U.S. patent application number 09/079559 was filed with the patent office on 2002-02-21 for network communication system for providing a user with a paging message.
Invention is credited to CLARKE, PAUL A..
Application Number | 20020023155 09/079559 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 10814541 |
Filed Date | 2002-02-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20020023155 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CLARKE, PAUL A. |
February 21, 2002 |
NETWORK COMMUNICATION SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING A USER WITH A PAGING
MESSAGE
Abstract
A network communications system comprises a number of user
stations (10, 24), coupled via a data network (12) to a number of
service provider host systems (14, 16). The user stations (10) are
registered as client stations at the host system (16) of a service
provider, with the host system maintaining a database of registered
client station identification data. The host system additionally
maintains a directory of the client stations that are on-line at a
given time, determined from periodic messages sent to the host by
each client station. Callers (24, 28) wishing to contact a client
station (10) user first contact the service provider (16) which,
from the directory, determines whether the user is currently
on-line. If so, a paging message is generated by the service
provider from data supplied by the caller and sent via the network
(12) to the client station (10), the address of which is held in
the service provider database.
Inventors: |
CLARKE, PAUL A.; (BURGESS
HILL, GB) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICHAEL E. MARION
U.S. PHILLIPS CORPORATION
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY DEPARTMENT
580 WHITE PLAINS ROAD
TARRYTOWN
NY
10591
US
|
Family ID: |
10814541 |
Appl. No.: |
09/079559 |
Filed: |
May 15, 1998 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
709/225 ;
709/205; 709/206; 715/753 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 51/04 20130101;
H04M 3/428 20130101; H04L 9/40 20220501; H04M 7/12 20130101; H04L
61/00 20130101; H04L 63/083 20130101; H04L 51/224 20220501; H04L
67/01 20220501 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/225 ;
709/205; 709/206; 345/753 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/173; G06F
015/16 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jun 20, 1997 |
GB |
9712895.3 |
Claims
1. A network communications system comprising a plurality of user
stations, each comprising respective processing and display means,
and a plurality of service provider host systems coupled via a data
network, wherein at least some of the user stations are registered
as client stations with a first service provider host system, said
host system including storage means maintaining a database of
registered client station identification data; characterised in
that each client station is configured to periodically identify to
said host system, via the data network, when it is on-line; said
host system is arranged to maintain an indication of those client
stations on-line and includes means for, on receipt of data
identifying a client station and additional data specifying a
message, formatting a paging message and transmitting it via the
network to the identified client station; each client station being
configured to, on receipt of a paging message via the data network,
generate an on-screen indication of receipt to the user and, in
response to a predetermined command of the user, repeat the
message.
2. A network communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
on registration of a new client station, the host system is
arranged to generate a digital password, transmit the said password
to the new client station via the data network, and store the said
password with details of the new client station within the said
database.
3. A network communications system as claimed in claim 2, wherein
the periodic identification sent by a client station to the host
system includes an identifier for that client system and the
password assigned by the host system.
4. A network communications system as claimed in claim 1, wherein
the host system includes means operable to digitise audio data
segments and transmit the same as part of a paging message, with
one or more client stations including means arranged to recreate
said audio segments and play the same to a user in response to the
said predetermined command of the user.
5. A data network browser configured as a user station for use in
the network communications system of claim 1, said browser
comprising a data processor coupled with a network interface and an
output for driving a display, the browser being controlled,
following registration as a client station, to periodically
identify to a host system, via the data network, when it is on-line
and, on receipt of a paging message via the data network, to
generate an on-screen indication of receipt to the user and, in
response to a predetermined command of the user, repeat the
message.
6. A data network browser as claimed in claim 5, wherein in
response to the said predetermined command of the user, the browser
is configured to display the message in user-readable form.
7. A data network browser as claimed in claim 5, further comprising
means operable to send via the data network an acknowledge signal
in response to a further user command and following receipt of a
message to be acknowledged.
