Content optimization for receiving terminals

• US 7,944,456 B2
• Filed: 02/15/2006
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LUMO Interactive Incorporated
• Original Assignee: LUMO Interactive Incorporated
• Inventors: Seljavaara, Petri
• Primary Examiner(s): WANG, JIN CHENG
• Application Number:
  US11/816,208
• Publication Number:
  US 20080316228A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,917 Days
• Field of Search: 345/667, 345/744, 345660-661, 715500-525, 715/762, 715/249, 709203-219
• US Class Current: 345/660
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9577 Optimising the visualization of content, e.g. distillation of HTML documents

Abstract

The invention discloses a method, server and a computer program for optimizing content delivered to a variety of terminal devices. In the solution disclosed in the invention, a user is able to create exact layouts and optimize the amount of content to different media environments simultaneously.

Claims

1. A method for optimizing content delivered to a variety of terminal devices, the method comprising the steps of;

prior to providing content to a terminal device,

creating a plurality of terminal device groups;

determining dimensions for each of the terminal device groups, each of the terminal device groups having a terminal device group specific active display area limit;

assigning terminal devices to the terminal device groups based on active display areas of the terminal devices;

creating, for each of said terminal device groups, a respective different terminal device group specific layout for each page;

creating at least one media cell within each said terminal device group specific layout; and

determining properties for each said media cell, the properties determining sire limits for the media cell and how the media cell is allowed to adapt within the respective said terminal device group specific layout; and

then

providing content into each said media cell;

controlling visual representation of the content in the media cell with the respective properties of the media cell; and

displaying the content at the terminal device as controlled in the controlling step.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the properties of the media cell further comprises at least one of a name, a content type, content, an image stretch value, grid spans, and margins.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the image stretch value represents how much an image is allowed to stretch within the media cell.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining dimensions for each said terminal device group specific layout, the dimensions comprising smallest and largest size values.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the determined dimensions provide that a smallest size value equals a largest size value.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining a layout stretch value for each said terminal device group specific layout, the layout stretch value representing how much the layout is allowed to stretch outside the active display area of the terminal device.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the terminal device groups comprise at least one of a personal computer, a television, a personal digital assistant device, a smart phone, and a mobile phone.

8. The method accordion to claim 7, wherein the terminal device groups comprise at least one subgroup.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising naming media cells in different layouts uniformly in different terminal device groups, thus enabling simultaneous content changes in these terminal device groups when editing one terminal, device group.

10. The method according to claim 1, further comprising issuing a suggestion notification if content does not fit into the media cell, content is missing from the layoutor the layout is missing a name.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising, when importing image content into the media cell, using a crop function to show the area that is to be cropped into the media cell.

12. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a page request from a terminal device, and providing the terminal device with content optimized for the terminal device in response to the page request.

13. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining and sending a right layout size to a terminal device based on the following determination sequence:

i) determining the right layout size based on a terminal database;

ii) determining the right layout size based on a phone manufacturer'"'"'s database;

iii) determining a default layout to be sent to mobile terminals if it is not possible to determine the right layout size based on the terminal database or the phone manufacturer'"'"'s database.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the sending step comprises sending, to the terminal device, the default layout with at least one option to choose a different layout size with the terminal device.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein before sending the right layout size to the terminal device the method further comprises converting at least one media cell into a picture format.

30. A computer program embodied in a non-transient computer readable medium for optimizing content delivered to a variety of terminal devices, wherein the computer program controls a data-processing device to perform the method of claim 1.

16. A server for optimizing content delivered to a variety of terminal devices, the server being configured to perform a method for optimizing content delivered to a variety of terminal devices, the method comprising the steps of:

prior to providing content to a terminal device,

creating a plurality of terminal device groups;

determining dimensions for each of the terminal device groups, each of the terminal device groups having a terminal device group specific active display area limit;

assigning terminal devices to the terminal device groups based on active display areas of the terminal devices;

creating, for each of said terminal device groups, a respective different terminal device group specific layout for each page;

creating at least one media cell within each said terminal device group specific layout; and

determining properties for each said media cell, the properties determining size limits for the media cell and how the media cell is allowed to adapt within the respective said terminal device group specific layout; and

then

providing content into each said media cell and controlling visual representation of the content in the media cell with the respective properties of the media cell.

17. The server according to claim 16, wherein the properties of the media cell further comprises at least one of a name, a content type, content, an image stretch value, grid spans, and margins.

18. The server according to claim 16, wherein the image stretch value represents how much an image is allowed to stretch within the media cell.

19. The server according to claim 16, wherein the server is configured to determine dimensions for the layout, the dimensions comprising smallest and largest size values.

20. The server according to claim 16, wherein the server is configured to determine a layout stretch value for each layout, the layout stretch value representing how much the layout is allowed to stretch outside an active display area of a terminal device.

21. The server according to claim 16, wherein the terminal device groups comprise at least one of a personal computer, a television, a personal digital assistant device, a smart phone, and a mobile phone.

22. The server according to claim 21, wherein the terminal device groups comprise at least one subgroup.

23. The server according to claim 16, wherein the server is configured to name the media cells in different layouts uniformly in different terminal device groups, thus enabling simultaneous content changes in these terminal device groups when editing one terminal device group.

24. The server according to claim 16, wherein the server is configured to issue a suggestion notification if content does not fit into the media cell, content is missing from the layout or the layout is missing a name.

25. The server according to claim 16, wherein the server is configured to import image content into a media cell using a crop function to show the area that is to be cropped.

26. The server according to claim 16, wherein the server is configured to receive, a page request from a terminal device and to provide providing the terminal device with content optimized for the terminal device in response to the page request.

27. The server according to claim 16, wherein the server is further configured to determine and send a right layout size to a terminal device based on the following determination sequence:

i) to determine the right layout size based on a terminal database;

ii) to determine the right layout size based on a phone manufacturer'"'"'s database; and

iii) to determine a default layout to be sent to mobile terminals if it is not possible to determine the right layout size based on the terminal database or the phone manufacturer'"'"'s database.

28. The server according to claim 27, wherein the server is further configured to send, to the terminal device, the default layout with at least one option to choose a different layout size with the terminal device.

29. The server according to claim 27, wherein before sending a right layout size to a terminal device the server is further configured to convert at least one media cell into a picture format.