Client aware extensible markup language content retrieval and integration in a wireless portal system

• US 7,058,698 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2001
• Issued: 06/06/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sun Microsystems Incorporated (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Mueller, Thomas, Tran, Luu, Jain, Divya, Chatterjee, Amlan
• Primary Examiner(s): PWU, JEFFREY C
• Application Number:
  US09/929,802
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033377A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,758 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/217, 709/223, 709/224, 709/227, 709/219, 709/218, 709/248, 455/463, 379/67.1, 340/995.24, 380/258, 707/10, 705/40, 705/41
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 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]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

In a wireless portal system having a wireless server, a client aware Extensible Markup Language (XML) content integration and transformation method and system. The client aware XML content integration and transformation system includes logic for identifying wireless client devices connecting to the wireless server by using particular characteristics of the client in presenting XML content formatted in response to connection requests from the client to the server. In one embodiment of the present invention, the client aware XML content transformation system receives an indication of a client type and uses this information to automatically search for XML content from a plurality of back-end resource servers on the Internet and transforms the content into a format suitable for delivery to the client. The means of formatting the XML content uses a style sheet such as an Extensible Style sheet Language (XSL) specific to the client type of the client requesting the XML content to transform the XML content into an appropriate markup to the client.

Claims

1. A wireless server system comprising:

an applications content locating module for locating a first wireless applications content over multiple back-end resource servers based on a type of wireless client;

an applications content transformation service configured to dynamically present transformed content in a format suitable to said wireless client based on said type of the wireless client; and

an applications content translating module coupled to said applications content locating module configured to provide client specific templates, wherein the client specific templates are used to transform said first wireless applications content and wherein each of the plurality of client specific templates is associated with at least one type of wireless client,

wherein said first wireless application content is compliant with Extensible Markup Language (XML) content, and

wherein said client specific templates are compliant with Extensible Style sheet Language (XSL).

2. The wireless server system of claim 1, further comprising an automatic client detection service for automatically detecting and providing information corresponding to said type of said wireless client wherein the information is used by said content locating module to determine the appropriate client specific templates to use to transform said first wireless application content.

3. The wireless server system of claim 2, wherein a service request issued by said wireless client is used to determine the type of content to be delivered to said wireless client.

4. The wireless server system of claim 1, further comprising pre-stored class information for enabling said application content transformation service to transform said first wireless application content into a format suitable for presentation to said wireless client.

5. The wireless server system of claim 1, wherein said particular wireless client is a handheld device.

6. The wireless server system of claim 1, wherein said particular wireless client is a wireless phone.

7. The wireless server system of claim 1, wherein said particular wireless client is a wireless personal computer system.

8. A client aware Extensible Markup Language (XML) content integrator in a wireless network, comprising:

a wireless server;

a plurality of classes of wireless clients, each of said classes of wireless clients comprising unique identification parameters;

a client aware Extensible Markup Language (XML) content provider for retrieving XML data from a source external to said wireless server in response to a particular client type content access request from one of said plurality of classes of wireless clients; and

client aware XML content translation templates, each of said XML content translation templates specific to a client type of said wireless client plurality of classes of wireless clients,

wherein said XML content translation templates are compliant with Extensible Style sheet Language (XSL) templates.

9. The client aware XML content integrator of claim 8, further comprising XML transformation logic for transforming said XML content using said XML content translation templates.

10. The client aware content integrator of claim 8, wherein said client aware XML content provider is extensible to dynamically alter transformation data provided to said client aware XML content provider.

11. The client aware content integrator of claim 8, wherein said client aware XML content is transformed using said XSL templates to a markup language content suitable for presentation to said particular client.

12. A wireless server, comprising:

a client aware Extensible Markup Language (XML) content integration and transformation provider for providing XML content gathered from a plurality of locations in a markup format to a wireless client coupled to the wireless server wherein the XML content provided to said wireless client is formatted based on a wireless client type of said wireless client; and

a local storage unit for storing transient data used while transforming said XML content by said client aware XML content integration and transformation provider,

wherein said client aware XML content integration and transformation provider further comprises a plurality of client aware Extensible Style sheet Language (XSL) templates for providing client specific content translation information for transforming said XML content into a markup format based on the wireless client type.

13. The wireless server of claim 12, wherein said client aware XML content integration and transformation provider comprises a client aware XML content retrieving unit for retrieving XML content from data sources that are external and internal to said wireless server.

14. The wireless server of claim 13, wherein said XML content integration and transformation provider further comprises an XML content transformation unit for transforming said XML content into a client specific markup content.

15. The wireless server of claim 14, wherein said markup content is compliant with Hyper Text Markup Language content.

16. The wireless server of claim 14, wherein said markup content is compliant with Wireless Markup Language content.

17. The wireless server of claim 14, wherein said markup content is compliant with Handheld Device Markup Language content.

18. The wireless server of claim 14, wherein said markup content comprises a markup content suitably adapted to interact with a Internet browser of said wireless client.

19. The wireless server of claim 18, wherein said XML content integration and transformation provider further comprises availability logic for determining whether content selected by said wireless client is available for presentation to said client.

20. A method for providing Extensible Markup Language (XML) content from a wireless server to a wireless client connected to said wireless server, said method comprising the steps of:

receiving a client request by said wireless server from said wireless client, said client request comprising client type information associated with said wireless client;

retrieving style sheet information specific to said wireless client, based on said client type information, for transforming said XML content;

retrieving XML content in response to said client request from data sources external and internal to said wireless server; and

transforming said retrieved XML content into appropriate content suitable for an underlying markup language of an Internet browser used by said wireless client using said style sheet,

wherein said style sheet is compliant with Extensible Style sheet Language (XSL).

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said transforming step comprises the step of loading a class of transformation parameters suitable for transforming said retrieved XML content in a manner based on the client type information of said wireless client.

22. The method of claim of 20, wherein said external data source comprises resource servers coupled to the Internet.