Pushing rich content information to mobile devices

• US 7,519,720 B2
• Filed: 09/18/2006
• Issued: 04/14/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Fishman, Neil, Kadyk, Don, Ledsome, Mark, Curtis, Brent, Seinfeld, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr.; William C
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shingles; Kristie D
• Application Number:
  US11/532,768
• Publication Number:
  US 20070016690A1
• Time in Patent Office: 939 Days
• Field of Search: 709/231, 709/238, 709/230, 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/230
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/212 using filtering or selective blocking
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/289 Intermediate processing functionally located close to the data consumer application, e.g. in same machine, in same home or in same sub-network
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• 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

Methods, systems, and computer program products for customizing content based on at least one operating characteristic of a mobile client. A mobile gateway receives content from a content source, such as an email server, a Web server, or some other content server. For example, content may include email, calendar, contact, task, Web, notification, financial, sports data, configuration information, etc. The mobile gateway customizes the content based on transforms assigned to each mobile client. Transforms account for differences in the software, display, processor, memory, communication channel, and the like, of each mobile client, without imposing additional processing burdens on the content server. Processing that is common among several transforms may be shared. Mobile clients may be any type of computer, including telephones, pagers, PDAs, laptops, and other mobile gateways.

Claims

1. In a computerized system that includes a content server, a mobile gateway, and a first group of mobile clients that share at least one operating characteristic that is different from an operating characteristic shared by mobile clients in a second group of one or more mobile clients, a method of the mobile gateway, rather than the content server, customizing the content based on at least one operating characteristic of each group of mobile clients, wherein the customizing avoids further transformation processing at the content server, the method comprising the acts of:

the content server sending stored content directly to the mobile gateway without the content server performing any transformation on the content;

the mobile gateway assigning a first transform to the first group of mobile clients and assigning a second transform to the second group of one or more mobile clients, the first and second transforms specifically considering one or more shared operating characteristics of the first and second groups of mobile clients;

the mobile gateway receiving a list from the content server containing addresses for a plurality of mobile clients, including the first and second groups of mobile clients;

determining at the mobile gateway that the first transform and the second transform are to be applied to the received content upon the mobile gateway identifying that the list includes and address for one or more mobile clients in the first and second group;

altering the content at the mobile gateway according to the first and second transforms so that the content is compatible with the one or more operating characteristics of the first and second groups of mobile clients, the altered content comprising at least a first transformed content and a second transformed content;

further altering the content at the mobile gateway according to one or more sub-transforms that specifically consider one or more different operating characteristics between mobile clients within the same first group of mobile clients;

addressing the first transformed content to the first group of mobile clients and addressing the second transformed content to the second group of mobile clients using the plurality of addresses received in the list;

establishing a communication link between the mobile gateway and the mobile clients in the list received from the content server; and

sending the content transformed in accordance with the first or second transforms, and one or more additional sub-transforms, to one or more mobile clients in the first or second groups of mobile clients.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the act of at least one of the transforms encrypting the content.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the act of at least one of the transforms compressing the content.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein at least one of the mobile clients is one of a telephone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, or a cascaded mobile gateway.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first transformed content comprises a notification that additional content is available at the content server, the method further comprising the acts of:

receiving a request for the additional content from a mobile client in the first group;

retrieving the additional content from the content server, wherein the additional content has not been altered in accordance with any one or more of the first or second transforms;

altering the additional content according to the first transform and one or more sub transforms so that the content is compatible with a plurality of operating characteristics of the first mobile client; and

sending the first transformed additional content to the first mobile client.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more operating characteristics considered by the first and second transforms include a mobile client'"'"'s memory capabilities, and at least one of the mobile client'"'"'s software, processor, display, or communication link.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the computerized system includes a third mobile client, the method further comprising the acts of:

assigning the first transform to the third mobile client, the first transform specifically considering one or more operating characteristics of the third mobile client; and

sending the first transformed content to the third mobile client.

8. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the content comprises one of email, calendar, contact, task, Web, notification, financial, configuration, or sports content.

