U.S. patent application number 10/364960 was filed with the patent office on 2003-06-26 for simplified-file hyper text protocol.
This patent application is currently assigned to WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP. Invention is credited to Kikinis, Dan.
Application Number | 20030120786 10/364960 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25153115 |
Filed Date | 2003-06-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030120786 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Kikinis, Dan |
June 26, 2003 |
Simplified-file hyper text protocol
Abstract
A system is provided wherein relatively low-end computers, such
as portable, battery-powered computers ordinarily incapable of
sophisticated Internet browsing functions may be used to browse the
Internet. The enhanced computing ability for such portables is
provided by a unique Internet server adapted for transposing data
files to alternative, low-information-density form, preferably
comprising simplified or single files suitable for rapid processing
and display by connected portable and other low-end computers In
embodiments wherein batter-powered field units are used, battery
life is exhibited far beyond what would be expected for a
battery-powered computer with computing power for browsing the
Internet directly. In some embodiments of the invention adapted
files are saved and identified for future use in communicating with
specific devices over Internet connections.
Inventors: |
Kikinis, Dan; (Saratoga,
CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP
ONE LIBERTY PLACE, 46TH FLOOR
1650 MARKET STREET
PHILADELPHIA
PA
19103
US
|
Assignee: |
WOODCOCK WASHBURN LLP
One Liberty Place - 46th Floor
Philadelphia
PA
19103
|
Family ID: |
25153115 |
Appl. No.: |
10/364960 |
Filed: |
February 12, 2003 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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10364960 |
Feb 12, 2003 |
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09506107 |
Feb 17, 2000 |
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6535922 |
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09506107 |
Feb 17, 2000 |
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08791249 |
Jan 30, 1997 |
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6076109 |
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08791249 |
Jan 30, 1997 |
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08629475 |
Apr 10, 1996 |
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5727159 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
709/228 ;
707/E17.121; 709/236 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 67/56 20220501;
H04L 67/563 20220501; H04L 9/40 20220501; H04L 67/565 20220501;
H04L 67/5651 20220501; H04L 67/568 20220501; G06F 16/9577 20190101;
H04L 67/02 20130101; H04M 1/72445 20210101; H04L 67/01 20220501;
H04L 67/2871 20130101; H04L 67/303 20130101; H04W 80/04 20130101;
A63H 2200/00 20130101; H04L 69/08 20130101; H04L 69/329 20130101;
H04M 1/724 20210101; H04W 64/00 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
709/228 ;
709/236 |
International
Class: |
G06F 015/16 |
Claims
What is claimed:
1. A computing system comprising: a field computer comprising a
display having a specific size and resolution; and an Internet
server having server control routines and connected to the field
computer by a data link; wherein the server control routines are
adapted to establish type and functionality of the field computer
and to prepare and transmit data to the filed computer in a form
specifically adapted to the characteristics of the field computer.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/506,107 filed Feb. 17, 2000, which is a
divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/791,249 filed
Jan. 30, 1997 now U.S. Pat. No. 6,076,109, which is a
continuation-in-part of U.S. application Ser. No. 08/629,475 filed
Apr. 10, 1996 now U.S. Pat. No. 5,727,159.
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0002] The present invention is in the area of apparatus and
methods including software for accessing information from the
Internet, and providing the accessed information to an end user.
The invention has, in various embodiments, particular applicability
to portable computers powered by batteries and the like used as
field units for Internet access.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] There are many motivations to computer development,
depending largely on targeted customer groups. For example, a
certified public accountant needs to run applications having to do
with accounting, taxes, financial planning, and the like, while a
fiction writer may wish only to use a computer as a word processor.
The kind of system one of these people might choose to own may be
vastly different from the type the other would purchase.
Manufacturers plan their research and development to produce
products that appeal to their targeted customer bases.
[0004] Even with the considerable differences in needs between
different consumer groups, there are still many commonly desirable
traits in computer development. For example, regardless of the
ultimate functionality of a particular sort of computer, a low cost
to manufacture is a desirable characteristic. Another desirable
characteristic is portability. There are advantages to being able
to easily move one's computing tool from place to place, and even
greater advantages to having a portable computer small enough to
carry in a pocket or purse.
[0005] Even though portability and small size is generally
desirable, power and functionality are always desirable as well,
and these characteristics are competitive. Conventionally and
historically one pays a penalty for small size and portability.
[0006] One of the penalties typically paid is functionality as
related to battery life. That is, if one uses a powerful and fast
CPU in a portable computer, the size of the battery must be quite
large, and life between charges will be relatively short. For
example, it can be shown in general that 100 grams of battery
weight, fully charged, will power about 5.times.10.sup.8
instructions. It is to be understood that this is a general figure,
and may vary somewhat for different CPUs, types of batteries, and
the like.
[0007] Given the figure above relating battery weight to a number
of instructions for illustrative purposes, if a portable computer
is to be provided with ability to execute relatively high-overhead
applications, such a HTML files in Internet applications, the CPU
for the portable computer will have to operate at 1 to 2 MIPS
(million instructions per second). Assuming 1 MIPS, a battery
weight of 100 g. will discharge in about 8 minutes. A five hundred
gram (a little over one pound) battery will provide a life between
charges of about 41 minutes.
[0008] It is seen, then, that as applications and desired functions
for personal computers become more sophisticated, it becomes ever
more difficult to provide theses applications and functions for
small, personal, battery-powered computers.
[0009] There are some ways that battery life may be extended or
optimized. For example, power-management techniques may extend
battery life by 1.5, use of low-power integrated circuit technology
can add another 1.5, sophisticated electrical storage technology
another 1.5, and solar recharge perhaps another 1.2. The net
multiplier, using every means of help is about 5, so a 500 g
battery will then power such a computer for about three hours. Five
hours is still a relatively short battery lifetime, so
sophisticated operations for small, portable computers, such as
World Wide Web (WWW) browsing on the Internet, are not, until the
time of the present invention, very practical.
