Transcoder hinting

• US 9,141,724 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deviceatlas Limited
• Original Assignee: Afilias Technologies Ltd.
• Inventors: Cremin, Ronan
• Primary Examiner(s): Daftuar, Saket K
• Application Number:
  US12/762,521
• Publication Number:
  US 20110258250A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,982 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/206, 709/246, 709/217, 709/218, 709/219, 709/227, 709/228, 709/229, 709/230, 709/231, 709/232, 709/236, 715/760, 715/236, 715/238, 715/234, 715/243, 715/810, 715/771, 715/204, 715/205, 715/800, 715/864, 715/513, 715/517, 715/815, 715/249, 715/733, 715/801
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents
• 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

Abstract

A transcoding system (1) comprises a mobile communication device (2) that retrieves a web resource from a web server (6) using a mobile communication network (3) and the internet (4) via a transcoder (5). The transcoder (5) transcodes the web resource before delivering it to the mobile communication device (2). The process of transcoding the web page is carried out based on style sheet classes and/or meta tags in the web page. This allows a web site owner (7) to control the actions of the transcoder (5) in transcoding the web page.

Claims

1. A method of providing a web resource to a first browser and to a mobile communication device, one or more processors executing the method comprising

storing the web resource on a server with one or more instructions as to how the web resource should be transcoded for the mobile communication device;

retrieving the web resource with one or more instructions from the server;

rendering the web resource in the first browser;

transcoding the web resource using a transcoding system and based on a tag in the web resource so the web resource is suitable for the mobile communication device based on the instructions; and

delivering the transcoded web resource to the mobile communication device across a network,

wherein the instructions are provided in at least one style sheet class of the web resource that is ignored when the web resource is rendered by the first browser.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transcoding the web resource comprises altering mark-up language of the web resource based on the at least one style sheet class.

3. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transcoding comprises removing at least one element from the web resource based on the at least one style sheet class.

4. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transcoding comprises adding at least one element to the web resource based on the at least one style sheet class.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transcoding comprising changing the colour of at least one element of the web resource based on the at least one style sheet class.

6. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of transcoding comprises creating a user-accessible menu based on the at least one style sheet class.

7. A method according to claim 1, wherein the style sheet class is a cascaded style sheet class.

8. A method according to claim 1, wherein the tag is a meta tag in the web resource.

9. A method according to claim 8, wherein the meta tag is contained in a head section of mark-up language of the web resource.

10. A method according to claim 8, wherein step of transcoding comprises introducing elements into the web resource based on meta-tags in the web resource.

11. A method according to claim 8, wherein the step of transcoding is carried out based on the provision of a license key in the meta tag.

12. A method according to claim 1, wherein the step of delivering the transcoded webpage occurs across a network.

13. A method according to claim 1, wherein the network is a mobile communication network.

14. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for carrying out the method of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors execute the instructions.

15. An apparatus for providing a web resource to a first browser and to a mobile communication device, the apparatus comprising:

a server on which the web resource is stored with one or more instructions as to how the web resource should be transcoded for the mobile communication device;

the first browser on which the web resource is rendered; and

a transcoder that;

retrieves the web resource;

transcodes the web resource based on a tag in the web resource so the web resource is suitable for the mobile communication device; and

delivers the transcoded web resource to the mobile communication device across a network,

wherein the instructions are provided in at least one style sheet class of the web resource that is ignored when the web resource is rendered by the first browser.