Communication with multi-sensory devices

• US 7,003,285 B2
• Filed: 10/30/2003
• Issued: 02/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carter, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, CongVan
• Application Number:
  US10/697,892
• Publication Number:
  US 20050026599A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414.1, 455/414.4, 455/418, 455/420, 455/403, 455/412.1, 455/450, 455/464, 455/509, 455/422.1, 455/421, 455/512, 455/150.1, 455/166.2
• US Class Current: 455/414.4
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/10 Flow control; Congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 47/2433 Allocation of priorities to traffic types
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/565 Conversion or adaptation of application format or content adding application control or application functional data H04L67/561
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/568 Storing data temporarily at an intermediate stage, e.g. caching
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 28/02 Traffic management, e.g. flow control or congestion control
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/18 Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 8/04 Registration at HLR or HSS [Home Subscriber Server]

Abstract

The present invention provide a method, apparatus and computer program product which enables the mode of use of a multi-sensory device to be used to prioritise the type of data which is sent to the device. The multi-sensory device sends its usage mode, for example, aural or visual, as part of communications to a server. The server then obtains the usage mode and uses this information to prioritise data sent to the device. For example if the device is being used aurally, audio data is prioritised for sending to the device such that data sent to the device is primarily or exclusively audio data.

Claims

1. A data processing method for a data processing host to process a usage mode indication received from a multi-sensory device, the method comprising the steps:

intercepting an inbound communication from the device;

obtaining a usage mode indication for the device from the communication;

prioritising a plurality of data items into a priority order according to the usage mode indication for the device, wherein the plurality of data items are received from one or more applications for sending to the device; and

sending data items to the device based on the priority order.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the usage mode indication specifies whether the device is being used aurally or visually and data items are characterised as either audio or video, and the prioritising step comprises the steps:

allocating video data items higher priority than audio data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used visually; and

allocating audio data items higher priority than video data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used aurally.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the usage mode indication specifies whether the device is being used aurally or visually and the data items are characterised as either audio or video and have an assigned priority value, and the prioritising step comprises the steps:

increasing the assigned priority value for video data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used visually; and

increasing the assigned priority value far audio data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used aurally.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the prioritising step prioritises data items such that the sending step sends exclusively data items suitable for the indicated usage mode of the device.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising the further step of:

providing the wage node indication to one or more applications.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the intercepting step intercepts a communication in a protocol layer which implements any one of:

Wireless Truncation Protocol;

Transmission Control Protocol; and

HyperText Transfer Protocol.

7. A data processing method for a multi-sensory device to communicate a usage mode to a server, the method comprising the steps:

receiving a usage mode indication of the multi-sensory device;

intercepting an outbound communication; and

adding the usage mode indication to the outbound communication wherein the usage mode indication indicates that the device is being used either aurally or visually.

8. A data processing apparatus for processing a usage mode indication received from a multisensory device, the apparatus comprising:

means for intercepting an inbound communication from the device;

means for obtaining a usage mode indication for the device from the communication;

means for prioritising a plurality of data items into a priority order according to the usage mode indication for the device, wherein the plurality of data items are received from one or more applications for sending to the device; and

means for sending data items to the device based on the priority order.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the usage mode indication specifies whether the device is being used aurally or visually and data items are characterised as either audio or video, and the prioritising means comprises:

means for allocating video data items higher priority than audio data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used visually; and

means for allocating audio data items higher priority 10 than video data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used aurally.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the usage mode indication specifies whether the device is being used aurally or visually and the data items are characterised as either audio or video and have an assigned priority value, and the prioritising means comprises:

means for increasing the assigned priority value for video data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used visually; and

means for increasing the assigned priority value for audio data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used aurally.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the prioritising means prioritises data items such that the sending means sends exclusively data items suitable for the indicated usage mode of the device.

12. The apparatus of claim 8 further comprising:

means for providing the usage mode indication to one or more applications.

13. A multi-sensory device for communicating a usage mode to a server, the device comprising:

means for obtaining a usage mode indication of the multi-sensory device;

means for intercepting an outbound communication; and

means for adding the usage mode indication to the outbound communication wherein the usage mode indication indicates that the device is being used either aurally or visually.

14. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a data processing host, cause said data processing host to carry out a method comprising the steps:

intercepting an inbound communication from the device;

obtaining a usage mode indication for the device from the communication;

prioritising a plurality of data items into a priority order according to the usage mode indication for the device, wherein the plurality of data items are received from one or more applications for sending to the device; and

sending data items to the device based on the priority order.

15. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the usage mode indication specifies whether the device is being used aurally or visually and data items are characterised as either audio or video, and the prioritising step comprises the steps:

allocating video data items higher priority than audio data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used visually; and

allocating audio data items higher priority than video data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used aurally.

16. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the usage mode indication specifies whether the device is being used aurally or visually and the data items are characterised as either audio or video and have an assigned priority value, and the prioritising step comprises the steps:

increasing the assigned priority value for video data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used visually; and

increasing the assigned priority value for audio data items if the usage mode indicates that the device is being used aurally.

17. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the prioritising step prioritises data items such that the sending step sends exclusively data items suitable for the indicated usage mode of the device.

18. A computer program product according to claim 14 the method comprising the further stop of:

providing the usage mode indication to one or more applications.

19. A computer program product according to claim 14 wherein the intercepting step intercepts a communication in a protocol layer witch implements any one of:

Wireless Truncation Protocol;

Transmission Control Protocol; and

10 HyperText Transfer Protocol.

20. A computer program product comprising instructions which, when run on a data processing host, cause said data processing host to carry out a method comprising the steps:

receiving a usage mode indication of the multi-sensory device;

intercepting an outbound communication; and

adding the usage mode indication to the outbound communication wherein the usage mode indication indicates that the device is being used either aurally or visually.

21. A method for communicating between a data processing host and a multi-sensory device, said method comprising:

receiving, at the data processing host, an inbound communication from to multi-sensory device;

reading at the data processing host, a usage mode indication sent with the communication;

processing, using to data processing host, the usage mode indication;

prioritizing, at to data processing host, a plurality of data items into a priority order according to the usage mode indication; and

sending, from the data processing host, the data items to the multi-sensory device in an order corresponding to the priority order.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of processing the usage mode indication comprises:

identifying the usage mode indication;

categorizing the usage mode indication as aural or visual; and

tailoring the data items sent to the multi-sensory device according to the usage mode indication.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein the step of reading the usage mode indication is performed in a protocol header.