8. A data network browser as claimed in claim 5, further comprising
user-operable selection means coupled with menu generation means
arranged to generate a display of available icons from which the
user may select one to be used by the browser to indicate the
receipt of a message.
9. A network server for use as service provider host system in a
network communications system as claimed in claim 1, the server
comprising a first storage means maintaining a database of
registered client station identification data, a second storage
means arranged to maintain a directory of those client stations
on-line at a given instant, and network transmission means for, on
receipt of data identifying a client station and additional data
specifying a message, formatting a paging message and transmitting
it via the network to the identified client station.
10. A network server as claimed in claim 9, further comprising
timing means for maintaining in the second storage means directory
an indication of when last each on-line client station contacted
the server.
11. A network server as claimed in claim 10, further comprising
means coupled with the second storage means and operable to remove
from the directory those client stations that do not contact the
server within a predetermined period.
Description
[0001] The present invention relates to user access systems and
service provider host systems for data and service networks,
particularly but not exclusively for use with the Internet/World
Wide Web, and to means for initiating communications with a user
when on-line.
[0002] Recent years have seem a rapid increase in the amount of
data available to a user via data network coupling to remote
server, with cheap browser packages for home personal computer (PC)
users and dedicated (and cheaper) access mechanisms such as WebTV
greatly increasing the number of people on-line. A number of
examples of network access and server systems, whether for the
Internet or on a smaller local area network (LAN), are described in
the introduction to EP-A-0 732 660 (Kambayashi et al/Toshiba) which
relates to a mechanism for providing a degree of personalisation in
service provision.
[0003] In the system described, a number of client systems (for
example home users) are enabled to access, via network, data stored
by a server. Each of these users is registered with the server
having provided to it certain personal details such as an e-mail
address and/or telephone number and optionally also a photograph.
In operation, when a user is accessing a particular store or field
of data held by the server, the server provides to the user a list
of those other users concurrently accessing the data, perhaps
providing an on-screen display of the photographs of those
registered users.
[0004] As the number of people using networks such as the Internet
continues to grow, so the extended use of individual telephone
lines will create more problems. If a person is on-line then others
cannot call them and even other on-line users cannot communicate in
an immediate way using the Internet unless both parties go to a
dedicated "chat space"--a host environment where messages may be
exchanged. E-mail has been found to have problems with reliability
and speed and, in view of the increasing volumes of electronic
"junk mail" users are receiving, there is no guarantee that a
message will be read once received.
[0005] The main difficulty with communication between two or more
concurrently on-line users on such as the Internet is that if they
make use of a dial-up connection then their Internet Protocol (IP)
address--the numeric address that addresses each packet--will be
different each time they connect. Specially written or modified
chat software will not be able to handle the establishing of a link
as one on-line person does not know the IP address of another for
dial-up accounts on many Internet service providers.
[0006] It is therefore an object of the present invention to
provide a means by which on-line users may be alerted to someone
attempting to contact them.
[0007] In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention
there is provided a network communications system comprising a
plurality of user stations, each comprising respective processing
and display means, and a plurality of service provider host systems
coupled via a data network, wherein at least some of the user
stations are registered as client stations with a first service
provider host system, said host system including storage means
maintaining a database of registered client station identification
data; characterised in that each client station is configured to
periodically identify to said host system, via the data network,
when it is on-line; said host system is arranged to maintain an
indication of those client stations on-line and includes means for,
on receipt of data identifying a client station and additional data
specifying a message, formatting a paging message and transmitting
it via the network to the identified client station; each client
station being configured to, on receipt of a paging message via the
data network, generate an on-screen indication of receipt to the
user and, in response to a predetermined command of the user,
repeat the message.
[0008] By the provision of a service provider host system
maintaining a list of those users currently on-line, a base
location is effectively provided from which messages may be sent to
the user (whose IP address would otherwise be unknown). Not only is
this of benefit to the third party trying to contact an on-line
user, but also to the users themselves who might otherwise worry
about the length of time for which their telephone or other on-line
connection is engaged.
