System and method for delivery and updating of real-time data

• US 7,516,196 B1
• Filed: 03/21/2000
• Issued: 04/07/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Madan, Hemant, Beletski, Oleg, Makipaa, Mikko
• Primary Examiner(s): Blair; Douglas B
• Application Number:
  US09/531,534
• Time in Patent Office: 3,304 Days
• Field of Search: 707/204, 709/207, 709/224, 709/217, 709/246, 709/203, 709/219, 709/227, 709/228, 345/760, 345/864
• US Class Current: 709/219
• 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

Abstract

A system, method and computer program for receiving real-time data from a content provider and delivering it to a user terminal while using the minimum amount of communication bandwidth possible. This real-time data may take the form of any frequently changing data such as stock prices. The user logs on the system and specifies a portfolio or stocks he is interested viewing. The user may also select active keys which are to be continuously observed. Upon receipt of the real-time data from the content provider, the system, method and computer program determine whether the real-time data has changed from the last update. If no changes have occurred to the real-time data values or the real-time data is not associated the currently active keys then there is no real-time data downloaded to the user. Only if there is a change in real-time data values associated with active currently active keys will the real-time data be transmitted to the user terminal. Further, this system, method and computer program may communicate to any possible user terminal no matter what size screen since the position of each changed real-time data value is specified based on screen size the user terminal is using. Therefore, a user may monitor continuously changing real-time data values while using a mobile device such as a digital cellular phone.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving information at a content server from at least one content provider;

storing at least one portion of the information;

sending the at least one portion of the information to a user terminal for display on the user terminal;

receiving, from an embedded applet in a remote mobile terminal, notification of active keys associated with a current display of the at least one portion of the information on the user terminal, wherein the notification is indicative of a change of an active key set when a page change occurs;

receiving additional information at the content server, the additional information including a later version of the at least one portion of the information;

identifying changed information parts by determining one or more differences between the later version of the at least one portion of the information and the stored at least one portion of the information;

updating stored at least one portion of the information based on the changed information parts; and

transmitting the changed information parts associated with the active keys to the embedded applet in the user terminal without also transmitting unchanged parts of the stored at least one portion of the information.

2. The method recited in claim 1, wherein the received information comprises a plurality of real-time data values.

3. The method recited in claim 2, wherein the received additional information comprises an additional plurality of real-time data values, and wherein the updating further comprises:

accessing a hash table containing the plurality of real-time data values using a plurality of keys associated with the plurality of real-time data values;

determining whether the additional plurality of real-time data values includes changes from the plurality of real-time data values contained in the hash table; and

updating the prior values of the plurality real-time data values contained in the hash table using values of the additional plurality of real-time data values that reflect determined changes.

4. The method recited in claim 3, wherein the transmitting comprises:

activating a data thread when a value of the plurality of real-time data values is updated in the hash table;

determining a position on a screen of the user terminal corresponding to the updated value in the hash table;

transmitting the updated value in the hash table to the user terminal for display on the screen of the user terminal in the position determined.

5. The method recited in claim 4, wherein the activating step comprises activating the data thread using remote method invocation.

6. The method recited in claim 3, further comprising:

spawning a data server thread in response to receiving a connection request from the user terminal;

retrieving, by the data server thread, a user defined portfolio containing a plurality of keys;

generating an activated HTML page containing the embedded applet and sending the activated HTML page to the user terminal;

monitoring the plurality of keys contained in the user defined portfolio; and

identifying new active keys of said of the plurality of keys from the embedded applet.

7. The method recited in claim 6, comprising:

determining that a shutdown request has been made; and

disconnecting all connections to the user terminal in response to determining the shutdown request was made.

8. The method recited in claim 7, comprising:

retrieving real-time data values on a periodic basis.

9. The method recited in claim 8, comprising:

notifying the data server thread when a received real-time data value reflects a change over a previously received real-time data value.

10. The method recited in claim 6, comprising:

determining whether the page change is required;

receiving, by the data server thread, a plurality of new active keys; and

transmitting the additional plurality of real-time data values to the user terminal through the data server thread using the new active keys.

11. A computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions comprising:

a real-time data server code segment configured to receive real-time data values from at least one content provider, receive active keys that are associated with at least one portion of information currently displayed on a user terminal and when a page change occurs receive a change of an active key set from an embedded applet in the user terminal, determine changed data values by identifying one or more differences between the received real-time data values and prior real-time data values, and transmit one or more of the changed data values associated with one or more of the active keys to the embedded applet without also transmitting unchanged data values to the user terminal when any of the real-time data values associated with the one or more of the active keys has changed.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the real-time data server code segment further comprises:

instructions executable to store the prior real-time data values in a hash table and update the stored prior real-time data values with the changed data values.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the real-time data server code segment further comprises:

a web engine server module code segment to access a database having a portfolio generated by a user and generate an HTML page and the embedded applet, wherein upon receipt of a connection request from the user terminal the web engine server module code segment downloads the HTML page and the embedded applet to the user terminal.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the real-time data server code segment further comprises:

a source filter server module code segment to receive the real-time data values, determine if the real-time data values reflect changes from stored prior real-time data values, and activate a data thread code segment when a real-time data reflects a change from a stored prior real-time data value.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 14, wherein the real-time data server code segment further comprises:

executable instructions to communicate to the user terminal from the source filter server module code segment through the data thread code segment.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 14 wherein:

the source filter server module code segment includes instructions executable to update the hash table based on the received real-time values.

17. The computer-readable medium of claim 12 further comprising:

a web server module code segment to communicate to the user terminal and retrieve a portfolio specified from a database; and

a pagination engine module code segment, in communication with the web server module code segment, to create an HTML page and applet code segment based on the portfolio selected and the size of a screen on a user terminal.

18. An apparatus comprising:

a processor; and

a memory having stored therein machine executable instructions, that when executed, cause the apparatus to;

receive data from a real-time content provider, and store the received data in a keyed hash table;

establish a data server thread connection with a remote mobile terminal;

perform operations either when a data server thread connection receives an active key request from an embedded applet in the remote mobile terminal that is indicative of a change of an active key set for a page change and or when new data is received to update the remote mobile terminal through the embedded applet, the operations including a) querying a keyed hash table for corresponding data;

b) determining whether the queried data differs from data currently displayed on the remote mobile terminal;

c) sending the queried data to the remote mobile terminal when the queried data differs from the data currently displayed on the remote mobile terminal; and

d) not sending the queried data to the remote mobile terminal when the queried data does not differ from the data currently displayed on the remote mobile terminal; and

communicate formatted data to the remote mobile terminal based on the queried data.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the executable instructions further cause the apparatus to:

access the keyed hash table containing a plurality of prior real-time data values using a plurality of keys associated with a plurality of later real-time data values;

determine whether the plurality of later real-time data values includes changes over the prior plurality of real-time data values contained in the keyed hash table; and

update the prior plurality real-time data values contained in the keyed hash table based on the determined changes.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the executable instructions further cause the apparatus to:

retrieve a portfolio selected by a user;

generate an activated HTML page containing the embedded applet for the portfolio; and

download the activated HTML page to the remote mobile terminal.

21. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the executable instructions further cause the apparatus to:

monitor the plurality of keys; and

identify currently active keys of said plurality of keys.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the executable instructions further cause the apparatus to:

read the currently active keys;

determine if the currently active keys have changed;

update the keyed hash table with real-time data values for the currently active keys; and

download the updated real-time values for the currently active keys to the remote mobile terminal.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the executable instructions further cause the apparatus to:

determine whether a shutdown request was made; and

disconnect all connections to the remote mobile terminal in response to the shutdown request.