System and method for adaptive formatting of image information for efficient delivery and presentation

• US 8,117,313 B2
• Filed: 03/19/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Jackson, Jared J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nawaz, Asad
• Assistant Examiner(s): NANO, SARGON N
• Application Number:
  US09/812,872
• Publication Number:
  US 20020131072A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,984 Days
• Field of Search: 709200-207, 709217-228, 709/246, 709/212, 709/247, 382/250, 382/280
• US Class Current: 709/227
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A content server distributes image information to networked devices. The content server receives a request for delivery of information to a networked device, including image information. The content server determines, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device. The content server sends a response to the networked device, responding to the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format. The image delivery parameter corresponds to at least one network communication link type and the image presentation parameter corresponds to at least one presentation platform type.

Claims

1. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request that includes a request for delivery of image information to a networked device and session information pertaining to a current communication session between the networked device and a server, the session information being separate from the request for delivery of image information;

determining, by at least one server within a network, based on an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device, the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device being contained in the session information; and

providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

2. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer instructions for an image server system, the computer instructions comprising instructions for:

receiving a request that includes a request for delivery of image information to a networked device and session information pertaining to the current communication session between the networked device and a server, the session information being separate from the request for delivery of image information;

determining, by at least one server within a network, based on an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device, the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device being contained in the session information; and

providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

3. A content server system comprising:

a first memory for storing at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with a networked device;

a network interface for communicating with a network;

a controller, communicatively coupled to the first memory and to the network interface; and

a second memory, communicatively coupled to the controller, for storing computer instructions for the controller to control the content server system to;

receiving a request that includes a request for delivery of image information to a networked device and session information pertaining to the current communication session between the networked device and a server, the session information being separate from the request for delivery of image information;

determining, by at least one server within a network, based on an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the networked device and for presentation of the image information at the networked device, the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device being contained in the session information; and

providing a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

4. The content server system of claim 3, wherein the second memory includes cormputer instruction for the controller to control the server system to:

couple the response to the network interface, the response being destined for reception by the networked device.

5. The content server system of claim 3, wherein the second memory includes computer instruction for the controller to control the server system to:

receive, along with the request, the at least one of the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device; and

store the at least one of the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter in the first memory.

6. The content server system of claim 5, wherein the program memory includes computer instruction for the controller to control the server system to:

receive the request from one of the networked device and another requester device.

7. A method comprising the steps of:

receiving a request that includes a request for delivery of image information to a networked client device and session information pertaining to the current communication session between the networked device and a server, the session information being separate from the request for delivery of image information; and

determining, by at least one server within a network, an image format for the image information from an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked client device, the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device being contained in the session information.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the determining is performed with a proxy server that is separate and remote across the network from the server.

9. A non-transitory computer readable medium including computer instructions for:

receiving a request that includes a request for delivery of image information to a networked client device and session information pertaining to the current communication session between the networked device and a server, the session information being separate from the request for delivery of image information; and

determining, by at least one server within a network an image format for the image information from an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the networked client device, the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device being contained in the session information.

10. The computer readable medium of claim 9, wherein the computer instructions further include instructions for prdviding a response for the request, the response comprising at least a portion of the image information in the image format.

11. A method comprising the steps of:

storing an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with a networked device;

receiving a request that includes a request for delivery of displayable image information to the networked device and session information pertaining to a current communication session between the networked device and a server, the session information being separate from the request for delivery of, the displayable image information;

determining, by at least one sender within a network, available image formats for the displayable image information; and

selecting one of the available image formats, based at least in part on the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter, for delivery to and presentation at the networked device, the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device being contained in the session information.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising the steps of:

building a file comprising at least a portion of the displayable image information in the selected one of the available image formats; and

sending the file to a network interface, the file being destined for reception by the networked device.

13. A system comprising:

at least one networked device; and

a content server for delivering content information comprising image information to the at least one networked device, the content server including;

a first memory for storing an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with a networked device;

a network interface for communicating with a network link communicatively coupled with the at least one networked device;

a controller, communicatively coupled to the first memory and to the network interface; and

a second memory, communicatively coupled to the controller, for storing computer instructions for the controller to control the content server for;

receiving a request that includes a request for delivery of content information to the at least one networked device and session information pertaining to a current communication session between the networked device and a server, the session information being separate from the request for delivery of the content information comprising image information; and

determining, by at least one server within a network, based on the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the at least one networked device, an image format for the image information for delivery of the image information to the at least one networked device and for presentation of the image information at the at least one networked device, the image delivery parameter and the image presentation parameter associated with the networked device being contained in the session information.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the determining is performed with a proxy server that is separate and remote across the network from the content server.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the first memory comprises

a first database for storing records containing image delivery parameters and image presentation parameters associated with the at least one networked device, and

a second database for storing at least one image record, the at least one image record containing;

an image header for at least identifying an image and identifying at least one available image format in the image record, and

image information formatted in the at least one available image format.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller uses Application Programming Interface (API) calls to request at least the determination, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the at least one networked device, an image format for the image information.

17. The system of claim 16, further comprising an image server, responsive to the API calls, for serving up the image information in the determined image format.

18. The system, of claim 16, further comprising an image proxy engine, responsive to the API calls, for determining, based on at least one of an image delivery parameter and an image presentation parameter associated with the at least one networked device, the image format for the image information.

19. The system of claim 13, wherein the determined image format is selected from a set of image formats including binary bitmap and vector based graphics.

20. The system of claim 13, wherein the determined image format is selected from a set of image formats including JPEG, GIF, TIFF, JPEG 2000, VML, and WAVELETS.

21. The system of claim 13, wherein the image delivery parameter corresponds to at least one network communication link type of the following link types:

T-1, DSL, CABLE, POTS, CELLULAR, PAGING, SATELLITE, RADIO, and WIRELESS.

22. The system of claim 13, wherein the image presentation parameter corresponds to at least one presentation platform type of the following types:

PC-like, Mac-like, Desktop Workstation, Laptop, Handheld, Notebook, Palm-like, Cellular Phone, Cordless Phone, Two-Way Pager, and PDA.