[0009] On registration of a new client station, the host system may
be arranged to generate a digital password (and optionally also a
UserID), transmit the password to the new client station via the
data network, and store the password with details of the new client
station within the database. With such an arrangement, the periodic
identification sent by a client station to the host system could
suitably include an identifier for that client system and/or the
password assigned by the host system. Making use of the periodic
messages, the host system may suitably comprise timing means for
maintaining in the directory an indication of when last each
on-line client station contacted the server. With such timing
means, the host may further comprise means coupled with the
directory and operable to remove therefrom those client stations
that do not contact the server within a predetermined period.
[0010] At the client system, which may comprise a suitably
configured data network browser, the arrival of a paging message
may be indicated to the user by display of an on-screen icon or
message. To give a degree of flexibility to the user, user-operable
selection means may be provided coupled with menu generation means
arranged to generate a display of available icons from which the
user may select one to be used by the browser to indicate the
receipt of a message.
[0011] The client station is preferably configured to display the
message in user-readable form in response to a predetermined
command of the user, which command might be typed in via a users
keyboard or simply a point and select operation on the displayed
icon. To provide feedback to the originator of a received message,
a client station may include means operable to send via the data
network an acknowledge signal in response to a further user command
and following receipt of a message to be acknowledged. This
acknowledgment may be sent automatically when the user calls up the
received message to view, or it may require a specific command of
the user.
[0012] In an alternative to displaying the text of paging messages,
the host system may include means operable to digitise audio data
segments and transmit the same as part of a paging message, with
one or more of the client stations then including means arranged to
recreate the audio segments and play the same to a user in response
to the a predetermined command or operation of the user.
[0013] The present invention also provides a data network browser
configured as a user station, and a network server for use as
service provider host system, for the above-described network
communications system and as defined the claims attached hereto, to
which the readers attention is now directed.
[0014] Further features and advantages of the present invention
will become apparent from reading of the following description of
preferred embodiments of the present invention, given by way of
example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0015] FIG. 1 is a block schematic diagram of a first system
configuration embodying the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 2 is a block schematic representation of a user system
architecture for use in the system of FIG. 1;
[0017] FIG. 3 schematically represents the architecture of a
service provider server for use in the system of FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 4 is a flow chart representation of an initial
registration procedure between a user and the service provider;
[0019] FIG. 5 is a flow chart representation of the procedure for
generating and sending an on-line interrupt message to a registered
user;
[0020] FIGS. 6 to 9 represent screen displays seen at the users
machine following a message arrival; and
[0021] FIG. 10 is a block schematic diagram, as FIG. 1, of an
alternative system configuration embodying the present
invention.
[0022] A first exemplary system configuration is illustrated in
FIG. 1, and comprises a client computer system 10 having means to
access, via a telephone network 12, one or more remote servers 14,
16 providing data from respective service providers. As shown, the
access means for the client system 10 comprises a modem 18 linked
to the network via a selector switch 20: operation of the selector
switch 20 enables either the modem 18 or the users domestic
telephone equipment 22 to use the single telephone line. It is this
relatively common situation of a home user having only a single
telephone line that is shared between the computer system 10 and
the telephone equipment 22 which leads to the problem of other
parties being unable to contact users by telephone for long periods
of time whilst the users are engrossed in some on-line activity. A
second user system 24 is shown in the Figure, again with a modem 26
for connecting to the network 12 but this second user has a second
telephone line such that their telephone equipment 28 can remain
connected and operational whilst they are on-line. The drawback to
this arrangement is the cost of renting two telephone lines when
one is effectively only used as back up when the other is in
use.
