Web accessibility service apparatus and method

• US 20020138616A1
• Filed: 03/23/2001
• Published: 09/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Basson, Sara H., Kanevsky, Dimitri, Raman, Thiruvilwamalai V.
• Granted Patent: US 6,922,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/225
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/123 Shopping for digital content
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/0014 for vending, access and use of specific services not covered anywhere else in G07F17/00 meter-controlled dispensing of liquid, gas or electricity G07F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/563 Data redirection of data network streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A web accessibility service apparatus and method is provided. The web accessibility service apparatus and method provides accessibility tools to disabled users on a per-use basis. The provider of the accessibility tool is paid for each use of the accessibility tool to access content on the data network. The revenue may be obtained from content suppliers as consideration to the accessibility tool provider for providing another customer that otherwise may not have had access to their content. In this way, the accessibility tool is provided to the user at no cost, yet the provider of the accessibility tool is compensated for each use of their accessibility tool.

Claims

1. A method of providing access to content, comprising:

receiving a request for content from a client device;

determining an accessibility tool to be used in providing the content to a user of the client device;

processing the requested content using the accessibility tool to produce processed content; and

outputting the processed content to the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising redirecting the request for content to a mirror source of the requested content, wherein the mirror source provides the requested content in a format useable by the accessibility tool.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifyng a supplier of the accessibility tool; and

determining an amount of finds to be transferred to the supplier of the accessibility tool.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein determining an amount of funds includes calculating a percentage of an amount of funds generated by a source of the requested content based on the request for content.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessibility tool is one of a plug-in device to a web browser application, an applet, and an accessibility tool on a server.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessibility tool is one or more of automatic speech recognition, a screen reader, and an intelligent agent.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising storing an indicator of at least one of a supplier of the requested content, the requested content, the accessibility tool, and the user.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining if a supplier of the accessibility tool is to be paid for use of the accessibility tool;

and

transferring funds to the supplier of the accessibility tool if the supplier is to be paid for use of the accessibility tool.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising calculating an amount of the funds to be transferred to the supplier based on contractual terms agreed to by the supplier.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the contractual terms are retrieved from an agreement database.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the accessibility tool includes looking-up an identifier of the user in a registered user directory.

13. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising fifth instructions for redirecting the request for content to a mirror source of the requested content, wherein the mirror source provides the requested content in a format useable by the accessibility tool.

14. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

fifth instructions for identifying a supplier of the accessibility tool; and

sixth instructions for determining an amount of funds to be transferred to the supplier of the accessibility tool.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the sixth instructions for determining an amount of funds include instructions for calculating a percentage of an amount of finds generated by a source of the requested content based on the request for content.

16. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the accessibility tool is one of a plug-in device to a web browser application, an applet, and an accessibility tool on a server.

17. The computer program product of claim 12, wherein the accessibility tool is one or more of automatic speech recognition, a screen reader, and an intelligent agent.

18. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising fifth instructions for storing an indicator of at least one of a supplier of the requested content, the requested content, the accessibility tool, and the user.

19. The computer program product of claim 12, further comprising:

fifth instructions for determining if a supplier of the accessibility tool is to be paid for use of the accessibility tool; and

sixth instructions for transferring funds to the supplier of the accessibility tool if the supplier is to be paid for use of the accessibility tool.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising seventh instructions for calculating an amount of the flmds to be transferred to the supplier based on contractual terms agreed to by the supplier.

21. The computer program product of claim 20, wherein the contractual terms are retrieved from an agreement database.

22. The computer program product of claim 1, wherein the second instructions for determining the accessibility tool include instructions for looking-up an identifier of the user in a registered user directory.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the controller redirects the request for content to a mirror source of the requested content, wherein the mirror source provides the requested content in a format useable by the one or more accessibility tools.

25.he. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the payment device determines an amount of funds to be transferred to the one or more suppliers.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the payment device determines an amount of funds to be transferred by calculating a percentage of an amount of funds generated by a source of the requested content based on the request for content.

27. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the payment device determines if a supplier of the one or more suppliers is to be paid for use of a corresponding accessibility tool.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein the payment device identifies an amount of funds to transfer to the supplier by calculating an amount of the funds to be transferred to the supplier based on contractual terms agreed to by the supplier.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the contractual terms are retrieved from an agreement database.

30. The apparatus program product of claim 23, wherein the processor determines the one or more accessibility tools by looking-up an identifier of the client device in a registered user directory.

12. A computer program product in a computer readable medium for providing access to content, comprising:

first instructions for receiving a request for content from a client device;

second instructions for determining an accessibility tool to be used in providing the content to a user of the client device;

third instructions for processing the requested content using the accessibility tool to produce processed content; and

fourth instructions for outputting the processed content to the client device.

23. An apparatus for providing access to content, comprising:

a controller;

a tracking device coupled to the controller; and

a payment device coupled to the tracking device, wherein the controller receives a request for content from a client device and determines one or more accessibility tools to be used in providing content to a user of the client device,

wherein the tracking device stores tracking information regarding the content provided to the user, the one or more accessibility tools used, and one or more suppliers of the one or more accessibility tools, and

wherein the payment device transfers funds to the one or more suppliers based on the tracking information.

31. An apparatus for providing access to content, comprising:

means for receiving a request for content from a client device;

means for determining an accessibility tool to be used in providing the content to a user of the client device;

means for processing the requested content using the accessibility tool to produce processed content; and

means for outputting the processed content to the client device.