[0010] Further to the above discussion, as the global network of
connected databases known as the World Wide Web continues to grow,
social and political concerns grow as well. Many are concerned that
the expense and complexity of end-use computers suitable for WEB
browsing is a formidable barrier to increased information access by
disadvantaged millions, for which WEB access may be seen as a tool
for empowerment and social and political advancement.
[0011] What is clearly needed is apparatus and methods whereby
sophisticated operations like Web browsing and the like may be
accomplished with small, battery-powered portable computers, such
as hand-held computers, while also accomplishing a
life-between-charges of a week or more, without requiring
especially heavy batteries.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0012] In a preferred embodiment of the invention a computing
system is provided comprising a field computer comprising a display
having a specific size and resolution; and a Proxy-Server connected
to the field computer by a data link, the Proxy-Server having an
Internet port. The Proxy-Server is adapted in this preferred
embodiment to access Internet servers through the Internet port
directed by commands and data received from the field computer, to
download data from the Internet servers thus accessed, to transpose
the downloaded data by reducing information density, and to
transfer the transposed data to the field computer via the data
link in a Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP)
format.
[0013] A particular advantage in embodiments of the invention
accrues in use of portable computers powered by electrical storage
cell systems, such as by batteries of various sorts. In these
embodiments functionality to battery life is significantly
extended. Hand-held computers with computing power lower than
one-hundred thousand instructions per second can be apparently
fully functional Internet browsing tools, while enjoying battery
life between charges of as much as two weeks, or more.
[0014] In various embodiments of the invention the Proxy-Server
downloads data comprising WEB pages and transposes the data to
match the specific size and resolution of the display of the field
computer. The Proxy-Server may also accomplish caching functions in
handling data from the Internet to a field computer coupled to the
Proxy-Server.
[0015] Also in some preferred embodiments of the invention, when a
field computer makes a data link with a Proxy-Server adapted
according to embodiments of the invention, the field computer
transfers to the Proxy-Server information particular to specific
characteristics of the field computer, such as the size and
resolution of the display of the field computer. The Proxy-Server
then uses this information in transposing data for transfer to the
field computer.
[0016] Various data links known in the art may be used for coupling
field computers, such as battery-powered portable units, to a
Proxy-Server according to embodiments of the invention. Among these
links are telephone modems, both analog and digital, and cordless
connections of various types.
[0017] Elements of the invention in various aspects can be provided
separately to be generally compatible in operation. For example,
Proxy-Servers adapted to perform the browsing and data transposing
functions of embodiments of the invention, and adapted to transmit
transposed files to connected field computers can be provided
without adapted field computers. Moreover, field computers can be
provided for end-users adapted for operation with Proxy-Servers,
but may be provided separate from Proxy-Servers. Many existing
computers, including those types generally known as personal
organizers, digital assistants, and the like, may be adapted to
cooperate with Proxy-Servers according to embodiments of the
invention.
[0018] Further to the above, various items of software can also be
provided according to and compatible with hardware devices and
systems independently of the hardware devices and systems.
[0019] In practicing the invention, one's adapted personal computer
is coupled to a Proxy-Server over a data link such as a telephone
modem, and may, according to an aspect of the invention, transfer
specific information, such as the type, size, and resolution of the
personal computer's display, to the Proxy-Server. The Proxy-Server
may then browse the World Wide Web according to instructions
received from the personal computer, transpose files downloaded
from the Web into a form quickly and easily usable by the personal
computer, and transmit the transposed data to the personal computer
for display. Very large files may become fewer files, and much
smaller files in the transposition.
[0020] There are many benefits to be expected from practicing
various embodiments of this invention. For example, low-end,
hand-held computers, including such units known generally as
personal organizers and personal digital assistants (PDAs), now
become fully-functional Web browsers. This effect alone extends the
use of the Web dramatically to people and institutions that might
otherwise be excluded from the exponentially growing body of human
knowledge available. The benefits extend to schoolrooms as well as
to the homes of potential users. Accessibility is also
significantly advanced for cultures and countries where such
technology might not be available soon, or ever. There are many
such social and cultural benefits. In addition, there are the clear
benefits of power-saving, produced by the very efficient use of
computing power at the Proxy-Servers of the invention, rather than
at the computers in the field.
[0021] In addition, combination designs of televisions and
computers, which are just being offered at the time of this patent
application, could benefit from incorporation of features of this
invention, wherein much of the computing load could be carried by a
Proxy-Server, allowing simplicity and lower-end CPUs to be used at
the TV apparatus. In alternative embodiments, computing power no
longer needed could be used for other tasks, such as providing a
soft-modem. Reduced file size in such applications will also
provide faster loading, which will be important for some time to
come, because analog phone lines will continue to be the principal
carriers in the near future.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0022] FIG. 1 is a largely diagrammatical illustration of a
Proxy-Server system according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0023] FIG. 2 is a diagram of a portable computer and a
Proxy-Server from FIG. 1, showing additional detail.
[0024] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first part of an exemplary
session script between a hand-held computer, a Proxy-Server, and a
WEB server according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] FIG. 4 is a second part of the exemplary session script for
which FIG. 3 is a first part.
[0026] FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an Uninterrupted Matrix of
Inexpensive Servers according to an embodiment of the
invention.
[0027] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating enhanced E-mail and
groupware functions according to an embodiment of the present
invention.
[0028] FIG. 7 is an overview illustration of a WEB-browsing system
according to an embodiment of the present invention wherein a proxy
server is not used or needed.
