System and method for accessing information processor services from a mobile communication device

• US 7,487,204 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2002
• Issued: 02/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/18/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Mousseau, Gary P., Lazaridis, Mihal, Asthana, Atul
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell; Robert B
• Application Number:
  US10/480,979
• Publication Number:
  US 20040185877A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,422 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/48 Message addressing, e.g. address format or anonymous messages, aliases
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/4541 Directories for service discovery
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/02 Communication route or path selection, e.g. power-based or shortest path routing
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/26 Network addressing or numbering for mobility support
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user

Abstract

A system and method for pushing information from a host system to a mobile data communication device upon sensing a triggering event is disclosed. A redirector program operating at the host system enables a user to continuously redirect user-selected data items from the host system to the user'"'"'s mobile data communication device upon detecting that one or more user-defined triggering events has occurred. The redirector program operates in connection with event generating applications and repackaging systems at the host system to configure and detect particular user-defined events, and then to repackage the user-selected data items in an electronic wrapper prior to pushing the data items to the mobile device. The system includes information processing components for identifying one or more information processors in the vicinity of the mobile device and then routing an attachment or information from the host system, the device or an external information source to a selected information processor.

Claims

1. A system for accessing services of an information processor with a mobile communication device, comprising:

a messaging server comprising a redirector program and an attachment handling component stored on a computer-readable medium of the messaging server, wherein the messaging server receives messages having attachments and redirects the messages and information about the attachments to the mobile communication device;

a firewall coupling the messaging server to a wide area network, wherein the firewall provides security for the messaging server;

a relay system coupling the wide area network to a wireless network;

wherein the messaging server encrypts the messages, and redirects the encrypted messages to the mobile communication device through the firewall, the wide area network, the relay system, and the wireless network, the messages remaining encrypted until received at the mobile communication device, which decrypts the encrypted messages;

a service information provider located remotely from the information processor and the mobile communication device, wherein the service information provider includes service information comprising one or more service addresses associated with the information processor and information regarding the information processing capabilities of the information processor; and

an interface between the service information provider and the mobile communication device for transferring the service information associated with the information processor to the mobile communication device;

wherein the mobile communication device obtains the service information associated with the information processor via the interface and wherein each service address enables the mobile communication device to access a particular service of the information processor;

wherein the mobile communication device determines, based on the information about the attachment and the service information, whether the information processor can process the attachment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising an interface between the information processor and the mobile communication device for transferring a unique identifier associated with the information processor to the mobile communication device, wherein the mobile communication device uses the unique identifier to query the service information provider in order to obtain one or more service addresses associated with the information processor.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the interface between the information processor and the mobile communication device is an active interface.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the active interface is a wireless interface.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the wireless interface is an RF interface.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the RF interface is a Bluetooth interface.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the RF interface is an 802.11 interface.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the wireless interface is an infrared interface.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the active interface enables the mobile communication device to access a particular service of the information processor.

10. The system of claim 2, wherein the interface between the information processor and the mobile communication device is a passive interface.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the passive interface includes a text label.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the passive interface includes a bar code.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the information processor is a printer.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the printer includes a network interface and printer gateway for coupling the printer to a wide area network.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the wide area network is the Internet.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the information processor is one of a plurality of information processors coupled to the Internet.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising:

a wireless network in which the mobile communication device is configured to operate; and

a wireless gateway coupling the wireless network to the Internet;

wherein the mobile communication device communicates with the plurality of information processors coupled to the Internet via the wireless network and the wireless gateway.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the one or more service addresses includes a uniform resource locator (URL).

19. The system of claim 1, wherein, if the information processor can process the attachment, then the attachment is sent to the information processor.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the mobile communication device is configured to send the attachment to the information processor.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein the mobile communication device is configured to send a signal to the host system, and the host system is configured to send the attachment to the information processor in response to the signal.

22. The system of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of interfaces between the information processor and the mobile communication device for transferring a unique identifier associated with the information processor to the mobile communication device.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein at least one of the plurality of interfaces enables the mobile communication device to access a particular service of the information processor.

24. The system of claim 1, further comprising a desktop computer system coupled to the messaging server via a network wherein the mobile communication device shares an account address from which messages are originated with the desktop computer system.

25. The system of claim 24, wherein the account address is an electronic mail account address and the messaging server includes an electronic mail server that stores received messages for the user of the desktop computer system and the mobile communication device in an electronic mailbox associated with the electronic mail account address.

26. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more service addresses includes an electronic mail address.

27. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more service addresses includes an IP address.

28. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the service information includes information regarding the type of service associated with each service address;

the mobile communication device is enabled for sending a service type query indicating a type of service to the service information provider; and

the service information provider is configured to provide at least one of a unique identifier and a service address for an information processor or service that supports the type of service indicated in the service type query.

29. The system of claim 1, wherein the information processor device is a printer, fax machine, wired telephone, cellular telephone, video display, or copying machine.

30. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is a cellular telephone having data messaging capabilities.

