Systems, methods, devices, and computer program products for downloading content for offline browsing

• US 8,117,303 B2
• Filed: 06/29/2007
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Fonsen, Mika
• Primary Examiner(s): Chan, Wing
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zong, Ruolei
• Application Number:
  US11/771,493
• Publication Number:
  US 20090006308A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 709/224, 709/217, 709/203, 709/219, 709/223, 709/226, 709/229, 340825-82598, 370252-253
• US Class Current: 709/224
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9574 of access to content, e.g. by caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 60/06 De-registration or detaching

Abstract

Systems, methods, devices and computer program products are provided for: receiving an indication that an electronic device is to be communicatively disconnected from a network; downloading information from the network in response to the received indication, but before the electronic device is disconnected from the network; and storing the downloaded information in the electronic device so that the information is available for offline browsing. For example, a user may instruct an electronic device to disconnect from a network. The user may also specify an amount of time before the device must disconnect from the network. The device may then begin pre-caching network content until the specified amount of time expires. When the specified amount of time expires, the device may disconnect from the network, but the user can continue to browse network content offline by browsing the pre-cached network content stored in a local memory.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one memory including computer program code, the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:

direct a communication interface to communicate with at least one other device on a network in an instance in which the communication interface is communicatively connected to the network;

receive an indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network in the instance in which the communication interface is communicatively connected to the network;

in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, direct the communication interface to download information including a plurality of predefined web pages and respective levels of web pages accessible via links on the predefined web pages, wherein the apparatus is caused to direct the downloading based on predefined rules indicating at least a user-specified number of levels of web pages to be downloaded and a defined amount of time for each predefined web page for attempting to download each predefined web page before attempting to download a next predefined web page, and

cause the downloaded information to be stored so that the apparatus may access the downloaded information in an instance in which the apparatus is communicatively disconnected from the network.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface operatively coupled to the apparatus and configured to permit communication between a user of the apparatus and the at least one processor,

wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the apparatus is caused to direct the user interface to ask the user whether the apparatus should download and store information from at least one device on the network to allow for offline browsing of the downloaded information.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is further caused to direct automatic downloading and storing of information from the at least one other device on the network to begin in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the apparatus is caused to direct the communication interface to perform pre-caching of network content by downloading the information from the at least one other device and storing the downloaded information without displaying the downloaded information.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the apparatus is caused to direct performance of pre-caching of network content only after receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface operatively coupled to the apparatus and configured to permit communication between a user of the apparatus and the at least one processor,

wherein the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises user input received from the user interface, the user input instructing the apparatus to communicatively disconnect from the network.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is configured to wirelessly connect to the network, and wherein the apparatus caused to receive the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises the apparatus being caused to determine that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network based on information about the position of the apparatus and/or wireless characteristics of the communication interface, the network, and/or a network communication signal received by the communication interface.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network includes an indication of an amount of time before the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is caused to direct downloading and storing of as much information from the network as the apparatus is capable of downloading and storing within the indicated amount of time, the apparatus directing the downloading and storing of the information in accordance with predetermined instructions.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the apparatus is caused to direct downloading and storing of user-selected information from the network.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the user-selected network information comprises network information associated with network destinations identified in a user'"'"'s favorites list.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the predefined rules instruct the apparatus to cause network information associated with at least one link identified in at least one previously viewed network page to be downloaded and stored.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a user interface operatively coupled to the apparatus and configured to permit communication between a user of the apparatus and the at least one processor,

wherein the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises user input being received from the user interface, the user input instructing the apparatus to communicatively disconnect from the network at a particular point in time,

wherein, in response to the received indication, the apparatus is caused to download and store network content before the particular point in time; and

wherein the apparatus is caused to disconnect from the network at the particular point in time.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the apparatus is caused to direct downloading and storing of predefined information from the network, and wherein the apparatus is caused to automatically disconnect from the network after the apparatus downloads the predefined information from the network.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, in response to receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the apparatus is caused to direct downloading and storing of information from the network based on predefined rules, wherein the predefined rules specify an order in which content is to be downloaded.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus caused to receive the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network includes being caused to receive the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network including an indication of an amount of time before the communication interface is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus caused to direct the communication interface to download information includes being caused to direct the communication interface to download information including the number of levels of web pages accessible via links to a number of identified web pages, the number of identified web pages being a user-specified number of web pages that have been most recently visited.