[0029] FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating steps in process flow
for operations of a server according to an alternative embodiment
of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENTS
[0030] FIG. 1 is a largely diagrammatical illustration of a
computing system 11 according to an embodiment of the present
invention. In this embodiment a hand-held computer 13 is connected
via a telephone line 15 through a modem 17 to a first dial-up point
18, which may be an Internet Service Provider. Accordingly, dial-up
point 18 is labeled ISP 1. In this arrangement a Proxy-Server 19
according to an embodiment of the present invention is established
as a server on the Internet, and a command from unit 13 to ISP 1
results in connection through a TCP/IP pipe 16 to Proxy-Server 19.
Proxy-Server 19 is also labeled ISP 2, for Internet Provider 2.
Proxy-Server 19 has links to other Web servers on the Internet as
is known in the art, and may open TCP/IP paths 21 to any such Web
server.
[0031] In alternative arrangements, connection may be by modem from
unit 13 directly to Proxy-Server 19. Alternatively, Proxy-Server 19
may be a node on a LAN at a corporate system. In all cases of
embodiments of the invention, communication from unit 13 to Web
Servers on the Internet is through Proxy-Server 19.
[0032] In this embodiment hand-held computer 13 is a high-end
personal organizer, such as a Sharp Wizard.TM. personal organizer.
The hand-held computer, however, can be any one of a large number
of commercially available computing devices with a broad range of
capabilities, including those devices known as personal digital
assistants (PDAs). In other embodiments and aspects of the present
invention, the computer used by a person to access and interact
with the Proxy-Server in practicing the present invention need not
be a hand-held, or even a portable computer in the sense the terms
are used in the art. In some aspects, capabilities of a field unit
according to the present invention are built into a set-top box for
a TV system or directly into a TV set.
[0033] Most computers capable of modem communication can serve to
practice the invention, and, in the following discussion, the terms
field computer or field unit are used to generally indicate a
computer used anywhere for primary Internet access, whether through
and in cooperation with a Proxy-Server according to an embodiment
of the present invention, or not.
[0034] Even though the present invention is not limited to
hand-held, battery-powered computers, but is applicable to personal
computers of all types, the techniques of the invention are
particularly advantageous when used with portable, battery powered
devices as filed units, because they provide a way to accomplish
relatively sophisticated computer operations with low-end,
low-power CPUs. This technique is particularly effective in saving
power relative to functionality, which provides greatly extended
battery life.
[0035] Returning to FIG. 1, in this arrangement, computer 13 has a
modem 17, and is connected via phone lines 15 to a Proxy-Server 19,
as described above, such as through a first dial-up point. This
connection is convenient, but not required. There are a number of
other ways computer 13 may be connected to the Internet, or to a
similar Proxy-Server without telephone lines, such as by a
satellite link or cable modem, or by a combination of data links.
Also, the modem shown may be a built-in modem or an external modem,
and may also be either an analog modem or a digital link such as an
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) modem.
[0036] Proxy-Server 19 in this arrangement is unique. In a
conventional system, proxy-servers, if used at all, are used only
for caching and security. In embodiments of the present invention
the Proxy-Server performs much of the computing that computer 13
would otherwise be obliged to perform. Proxy-Server 19 and its
functionality with computer 13 is described in more detail
below.
[0037] FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical illustration of hand-held
computer 13, Proxy-Server 19, and WEB server 23 from FIG. 1 showing
additional detail. In FIG. 2, computer 13 is shown connected
directly to Proxy-Server 19, but could be connected by a number of
ways, as is described more generally above.
[0038] Computer 13 has a CPU 25, a memory 27, video adapter
circuitry 29, and modem 17 all communicating on bus 31. Video
circuitry 29 drives a display 33. Memory 27 may be any of a number
of types, such as flash, random access (RAM), read-only (ROM) or
similar type, or a combination of these. There may be other
components as well, but these are not shown to facilitate
description of the unique aspects of this embodiment of the
invention. The hardware arrangement is intentionally shown as
general, and is meant to represent a broad variety of
architectures, which depend on the particular computing device
used.
[0039] Proxy-Server 19 is a relatively sophisticated and powerful
computer typical of computers used as WEB servers, although the use
in this embodiment of Proxy-Server 19 is not the conventional or
typical functions of a WEB server as known in the art. Proxy-Server
19 has a CPU 39, a memory 41 and a means of connecting to a
network. The network connecting means in this embodiment is a modem
35 communicating on a bus 47. In other embodiments the network
connecting means may be a network adapter or other.
[0040] Modem 35 in the embodiment shown is compatible with modem 17
in computer 13. In other embodiments link 15 may be of a different
sort, and connection may be made through a dial-up point as shown
in FIG. 1. A communication port 37 connects to communication link
21 (FIG. 1), providing communication with conventional WEB server
23, which represent any WEB server that may be accessed on the
World Wide Web.
[0041] Port 37 and link 21 may be any of several types. In some
embodiments, server 23 and server 19 will be nodes on a local area
network (LAN), and the link between the two servers will be a
serial network link with port 37 being a LAN card according to any
of a number of well-known protocols. In other embodiments link 21
may be another telephone line, and port 37 will be a telephone
modem. In still other embodiments, this link could be a parallel
communication link.
[0042] Proxy-Server 19 exists in this embodiment of the invention
to perform functions enabling hand-held computer 13 to operate as
an apparently powerful web-browsing machine, even though the
stand-alone capability of computer 13 will not even begin to
support such functionality. As is well-known in the art, for a
computer to be a fully-functional web-browsing system requires a
high-performance CPU and execution of relatively sophisticated
web-browsing and display applications. Such a computer typically
has to operate, as described above, at or above a million
instructions per second.