9. At a mobile gateway in a computerized system that includes a content server, the mobile gateway, and a first mobile client, wherein the mobile gateway receives from the content server, content that is addressed to the first mobile client, a method of customizing the content based on at least one operating characteristic of the first mobile client, wherein the customizing avoids further processing at the content server, the method comprising a mobile gateway performing the acts of:

assigning a first transform to a first mobile client and a second transform to a second mobile client, the first transform specifically considering one or more operating characteristics of the first mobile client, the second transform specifically considering one or more operating characteristics of the second mobile client;

determining at the mobile gateway that a change has occurred with the one or more operating characteristics of the first mobile client, such that prior hardware or software configuration information of the first mobile client is incompatible with the first transform;

creating an updated first transform at the mobile gateway, wherein the updated first transform is consistent with the change in operating characteristics of the first mobile client;

receiving content from the content server that has not yet been transformed;

altering the content at the mobile gateway according to the updated first transform and with the second transform so that the content is compatible with the change in the one or more operating characteristics of the first mobile client and with the one or more operating characteristics of the second mobile client;

further altering the content at the mobile gateway according to one or more sub transforms so that the content is further compatible with another characteristic of the first and second mobile clients;

establishing a communication link between the mobile gateway and the first mobile client; and

the mobile gateway sending the content altered in accordance with the updated first transform and one or more sub transforms to the first mobile client, and sending the content altered in accordance with the second transform and any one or more sub transforms to the second mobile client.

10. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more operating characteristics considered by the updated first transform include the first mobile client'"'"'s memory capabilities, and at least one of the first mobile client'"'"'s software, processor, display, or communication link.

11. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the act of the first transform encrypting the content.

12. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the act of the first transform compressing the content.

13. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first transformed content comprises a notification that additional content is available at the content server, the method further comprising the acts of:

receiving a request for the additional content from the first mobile client;

retrieving the additional content from the content server;

altering the additional content according to the updated first transform so that the content is compatible with the change in one or more operating characteristics of the first mobile client, the act of altering producing a first transformed additional content; and

sending the first transformed additional content to the first mobile client.

14. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first mobile client is one of a telephone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, or a cascaded mobile gateway.

15. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the content comprises one of email, calendar, contact, task, Web, notification, financial, configuration, or sports content.

16. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising the acts of:

updating the second transform to the second mobile client, the updated second transform specifically considering a change in one or more operating characteristics of the second mobile client;

altering the content according to the updated second transform at the mobile gateway so that the content received from the content server is compatible with the change in one or more operating characteristics of the second mobile client;

establishing a communication link between the mobile gateway and the second mobile client; and

sending the content altered according to the updated second transform to the second mobile client.

17. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the content received from the content server is addressed to a list containing the first and second mobile clients, the method further comprising the act of addressing the content specifically to the first mobile client and to the second mobile client as defined in the list.

18. A method as recited in claim 16, wherein the computerized system includes a third mobile client, the method further comprising the acts of:

assigning the first transform to the third mobile client, the first transform specifically considering one or more operating characteristics of the third mobile client; and

sending the first transformed content to the third mobile client.

19. In a computerized system that includes a content server, a mobile gateway, and a first mobile client, wherein the mobile gateway receives from the content server, content that is addressed to the first mobile client, a computer program storage product computer-executable instructions stored thereon that, when executed, cause one or more processors in the computerized system to perform a method of customizing the content based on at least one operating characteristic of the first mobile client, wherein the customizing avoids further processing at the content server, comprising:

assigning a first configuration transform to the first mobile client, the first configuration transform customizing configuration information for one or more services available to the first mobile client;

assigning a first transform to a group of mobile clients including the first mobile client, the first transform specifically considering one or more shared operating characteristics of the first mobile client and each other mobile client in the group;

determining that a change has occurred in at least one service available to the first mobile client;

receiving content and a recipient list for the content from the content server, wherein the content has not yet been altered in accordance with the first or second transform;

identifying from the received recipient list for the content that the first transform and the second transform are to be applied;

altering the content according to the first transform and one or more sub transforms for the first mobile client, so that the content is compatible with the one or more operating characteristics of the first mobile client, the altered content comprising a first transformed content;

customizing configuration information relative to the change in the at least one service available to the first mobile client based on the first configuration transform to provide first transformed configuration information;

establishing a communication link between the mobile gateway and the first mobile client; and

sending the first transformed content and the first transformed configuration information to the first mobile client.

20. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 19, wherein the one or more operating characteristics considered by the first transform include the first mobile client'"'"'s memory at least one of the first mobile client'"'"'s software, processor, display, or communication link.

21. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 19, the method comprised further of machine-executable instructions for the first transform performing the act of encrypting the content.

22. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 19, the method comprised further of machine-executable instructions for the first transform performing the act of compressing the content.

23. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 19, wherein the first transformed content comprises a notification that additional content is available at the content server, the method further comprising the acts of:

receiving a request for the additional content from the first mobile client,

retrieving the additional content from the content server, wherein the additional content has not been altered in accordance with any one or more of the first or second transforms;

altering the additional content according to the first transform and any one or more sub transforms so that the content is compatible with the one or more operating characteristics of the first mobile client, the act of altering producing a first transformed additional content; and

sending the first transformed additional content to the first mobile client.

24. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 19, wherein the first mobile client is one of a telephone, a pager, and a personal digital assistant and wherein the content comprises one of email, calendar, contact, task, Web, notification, financial, configuration, or sports data.

25. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 19, wherein the computerized system includes a second mobile client, the method further comprising the acts of:

assigning a second transform to the second mobile client, the second transform specifically considering one or more operating characteristics of the second mobile client;

altering the content according to the second transform and one or more sub transforms so that the content is compatible with the one or more operating characteristics of the second mobile client, the altered content comprising a second transformed content;

establishing a communication link between the mobile gateway and the second mobile client; and

sending the second transformed content to the second mobile client.

26. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 25, wherein the content received from the content server is addressed to a list containing the first and second mobile clients, the method comprised further of machine-executable instructions for performing the act of addressing the content specifically to the first mobile client and to the second mobile client as defined in the list.

27. The computer program storage product as recited in claim 25, wherein the computerized system includes a third mobile client, the method further comprising the acts of:

assigning the first transform to the third mobile client, the first transform specifically considering one or more operating characteristics of the third mobile client; and

sending the first transformed content to the third mobile client.

28. At a mobile gateway in a computerized system in which the mobile gateway receives content intended to be pushed to mobile clients from a content server, a method of the mobile gateway customizing the content from the content server based one or more operating characteristics identified for a plurality of intended recipients using a plurality of different devices with differing operating characteristics, comprising the acts of:

receiving content from a content server at the mobile gateway, wherein the content has not yet been transformed by the content server, and the content is addressed by the content server to at least a first mobile client, a second mobile client, and a different mobile gateway;

a step for determining at the mobile gateway an appropriate content transform and one or more sub transforms for each of the first mobile client, the second mobile client, and for the different mobile gateway based on detected operating characteristics for each of the first mobile client, the second mobile client, and for the different mobile gateway;

assigning at the mobile gateway a first content transform to the first mobile client, a second content transform to the second mobile client, and a third content transform to the different mobile gateway;

wherein the first, second, and third content transforms, and one or more sub transforms, correspond to the detected one or more operating characteristics of the first mobile client, the second mobile client, and the devices managed by the different mobile gateway, such that the first, second, and third content transforms are not shared between the first, second, or third mobile clients;

wherein at least two of the first, second, and third mobile devices share the same sub transform used to alter the content after alteration by any of the first, second, or third content transforms;

the mobile gateway sending content transformed by an updated first content transform and at least one sub transform to the first mobile client, content transformed by the second content transform and at least one sub transform to the second mobile client, and content transformed by the third content transform and at least one sub transform to the different mobile gateway.

29. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the step for determining an appropriate transform comprises the acts of:

identifying one or more operating characteristics for each of the first mobile client and the second mobile client;

identifying one or more operating characteristics for devices managed by the different mobile gateway; and

updating the first transform upon identifying a change in memory capacity of the first mobile client.

30. A method as recited in claim 29, further comprising the acts of:

receiving new content from the content server, wherein at least a portion of the new content is too large for the first mobile client based on the change in memory capacity of the first mobile client;

transforming the new content in accordance with the second content transform and in accordance with the third content transform; and

sending the transformed new content to the second mobile client, and the different mobile gateway, but not to the first mobile client.

31. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein at least one of the first or second mobile clients is one of a telephone, a pager, a personal digital assistant, or a cascaded mobile gateway.

32. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the first transformed content comprises a notification that additional content is available at the content server, the method further comprising steps for:

producing a first additional transformed content based on a content transform associated with the first mobile client; and

providing the first additional transformed content to the first mobile client.

33. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the one or more operating characteristics considered by the content transforms include the mobile client'"'"'s memory capabilities, and at least one of the mobile clients'"'"' software, processor, display, or communication link.

34. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the computerized system includes a third mobile client, the method further comprising a step for providing content transformed by an updated first content transform to the third mobile client, due to similarities in one or more operating characteristics of the first and third mobile clients.

35. A method as recited in claim 28, wherein the content comprises one of email, calendar, contact, task, Web, notification, financial, configuration, or sports data.