) of the secondary data; and

format the data stream for transmission to the wireless device.

17. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more processing modules are adapted to:

obtain an identifier for a user associated with the wireless device; and

perform at least one task related to the user'"'"'s identifier.

18. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more processing modules are adapted to send data for the request to a process that can respond to commands.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more processing modules are adapted to check a status of a flag as part of the performance of one or more of the determine operations.

20. The apparatus of claim 19 wherein the one or more processing modules are further adapted to update the status of the flag.

21. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the one or more processing modules are adapted to provide a first indication identifying the retrieved primary response data and a second indication identifying the secondary data for inclusion in the expanded response.

22. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the receive module is further adapted to receive the secondary data;

and the apparatus further comprises one or more storage modules adapted to save the received secondary data, and to provide an indication of the existence of the saved secondary data.

23. A wireless apparatus equipped to process and present a response received from a server to a request for service, the wireless apparatus comprising:

a transmit module adapted to transmit the request for service to a server;

a receive module adapted to receive a response by the server to the request for service;

one or more processing modules adapted to determine whether the response includes primary response data retrieved from one or more servers of one or more service providers responding to the request and either at least a portion of secondary data unrelated to responding to the request or at least one indication of the location(s) of the secondary data; and

a presentation module to present the response having the primary response data and the portion or the indication(s) of the location(s) of the secondary data.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the receive module is adapted to receive a data stream having the primary response data and the portion or the indication(s) of the location(s) of the secondary data encoded with primary response data.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the one or more processing modules are further adapted to parse the data stream to detect for the portion or the indication(s) of the location(s) of the secondary data.

26. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the one or more processing modules include a browser program adapted to format the request for wireless network transmission.

27. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the one or more processing modules are adapted to provide a visual indication of the expanded response.

28. The apparatus of claim 23 wherein the one or more processing modules are adapted to provide an audible indication of the expanded response.