System and method for adapting information content according to the capability of the access bearer

• US 8,856,358 B2
• Filed: 01/06/2003
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Original Assignee: Optis Wireless Technology, LLC (Brevet Capital)
• Inventors: Pehrson, Staffan, Skog, Robert Bengt
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, THU HA T
• Application Number:
  US10/337,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20040133686A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,292 Days
• Field of Search: 709217- 9, 709/225, 709218-219, 709/203, 709/220, 709/227, 709/228, 709/231, 709/233, 707/1, 707/513, 455/456.1, 455/558, 370/340, 370/405, 370/465
• US Class Current: 709/228
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/28 Restricting access to network management systems or functions, e.g. using authorisation function to access network configuration
• 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 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• 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 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/183 Processing at user equipment or user record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/00 Wireless network protocols or protocol adaptations to wireless operation
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 80/12 Application layer protocols, e.g. WAP [Wireless Application Protocol]

Abstract

A communication system is adapted to provide access to application information on an application server utilizing a specific one of multiple radio access types. Access is provided via an access network using an access bearer. The capability of the specifically requested access bearer is sent to the application server to tailor the application information content according to the capability of the specific access bearer. The information content is then transmitted to the requesting device.

Claims

1. A wireless communication system for accessing application information on an Internet Protocol network, comprising:

a wireless terminal for sending an information request to access information in an application server; and

an application server capable of receiving said information request via an access bearer, wherein a capability of said access bearer comprises parameters regarding transmission speed of said access bearer and is attached to said information request, said application server configured to tailor the accessed information content according to the capability of the access bearer that is used for access to said application server.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the capability of said access bearer is attached to the information request in a WAP Gateway or an HTTP proxy prior to being transmitted to said application server.

3. The communication system according to claim 2, wherein said access bearer is connected to said application server by said WAP gateway or said HTTP proxy.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said information request is a Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) request.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said information request is an Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) request.

6. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the capability of the access bearer is attached to the information request by the wireless terminal.

7. The communication system according to claim 6, wherein the bearer capability is attached to a Wireless Session Protocol (WSP) information request when using said WAP request.

8. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein said wireless terminal comprises a Radio Access Module adapted to collect information regarding the access bearer utilized by said wireless terminal.

9. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the capability of the access bearer is provided in an HTTP header of the HTTP request.

10. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the capability of the access bearer is provided in a WAP header of a WAP request.

11. A method in a communication system for accessing application information in an application server on an Internet Protocol network, comprising the steps of:

determining capabilities of a specific access bearer at a gateway associated with the specific access bearer;

in response to receiving, at the gateway, a signal from a wireless terminal, attaching, by the gateway, information associated with the capabilities of said specific access bearer to an information request;

sending said information request, including the capabilities of the specific access bearer, to said application server via said specific access bearer and the associated gateway;

tailoring the requested information content according to the capability of said specific access bearer; and

transmitting said information request to said wireless terminal.

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

determining whether the wireless terminal is currently connected to an application server;

sending said specific access bearer information to said wireless terminal if said wireless terminal is capable of attaching said specific access bearer information to a request message; and

storing said specific access bearer information for subsequent attachment to a request message if said terminal is not capable of attaching said specific access bearer information to a request message.

13. An application server for providing application information on an Internet Protocol network, comprising:

means for receiving by the application server a capability of a used bearer from a gateway associated with the used bearer, wherein the bearer capability includes parameters regarding transmission speed of said access bearer; and

means for transmitting from the application server application information tailored in response to the received capability, wherein the application server tailors accessed information content according to the capability of the access bearer that is used for access to said application server.

14. A terminal in a wireless communication system, said terminal adapted to be wirelessly connected to at least one access means, each of said at least one access means arranged to provide wireless access over a type of access bearer, each access bearer having a bearer capability, wherein the terminal comprises:

a user agent configured to initiate an information request to an application server, where the terminal further comprises a memory storage adapted to store information about the bearer capability for an access bearer used for conveying communication between the terminal and the at least one access means, wherein the user agent is further configured to;

identify said information about the bearer capability in said memory storage; and

append information representing said information about the bearer capability to the initiated information request and

a radio access module configured to receive the request information from the application server, the requested information tailored depending on said information about bearer capability for the access bearer used for conveying communication between the terminal and the at least one access means.

15. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the terminal further comprises a radio access module is adapted to collect information regarding the used access bearer.

16. The terminal of claim 15, wherein the terminal further comprises a database, and that the radio access module is further arranged to interpret the collected information and to write the interpreted information into the database.

17. The terminal of claim 14, wherein the user agent is arranged to append the information representing said information about bearer capability to a WAP request or an HTTP request.

18. The terminal of claim 17, wherein the user agent is arranged to identify the information about bearer capability in the database and to append the information about bearer capability to the WAP request or HTTP request.