Client-server methods for dynamic content configuration for microbrowsers

• US 8,751,688 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 06/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: AirBNB Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Janakiraman, Janani, Dutta, Rabindranath
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, Tsan-Yu J
• Application Number:
  US13/282,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20120047238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 957 Days
• Field of Search: 709/246
• US Class Current: 709/246
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0239 Online discounts or incentives
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0241 Advertisements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0256 User search
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0264 based upon schedule
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0269 based on user profile or attribute
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0273 Determination of fees for advertising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0277 Online advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0283 Price estimation or determination
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0641 Shopping interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A microbrowser such as web-enabled wireless telephones and personal digital assistants allows a user to configure types of objects to be blocked from download including object memory consumption, display area, download time, and restrictions on animated images and executable scripts. Microbrowser state conditions such as battery level and network connection mode are considered when providing said limitations such that more restrictions may be placed during low battery periods to maximize battery life. For example, during low battery conditions or analog connection mode, a user may configure an enhanced microbrowser not to download advertisements, run scripts or animated objects in order to maximize remaining battery life. In another example, a user may configure an enhanced microbrowser to block the download of objects containing audio, or which will occupy more than a certain percentage of the available display area.

Claims

1. A computer program product for dynamic content configuration for microbrowsers comprising:

a computer readable memory device suitable for encoding a computer-usable program, the computer-usable program encoded by said computer readable memory for causing, when executed, a processor to perform operations comprising;

sending a generic page request from said microbrowser to a server while the microbrowser is performing online browsing, the page having a plurality of web objects stored by the server, and the generic page request requesting retrieval of all of the plurality of the web objects of the page;

responsive to an interrogation by the server, selecting by the microbrowser at least one of a plurality of data sets according to a battery power condition of the microbrowser, each data set containing a plurality of user-defined download limitations, and the data set being selected by the microbrowser device from a superset of download limitations disposed in the microbrowser device according to one or more state conditions of the microbrowser device, wherein the data set includes at least a limitation regarding downloading of objects which require the microbrowser to perform animation operations;

sending from the microbrowser to the server the selected data set in association with the generic page request;

receiving by the microbrowser a subset of the web objects from the server, wherein the subset is restricted to the web objects which meet the download limitations according to the selected data set; and

displaying, playing, or executing the received subset of the web objects by the microbrowser.

2. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the computer-usable program for sending a data set further causes, when executed, the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending a limitation indication selected from the group of a maximum transmission time, a maximum number of display colors, a maximum display area, a maximum memory consumption, a restriction on executable code, a restriction on animated images, battery condition indication, and network connection mode.

3. The computer program product as set forth in claim 2 wherein the computer-usable program for sending a data set further causes, when executed, the processor to perform operations comprising:

sending a cookie to a server.

4. The computer program product as set forth in claim 1 wherein the computer-usable program for selecting web objects further causes, when executed, the processor to perform operations comprising:

blocking advertisement web objects from download to the microbrowser.