[0023] In order to overcome the problem of a users telephone line
being engaged for long periods of time, one of the servers 16
provides an on-line paging facility whereby registered clients of
the facility are alerted when on-line (for example whilst logged on
to a different server 14) to someone wishing to contact them via
their single telephone line.
[0024] A typical client system, in the form of a personal computer
(PC) hosting the client end of the paging facility, is shown in
FIG. 2. The system comprises a central processor (CPU) 30 linked
via an address and data bus 32 to non-volatile read-only memory
(ROM) 34 and random access memory (RAM) 36. A further source of
stored data may suitably be magnetic or optical disc such as CD-ROM
38 accessed by a suitable reader 40 controlled by the CPU via the
bus 32. For connection of peripheral devices, a number of suitable
interfaces are provided, again accessed via the bus 32. These
interfaces include a keyboard interface 42 to receive signals from
a conventional keyboard or keypad 44; a pointer interface 46 to
receive two-dimensional (or optionally three-dimensional for some
applications) movement signals from an XY pointer device such as a
mouse or trackball 48; and an external interface 50 linking the
data and address bus 32 to the modem 18. Also coupled with the bus
are a display driver stage 52 and frame buffer 54, with the display
driver calling up images assembled in the frame buffer for output
to a display 56, such as a cathode-ray or liquid crystal display
device. As illustrated, an on-screen cursor 58 is provided, with
movement and selection being controlled via the mouse or trackball
device 48.
[0025] A suitable architecture for the server of the host system
providing the paging facility is illustrated schematically in FIG.
3. From a gateway 60 to the network (12; FIG. 1), and via a data
formatting stage 62 (differing data formats will be discussed in
more detail hereinafter), a data and address bus 64 links to a main
control and processing stage 66. Coupled with the control stage 66
via the bus 64 are operational memories ROM 68 and RAM 70. Two
further storage means are provided, the first of which is a large
capacity arrangement 72 holding data arranged into a database
representing details of registered clients of the service. Access
to the database is suitably handled by a dedicated stage 74 under
the direction of the main control stage 66.
[0026] The second storage means 76, accessed via the bus 64, has a
relatively smaller capacity than the database store 72 but much
faster read/write cycle times: this second store 76 holds a
directory of which of the registered clients of the system are
on-line at any given time, based on periodic update messages
received from each client. The update periodicity is standardised
for the system as a whole, for example to once per minute: the
store 76 includes an indication of the time that the last update
was received from each client, and the control stage 66 is arranged
to delete from the directory those entries for which an update has
not been received for two or three minutes.
[0027] The procedure effected by the host server system of FIG. 3
in the registration of new clients and receiving of periodic
updates from existing clients is illustrated by the flowchart of
FIG. 4. The procedure is initiated at step 401 by the detection of
a remote terminal accessing the server: in the absence of a
detected access, the system carries out various housekeeping tasks,
as will be described, before again checking for access.
[0028] Once a remote access has been detected at step 401, the next
procedure is to determine (at step 402) whether the accessing
station is an existing client of the system or whether it is a new
user to be registered. If the accessing station does not provide a
recognised ID and password within the access message, it is assumed
to be a new client and the procedure passes to step 403 in which
one or more data screens calling for information from the new user
are sent to the accessing station. The required information will
include the telephone number from which they are calling (and which
is hence engaged at the time) together with an E-mail address and
optionally credit card details if the service is not free.
[0029] At step 404 a check is made to see whether a response has
been received to the sending of the data screens. If data has been
received, the procedure moves to a validity check at step 405; if
not, a countdown timer associated with the access procedure is
checked (step 406) to see whether it has expired. If the countdown
timer at step 406 has not expired, the system reverts to step 404
(optionally following a short delay) to again check for a response;
if the timer has expired, the accessing procedure is terminated and
the system reverts to its housekeeping procedures before returning
to step 401 to check for a new access.
