System for providing internet-related services in response to a handheld device that is not required to be internet-enabled

• US 7,143,141 B1
• Filed: 01/25/2000
• Issued: 11/28/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Serra, Bill, Morgan, Jeffrey A., Schettino, John C. Jr.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jaroenchonwanit, Bonjob
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIN, KENNY S
• Application Number:
  US09/490,553
• Time in Patent Office: 2,499 Days
• Field of Search: 707/10.4, 707/104.1, 707/1, 707/10, 345/173, 345/835, 375/222, 375/219, 455/572, 455/445, 455/456.3, 709/217, 709/226, 709/241, 709/218, 709/229, 379/93.25
• US Class Current: 709/217
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for providing Internet-related services to a handheld device is described. The system includes a client module embedded in the handheld device to enable the handheld device to send a Universal Resource Locator (URL) via a communication link. The URL indicates a desired web page. The system also includes a receiver that receives the URL sent from the handheld device via the communication link. A web access module is coupled to the receiver and external Internet to access and retrieve the desired web page from a remote web server via the external Internet. A render system is coupled to the web access module to render the retrieved web page to the user of the handheld device.

Claims

1. A system for providing Internet-related services in response to a handheld device without requiring the handheld device to itself be Internet-enabled, comprising:

a client module embedded in the handheld device to enable the handheld device to directly send a selected stored Universal Resource Locator (URL), without encryption, via a local communication link, wherein the URL indicates a desired Internet web page;

a receiver that receives the URL sent from the handheld device via the local communication link;

a web access module coupled to the receiver and to an external Internet via an Internet communication link different from said local communication link to access and retrieve the desired web page from a remote web server via the external Internet; and

a render system being coupled to the web access module and physically separate from said handheld device, to render the retrieved web page in a human discernible format to a user on said render system.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the handheld device fits into a user'"'"'s palm.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a memory coupled with the handheld device to store at least one URL, wherein the URL sent is selected from the at least one URL.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a communication module in the handheld device that receives the URL from a remote site via a second communication link coupled to the communication module.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the second communication link is a link to a wireless network.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the handheld device is selected from a group of devices consisting of:

a pager device, a cellular phone device, a personal organizer device, a watch device, a palm pilot device, and an information appliance device.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the receiver, the web access module, and the render system all physically reside within a single enclosure separate from the handheld device.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the local communication link is a wireless communication link.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the wireless communication link is selected from a group of communication links consisting of:

an infra-red communication link, a radio frequency communication link, a microwave communication link, a laser communication link, and combinations thereof.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the web access module communicates with the remote web server via the Internet communication link using an open standard communication protocol.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the open standard communication protocol is a Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP).

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the render system further comprises at least one render system selected from a group of systems consisting of:

a printer system, a display system, a projection display system, a user interface display system, an audio/video player system, a Web television system, and a combination thereof.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the web access module comprises a web browser without a rendering function.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering system is a device-specific rendering system.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the handheld device is a watch.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the handheld device is a pager.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein said client module does not have Internet access function and does not include an Internet web browser application program or provide any direct connectivity to the Internet.

18. The system of claim 1, wherein said client module has Internet access function and includes an Internet web browser, but neither the Internet access function nor the Internet web browser are utilized to send the URL via the local communication link.

19. The system of claim 1, wherein only said URL is communicated, and said URL is communicated by sending only a few bytes of data.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein the URL is in the actual URL form or embedded in a hyperlink.

21. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering system includes a printer external to said handheld device or a display screen device external to said handheld device.

22. The system of claim 1, wherein the rendering system includes an audio or video player system external to said handheld device.

23. A system for providing an Internet-related service from a remote Internet-related server via an Internet communication link based on a Universal Resource Locator (URL) indicated by a handheld device, comprising:

a receiver module to receive an unencrypted URL from the handheld device via a local communication link;

a web access module to access and retrieve the Internet-related service via the Internet communication link based on the unencrypted URL;

a render module, coupled to the web access module and physically separate from the handheld device, to render the retrieved Internet-related service in a human discernible format to a user on the render module.

24. The system of claim 23, wherein the render module further comprises at least one render system selected from a group of systems consisting of:

a printer system, a display system, an information appliance, a projection display system, a user interface display system, an audio/video player system, a Web television system, and a combination thereof.

25. The system of claim 23, wherein the web access module communicates with the remote Internet-related server via the Internet communication link using an open standard communication protocol.

26. The system of claim 25, wherein the open standard communication protocol is a Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP).

27. The system of claim 23, wherein the communication link is a wireless communication link.

28. The system of claim 27, wherein the wireless communication link is selected from a group of communication links consisting of:

an infra-red communication link, a radio frequency communication link, a microwave communication link, a laser communication link, and combinations thereof.

29. A mobile system capable of communicating with a gateway module, which comprises a web access module to access and retrieve an Internet-related service from a remote Internet-related server via an Internet communication link based on a Universal Resource Locator (URL);

and a render module to render the received Internet-related service, the mobile system comprising;

a client module to enable direct sending of the URL, without encryption, via a communication link to the gateway module for use in the access and retrieval of the Internet-related service, wherein the gateway module communicates the retrieved Internet-related service with the rendering module, which is physically separate from the mobile system, and is configured to render the retrieved Internet-related service in a human discernible format to a user on the rendering module.

30. The system of claim 29, further comprising a memory coupled with the mobile system to store at least one URL, wherein the URL sent is selected from the at least one URL.

31. The system of claim 30, further comprising a communication module to receive the URL from the gateway module.

32. A gateway system capable of receiving a communication including Universal Resource Locator (URL) via a communication link from a mobile system, said gateway system comprising:

a communication module to receive the communication from the mobile system, said communication including a selected unencrypted URL;

a web access module to access and retrieve an Internet-related service from a remote Internet-related server via an Internet communication link based on the unencrypted URL; and

a render module to receive the retrieved Internet-related service from the web access module, said render module being physically separate from said mobile system and configured to render the retrieved Internet-related service in a human discernible format to a user on the render module.

33. The system of claim 32, further comprising a second communication module to send a second URL to the mobile system.

34. The system of claim 33, wherein each module of the gateway system physically resides within at least one enclosure separate from the mobile system.