System and method for providing user-selected information to a paging-capable device

• US 7,046,120 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2004
• Issued: 05/16/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: Micromuse Incorporated (International Business Machines Corporation), Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Inventors: Lund, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, BRIAN A
• Application Number:
  US10/930,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20050140499A1
• Time in Patent Office: 624 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.21, 340/7.29
• US Class Current: 340/7.48
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/027 providing paging services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing user-selected information to a paging-capable device. An enhanced paging system responsive to information sources and a selection device transmits information to a paging-capable device. The enhanced paging system comprises a storing means, a selecting means, a storage device, and a transmitter. Such a system can provide user-selected information to a paging-capable device, allowing the user to control what information will be sent and when the information will be sent. Intelligent-agent software can automatically search for and store information that would be of interest to the user and can alert the user that more detailed information is available. It can also send critical information to the user without user request.

Claims

1. A method of managing delivery of user-selected information to a wireless device, the method comprising:

automatically storing information received from an information source;

receiving a designation of the wireless device;

transmitting selection choices regarding the automatically-stored information to a selection device different from the wireless device, wherein the selection device different from the wireless device comprises a computer, and wherein the selection choices are transmitted by presenting a plurality of different categories of information to a user of the computer via a web page displaying a menu of the different categories of information;

receiving a first user selection from the computer, the first user selection comprising at least one of the plurality of different categories of information, the first user selection indicating a selected portion of the stored information, the selected portion comprising an alert;

receiving a second user selection comprising a selected delivery time; and

transmitting the selected portion to the wireless device over a radio channel at a time based on the selected delivery time.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting a second portion of the stored information, the second portion associated with the selected portion, the second portion including further detailed information with respect to the selected portion.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of different categories includes business articles and email.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the selected delivery time includes a range of available delivery times.

5. An information storage and communication system to manage delivery of user-selected information to a selected messaging device, the system comprising:

a storage device to store information derived from an information source;

a computer network interface responsive to the storage device, the computer network interface to receive a designation of a selected messaging device, to transmit selection choices regarding the stored information to a selection device different from the selected messaging device, wherein the selection device different from the selected messaging device comprises a remote computer system, and to receive a user selection from the remote computer system, the user selection comprising at least one of the plurality of selection choices and the user selection indicating a selected portion of the information stored in the storage device; and

a wireless transmitter responsive to the computer network interface.

6. A method of communicating formatted data over a wireless channel to a wireless device, the method comprising:

automatically storing a first set of information and a second set of information received from an information source in a storage device;

transmitting a plurality of information selection choices to a selection device different from the wireless device by displaying an internet web page, the internet web page including the plurality of information selection choices, at least one of the plurality of information selection choices including the first set of information automatically stored in the storage device;

receiving user selected information in response to displaying the internet web page, the user selected information including information responsive to at least one of the plurality of information selection choices;

formatting the user selected information to produce formatted data suitable for wireless transmission; and

transmitting the formatted data over a wireless channel to the wireless device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the user selected information includes the first set of information and further comprising receiving a user request for further information and transmitting the second set of information in response to receiving the user request.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first set of information is a headline and the second set of information is one of a business article and a news article identified by the headline.