Apparatus and method for providing contents

• US 7,979,055 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2001
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Original Assignee: NTT Docomo Incorporated (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yuko, Tsutsumi, Madoka, Yazaki, Hidetoshi, Higuchi, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pendleton, Brian T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lewis, Jonathan V.
• Application Number:
  US10/239,952
• Publication Number:
  US 20030140104A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,506 Days
• Field of Search: 709/206, 709/218, 707/10, 711/154, 711/162, 717/173, 725/139, 725/140
• US Class Current: 455/412.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/957 Browsing optimisation, e.g. caching or content distillation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/66 Arrangements for connecting between networks having differing types of switching systems, e.g. gateways
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/063 Content adaptation, e.g. replacement of unsuitable content
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/08 Annexed information, e.g. attachments
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/214 using selective forwarding
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/42 Mailbox-related aspects, e.g. synchronisation of mailboxes
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/58 Message adaptation for wireless communication

Abstract

When a server receives an information designating image from a communication terminal connected to a server through a network, it sends a URL identifying the storage location of the image to the communication terminal. When the communication terminal receives the URL, it loads the URL into an email and transmits the email to another communication terminal. When the communication terminal that received this email finds out that the URL integrated in the email identifies the storage location of the image, it downloads the image from the server and displays it along with the email by using the URL.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile communication terminal comprising a central processing unit, a wireless communication unit, a storage unit, an operation unit configured to receive commands from a user of the communication terminal, a display unit, and a memory having computer readable code embodied therein for execution by the central processing unit comprising:

code to enable storage in the storage unit of mode setting data indicative of one of an automatic mode and a manual mode in response to receipt of a selection instruction from the user with the operation unit,

code to control the wireless communication unit to receive an email message from a mail server,

code to analyze the email message to determine whether the email message includes a uniform resource locator indicative of a location where a data file is stored in a network,

code to control the display unit to display a screen to prompt the user to download the data file in response to determination that the email message includes the uniform resource locator and that mode setting data indicative of the manual mode is stored in the storage unit prior to receipt of the email message, and

code to control the wireless communication unit to download the data file from the location indicated by the uniform resource locator in response to determination that the email message includes the uniform resource locator, and that the mode setting data stored in the storage unit prior to receipt of the email message is indicative of the automatic mode, or that the operation unit is in receipt of an instruction from the user to download the data file.

2. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the display unit to display a content of the email message, and

code to control the display unit to display, in response to the downloaded data file containing graphic data or text data, both the graphic data or text data and the content of the email message in a single screen.

3. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising an audio replaying unit for replaying audio data, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the display unit to display a content of the email message, and

code to control the audio replaying unit to replay audio data included in the downloaded data file in response to presence of the audio data in the downloaded data file.

4. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 1, further comprising a multimedia replaying unit configured to replay multimedia data, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the display unit to display a content of the email message, and

code to control the multimedia replaying unit to replay multimedia data in response to presence in the downloaded data file of the multimedia data.

5. A wireless mobile communication terminal comprising a central processing unit, a wireless communication unit, a storage unit, an operation unit configured to receive commands from a user of the communication terminal, a display unit, and a memory having computer readable code embodied therein for execution by the central processing unit, the computer readable code comprising:

code to control the wireless communication unit to receive, from a content server over a network, display instruction data that includes instructions to display a list of titles of various image data, wherein each of the titles in the list has embedded therein one or more uniform resource locators, wherein each of the one or more uniform resource locators indicates a location in the network where an image data file corresponding to one of the respective titles is stored, and wherein the image data file is configured for display as an image within an opened email,

code to control the display unit to display a screen to prompt a user of the communication terminal to select one of the titles from the list,

code to generate an email message containing at least one of the one or more uniform resource locators embedded in a selected one of the titles in response to receipt, with the operation unit, of a user selection of the selected one of the titles, and

code to control the wireless communication unit to transmit the email message to a mail server.

6. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the display unit to display the list based on the instructions to display the list of various titles of image data contained in the display instruction data.

7. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 5, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the wireless communication unit to download one or more image data files from one or more locations indicated by the one or more uniform resource locators embedded in the titles.

8. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the display unit to display, in response to the downloaded one or more image data files including graphic data or text data.

9. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, further comprising an audio replaying unit for replaying audio data, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the audio replaying unit to replay audio data included in the downloaded one or more image data files in response to the presence of the audio data in the downloaded one or more image data files.

10. The wireless mobile communication terminal according to claim 7, further comprising a multimedia replaying unit configured to replay multimedia data, the computer readable code embodied in the memory further comprising:

code to control the multimedia replaying unit to replay, multimedia data in response to presence in the downloaded one or more image data files of the multimedia data.

11. A communication terminal comprising:

a processor;

a memory in communication with the processor, the memory including an email application and a mode indicator;

a wireless communication unit coupled with the processor, the wireless communication unit configured to transmit and receive email messages over a wireless network;

the processor configured to automatically request download over the wireless network of a content having a storage location indicated in a received email when the mode indicator is set by a user to automatic, and the processor further configured to request download of the content over the wireless network from the storage location indicated in the email only in response to receipt of a user command to access the email when the mode indicator is preset by a user to manual;

the processor further configured to temporarily store the downloaded content and display the temporarily stored downloaded content with the substance of the received email upon the received email being opened by a user, and generate a prompt to query a user to permanently store the downloaded content in the memory in response to receipt of a user command to close the received email; and

the processor further configured, in response to receipt of a user command to access the received email again after the received email has been closed, to prompt the user to download the content again only when the content is not permanently stored in the memory.

12. The communication terminal of claim 11, further comprising a display unit controllable by the processor to display a title list of attachment contents accessible over the wireless network, the processor, in response to selection by a user of an attachment content from the title list of attachment contents, configured to generate an outgoing email that includes a storage location within the wireless network of the selected attachment content absent download of the selected attachment content to the communication terminal.

13. The communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the storage location indicated in a received email comprises a uniform resource locator and a specific identifier, the specific identifier indicative of a type of the content or a file extension of at least some of the content.

14. The communication terminal of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to automatically request download over the wireless network of the content having the storage location indicated in a received email upon receipt of the email when the mode indicator is preset to automatic.