18. A method comprising:

in an instance in which a first device is communicatively connected to a network, receiving an indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network;

in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network, directing downloading of information including a plurality of predefined web pages and respective levels of web pages accessible via links on the predefined web pages, wherein the downloading is based on predefined rules indicating at least a user-specified number of levels of web pages to be downloaded and a defined amount of time for each predefined web page for attempting to download each predefined web page before attempting to download a next predefined web page; and

directing storing of the downloaded information.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

receiving user input instructing the first device to communicatively disconnect from the network.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the method further comprises receiving an indication of an amount of time before the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein directing downloading of information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

directing downloading of as much information from the network as permitted within the indicated amount of time, in accordance with predetermined downloading instructions.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein, directing downloading of information from the at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

directing downloading of user-selected information from the network.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the user-selected network information comprises network information associated with network destinations identified in a user'"'"'s favorites list.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the predefined rules instruct the processor to direct downloading and storing of network information associated with at least one link identified in at least one previously viewed network page.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein directing downloading of information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises directing downloading of predefined information from the network, the method further comprising:

directing the first device to disconnect from the network in response to an indication that the predefined information from the network has been downloaded and stored.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein directing downloading of information from at least one other device communicatively connected to the network in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network comprises:

directing downloading of information from the network based on predefined rules, wherein the predefined rules specify an order in which content is to be downloaded.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network includes receiving the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network, the indication that the communication interface will be communicatively disconnected from the network including an indication of an amount of time before the communication interface is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein directing downloading of information includes directing downloading of information including the number of levels of web pages accessible via links to a number of identified web pages, the number of identified web pages being a user-specified number of web pages that have been most recently visited.

29. A computer program product comprising at least one non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable program code logic stored therein, the computer-readable program code logic comprising:

first code logic configured for receiving an indication that a first device is to be communicatively disconnected from a communication network; and

second code logic configured for directing downloading, in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network, of information including a plurality of predefined web pages and respective levels of web pages accessible via links on the predefined web pages, wherein the downloading is based on predefined rules indicating at least a user-specified number of levels of web pages to be downloaded and a defined amount of time for each predefined web page for attempting to download each predefined web page before attempting to download a next predefined web page.

30. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the first code logic is further configured to receive an indication of an amount of time before the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the second code logic comprises code logic configured for directing downloading of as much information from the network as permitted within the indicated amount of time, in accordance with predetermined downloading instructions.

32. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising:

third code logic configured for receiving a user-specified indication of the network information to be downloaded by the second code logic in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

33. The computer program product of claim 29, further comprising:

third code logic configured for defining the network information to be downloaded by the second code logic in response to the received indication that the first device is to be communicatively disconnected from the network.

34. The computer program product of claim 33, wherein the third code logic is configured to define the network information to be downloaded based on network information recently accessed by the user and/or other network information not accessed by the user but identified in the network information recently accessed by the user.

35. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the second code logic is configured to direct downloading of predefined information from the network, the computer-readable program code logic further comprising:

third code logic configured for directing the first device to disconnect from the network in response to an indication that the predefined information from the network has been downloaded and stored.

36. The computer program product of claim 29, wherein the second code logic further comprises being configured for directing downloading of information based on predefined rules, wherein the predefined rules specify an order in which content is to be downloaded.

37. An apparatus comprising:

means for receiving an indication, in an instance in which the apparatus is communicatively connected to the network, that the apparatus will be communicatively disconnected from the network;

means for directing downloading, in response to the received indication that the apparatus is to be communicatively disconnected from the network, of information including a plurality of predefined web pages and respective levels of web pages accessible via links on the predefined web pages, wherein the downloading is based on predefined rules indicating at least a user-specified number of levels of web pages to be downloaded and a defined amount of time for each predefined web page for attempting to download each predefined web page before attempting to download a next predefined web page; and

means for directing storing of the downloaded information so that the apparatus may access the downloaded information when the apparatus is communicatively disconnected from the network.