Method and apparatus for accessing data

• US 8,447,835 B2
• Filed: 01/11/2010
• Issued: 05/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RPX Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Aaltonen, Janne, Salo, Juha, Walsh, Rod
• Primary Examiner(s): BILGRAMI, ASGHAR H
• Application Number:
  US12/685,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20100115054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,226 Days
• Field of Search: 709/218, 725/62, 725/63
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/951 Indexing; Web crawling techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9538 Presentation of query results
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/93 which locates resources of other pieces of information, e.g. URL [Uniform Resource Locator]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/85 which are mobile communication networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/5692 Selection among different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/55 Push-based network services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/235 Processing of additional data, e.g. scrambling of additional data or processing content descriptors
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23614 Multiplexing of additional data and video streams arrangements for simultaneous broadcast of plural pieces of information H04H20/28
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4348 Demultiplexing of additional data and video streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/435 Processing of additional data, e.g. decrypting of additional data, reconstructing software from modules extracted from the transport stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6112 involving terrestrial transmission, e.g. DVB-T
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6131 involving transmission via a mobile phone network wireless downlink channel access H04W74/006
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6181 involving transmission via a mobile phone network arrangements for providing broadcast or conference services to substation in data switching networks in combination with wireless systems H04L12/189; wireless uplink channel access H04W74/004
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/17318 Direct or substantially direct transmission and handling of requests

Abstract

The present invention relates to accessing data on computer networks, and more particularly to accessing such data via remote terminals. The present invention provides that unsolicited information is received via a first communications network on a communications device. Based on that information, the user can request further information via a second communications network.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, at a communication device, via a first network, unsolicited information specifying an identifier of a website originating the unsolicited information, the communication device being targeted for receiving the unsolicited information based upon a user profile associated with the communication device, wherein the first network is a unidirectional network;

requesting, from the communication device, via a second network different from the first network, further information corresponding to the website; and

receiving, at the communication device, the further information via the second network in response to the requesting,

wherein an operator of the first network does not charge the communication device a communication connection fee for receiving the unsolicited information, and an operator of the second network operator charges the communication device a communication connection fee for receiving the further information.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network is a broadcast network, and wherein receiving via the first network includes receiving via the broadcast network.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second network is a telecommunications network, and wherein receiving the further information includes receiving the further information via the telecommunications network.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the second network is a bi-directional telecommunications network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the unsolicited information includes a content identifier, and the method further comprises storing, on the communication device, a list of content identifiers of interest.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising filtering the received unsolicited information to remove any information not having a content identifier in the list of content identifiers.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first network is a digital video broadcast terrestrial (DVB-T) network, and wherein receiving via the first network includes receiving via the DVB-T network.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the unsolicited information includes a summary, a site map, or a combination thereof, of the website.

8. An apparatus comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code for one or more programs,

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus to perform at least the following,

receive, via a first network, unsolicited information specifying an identifier of a website originating the unsolicited information, wherein the apparatus is targeted for receiving the unsolicited information based upon a user profile associated with the apparatus, wherein the first network is a unidirectional network;

request, via a second network different from the first network, further information corresponding to the website; and

receive, via the second network, the further information in response to the requesting,

wherein an operator of the first network does not charge the communication device a communication connection fee for receiving the unsolicited information, and an operator of the second network operator charges the communication device a communication connection fee for receiving the further information.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the apparatus is further caused to receive the further information via the first network.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first network is a broadcast network, and the apparatus is further caused to receive the unsolicited information via the broadcast network.

11. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the second network is a bi-directional telecommunications network.

12. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the unsolicited information includes a content identifier, and the apparatus is further caused to store a list of content identifiers of interest.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the apparatus is further caused to filter the received unsolicited information to remove information not having a content identifier in the list of content identifiers.

14. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the first network is a digital video broadcast terrestrial (DVB-T) network.

15. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a portable communication device.

16. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium carrying one or more sequences of one or more instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause an apparatus to at least perform the following steps:

receiving, via a first network, unsolicited information specifying an identifier of a website originating the unsolicited information, wherein the apparatus is targeted for receiving the unsolicited information based upon a user profile associated with the apparatus, wherein the first network is a unidirectional network;

requesting, via a second network different from the first network, further information corresponding to the website; and

receiving, via the second network, the further information in response to the requesting,

wherein an operator of the first network does not charge the communication device a communication connection fee for receiving the unsolicited information, and an operator of the second network operator charges the communication device a communication connection fee for receiving the further information.

17. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the unidirectional broadcast network is configured according to Digital Video Broadcast (DVB) network standards.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the second network page includes a site map of the network site.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of claim 16, wherein the apparatus is caused to further perform:

filtering the received unsolicited information to remove any information not having a content identifier in a list of content identifiers stored on the apparatus.