Exchange of events based synchronization of browsers

• US 7,886,004 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2009
• Issued: 02/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Gula Consulting Limited Liability Company (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Kirusa Inc.
• Inventors: Sibal, Sandeep, Mumick, Inderpal Singh
• Primary Examiner(s): Eng; David Y
• Application Number:
  US12/533,002
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287849A1
• Time in Patent Office: 557 Days
• Field of Search: 709/205, 709/248, 709/219, 709/223, 370/401, 455/414.2
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/954 Navigation, e.g. using categorised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/543 Local
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2216/15 Synchronised browsing
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications

Abstract

A technique for synchronizing a visual browser and a voice browser. A visual browser is used to navigate through visual content, such as WML pages. During the navigation, the visual browser creates a historical record of events that have occurred during the navigation. The voice browser uses this historical record to navigate the content in the same manner as occurred on the visual browser, thereby synchronizing to a state equivalent to that of the visual browser. The creation of the historical record may be performed by using a script to trap events, where the script contains code that records the trapped events. The synchronization technique may be used with a multi-modal application that permits the mode of input/output (I/O) to be changed between visual and voice browsers. When the mode is changed from visual to voice, the record of events captured by the visual browser is provided to the voice browser, thereby allowing the I/O mode to change seamlessly from visual to voice. Likewise, the voice browser captures events which may be provided to the visual browser when the I/O mode is changed from voice to visual.

Claims

1. A first device for using a first browser for navigation through a collection of data, resulting in the generation of events, and synchronizing the state of a second browser with the state of said first browser, said first device comprising:

a visual display for displaying visual output;

an input device for accepting user input from a user;

an audio speaker to render audio output;

a microphone to accept first device side audio input;

said first browser, wherein said first browser enables said navigation through said collection of data in a first mode, wherein said first browser is configured to capture a first browser state indicating a current position of said first browser with respect to said collection of data, said first browser state comprising a record of events occurring on said first browser during said navigation, said first browser comprising;

a script engine for recording said events occurring on said first browser during said navigation by executing instructions in a script, wherein said script comprises one or more sets of instructions, each of said sets of instructions being adapted to create a record of a particular one of the events, said script engine being adapted to invoke a particular one of said sets of instructions according to which of said events is signaled by said first browser;

said first device in communication with a second device, wherein said second device comprises said second browser for enabling said navigation through said collection of data in a second mode; and

said first browser configured to provide the record of events created by said script engine to the second browser for allowing said second browser to recreate said first browser state at one of a plurality of granularity levels specified by said user, wherein each of said granularity levels represent the precision with which the second browser recreates the first browser state, and wherein said granularity levels comprise one of a page level granularity, a card level granularity, a field level granularity, and a cursor level granularity;

whereby the state of the second browser is synchronized with the state of the first browser from the information received from said state manager.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein said collection of data comprises a plurality of pages, and wherein said current position of said first browser represents a one of said pages, wherein said page level granularity comprises synchronization of said second browser to point to said one of said pages being browsed by said first browser.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein said one of said pages comprises a plurality of cards, and wherein said current position of said first browser further represents a one of said cards, wherein said card level granularity comprises synchronization of said second browser to point to said one of said cards.

4. The first device of claim 3, wherein said one of said cards further comprises a plurality of fields, and wherein said current position of said first browser further represents a one of said fields, wherein said field level granularity comprises synchronization of said second browser to point to said one of said fields.

5. The first device of claim 1, wherein said cursor level granularity comprises synchronization of said second browser to point to the cursor position in one of a plurality of fields.

6. The first device of claim 1, wherein said second device comprises a microphone for accepting second device side audio input and providing said second device side audio input to said second browser, wherein said second browser captures events related to browsing activities in said second device and acquires a new state based on said second device side audio input and said captured events.

7. A first device for using a first browser for navigation through a collection of data and synchronizing the state of said first browser with state of a second browser, said first device comprising:

a visual display for displaying visual output;

an input device for accepting user data from a user;

an audio speaker to render audio output;

a microphone to accept audio input;

said first browser, wherein said first browser enables said navigation through said collection of data in a first mode, wherein said first browser is configured to capture a first browser state indicating a current position of said first browser with respect to said collection of data, said first browser state comprising a record of events occurring on said first browser during said navigation, and wherein said first browser comprises a script engine for recording said events occurring on said first browser during said navigation; and

said first device in communication with a second device comprising said second browser for enabling said navigation through said collection of data in a second mode;

said first browser configured to provide the record of events created by said script engine to the second browser for allowing said second browser to recreate said first browser state at one of a plurality of granularity levels specified by said user, wherein each of said granularity levels represent the precision with which the second browser recreates the first browser state, and wherein said granularity levels comprise one of a page level granularity, a card level granularity, a field level granularity, and a cursor level granularity.