31. The system of claim 1, wherein the mobile communication device is a two-way pager.

32. A method of processing information with an information processor using a mobile communication device, comprising the steps of:

obtaining at the mobile communication device a unique identifier associated with the information processor;

receiving one or more messages at the mobile communication device;

the mobile communication device querying a service information provider using the unique identifier to obtain service information, the service information including at least one service address associated with a service provided by the information processor;

sending a communication signal from the mobile communication device to the information processor using the at least one service address obtained from the service information provider wherein the communication signal comprises the one or more messages;

receiving the communication signal at the information processor; and

performing an information processing operation in response to the communication signal;

wherein the service information further includes information regarding information processing capabilities of the information processor identified by the unique identifier, and further wherein the mobile communication device determines, based upon the information processing capabilities of the information processor, whether the information processor can perform the information processing operation in response to the communication signal;

wherein the step of obtaining a unique identifier is performed using a bar code scanner coupled to the mobile communication device and a bar code label on the information processor;

wherein the results of the information processing operation are stored by the information processor in a computer-readable medium.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the communication signal includes information to be processed by the information processor.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the information to be processed comprises an electronic mail message.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the information to be processed further comprises an attachment.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the communication signal comprises a processing command to control the information processing operation.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the communication signal further comprises information to be processed by the information processor.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein:

the communication signal further comprises a reference locator for information to be processed; and

the step of performing a processing operation comprises the step of retrieving the information to be processed using the reference locator.

39. The method of claim 32, wherein the step of obtaining a unique identifier is performed using a wireless communication exchange between the mobile communication device and the information processor.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein the wireless communication exchange is a short-range RF communication exchange.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the wireless communication exchange is an infrared communication exchange.

42. The method of claim 32, wherein:

the at least one service address is a network address associated with a communication network;

the mobile communication device is configured to send information to and receive information from a wireless communication network; and

the step of sending a communication signal comprises the step of sending the communication signal to the information processor via the wireless communication network and the communication network.

43. The method of claim 42, wherein:

the communication network is the Internet; and

the at least one service address is an IP address or a Uniform Resource Locator (URL).

44. The method of claim 42, wherein the service information provider is coupled to the communication network.

45. The method of claim 32, wherein the unique identifier is a network address of the information processor.

46. The method of claim 45, wherein the service information provider includes one or more service addresses linked to the network address associated with the information processor.

47. The method of claim 32, wherein the querying step comprises the step of transmitting a query from the mobile communication device to the service information provider via a wide area network.

48. The method of claim 47, wherein the wide area network is the Internet.

49. The method of claim 32, wherein the information processing operation comprises a translation operation.

50. The method of claim 49, wherein:

the translation operation translates information into a format that can be processed by the mobile communication device; and

the method further comprises the step of sending translated information from the information processor to the mobile communication device.

51. The method of claim 32, wherein the service information provider associates a plurality of information processors by location.

52. The method of claim 32, wherein the service information provider associates a plurality of information processors by service type.

53. The method of claim 32, wherein the at least one service address is an electronic mail address.

54. The method of claim 32, wherein the information processing operation comprises a printing operation.

55. A method of controlling an information processor using a mobile communication device, comprising the steps of:

receiving a message having an attachment at a host system;

transmitting the message and information about the attachment to the mobile communication device,

obtaining at the mobile communication device a unique identifier associated with the information processor;

the mobile communication device querying a service information provider using the unique identifier to obtain service information, the service information including at least one service address associated with a service provided by the information processor;

sending a communication signal from the mobile communication device to the information processor using the at least one service address obtained from the service information provider, wherein the communication signal includes information about the attachment;

receiving the communication signal and the attachment at the information processor; and

processing the attachment at the information processor in response to the communication signal;

wherein the results of processing the attachment are stored by the information processor in a computer-readable medium.

56. The method of claim 55, wherein:

the method further comprises the step of separating the attachment from the message at the host system;

the communication signal comprises a reference locator for the attachment; and

the step of processing the attachment comprises the step of retrieving the attachment from the host system based on the reference locator.

57. The method of claim 55, wherein:

the method further comprises the step of separating the attachment from the message at the host system; and

the step of sending a communication signal comprises the steps of;

sending a signal to the host system; and

sending the attachment from the host system to the information processor in response to the signal.

58. The method of claim 55, wherein the step of sending a communication signal comprises the steps of sending the communication signal from the mobile communication device to the host system and sending the communication signal from the host system to the information processor.

59. The method of claim 55, wherein:

the step of transmitting the message and information about the attachment to the mobile communication device comprises the step of transmitting the attachment to the mobile communication device; and

the communication signal comprises the message and the attachment.

60. The method of claim 55, further comprising the step of notifying the mobile communication device that the processing operation has been performed by the information processor.

61. The method of claim 55, further comprising the steps of:

encrypting the message prior to transmitting it to the mobile communication device; and

decrypting the message after it is received at the mobile communication device.

62. The method of claim 55, wherein the information about the attachment includes a file name of the attachment.

63. The method of claim 55, wherein the information about the attachment includes a file size of the attachment.

64. The method of claim 55, wherein the information about the attachment includes a file type of the attachment.

65. The method of claim 55, wherein the host system includes an electronic mail server and a plurality of electronic mailboxes, wherein at least one of the electronic mailboxes is associated with the mobile communication device, the method further comprising the steps of:

storing the message and the attachment at the at least one electronic mailbox associated with the mobile communication device; and

transmitting the message and the attachment to a desktop computer system coupled to the host system via a local area network.

66. The method of claim 55, wherein the information processor is selected from the group consisting of:

a printer, a facsimile machine, a telephone, a copying machine, and a video display.

67. The method of claim 55, wherein the service information provider comprises a Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) service cloud.