Method and arrangement for accessing information in a mobile communication network

• US 7,203,733 B1
• Filed: 07/02/1999
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Zhigu Holdings Limited
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Mobile Internet AB (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Bern, Marie
• Primary Examiner(s): Najjar; Saleh
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAZARO, DAVID R
• Application Number:
  US09/720,885
• Time in Patent Office: 2,839 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709217-219, 709/224, 709/227, 709/228
• US Class Current: 709/218
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/30 Managing network names, e.g. use of aliases or nicknames name-to-address mapping H04L61/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 61/301 Name conversion
• 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]

Abstract

A method and an arrangement are provided for accessing information stored at a server and being retrievable using the Internet. According to the invention, another server is used for storing address data specifying the location of the information and for associating an identifier with the address data. The identifier is transferred to a mobile station to be used when accessing the another server. Upon such an access, the corresponding address data is derived and used for providing the information to the mobile station.

Claims

1. A method for accessing information determined to be of relevance to a user, the information being stored at an information server and being retrievable using the Internet, the location of said information being specified by address data stored at an address server which is connected to the Internet, the address data being associated with an identifier in said address server, the method comprising the acts of:

monitoring, at said address server, a remote predefined information location on said information server over the internet for information that is determined to be of relevance to a user;

upon determining from the act of monitoring that information relevant to a user is available at the remote predefined information location and prior to retrieving the information from the remote predefined location, generating a data structure that includes an identifier associated with address data corresponding to the predefined information location and transmitting said data structure in a message from said address server to a mobile station corresponding to the user, using a short message based service provided in a mobile communication network;

retrieving, at said mobile station, said identifier from said message and relaying the identifier to means for accessing the Internet associated with the mobile station;

accessing said address server from said means for accessing the Internet, using an Internet protocol over a data communication bearer service provided to said mobile station by said mobile communication network, by transmitting a URL designating said address server;

selecting said information with said means for accessing the internet by using said identifier as an argument to the URL which designates said address server when accessing the address server;

in response to said mobile station accessing said address server, retrieving, by said address server, said information, identified by the address data associated with the identifier, from said information server by using said address data associated with the identifier at said address server to access said information server over the internet; and

forwarding, by said address server, said information retrieved from said information server, to said mobile station using an Internet protocol over said data communication bearer service.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said accessing act comprises attaching said identifier as an argument to a mobile station prestored URL designating said address server.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said act of transmitting said data structure to said mobile station is performed to notify said mobile station of a change in said information at said information server.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said mobile communication network is a GSM network and said message based service is a mobile data service provided by said GSM network.

5. The method as claimed in claim 4, wherein said mobile data service is either an SMS or USSD service.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the URL designating the address server is prestored, and wherein, upon retrieving the identifier, the mobile station automatically attaches the identifier to the prestored URL.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said information is determined to be relevant to a user upon being published or updated on the information server.

8. An arrangement at a server for providing access to information determined to be of relevance to a user, the information being stored at an information server and being retrievable using the Internet, the arrangement comprising:

means for monitoring a remote predefined information location on said information server over the internet for information that is relevant to a user;

means for storing address data specifying the location of said information and for storing an identifier which is associated with said address data;

means for generating a data structure that includes an identifier associated with address data corresponding to the predefined information location and transmitting said data structure in a message to a mobile station using a short message based service provided by a mobile communication network upon determining that information relevant to the user is available at the remote predefined information location and prior to retrieving the information from the remote predefined information location;

means for receiving, during an Internet session with said mobile station, said identifier as an argument in a URL which designates said address server transmitted from the mobile station, and deriving the address data associated with said identifier, wherein said derived address data identifies said information which should be transferred to said mobile station; and

means for providing said information identified with said derived address data to said mobile station, the means comprising;

means for using said derived address data to retrieve said information from said information server over the internet in response to receiving said identifier from said mobile station; and

means for forwarding said information retrieved from said information server to said mobile station using an Internet protocol over a data communication bearer service-provided by said mobile communication network.

9. An arrangement at a mobile station for accessing information determined to be of relevance to a user, the information being stored at an information server and being retrievable using the Internet, the arrangement comprising:

means for receiving from an address server an identifier being transferred in a message of a short message based service provided by a mobile communication network, wherein the message is transferred to the mobile station in response to an address server monitoring a remote predefined information location on said information server over the internet for information that is determined to be of relevance to a user, and wherein the message is generated and transmitted to the mobile station prior to the address server retrieving the information from the predefined location, and wherein the identifier included in the message is associated with address data corresponding to the predefined information location;

means for attaching said received identifier as an argument in a URL designating said address server, and accessing said address server, by means of the URL, using an Internet protocol over a data communication bearer service provided by the mobile communication network; and

means for receiving said information from said address server over said Internet protocol and said data communication bearer service, said information having been retrieved by the address server from the information server over the internet in direct response to the address server being accessed by the mobile station.

10. The arrangement as claimed in claim 9, wherein said access means are provided to attach said identifier as an argument to a mobile station prestored URL designating said address server.

11. A method at a server for providing access to information determined to be of relevance to a user, the information being stored at an information server and being retrievable using the Internet, the location of the information being specified by address data stored at the server, the address data being associated with an identifier in the server, the method comprising:

monitoring a remote predefined information location on the information server over the internet for information that is relevant to a user;

upon determining from the act of monitoring that information relevant to a user is available at the remote predefined information location, and prior to retrieving the information, generating a data structure that includes an identifier associated with address data corresponding to the predefined information location and transmitting the data structure in a message from the address server to a mobile station corresponding to the user using a short message based service provided in a mobile communication network;

receiving from the mobile station, using an Internet protocol over a data communication bearer service, the identifier as an argument in a URL which designates the server;

deriving the address data associated with the identifier, wherein the derived address data specifies the location of the information; and

in response to receiving the identifier from the mobile station, retrieving the information from the information server by using the address data associated with the identifier at the address server to access the information server over the internet; and

forwarding the information retrieved from the information server to the mobile station using an Internet protocol over the data communication bearer service.

12. A method at a mobile station for accessing information determined to be of relevance to a user, the information being stored at an information server and being retrievable using the Internet, the location of the information being specified by address data stored at an address server, the address data being associated with an identifier in the address server, the method comprising:

receiving, from the address server, an identifier being transferred in a message of a short message based service provided by a mobile communication network, the identifier being associated with address data stored in the address server, the address data specifying the location of information determined to be of relevance to a user, the location of the information having been determined by the address server by means of the address server monitoring the information server and determining that the information is available and of relevance to the user;

attaching the received identifier as an argument in a URL designating the address server and accessing the address server, by means of the URL, using an Internet protocol over a data communication bearer service provided by the mobile communication network;

receiving the information from the address server using an Internet protocol over the data communication bearer service, the information having been retrieved from the information server by the address server over the internet in response to the address server having been accessed by the mobile station.