System and method for providing user-selected information to a paging-capable device

• US 7,760,072 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Holdings Properties, LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Lund, Arnold M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Khan; Omer S
• Application Number:
  US11/374,950
• Publication Number:
  US 20060158309A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,589 Days
• Field of Search: 340/7.48, 340/7.28, 340/7.29
• US Class Current: 340/7.28
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0962 having an indicator mounted inside the vehicle, e.g. giving voice messages
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/18 Processing of user or subscriber data, e.g. subscribed services, user preferences or user profiles; Transfer of user or subscriber data
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/027 providing paging services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/185 Selective call encoders for paging networks, e.g. paging centre devices

Abstract

A system and method for providing user-selected information to a paging-capable device. An enhanced paging system responsive to information sources and a selection device transmits information to a paging-capable device. The enhanced paging system comprises a storing means, a selecting means, a storage device, and a transmitter. Such a system can provide user-selected information to a paging-capable device, allowing the user to control what information will be sent and when the information will be sent. Intelligent-agent software can automatically search for and store information that would be of interest to the user and can alert the user that more detailed information is available. It can also send critical information to the user without user request.

Claims

1. A method of providing information to a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving information from an information source;

facilitating a selection of at least a portion of the information for transmission to the wireless device by a system other than the wireless device;

when the information is determined to be non-critical, transmitting a selected portion of the information to the wireless device over a wireless channel after receiving a selection of the selected portion of the information; and

when the information is determined to be critical, transmitting the information to the wireless device over the wireless channel without receiving a selection of information by the system

wherein the system and the device are not in a single housing.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of at least a portion of the information is based on at least one of content, time, and a source of the information.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising formatting the selected portion of the information to produce formatted information and transmitting the formatted information to the device over the wireless channel.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving source information from an external information source and using intelligent agent software to generate the information based on the source information.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the intelligent agent software is instructed by a user to search for a particular information category.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the intelligent agent software automatically seeks out information based on inferences from past conduct associated with a user.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the information to the wireless device over the wireless channel without receiving a selection of information by the system comprises transmitting the information in real-time after receiving the information.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is identified as critical information based on a source of the information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information is identified as critical information based on an inference related to past conduct associated with a user.

10. A method of providing information to a wireless device, the method comprising:

receiving source information;

using intelligent agent software to generate information derived from the source information;

determining if the information is critical;

when the information is non-critical, storing the information until receiving a selection from a selection device indicating a selected portion of the information to be sent over a wireless channel to the wireless device; and

when the information is critical, transmitting at least a portion of the information to the wireless device over the wireless channel without receiving a selection from the selection device, wherein the selection device and the wireless device are not in a single housing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the selected portion is a summary and wherein the selected portion provides an indication that further information associated with the selected portion is available.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the summary is a price quote of a stock of a company and wherein the further information is additional information associated with the company.

24. The method of claim 10, wherein the intelligent agent software is configured to determine whether the information is critical based on a source of the information.

25. The method of claim 10, wherein the intelligent agent software is configured to determine whether the information is critical based on an inference related to past conduct associated with a user.

13. A method of managing delivery of information, the method comprising:

receiving source information from an information source;

automatically storing information derived from the source information into a storage device;

receiving a designation of a selected device to receive the information;

determining whether the information is critical;

when the information is critical, transmitting the information to the selected device in real-time;

when the information is non-critical, transmitting at least a portion of the information to the selected device in response to receiving a selection of the portion of the information from a selection system, wherein the selection system and the selected device are not in a single housing.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected portion is electronic mail and the selected device is a personal digital assistant.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising receiving a second selection indicating a second selected portion and receiving a second designation of a second selected device and transmitting the second selected portion to the second selected device.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the second selected device is a pager and wherein the system is a computer access to a web page.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected portion comprises a mobile alert.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the designation is received from a system different than the selected device to receive the information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the system is a computer displaying a web page.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the system is an interactive voice response system.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the selected portion is a summary and further comprising transmitting a second portion of the stored information, the second portion associated with the selected portion.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the designation of the selected device further identifies a selected time to transmit the information to the selected device.

23. An information storage and communication system comprising:

a storage device to receive information from an information source;

a selecting device to receive a selection from a system indicating a selected portion of the information to be sent over a wireless channel to a wireless device; and

a transmitter to communicate the selected portion to the wireless device over the wireless channel after receiving the selection when the information is determined to be non-critical, wherein the transmitter is to communicate the information to the wireless device over the wireless channel without receiving the selection when the information is determined to be critical, wherein the selecting device and the wireless device are not in a single housing.

26. An information storage and communication system to manage delivery of user-selected information, the system comprising:

a storage device to store information derived from an information source;

a computer network interface responsive to the storage device, the computer network interface to receive a designation of a selected device from a remote computer system other than the selected device, and to determine whether the information is critical; and

a wireless transmitter responsive to the computer network interface to transmit non-critical information to the selected device in response to receiving a user selection from the remote computer system of the non-critical information, and to transmit critical information to the selected device without receiving a user selection from the remote computer system of the critical information, wherein the remote computer system and the selected device are not in the same housing.