Dynamic data generation suitable for talking browser

• US 7,000,189 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2001
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/08/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Dutta, Rabindranath, Schwerdtfeger, Richard Scott, Weiss, Lawrence Frank
• Primary Examiner(s): Cabeca, John
• Assistant Examiner(s): Detwiler, Brian J.
• Application Number:
  US09/801,609
• Publication Number:
  US 20020129100A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,804 Days
• Field of Search: 715/727, 715/729, 715/733, 715/738, 715/760, 715/764, 715/765, 715/865, 715/978, 345727-729, 345/716, 345/733, 345/760, 345/764, 345/765, 345/865, 704/258, 704/260, 704/270, 704/271
• US Class Current: 715/727
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/95 Retrieval from the web
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 21/006 using audible presentation of the information

Abstract

A system and method for transferring information a data processing network. A client device suitable for connecting to the network includes a client application configured to receive information from the network and to present the received information to a user as audio information. The server is configured to provide information to the client data processing device responsive to the client request. The system is configured to determine when at least a portion of the information provided by the server is unsuitable for presentation by the client and to respond to the determination by storing the information for later access by the user, presenting a visually enhanced version of the information to the user, or providing portions of the information suitable for audio presentation to the user.

Claims

1. A client device comprising processing means and storage, wherein the client device is suitable for connecting to a network and includes a client application configured to generate a client request, receive information from the network, and present the received information to a user as audio information;

and

a server device connected to the network and configured to provide information to the client device responsive to the client request;

wherein the system is configured to determine when at least a portion of the information provided by the server is unsuitable for presentation to the user as audio information by the client and wherein the system is further configured to respond to the determination by storing the unsuitable portion of the information for subsequent access by the user;

wherein storing the information for later access by the user comprises assigning a dynamically generated URL to the stored informaton, creating a link indicating the dynamically generated URL, and emailing the link to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the client comprises a talking browser configured to convert Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) information to audio information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein determining that the information provided by the server is unsuitable includes determining that the request was initiated by a talking browser by comparing a user agent field of the request against a list of talking browser user agent fields.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a proxy server intermediate between the server, wherein the proxy server determines that the requested information is unsuitable for presentation to the client.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the client data processing device communicates with the network via a wireless link.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the client data processing device is located on a vehicle.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein storing the information for later access comprises emailing the retrieved information to the user.

8. A computer program product residing on a computer useable medium for transferring information from a server to a client on a data processing network, comprising:

computer code means for determining when at least a portion of information requested by the client is unsuitable for presentation by the client; and

computer code means, responsive to determining that the requested information includes information unsuitable for audio presentation, for taking an action selected from the group consisting of storing the requested information for subsequent retrieval by the user and providing a visually enhanced version of the requested information to the user;

wherein the code means for storing the requested information comprises code means for dynamically generating a URL indicative of a storage location of the requested information, code means for creating a link indicating the dynamically generated URL, and code means for forwarding the link to the user.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the code means for determining that information requested by the client is unsuitable for presentation by the client includes code means for determining that the request was initiated by a talking browser.

10. The computer program product of claim 9, wherein the code means includes code for determining that the request was initiated by a talking browser comprises means for comparing a user agent field of the request against a list of known talking browser user agent fields.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the code means for forwarding the link to the user comprises code means for sending the link to the user as an email message.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the code means for storing the information includes code means for forwarding the requested information to the user as an email message.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, further comprising code means for requesting the user whether the user wishes to store the requested information.