[0030] The validity check on the received data (step 405) might
simply comprise a count of the number of digits in a telephone or
credit card number or may be more detailed and rigorous. If it
shows there to be an error in the received data, an error message
will be generated and sent to the caller (step 407) following which
the procedure moves back to the countdown timer check at step 406:
if the timer has not expired, the new user will have a chance to
re-send the data, otherwise the process terminates as before.
[0031] Having established at step 405 that the received data from
the new user is valid, a user ID and password are generated at step
408 and E-mailed to the user: it is the presence or absence of this
ID and password at step 402 which determines whether the accessing
user is recognised as an existing (registered) client or whether
they are treated as a new customer. Following sending of the ID and
password, the new client details are loaded up in the hosts client
database (72; FIG. 3) at step 409 and, because the client is
assumed to be still on line, their ID is added to the directory of
currently on-line users (76; FIG. 3) at step 410.
[0032] Returning briefly to step 402, if this determines that the
accessing caller is an existing client (with details recorded in
the database), the procedure moves to step 411 which checks whether
or not they are currently in the directory, which is to say whether
they are currently listed as on-line or whether they have just come
on-line. If they are not already listed, the procedure moves to
step 410 where they are added to the directory. If they are already
listed at step 411, or following listing at step 410, or following
expiry of the countdown timer at step 406, the procedure moves on
to the housekeeping operations of steps 412 and 413.
[0033] At step 412, the directory entries are checked with
reference to their respective last contact with the host: if this
exceeds a predetermined period such as three minutes, the client is
taken to be off-line and their entry removed from the directory. At
step 413, the time entries for the remaining client identifiers in
the directory are incremented. If the procedure is run at a fixed
frequency, a variable wait may be introduced at step 414 before the
procedure reverts to 401 to again check for user access.
[0034] The procedure for handling the generation and sending of
paging messages by the service provider host system will now be
described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. 5. The procedure
begins at step 501 with receipt of a request to send a message to a
particular user. The user to be called may be identified by their
system ID but more suitably by their (engaged) telephone number
which will be held in the client database.
[0035] From receipt of the request to send, the next check (step
502) is whether the identified client is listed in the directory,
that is to say whether it is currently on-line. If step 502 is
negative, the host generates and sends (step 503) an error message
appropriate to the channel by which the request was received,
following which the procedure terminates at step 504. If the check
of step 502 shows the identified client to be listed as on-line,
the host system will then request the caller to specify the message
they wish forwarded at step 505.
[0036] Having requested the message from the caller, the system
enters a waiting loop comprising a check for receipt of a message
(step 506), a check as to whether a countdown clock associated with
the request has expired (step 507) and a short wait (step 508)
before repeating the check of step 506. If the countdown timer at
step 507 expires before a message is received, the procedure
diverts to step 503, namely the generation of an error message (not
necessarily the same as that following failure at step 502)
followed by termination of the procedure.
[0037] Once a message has been detected as received by step 506,
the host system will format it (step 509) according to the
communications channel to be used and with reference to any
constraints or particular settings of the clients system logged
with the client data in the database, then send it to the
identified client, at step 510. If the client system supports an
acknowledgment protocol for the paging messages, the procedure will
continue at step 511 (waiting for receipt of the acknowledgement),
otherwise it will proceed directly to step 504 (termination). The
wait state at step 511 is part of a further wait loop, also
including a check for receipt of the acknowledgement from the
client at step 512 and a countdown timer at 513 limiting the
maximum time the system will wait for a response. Depending on
whether or not an acknowledgement is received within the time set,
the system will respond to the caller with a report of either the
success (step 514) or failure (step 515) of the acknowledge, before
the procedure terminates at step 504.
