System and method for providing customizable options on a wireless device

• US 8,112,544 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2000
• Issued: 02/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/29/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rouse, Andrew, Zondervan, Quinton, Bentley, Thomas, Lawson, Timothy, Herot, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Coulter, Kenneth R
• Application Number:
  US09/750,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20020103908A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,057 Days
• Field of Search: 709220-222, 709/219, 709/232, 709/236, 709/228, 709/230, 345/744, 345/745, 345/747, 715744-747
• US Class Current: 709/232
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• 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 67/14 Session management for real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/1066
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for enabling users to send and receive messages and other information from mobile devices and enabling users to access server-based information using mobile devices over wireless data networks are disclosed. The present invention enables users to customize information that is received and sent from mobile devices. For example, the user may select to receive emails (or other correspondences) from a particular individual or group of individuals. The user may also select to receive a particular type of types of emails (or other correspondences), such as the ones marked as high priority or otherwise designated as being important. Other variations may also be implemented. In addition, the user may customize responses, replies and other outgoing information from the user'"'"'s mobile device. Mobile device users may also customize various aspects of views and applications. Examples of customizable options may include home page (e.g., personal, any URL), time zone, date format, font format, language and other options.

Claims

1. A method of formatting content for display on a mobile wireless client device that is based on a form that is used to display content, the form being associated with an action that is executable by an application, wherein the form is stored remotely from the mobile wireless client device, the method comprising:

receiving at a server from the mobile wireless client device, via a wireless medium, a selection of an action made by a user at an interface of the mobile wireless client device;

executing the action at the server remotely from the mobile wireless client device, wherein executing the action generates content that is displayed using a form, wherein the form includes a user-customized mobile design element that is specific to the form, and wherein the form is specific to the selected action;

responsive to execution of the action, providing the user-customized mobile design element for inclusion in the form, wherein the user-customized mobile design element is associated with the mobile wireless client device and has been customized by the user of the mobile wireless client device;

formatting the content according to the mobile design element;

transmitting, via the wireless medium, the content that is formatted according to the mobile design element to the mobile wireless client device; and

storing the mobile design element remotely from the mobile wireless client device for future access by the server.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the mobile design element comprises one or more of a document style sheet, a view style sheet, a pre-formatted page, or a script.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user impacts one or both of the type of information included in the content and/or the visual layout of the content.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user includes a customization of one or more of a date/time setting, a language setting, a field size setting, a content size setting, or a mobile design element size setting.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the selection of an action starts a mobile application, wherein the form comprises a template specific to the mobile application, and wherein the user-customized mobile design element comprises a text field that has a pre-filled contents specific to the action selected by the user.

6. A system for formatting content for display on a mobile wireless client device that is based on a form that is used to display content, the form being associated with an action that is executable by an application, wherein the form is stored remotely from the mobile wireless client device, the system comprising:

a server comprising one or more processors configured to;

receive from the mobile wireless client device via a wireless medium a selection of an action made by a user on an interface of the mobile wireless client device;

generate content that is displayed using a form by executing the action remotely from the mobile wireless client device, wherein the form includes a user-customized mobile design element;

format the content according to a user-customized mobile design element for inclusion in the form, wherein the user-customized mobile design element is associated with the mobile wireless client device and has been customized by the user of the mobile wireless client device;

transmit the content formatted according to the mobile design element to the wireless client device via the wireless medium; and

store the mobile design element remotely from the mobile wireless client device for future access by the server.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the mobile design element comprises one or more of a document style sheet, a view style sheet, a pre-formatted page, or a script.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user impacts one or both of the type of information included in the content and/or the visual layout of the content.

9. The system of claim 6, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user includes a customization of one or more of a date/time setting, a language setting, a field size setting, a content size setting, or a mobile design element size setting.

10. The system of claim 6, wherein the selection of an action starts a mobile application, wherein the form comprises a template specific to the mobile application, and wherein the user-customized mobile design element comprises a text field that has a pre-filled contents specific to the action selected by the user.

11. A system for formatting content for display on a mobile wireless client device that is based on a form that is used to display content, the form being associated with an action that is executable by an application, wherein the form is stored remotely from the mobile wireless client device, the system comprising:

a server comprising;

means for receiving from the mobile wireless client device via a wireless medium a selection of an action made by a user on an interface of the mobile wireless client device;

means for generating content that is displayed using a form by executing the action remotely from the mobile wireless client device, wherein the form includes a user-customized mobile design element;

means for formatting the content according to a user-customized mobile design element for inclusion in the form, wherein the user-customized mobile design element is associated with the mobile wireless client device and has been customized by the user of the mobile wireless client device;

means for transmitting the content formatted according to the mobile design element to the wireless client device via the wireless medium; and

means for storing the mobile design element remotely from the wireless client device for future access by the server.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the mobile design element comprises one or more of a document style sheet, a view style sheet, a pre-formatted page, or a script.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user impacts one or both of the type of information included in the content and/or the visual layout of the content.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user includes a customization of one or more of a date/time setting, a language setting, a field size setting, a content size setting, or a mobile design element size setting.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the selection of an action starts a mobile application, wherein the form comprises a template specific to the mobile application, and wherein the user-customized mobile design element comprises a text field that has a pre-filled contents specific to the action selected by the user.

16. A storage medium for storing machine readable code, the machine readable code being executable to format content for display on a mobile wireless client device that is based on a form that is used to display content, the form being associated with an action that is executable by an application, wherein the form is stored remotely from the mobile wireless client device, the storage medium comprising:

receiving code that receives at a server from the mobile wireless client device, via a wireless medium, a selection of an action from an interface on the mobile wireless client device;

executing code that executes the action remotely from the mobile wireless client device, wherein executing the action generates content that is displayed using a form, wherein the form includes a user-customized mobile design element;

providing code that provides the user-customized mobile design element for inclusion in the form, wherein the user-customized mobile design element is associated with the mobile wireless client device and has been customized by the user of the mobile wireless client device;

formatting code that formats the content according to the mobile design element;

transmitting code that transmits the content that is formatted according to the mobile design element to the mobile wireless client device via the wireless medium; and

storing code that stores the mobile design element remotely from the mobile wireless client device for future access.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the mobile design element comprises one or more of a document style sheet, a view style sheet, a pre-formatted page, or a script.

18. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user impacts one or both of the type of information included in the content and/or the visual layout of the content.

19. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the customization of the mobile design element by the user includes a customization of one or more of a date/time setting, a language setting, a field size setting, a content size setting, or a mobile design element size setting.

20. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein the selection of an action starts a mobile application, wherein the form comprises a template specific to the mobile application, and wherein the user-customized mobile design element comprises a text field that has a pre-filled contents specific to the action selected by the user.