Method and system for providing a central repository for client-specific accessibility

• US 20030061317A1
• Filed: 09/24/2001
• Published: 03/27/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Schwerdtfeger, Richard Scott, Fairweather, Peter Gustav, Trewin, Sharon Mary, Detweiler, Samuel R., Brown, Frances C., Tibbitts, Beth Rush, Crayne, Susan, Hanson, Vicki Lynne
• Granted Patent: US 7,062,547 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/221
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

A method and system that provide a central repository for client specific accessibility applications to a user from an accessible server. The repository is updated on a periodic basis with new solutions provided by the service provider, who also manages licensing agreements between the user and the owner of the accessibility application. Accessibility programs, such as page magnification, screen readers, background changes, input modification, etc., are downloaded into the client device being used by the user customer by clicking link buttons from a web page generated by the service provider'"'"'s server. The accessibility programs downloaded are then resident on the client device until changed by the user. In a preferred embodiment, the service provider also provides a universal transcoding service to apply the user selected accessibility transformations to any type of client device used by the user.

Claims

1. A method for providing a central repository of accessibility applications on a computer network, said method comprising:

connecting a proxy machine to a client device;

sending to the client device, from the proxy machine, a centralized list of accessibility applications on a web page, wherein said web page comprises a plurality of links capable of downloading the accessibility applications; and

activating at the client device at least one of the plurality of links to download at least one of the accessibility applications into the client device.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising entering into the web page a device type of the client device that is downloading said at least one of the accessibility applications.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessibility application is a computer program capable of transforming a content style to be received by the client device.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the accessibility applications is a computer transformer program capable of correcting input errors, caused by a disability of a specific user of the client device, in an input content being sent from the client device.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising transcoding a content format of a web page being received by the client device into a format understandable by the client device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one of the accessibility applications is a client-specific accessibility application for enhancing accessibility of the client operating system.

7. A system for providing a central repository of accessibility applications on a computer network, said system comprising:

means for connecting a proxy machine to a client device;

means for sending to the client device, from the proxy machine, a centralized list of accessibility applications on a web page, wherein said web page comprises a plurality of links capable of downloading the accessibility applications; and

means for activating at the client device at least one of the plurality of links to download at least one of the accessibility applications into the client device.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising means for entering into the web page a device type of the client device that is downloading said at least one of the accessibility applications.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the accessibility application is a computer program capable of transforming a content style to be received by the client device.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein at least one of the accessibility applications is a computer transformer program capable of correcting input errors, caused by a disability of a specific user of the client device, in an input content being sent from the client device.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising means for transcoding a content format being received by the client device into a format understandable by the client device.

12. The system of claim 7, wherein said at least one of the accessibility applications is a client-specific accessibility application for enhancing accessibility of the client operating system.

13. A computer program product for providing a central repository of accessibility applications on a computer network, said computer program product comprising:

computer program code for connecting a proxy machine to a client device;

computer program code for sending to the client device, from the proxy machine, a centralized list of accessibility applications on a web page, wherein said web page comprises a plurality of links capable of downloading the accessibility applications; and

computer program code for activating at the client device at least one of the plurality of links to download at least one of the accessibility applications into the client device.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising program code for entering into a web page a device type of the client device that is downloading at least one of the accessibility applications.

15. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein the accessibility application is a computer program capable of transforming a content style to be received by the client device.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, wherein at least one of the accessibility applications is a computer transformer program capable of correcting input errors, caused by a disability of a specific user of the client device, in an input content being sent from the client device.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer program code capable of transcoding a content format being received by the client device into a format understandable by the client device.

18. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising computer program code for said at least one of the accessibility applications being a client-specific accessibility application for enhancing accessibility of the client operating system.

19. A method of doing business for providing a central repository of accessibility applications on a computer network, said method comprising:

providing a service for connecting a proxy machine to a client device;

providing a service for sending to the client device, from the proxy machine, a centralized list of accessibility applications on a web page, wherein said web page comprises a plurality of links capable of downloading the accessibility applications; and

providing a service for activating at the client device at least one of the plurality of links to download at least one of the accessibility applications into the client device.

20. The method of doing business of claim 19, further comprising providing a service for entering into the web page a device type of the client device that is downloading at least one said accessibility application.

21. The method of doing business of claim 19, wherein said accessibility application is a computer program capable of transforming a content style to be received by the client device.

22. The method of doing business of claim 19, wherein at least one of the accessibility applications is a computer transformer program capable of correcting input errors, caused by a disability of a specific user of the client device, in an input content being sent from the client device.

23. The method of doing business of claim 19, further comprising providing a service for transcoding a content format being received by the client device into a format understandable by the client device.

24. The method of doing business of claim 19, further comprising:

providing a service for acquiring licensing agreements for the accessibility applications; and

providing a service for controlling access to the web page comprising the plurality of links for downloading the accessibility applications.

25. The method of doing business of claim 19, wherein said at least one of the accessibility applications is a client-specific accessibility application for enhancing accessibility of the client operating system.