[0043] In the embodiment of the present invention shown by FIGS. 1
and 2 Proxy-Server 19 executes a program 45 the inventor terms an
InterBrowser. The InterBrowser combines functionality of a
conventional web browser with special functions for recognition of
and communication with hand-held computer 13. Commands from
computer 13, such as, for example, a command to access a WEB page
on the World Wide Web, are received by Proxy-Server 19 operating
the InterBrowser program, and acted upon as though they are
commands received from a conventional input device such as a
keyboard.
[0044] Following the example of a command communicated over link 15
from computer 13 for accessing a WEB page (typically a Universal
Resource Locator (URL), Proxy-Server 19 accesses the appropriate
server (in this case server 23) over link 21, and downloads the
appropriate data over link 21. Proxy-Server 19 therefore has HTML
and TCP/IP capability, and typically has access to and capability
of executing a host of other routines as known in the art for
supporting WEB browsing and accessing data through the World Wide
Web. These routines and this functionality are all very well-known
to those with skill in the art.
[0045] Proxy-Server 19, instead of displaying the downloaded data
(or playing video and/or audio output, as the case may be,
depending on the downloaded data), translates the data to a simpler
communication protocol and sends the data to computer 13 for output
over link 15 in a TCP/IP protocol. Link 15 becomes a dedicated
TCP/IP pipe to and from Proxy-Server 19. Proxy-Server 19 thus acts
as a proxy for computer 13, performing those functions of WEB
browsing computer 13 cannot perform.
[0046] Computer 13 through execution of a program the inventor
terms a NanoBrowser 43 sends commands entered at computer 13 over
link 15 to Proxy-Server 19 and accepts data from Proxy-Server 19 to
be displayed on display 33. Data is transferred in a protocol the
inventor terms HT-Lite. The NanoBrowser also provides for
interactive selection of links and entry into fields in displays,
as is typical for WEB pages displayed on a computer screen. The
NanoBrowser provides for accepting such entry, packaging data
packets in TCP/IP form, and forwarding such data to Proxy-Server
19, where much greater computer power provides for efficient
processing.
[0047] In conventional WEB browsing, all final processing takes
place at the browser's computer, and those who establish WEB
servers assume that browser's will operate with sufficiently
powerful equipment and programs to accomplish all of the necessary
processing. No such processing is done at the WEB servers.
[0048] One of the processing tasks that has to conventionally occur
at the browser's computer is processing of received data into a
format to be displayed on whatever display the user has There are,
as is well-known in the art, many types of displays and many
display modes. These range all the way from relatively crude LCD
displays to high-resolution, multi-color displays. There are, in
addition, a number of other functions that have to be performed
conventionally at a user's computer to interact effectively with
the WWW. For example, audio and video and some other functions
typically require supplemental, or helper, applications to be
installed on or downloaded to a field unit to process audio and
video data and the like.
[0049] Most data transferred by WEB servers assumes relatively
high-end displays, such as color SVGA displays as known in the art.
In PDAs and digital organizers, such as those anticipated for use
in the present invention, the displays are relatively low
resolution, and are typically LCD in nature. In the system
described with the aid of FIGS. 1 and 2 InterBrowser program 45 at
the Proxy-Server and the HT-Lite NanoBrowser program at the
hand-held unit cooperate in another manner as well. When one
connects to the Proxy-Server the hand-held unit, through the
HT-Lite NanoBrowser program, provides a signature which the
Proxy-Server compares with logged signatures.
[0050] An ID match when connecting a hand-held unit to the
Proxy-Server provides the Proxy-Server with information about the
hand-held unit, such as CPU type and power, screen size, type and
resolution, presence of a pointer device, and sound capability. The
Proxy-Server then uses this specific information to translate HTML
and other files from the Internet to a form readily usable without
extensive additional processing by the hand-held unit. For a small
monochrome LCD display a 60 k/70 k JPEG file becomes a 2 k/4 k bit
map, for example. Also, multi-file pages are recombined into single
file pages. This translation also minimizes bandwidth requirement
for link 15, and speeds transmission of data.
[0051] It is in this ability of the Proxy-Server to do the heavy
computing, of which the translation of HTML files is a single
example, that is responsible for a unique ability of hand-held
devices in practicing embodiments of the present invention to
accomplish functions that they could not otherwise accomplish, and
to do so without inordinate usage of stored energy. In various
embodiments of the present invention, hand-held devices with CPUs
having an ability to run at from 0.001 to 0.05 MIPs can serve as
WEB browsers, displaying WEB pages and allowing users to initiate
on-screen links and to input data into input fields. Given the
above example of MIPs requirement for WEB browsing, where currently
available solutions may provide a 5.times. advantage, practicing
the present invention can provide an advantage of up to
2000.times., resulting in battery life approaching 2 weeks (given a
100 g battery weight), where expected battery life for similar
functionality with a powerful CPU was calculated as 8 minutes.
[0052] There are many functions other than simple WEB browsing that
are desirable for a hand-held devices like those contemplated to be
used with systems according to embodiments of the present
invention. The typical functions for digital organizers and PDAs,
for example, such as scheduling of appointments, listing phone
numbers, addresses and the like, taking notes, sending faxes and
E-mail and so forth, and such tasks as currency conversion, are
still provided by a hand-held unit executing HT-Lite. Now, however,
these functions are more interactive than previously, as data for
these functions can be exchanged through the TCP/IP link with the
Proxy-Server, which may access data from a variety of sources to
update data for such functions.
[0053] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a variety
of Groupware functions are supported, wherein a database having
variable data such as appointment schedules for employees may be
accessed from several different points, such as from a computer at
home, a computer on a network at the office, and a hand-held
computer in the field, through a Proxy-Server connection. In such
interactive circumstances, date and time monitoring may be used so
files in different locations may be updated when connection is made
between units having different versions of a file. Also, access may
be provided selectively, so, if preferred, only certain persons may
have access to certain files. For example, one user could grant
another access to his or her appointment schedule, such that one
could make an appointment for oneself on another's appointment
schedule.
