Miniclient for internet appliance

• US 6,564,250 B1
• Filed: 08/21/1997
• Issued: 05/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Ventures I LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: PlanetWeb, Inc. (Monotype Imaging Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Nguyen, Julien T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dinh, Dung C.
• Application Number:
  US08/918,096
• Time in Patent Office: 2,091 Days
• Field of Search: 395/200.79, 395/200.48, 395/200.49, 395/200.52, 345/428, 709/203, 709/229, 709/230, 709/231, 709/232, 709/246, 709/247, 709/248, 709/208, 346/733, 346/864, 346/2.1
• US Class Current: 709/208
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

The invention provides a method and system for providing features for internet access at an internet appliance which go beyond the resource limitations of the internet appliance. The desired features are primarily implemented on the server, and coupled to the internet appliance for display, responsive to the ability of the internet appliance to provide those features. (1) The internet appliance and the server adapt to communication link limitations by dynamically adjusting picture quality or size for graphics to be displayed. (2) The internet appliance and the server adapt to memory and processor limitations by dynamically running applets at the server and intercepting display functions of applets for display at the internet appliance. (3) The internet appliance and the server adapt to memory and processor limitations by dynamically running editing programs or web pages at the server and by dynamically adjusting picture quality or size for graphics to be displayed.

Claims

1. A system including

a server having a graphic stored thereon;

a client having a display;

a communication link coupled to said server and to said client;

said server including a display update element operative to transmit updates to said display in response to said graphic;

said display update element being individually responsive to a transmission measure for said communication link and being operative to individually and dynamically adjust a quality measure for said updates in response thereto.

2. A system as in claim 1, wherein said client is an internet appliance.

3. A system as in claim 1, wherein said transmission measure is a bit transmission rate.

4. A system as in claim 1, wherein said quality measure is a measure of picture quality or picture size.

5. A system as in claim 1, wherein said server includes a link measurement element operative to dynamically measure said transmission measure, and wherein said display element is dynamically responsive to said dynamically measured transmission measure.

6. A system as in claim 1, wherein said display update element is operative so that display of a single web page takes substantially constant time.

7. A system as in claim 1, wherein said communication link is associated with a measure of transmission cost, and wherein said display update element is operative so that display of a single web page takes substantially constant cost.

8. A system as in claim 1, wherein said quality measure can vary substantially continuously.

9. A system as in claim 1, wherein said communication link is associated with a measure of transmission cost, and wherein said display update element is operative so that display of a single web page takes substantially constant cost.

10. A system as in claim 1, wherein said graphic includes text.

11. A system as in claim 1, wherein said graphic is an web page and said updates include updates to elements of the web page described in html language.

12. A system as in claim 1, wherein said graphic includes non-image elements.

13. A system including

a server having a web object stored thereon;

a client having a display;

a communication link coupled to said server and to said client;

said server including a display update element operative to transmit updates to said display in response to said web object;

said display update element being individually responsive to a transmission measure for said communication link and being operative to individually and dynamically adjust a quality measure substantially smoothly for said updates in response thereto.

14. A system including

a server having a graphic stored thereon;

a client having a display;

a communication link coupled to said server and to said client;

said server including a display update element operative to transmit updates to said display in response to said graphic;

said display update element being individually responsive to a transmission measure for said communication link and being operative to individually and dynamically adjust a quality measure substantially smoothly for said updates in response thereto.

15. A system as in claim 14, wherein said client is an internet appliance.

16. A system as in claim 14, wherein said transmission measure is a bit transmission rate.

17. A system as in claim 14, wherein said quality measure is a measure of picture quality or picture size.

18. A system as in claim 14, wherein said server includes a link measurement element operative to dynamically measure said transmission measure, and wherein said display update element is responsive to said dynamically measured transmission measure.

19. A system as in claim 14, wherein said display update element is operative so that display of a single web page takes substantially constant time.

20. A system including

a server having an editing program stored thereon, said editing program including source code for a displayable page, said source code being associated with at least one graphic;

a client having a display element;

a communication link coupled to said server and to said client;

said client being operative to transmit editing commands to said editing program and to receive updates to said graphic from said server in response to said editing commands;

said display element being responsive to said updates, being responsive to a transmission measure for said communication link, and being responsive to adjust a graphic quality measure for said updates in response thereto.

21. The claim of claim 20 wherein said quality measure can be adjusted substantially smoothly.