Extensible transcoder annotation for transcoding proxy servers

• US 8,046,494 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2006
• Issued: 10/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palmsource Incorporated (Access Company Limited)
• Original Assignee: Access Company Limited
• Inventors: Levenberg, Richard M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Pwu; Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): LI, GUANG W
• Application Number:
  US11/390,963
• Publication Number:
  US 20070011355A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,037 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246, 715/512, 715/517, 715/526
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/5651 Reducing the amount or size of exchanged application data

Abstract

Within one embodiment of the present invention, the rules for transcoding web content are abstracted from the transcoding functionality of a transcoding proxy server. Specifically, within the transcoding proxy server, the functions that perform the transcoding of web content for a device having limited display capabilities is completely separate and distinct from the transcoding rules, e.g., extensible transcoder annotation (XTA), that provide the order, manner, and/or what web content should be transcoded for the requesting device. Therefore, when the transcoding proxy server receives a web page request from a device, its transcoding software accesses an XTA file to find a rule set that pertains to the web page request. Upon finding a corresponding XTA rule set, the transcoding proxy server follows the instructions of the rule set in order to transcode the requested web page for the device having limited display capabilities.

Claims

1. A method for enabling a transcoding proxy server to utilize an annotation rule set in order to transcode a web page for a portable computing device, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) a transcoding proxy server receiving a web page request from a portable computing device;

(b) said transcoding proxy server transmitting said web page request to a server computer coupled to said transcoding proxy server;

(c) said transcoding proxy server receiving from said server computer a web page element corresponding to said web page request;

(d) said transcoding proxy server locating, in a database coupled to said transcoding proxy server, a first annotation rule set that corresponds to said web page request by

(i) checking for a specific rule set associated with the web page, and if the specific rule set exists then using the specific rule set as the first annotation rule set, and

(ii) if the specific rule set does not exist, checking for a layout rule set pertaining to the web page, and if the layout rule set exists then using the layout rule set as the first annotation rule set, and

(iii) if the specific rule set and the layout rule set do not exist, then using a default rule set associated with the portable computing device as the first annotation rule set,

wherein said first annotation rule set is distinct from a transcoding functionality utilized by said transcoding proxy server; and

(e) said transcoding proxy server transcoding said web page element for said portable computing device by following said first annotation rule set and utilizing said transcoding functionality.

2. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

(f) said transcoding proxy server receiving and storing a second annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

3. The method as described in claim 1 further comprising the step of:

(f) editing said first annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

4. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising the step of:

(f) deleting a second annotation rule set stored by said transcoding proxy server while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

5. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA).

6. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device comprises a mobile phone.

7. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device comprises a pager.

8. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said first annotation rule set is extensible.

9. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said specific rule set comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that corresponds to said web page request.

10. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said layout rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that all share a common web page object.

11. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said layout rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that all share a common web page layout.

12. The method as described in claim 1 wherein said portable computing device has limited display capability.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium having computer readable code embodied therein for causing a transcoding proxy computer to perform the steps of:

(a) receiving a web page request from a portable computing device;

(b) transmitting said web page request to a server computer coupled to said transcoding proxy computer;

(c) receiving from said server computer a web page element corresponding to said web page request;

(d) locating, in a database coupled to said transcoding proxy server, a first annotation rule set that corresponds to said web page request by

(i) checking for a specific rule set associated with the web page, and if the specific rule set exists then using the specific rule set as the first annotation rule set, and

(ii) if the specific rule set does not exist, checking for a layout rule set pertaining to the web page, and if the layout rule set exists then using the layout rule set as the first annotation rule set, and

(iii) if the specific rule set and the layout rule set do not exist, then using a default rule set associated with the portable computing device as the first annotation rule set,

wherein said first annotation rule set is distinct from transcoding functionality utilized by said transcoding proxy server; and

(e) transcoding said web page element for said portable computing device by following said first annotation rule set and utilizing said transcoding functionality.

14. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 further comprising the step of:

(f) said transcoding proxy server receiving and storing a second annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

15. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 further comprising the step of:

(f) editing said first annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

16. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 further comprising the step of:

(f) deleting a second annotation rule set stored by said transcoding proxy server while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

17. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device comprises a personal digital assistant (PDA).

18. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device comprises a mobile phone.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device comprises a pager.

20. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said first annotation rule set is extensible.

21. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said specific rule set comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that corresponds to said web page request.

22. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said layout rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that all share a common web page object.

23. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said layout rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that all share a common web page layout.

24. The non-transitory computer readable medium as described in claim 13 wherein said portable computing device has limited display capability.

25. A method for enabling a transcoding proxy server to utilize an annotation rule set in order to transcode a web page for a personal digital assistant, said method comprising the steps of:

(a) a transcoding proxy server receiving a web page request from a personal digital assistant;

(b) said transcoding proxy server transmitting said web page request to a server computer coupled to said transcoding proxy server;

(c) said transcoding proxy server receiving from said server computer a web page element corresponding to said web page request;

(d) said transcoding proxy server locating, in a database coupled to said transcoding proxy server, a first extensible annotation rule set that corresponds to said web page request by

(i) checking for a specific rule set associated with the web page, and if the specific rule set exists then using the specific rule set as the first extensible annotation rule set, and

(ii) if the specific rule set does not exist, checking for a layout rule set pertaining to the web page, and if the layout rule set exists then using the layout rule set as the first extensible annotation rule set, and

(iii) if the specific rule set and the layout rule set do not exist, then using a default rule set associated with the personal digital assistant as the first extensible annotation rule set,

wherein said first extensible annotation rule set is distinct from a transcoding functionality utilized by said transcoding proxy server; and

(e) said transcoding proxy server transcoding said web page element for said personal digital assistant by following said first extensible annotation rule set and utilizing said transcoding functionality.

26. The method as described in claim 25 further comprising the step of:

(f) said transcoding proxy server receiving and storing a second extensible annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

27. The method as described in claim 25 further comprising the step of:

(f) editing said first extensible annotation rule set while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

28. The method as described in claim 25 further comprising the step of:

(f) deleting a second extensible annotation rule set stored by said transcoding proxy server while said transcoding proxy server is operating.

29. The method as described in claim 25 wherein said specific rule set comprises a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) that corresponds to said web page request.

30. The method as described in claim 25 wherein said layout rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that all share a common web page object.

31. The method as described in claim 25 wherein said layout rule set corresponds to a class of web pages that all share a common web page layout.