[0054] To practice the invention, given an accessible WEB server
configured as a Proxy-Server according to an embodiment of the
present invention, one needs only to load HT-Lite NanoBrowser
software on a computer and to provide Internet access for the
computer, such as by a telephone modem. In many cases, candidate
computers have built-in modems. In other cases, an external modem
may be provided and connected. In the case of hand-held devices,
such as PDAs and organizers, some have an ability to load software
via a serial port, a PC card slot, through the modem extant or
provided, or by other conventional means. IN some cases, all
operating code is embedded, that is, recorded in read-only memory.
In some of these cases, adding HT-Lite routines may require a
hardware replacement. In virtually all cases of hand-held devices,
however, the necessary routines can be provided.
[0055] One of the components of the HT-Lite NanoBrowser software is
a minimum browser routine termed by the inventor a NanoBrowser. The
NanoBrowser is capable of exerting a URL over the modem connection
to access the Proxy-Server. Theoretically, one could exert a URL of
a WEB site other than the Proxy-Server, but the result would be an
unusable connection, as the small hand-held unit would not be able
to handle the sophisticated data provided to be downloaded.
[0056] Connection to the Proxy-Server provides the Proxy-Server
with information as to the subscriber and the subscriber's
equipment. These operations proceed in a manner well-known in the
art for such log-on and security transactions. Once access is
extended to the user, an interface is provided for the user to
browse in a manner very similar to well-known WEB interfaces. That
is, the user's display provides an entry field for a URL which is
asserted by an enter key or the like. There may also be an address
book for often-visited sites, as is common with more powerful
machines.
[0057] Developers are quickly introducing new and useful features
for WEB browsing, such as an ability for users to access electronic
documents through access to their own WEB pages,
machine-independently. All such features will be available in the
practice of the present invention, as there is nothing in the
invention that inherently restricts use more than the use of more
powerful machines.
[0058] Similarly, there are no strict requirements for the location
of the Proxy-Server or of accessible WEB servers in embodiments of
the present invention. No restrictions are placed on such locations
beyond restrictions on servers in general. In one embodiment, a
corporation with multiple and perhaps international locations may
have a local area network with one or more Proxy-Servers, and
employees, particularly those employees whose job functions require
travel, are provided with hand-held digital assistants according to
an embodiment of the present invention. Multiple functions are then
provided over Internet connection in Internet protocol, far beyond
what could otherwise be provided with small and inexpensive units;
and battery life would be far beyond what would otherwise be
expected.
[0059] FIGS. 3 and 4 together form an example of a session script
between hand-held computer 13, Proxy-Server 19, and any WEB server
23. These figures are used herein to describe important functions
of the NanoBrowser incorporated in computer unit 13, and the
InterBrowser, incorporated in Proxy-Server 19, as well as to
illustrate methods in practicing the present invention.
[0060] Referring first to FIG. 3, the figure is divided generally
into three columns (as is FIG. 4), one for functions performed at
computer field unit 13, a middle column for functions performed at
Proxy-Server 19, and a third column for functions performed at WEB
server 23.
[0061] At step 47 a user turns on the hand-held computer. It is
assumed at this point that a data link is established between the
hand-held and Proxy-Server 19, which is represented in FIG. 3 and
in FIG. 4 by the boundary between the left column and the center
column. As previously described, this interface can be of any
convenient sort, such as an analog telephone modem. After the
hand-held performs a simple boot-up process, a menu is presented to
the user. One of the selections (by virtue of the NanoBrowser
software) is Browse/Mail.
[0062] At step 49 the user selects Browse/Mail. Other functions of
the hand-held, that may be fully supported without connection to a
Proxy-Server, such as appointment scheduling and phone lists, are
not represented here, except by the general step 51 labeled "Other
Activity". There may be other menu selections, and the Browse/Mail
selection is exemplary. Initiation of communication with the
Proxy-Server could be accomplished in other ways.
[0063] Routines in the NanoBrowser respond to the Browse/Mail
selection by presenting the necessary interface for the user to
access his/her subscribed Internet provider. At step 53 this
interface is presented and the user makes the necessary inputs to
establish the provider connection.
[0064] The present example assumes connection and operation through
an Internet provider, wherein the subscriber's status is that of a
Proxy-Server subscriber, although this is not the only arrangement
within the scope of the invention. Employees of a corporation
might, for example, log on to a server on a company network.
[0065] Connection to the Internet provider is made at step 55. At
step 57 action is taken to establish an Internet Protocol (IP)
connection to a Proxy-Server according to the present invention.
Initial communication from the connected hand-held causes the
Proxy-Server to open a port and establish the connection at step
59.
[0066] At step 61 the user logs on by entering a user name and
password and the field unit identifies itself with its ID. At step
63 the Proxy-Server compares the entered password and ID with
stored records, and derives a signature for the unit. At step 65
the Proxy-Server decides whether the information is correct. If the
Log-On is valid, control passes to step 67, and the Proxy-Server
acknowledges the successful log-on to the hand-held unit at step
69. If the log-on is not valid, control in the Proxy-Server goes
from step 65 to step 71, and the Proxy-Server disconnects from the
hand-held unit. The Proxy-Server then waits for a new ID request
(step 73).
[0067] At the hand-held unit, assuming an unsuccessful log-on,
control passes from step 74 back to step 53, and the user is
provided another opportunity to log on. Control continuity from the
hand-held unit to further steps in FIG. 4 is indicated by line 76.
