Gateway server in which picture contents can be displayed in small terminal, and processing speed is fast, and manufacturing cost is cheap, and method of obtaining contents

• US 7,203,766 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Corporation
• Inventors: Yoshiasa, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): KOROBOV, VITALI A
• Application Number:
  US09/750,046
• Publication Number:
  US 20010007998A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,293 Days
• Field of Search: 709/201, 709/202, 709/203, 709/206, 709230-236, 709220-225, 709217-219, 709/246, 709/226, 709/247, 345/660, 348/581, 382/174, 382/232, 382/235, 382/276, 382/298, 455/566
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/01 Protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561

Abstract

A gateway server includes a convert section and an output section. The convert section converts a first contents into a second contents. The first contents is received from a contents server in response to a request of a small terminal. The second contents corresponds to a display performance of a display section of the small terminal. The output section outputs the second contents to the small terminal.

Claims

1. A plurality of gateway servers, each comprising:

a convert section converting first contents into second contents, wherein said first contents is received from a contents server in response to a request of a small terminal that is broadcast by the contents server to the plurality of gateway servers and said second contents corresponds to a one of a plurality of possible display performances of a display section of said small terminal; and

wherein the convert section judges whether said first contents are picture contents, and when said first contents are not picture contents, the convert section does not convert said first contents into said second contents and in that case said gateway server provides said first contents to said small terminal in an unconverted format; and

an output section outputting said second contents to said small terminal,

wherein said display performance corresponds to the number of display pixels of said display section of said small terminal so that an image corresponding to the picture contents is sized according to a size of the display section of said small terminal,

wherein said display performance corresponds to the number of display colors of said display section, and

wherein, based on the request of the small terminal as received by each of the plurality of gateway servers, a particular one of the plurality of gateway servers acts on the request based on the one of the plurality of possible display performances of the display section of said small terminal that is included as information in the request of the small terminal.

2. The gateway servers according to claim 1, wherein said small terminal is one of a portable wireless telephone, a personal handyphone system (PHS) terminal and a personal digital assistant.

3. The gateway servers according to claim 1, wherein said second contents can be displayed in said display section.

4. The gateway servers according to claim 1, wherein said convert section does not convert said first contents into said second contents, when said first contents is received from said contents server in response to a request of a non-small terminal other than said small terminal, and

wherein said output section outputs said first contents to said non-small terminal.

5. The gateway servers according to claim 1, wherein when said first contents are received from the content server in response to a request from a non-small terminal, the convert section does not convert said first contents into said second contents, and the output section outputs the first contents to the non-small terminal.

6. A contents obtaining system, comprising:

a terminal having a display section to display contents;

a contents server storing contents; and

a plurality of gateway servers, and

wherein said terminal outputs a first request for obtaining required contents that is broadcast to said plurality of gateway servers, and

wherein one of said gateway servers outputs a second request for obtaining said required contents to said contents server in response to said first request, and

wherein said contents server outputs said required contents to said one of said gateway servers in response to said second request, and

when said required contents are picture contents, said one of said gateway servers converts said required contents into specific contents, wherein said specific contents correspond to a particular display performance of said display section of said terminal that is included as information in said first request, and

wherein said one of said gateway servers outputs said specific contents to said terminal,

wherein said one of said gateway servers judges whether said required contents are picture contents, and

wherein when said required contents is not said picture contents, said one of said gateway servers does not convert said required contents into said specific contents and also does not convert said required contents in any manner, and said one of said gateway servers outputs said required contents instead of said specific contents to said terminal, and

wherein said display performance corresponds to the number of display pixels of said display section of said small terminal so that an image corresponding to the picture contents is sized according to a size of the display section of said small terminal,

wherein the image corresponding to the picture contents is converted in size to fit the size of the display section of said small terminal and is sent to said small terminal as an undivided image, and

wherein, when said required contents are picture contents, another of said gateway servers converts said required contents into said specific contents, wherein said specific contents correspond to another display performance of said display section of said terminal that is different from said particular display performance and that is included as information in said first request.

7. The contents obtaining system according to claim 6, wherein said terminal is one of a small terminal and a terminal other than a small terminal, and

wherein when said terminal is a small terminal, said terminal outputs said first request for obtaining said required contents to said plurality of gateway servers, said first request including information indicating that said terminal is a small terminal, and

wherein when said plurality of gateway servers do not receive said information, none of said plurality of gateway servers converts said required contents into said specific contents, and

wherein, when said terminal is the small terminal, said one of said gateway servers converts said required contents into first specific contents,

wherein, when said terminal is the terminal other than the small terminal, said one of said gateway servers converts said required contents into second specific contents different from said first specific contents.

8. The contents obtaining system according to claim 6, wherein said small terminal is a portable wireless telephone, a personal handyphone system (PHS) terminal, or a personal digital assistant.

9. The contents obtaining system according to claim 7, wherein said first specific contents correspond to picture contents to suit a particular display of the small terminal, and wherein said second specific contents correspond to picture contents to suit a particular display of the terminal other than the small terminal.

10. A contents obtaining method, comprising:

(a) outputting a first request for obtaining contents from a terminal that is broadcast to a plurality of gateway servers;

(b) outputting a second request for obtaining said contents from one of said plurality of gateway server servers to a contents server in response to a said first request, said one of said plurality of gateway servers outputting the second request based on a particular display performance information of said terminal that is included in said first request, said terminal being capable displaying information in any one a plurality of different display performances;

(c) outputting said contents from said contents server to said one of said plurality of gateway servers in response to said second request;

(d) converting said contents into specific contents in said one of said plurality of gateway servers, wherein said specific contents corresponds to display performance of a display section of said terminal; and

(e) outputting said specific contents to said terminal from said one of said plurality of gateway servers; and

(f) determining whether said contents are picture contents,

wherein when the contents are not determined as picture contents in step (f), step (d) is not performed and step (e) includes outputting said contents, instead of said specific contents, in an unconverted format, to said terminal from the said one of said plurality of gateway servers; and

(g) wherein, when the contents are determined as picture contents, displaying said picture contents on the display section of said terminal based on the display performance that includes the number of display pixels of said display section of said small terminal and color/non-color information of said display section of said small terminal, so that an image corresponding to the picture contents is sized according to a size of the display section of said small terminal,

wherein the image corresponding to the picture contents is converted in size to fit the size of the display section of said small terminal and is sent to said small terminal as an undivided image.

11. The contents obtaining method according to claim 10, wherein said terminal is one of a small terminal and a terminal other than a small terminal, and

wherein when said terminal a small terminal, step (a) includes outputting said first request of obtaining said contents to said plurality of gateway servers from said terminal, said first request including information indicating that said terminal is a small terminal, and

wherein step (d) is not performed when said plurality of gateway servers do not receive said information.