[0038] FIGS. 6 and 7 represent on-screen displays which may be seen
by a user of a client system during receipt of a paging message. In
FIG. 6, the user is browsing through text and graphics in a window
interface: the cursor 58 may be used to operate scrolling bars,
activate links and so forth as will be familiar to the average
user. On receipt of a paging message, the client system calls a
preselected icon 100 from storage and intermittently loads it into
the frame buffer (54; FIG. 2) such that it flashes on the screen to
alert the user to receipt of the message. If the user wishes to see
the message, they need simply position the cursor 58 over the icon
100 and select (using XY controller 48; FIG. 2) following which the
icon 100 is replaced by a text window 102 as shown in FIG. 7. This
text window may contain one or more control switches as shown in
addition to the message text. These buttons would suitably give the
user the opportunity to reply by typing his own text in the window
102 (although this button will be disabled if the service provider
does not indicate that the caller can accept a reply), to simply
acknowledge receipt of the message (as at steps 511-515 of FIG. 5)
or to delete the message.
[0039] The form of the icon 100 and whether or not it flashes to
attract a users attention, and the arrangement of the text window
102 are suitably provided as set-up choices to the user, with the
source of the pager message handling software suitably also
including menus of display options to accompany the operation.
[0040] An alternative screen display is illustrated in FIGS. 8 and
9, representing a two-dimensional view, as presented by a user, who
is navigating a three-dimensional virtual environment based on data
from a remote service provider. An example of standardisation in
the field of data defining such virtual environments is the
so-called Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) as described,
for example, in the VRML standard, version 2.0, issued as ISO/IEC
WD14772 on Aug. 4, 1996. VRML is a file format for describing
interactive three-dimensional objects and worlds to be experienced
on the Internet/World Wide Web and it is generally analogous to the
way HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is used to describe documents,
such as the data being browsed in the example of FIGS. 6 and 7, for
transmission over the Internet. In the three-dimensional scenario,
the simple two-dimensional icon from FIG. 6 may be replaced by a
three-dimensional animated character such as the beetle 104 in FIG.
8. The movements of the beetle are pre-scripted and stored in the
client system and need simply be sequentially loaded into the frame
buffer at run time. As before, the user has a cursor 58 by means of
which objects within the virtual environment displayed may be
selected or manipulated: in this instance, clicking on the beetle
will lead to display of the text of the received message, perhaps
as shown in FIG. 9 by another animated creature 106 which either
simply replaces or metamorphoses from the beetle.
[0041] From reading the present disclosure, other modifications
will be apparent to persons skilled in the art. Such modifications,
whilst remaining within the scope of the following claims, may
involve other features which are already known in the design,
manufacture and use of data transmission and presentation systems,
display apparatuses and component parts thereof and which may be
used instead of or in addition to features already described
herein. Some of these modifications or variations are illustrated
in FIG. 10, which otherwise corresponds to FIG. 1 in a number of
details (for which the same reference numerals have been used),
which features will not be again described. Apart from the
replacement of the users selector switch with a simple socket 80,
the principle change is to provide for callers having only a
telephone 28, without a network browser system. For such a case,
the service provider may provide one or more human operators 82 who
receive the caller requests by telephone 84, check whether the
client is on-line and, if so, manually enter the message for
transmission via display 86 and data input 88 means.
[0042] An alternative and automated arrangement requires the caller
to have a touch tone telephone: after dialling up a connection to
the server 16, the user then enters their own telephone number and
the number they are trying to contact (the number of client 10).
The server compares the requested number against the current
directory of on-line clients and, if there is a match, sends a
paging message such as "Telephone No. 0123 456 789 Called". In a
further alternative arrangement, the server records short (10-20
second) voice mail messages from the caller.
[0043] Although claims have been formulated in this application to
particular combinations of features, it should be understood that
the scope of the disclosure of the present invention also includes
any novel feature or any novel combination of features disclosed
herein either explicitly or implicitly or any generalisation
thereof, whether or not it relates to the same invention as
presently claimed in any claim and whether or not it mitigates any
or all of the same the technical problems as does the present
invention. The applicants hereby give notice that new claims may be
formulated to such features and/or combinations of features during
the prosecution of the present application or of any further
application derived therefrom.
* * * * *