For the Proxy-Server the control continuity to FIG. 4 is indicated
by line 78.
[0068] Referring now to FIG. 4, which is a continuation of FIG. 3,
continuity lines 76 and 78 are shown at the top of the figure.
Following the activity at the hand-held, at step 79 a request is
sent from the hand-held (after having been entered by the user) to
access a page on the WWW. This request is represented by the URL
WWW.Any.Com, which can be any valid Universal Resource Locator
(URL) for the Internet.
[0069] At step 81 the Proxy-Server receives this request. The proxy
server processes the request from the hand-held and at step 83
issues a new request through its own full-service browser, through
its connection to the Internet, to access WWW.Any.Com. At step 85
the WWW server at WWW.Any.Com receives the request from the
Proxy-Server and at step 87 sends its home page HTML file,
represented as Home.HTML, to the Proxy-Server.
[0070] At step 89 the Proxy-Server receives Home.HTML. Home pages
typically contain at least one image file, which in many cases is a
JPG file. Accordingly, at least two files must be downloaded to
display a home page. At step 91 a request for a JPG image file is
sent by the Proxy-Server. The Proxy-Server receives this request at
step 93 and send the image file to the Proxy-Server at step 95. The
Proxy-Server receives the image file at step 97. There may be many
more files than this, but a minimum representation has been made
for simplicity in description.
[0071] At step 101 the Proxy-Server converts all of the .jpg files
to a dithered bitmap format according to information associated
with the user ID received from the hand-held at log-on. This ID
establishes the size and resolution of the hand-held's display, for
example, and the bitmap created from the .jpg files is scaled to
the hand-held's display.
[0072] Once all the files in the Home page script are downloaded
from the accesses Web server at WWW.Any.Com, the Proxy-Server
assembles all of these files into a single HT-Lite (HTL) file for
transfer to the hand-held. This process is represented by step 103.
At step 105 the new HTL file is transmitted to the hand-held unit.
The hand-held receives at step 107 the single HTL file prepared
from the several HTML files received by the Proxy-Server. Finally,
at step 109 the hand-held awaits new user input, such as, for
example, a request to jump to a related page.
[0073] As has been described above, field computers of many sorts
may be used for connecting to the Internet through a Proxy-Server
according to embodiments of the present invention, although there
are particular advantages in using small, inexpensive,
battery-powered, hand-held field units. As has also been described,
information relating to the field unit used by each subscriber is
recorded at the Proxy-Server (or available to the Proxy-Server),
and, upon connection, the Proxy-Server accesses this information,
and uses it in transposing files for a particular unit.
[0074] In some cases, a display used by a field unit will be large
enough to display an entire page from the WWW. In other cases, it
will be preferable to present just a part of an entire page,
because the display of the field unit may be too small to provide
an entire page with adequate resolution. In these cases it will be
necessary to zoom and pan to see an entire page. In one embodiment
of the invention a field unit is provided with an auxiliary small
display, to present information relative to the position on a page
that may be presented on the main screen, as an aid in panning to
other parts of the page.
[0075] It is well-known that graphic information is not the only
information accessible on the Internet. Audio may be downloaded in
many cases as well. In many cases where audio is available,
software, often termed a "media player" is provided to be
downloaded from the same source to be used by the connecting
computer in processing the audio data. The present structure of the
Internet WWW is such that users are assumed to have certain kinds
of equipment of sufficient computing power to do Web browsing and
to operate media players. For example, media players are typically
provided for IBM-compatible PC, Macintosh, or Sun systems.
[0076] In many embodiments of the present invention, wherein field
units of much lesser power than the present assumptions may be
used, these assumptions are no longer valid. Many field units which
may now, with the unique capabilities of Proxy-Servers according to
embodiments of the present invention, be used for browsing the WWW,
will not be capable of executing the typical media players.
[0077] As has been described above, subscribers to a Proxy-Server
system according to the present invention will provided
characteristics of their particular field units to the
Proxy-Server, and the Proxy-Server will use the information in
transposing files. The same is true for audio, so the Proxy-Server
will "know" if a particular field unit has a speaker system, and
what the computing capability of the field unit is. In alternative
embodiments of the present invention, field units will be provided
with capability to receive Linear Predictive Coded (LPC) audio
data, and to drive one or more speaker units. The Proxy-Server, in
these cases, will either download the media players as necessary,
or be previously programmed with media players, and will convert
the audio data downloaded from the Internet to the form usable by
the field units as a part of the overall transposing process.
[0078] In some aspects of the invention specialized field units are
provided for special purposes. A hand-held computer is provided,
for example, with a CPU, a ROM having embedded NanoBrowser
software, a main display, and an auxiliary display for indicating
page position for panning and the like. In some variations, a
microphone and a speaker are also provided, and the on-board
software includes routines for processing audio in both directions,
to and from the Proxy-Server. In other variations a digital camera
apparatus is provided with the hand-held unit, and a user can snap
digital pictures and send the data to the Proxy-Server or to any
other machine on the Internet by E-mail. In combinations of these
variations very useful systems are provided for field operatives of
such as insurance companies to do field work.
[0079] Other field units are provided in alternative embodiments as
desk units for school environments, having many or all of the
features of the hand-held units described, but taking the form of
desktop units with conventional power supplies rather than
batteries. Such units can be made with considerably lower
complexity and cost than units conventionally capable of
interacting with the Internet, providing much expanded Internet
access for school systems and the like. These units incorporate
NanoBrowsers according to embodiments of the present invention.
[0080] Another form of field unit according to the present
invention is a TV-type unit having a low-end CPU and embedded
NanoBrowser software according to an embodiment of the present
invention. Home TV-computer technology may thus be provided through
a Proxy-Server connection at a cost very much below currently
available systems. Such units will also be attractive for use in
hotels, as they expand on existing information systems using TV
sets in hotel rooms.
[0081] In captured corporate systems, properly termed Intranet
systems, scheduling, ordering, instructions, travel arrangements,
and the like can be extensively interactive. For example, a
secretary may access an appointment schedule file using a regular
PC connected to the Internet, the schedule for an employee
temporarily inaccessible (in the middle of the night in Moscow, for
example, while the employee may be sleeping) and make adjustments
in the employee's appointments. When the employee next establishes
contact with the Proxy-Server, the appointment calendar in the
employee's unit is compared by date and time stamp, and
automatically updated as necessary, following preset rules for
conflict resolution.
[0082] An advantage inherent in different embodiments of the
present invention is that future improvements in HTML, specific WEB
browsing applications, and helper applications need not be
installed on the field units used in practicing the invention. Such
improvements need only be made in the Proxy-Server. The
Proxy-Server can also be updated to do the best translation
possible for such improvements.
[0083] In an important aspect of the invention, Proxy-Servers
adapted to embodiments of the present invention may be provided by
commercial Internet providers, thereby providing their customers
with extended functionality for small and inexpensive computer
units, lowering the expense and complexity typically required of
machines that may be expected to access the Internet. In this
aspect, customers of such providers could browse the Internet and
download and display sophisticated files with existing inexpensive
portable computers, personal digital assistants, and digital
organizers. This feature promises to dramatically increase
accessibility to the Internet, and to lower barriers to entering
the Internet world for many people who could otherwise not afford
to do so.
[0084] Also in embodiments of the invention as incorporated in
Proxy-Servers, caching is provided, whereby data downloaded from
other Internet servers accessed according to commands entered by
users in the field having units connected to the Proxy-Server, may
be temporarily stored before or after translation for field units,
enhancing viewing speed dramatically at the field units.
[0085] It is anticipated that one Proxy-Server may serve a large
number of hand-held computers, giving each served computer a
functionality far beyond what it could otherwise provide given its
power and cost. Current estimates indicate that a single
Proxy-Server may serve 100 or more field units simultaneously.
Since statistically not all subscribers may be expected to be using
their field units at the same time, one such Proxy-Server could
serve perhaps 2000 subscribers.
[0086] Even though a single Proxy-Server might be expected to serve
a relatively large number of subscribers at the same time, the
number of potential users of such a system is very much larger than
a single Proxy-Server could be expected to service. For this
reason, in a preferred embodiment of the invention, an
Un-interrupted Matrix of Inexpensive Servers (UMIS) is provided as
a method for implementation for the Proxy Server. FIG. 5 is a block
diagram of a UMIS system 111 wherein relatively small, inexpensive
servers 113, each with its own hard disks, are interconnected in a
network protocol with a router 115 and a mirroring traffic cop
server 117. Such a system can handle massive numbers of requests,
at a moderate cost, and the system and is scalable and to a high
degree fail-safe.
[0087] An incoming request is directed to the traffic cop, which is
a mirroring system, so that in case one unit fails, the other can
take over without interruption. The traffic cop determines that
availability and load of all IS's on a regular basis by connecting
a requesting a load number (timeout is regarded as failure of that
IS), so it can direct requests to the lowest loaded IS. If an IS
fails, the traffic cop will learn of it at the next round, and can
notify a system supervisor. The load is then shared between the
remaining units. Also, a failure of one of the mirroring units
triggers a notification to the supervisor. An escalation can be
added via e-mail and pagers until proper action is taken.
[0088] Ideally the IS units are like drawers that fit into a rack,
and have a red light that goes on when and if they fail. This way,
service personnel can see immediately which unit needs to be
exchanged.
[0089] Since there is only transitory data on hard-disks of the
IS's, no data recovery is required. In case of open connections,
the client's TCP/IP protocol will retry after a time out, and will
be directed by the cop to a new IS, thus recovering completely
transparently. This way cost per subscriber can be held very low.
On the Cop units, since they are mirroring, after an exchange of a
defective unit a software routine is started that reconfigures the
new unit to be synchronized.
[0090] As was described above, in systems according to embodiments
of the present invention, many database functions can be shared
with entries, edits and updates made over Internet connections. In
addition to database functions, systems according to embodiments of
the invention can accomplish enhanced E-mail functions. FIG. 6 is a
flow diagram illustrating the nature of such functionality.
[0091] The functions illustrated by the flow diagram of FIG. 6 are
accomplished by executing software either on a Proxy-Server or at a
separate mail server which may be accessed by a Proxy-Server
according to an embodiment of the present invention. The routines
depicted here are a modified version of SendMail routines known in
the art.
[0092] In FIG. 6 events for purposes of description begin at step
119. Modified SendMail is active. At step 121 incoming mail is
received. In this modified system, there are three file systems
123, 125, and 127 for storing E-mail in different versions. At step
129 a text copy is saved in file system 123 according to Post
Office Protocol, revision 3 (POP-30 format, known in the art. At
step 131 a copy of the received E-mail entity is saved in HTML
format, for WEB mail. At step 133 a copy of the entity is saved in
HTL format, compatible with the communication protocol for HT-Lite
used between a field unit and a Proxy-Server in embodiments of the
present invention.
[0093] At step 135 an HTML index is updated. At step 137 an HTL
index is updated. At step 139 a discrimination is made as to
whether data received is flagged to update a GroupWare database. If
not, the process ends at step 141. If so, the appropriate database
is updated at step 143 in file system 145. Examples of such
databases are an appointment schedule, a ToDo list, a project file,
a contacts file, and resumes. There are many more databases that
might be updated as well. At step 147 notification of changes in a
database are sent to appropriate offsite addresses. The process
ends at step 149 until another E-mail message is received.
[0094] In the manner shown, E-mail may be shared in the
conventional POP 3 manner, sent as HTML with a WEB page, or sent
over a TCP/IP pipe as an HT-Lite file directly to a field unit
having a NanoBrowser according to the present invention. Moreover,
the Internet links may be used to manipulate the scheduling and
other GroupWare functions described. Also, the technology disclosed
here relative to E-mail and GroupWare functions can be applied to
other massive server functions; it is not limited to the
Proxy-Server of the present invention.
[0095] In another aspect of the present invention the objectives of
the invention may be met without the necessity of having a proxy
server between the user's device, such as a hand-held personal
computer, and other servers on the world-wide web (WWW).
[0096] As was described above in descriptions of some preferred
embodiments of the present invention, the unique proxy server
accomplishes certain translations and processes that allow quick
and efficient integration of data with a user's device. The proxy
server, in a preferred embodiment first processes data requested to
be transmitted to a specific user's device according to pre-stored
characteristics of the specific user's device, or according to
characteristics transmitted by the user's device. For example,
graphics are processed to provide specific resolution and size
according to the specific user's display. Also only multi-media
extensions supported by the user's device are used, and data is
preferably combined into one file for each transfer. In this
manner, each communication with each user's device is done in a
fast and efficient manner, tailored to the needs of each user, and
the user can then function with a minimum hardware/software device
that may be energy efficient providing long life between battery
charges.
[0097] FIG. 7 illustrates an architecture for a system according to
an alternative embodiment of the present invention. In this
embodiment there is no intermediate proxy server as was described
above in other embodiments of the invention, but a server 702
capable of conventional HTTP or HTTPS communication is enhanced to
provide an alternative Simplified File Hyper Text Protocol (SFHTP)
capability, and this server may then communicate over the Internet
with hand-held computers 703 in a manner to significantly enhance
communication speed and efficiency. The difference between a
conventional server and an SFHTP sever according to this embodiment
of the present invention is in the control routines.
[0098] FIG. 8 is a process flow diagram illustrating steps followed
by a SFHTP-enhanced server according a preferred embodiment of the
present invention. A request for service is received at step 801 by
a Web Server enhanced according to an embodiment of the present
invention. At step 802 the server, through its on-board CPU
examines the request. If the request is a conventional HTTP or
HTTPS request, control goes to step 803, and processing is
according to conventional routines as provided for any conventional
HTTP request. If the request, however, is a unique SFHTP request
according to an embodiment of the present invention, control is
passed to a unique set of control routines beginning with step
810.
[0099] The request received may be from a subscriber for SFHTP
services or from a conventional subscriber. The difference for a
SFHTP subscriber may be accomplished in a number of ways. For
example, the request may be tagged by a single additional bit or
character, or several additional data bits, in a manner that a
conventional server (not enhanced for SFHTP services) will simply
ignore or error flag the request. An SFHTP subscriber's usually
minimally capable device may proceed to interact with the
conventional server, albeit at a greatly reduced speed and with
minimum features.
[0100] If the request is found at step 802 to be a SFFTP request,
at step 810 the type and functionality of the user's device is
established. As described above, this may be by matching an ID
provided in the request with a list of functionality and
characteristics previously provided by the user and stored at the
enhanced server, or an interaction may be established wherein the
user's device transfers the list of available features to the
enhanced server. The list of available features can include such
things as screen type, size and resolution; sound options;
telephony; credit capabilities (card readers); media players; and
the like.
[0101] At step 811 the control routines of the enhanced server
begin to create the best fit in multimedia content for the
requested data according to the user's device capabilities and
characteristics. This process includes step 820 wherein the system
of the invention determines if a best fit is immediately available.
If so, control goes on to step 812. If not, in a preferred
embodiment a best fit is generated and stored at step 821, and then
control passes on the step 812. In step 821 a graphic is created
having the size and resolution of the requesting user's display,
and that picture is stored for future use. If the same user or a
user having a device with the same display characteristics later
requests this picture, it may be retrieved and sent immediately
without the need for generating the best fit.
[0102] At step 812 a single file is composed using the requested
information processed according to the best multimedia fit for the
user's device. That file is then transmitted to the user at step
813. Just as described above for other embodiments of the present
invention the file transmitted to the user is attuned exactly to
the user's needs, and may be directly displayed without heavy
software overhead at the user's device, thereby enabling the user
to maintain a minimally-configured and powered device.
[0103] The single file transmitted to the user contains the data
for the static part of a WEB page to be displayed. It may still
contain animation, but no new data. It may contain information on
opening connections for continuous data type operations, such as
telephony, broadcast, video, virtual reality, and so forth. After
the file is sent the instant session is terminated. Eventually
opened communications may stay open however, until they are closed
by either the user of by the server.
[0104] It will be apparent to those with skill in the art that
there are many variations that may be made in embodiments of the
invention as described above without departing from the spirit and
scope of the invention. There are, for example, a wide variety of
ways different programmers might arrange code to accomplish the
purposes described for the invention. Such differences in code do
not necessarily constitute distinguishable variations because it is
well known that the same results in function, hence method of
application, may well be accomplished by a variety of code and/or
system arrangements. The range of functions provided at a field
unit may also vary widely in different embodiments of the
invention, and there are, as described above, many sorts of
computer units that will qualify as field units in cooperation with
a Proxy-Server according to embodiments of the invention.
[0105] Other variations within the scope of the invention include
hardware variations. There is no strict requirement for a
Proxy-Server other than the requirement of executing the
InterBrowser program or programs in combination with WEB browsing
functions, while maintaining communication with one or more field
units and one or more other WEB servers. There are similarly many
other variations that will be apparent to those with skill in the
art, all within the spirit and scope of the invention.
* * * * *