KR100781832B1 - Method and system for presenting information - Google Patents

Abstract

The presentation of the selected document stored at one node of the network is performed by means of a system which essentially comprises a handheld device, a communication device for the display unit and a device for controlling the display request. By manipulating the handheld device, the user can obtain the display unit specification from the communication device. This specification is then passed along with the address to the selected document to the device controlling the presentation request. Then, the document selected in this apparatus is converted into a format suitable for the display unit of the communication apparatus, and the converted document is displayed. The system can use WAP-technology to transfer information from the handheld device to the device that controls the document display request and to access the information over the Internet. The system may also use, for example, Bluetooth or IrDA for communication between the handheld device and the communication device. The system also enables mobile access to portable printing and documents that cannot be displayed on a small display.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PRESENTING INFORMATION}

The present invention relates to a method and system for displaying information electronically stored on a presentation unit via a network.

Today, a great deal of information is accessible through networks such as intranets and the Internet. Information that can only be accessed by a particular group of users can be accessed through these networks by secure communication channels and different identification methods.

In order for the information to be displayed in a nearby display unit, the user must have a computer with access to the network accessible to the information and a presentation unit connected to the computer. Thus, people who travel a lot and need access to information stored in a company server, for example, must carry a computer with access to the desired information. It must also have access means to a portable modem or network connection.

Access to the information may be performed by, for example, a cellular telephone implementing a wireless application protocol (WAP), a personal digital assistant (PDA) or similar device. The user then accesses the displayed information in a format that can be displayed on the cellular telephone. However, when the information is such as a text document containing a large amount of text, such as a patent application specification or a detailed description of a machine for repair, it may not be appropriate and even not possible to display the information on a cellular telephone. . Even if the phone can use a regular Internet Protocol (IP) connection for communication, the information must be applied to the small screen of the phone or PDA, so the user will have a very difficult time even to view or read such documents. .

It is an object of the present invention to allow information to be presented to the user in a form that is easy to read or view, even if the information is not suitable for reading on a small display.

Another object is to increase the mobility of those who need access to the above mentioned characters.

Another purpose is to allow users to access documents stored remotely electronically.

These objects can be achieved by a method in a system according to claim 1, a system according to claim 7, a method for an apparatus for controlling other display requests according to claim 12, an apparatus for controlling a display request according to claim 20, and A computer program product according to claim 27, a method for a communication device according to claim 27, a communication device according to claim 33, a method for a handheld device according to claim 36, or a handheld device according to claim 39. Is performed. Preferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed in the dependent claims.

More specifically, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method in a system for the selection and presentation of information,

Receiving a display unit identification at the handheld device via a short range wireless connection from a communication device for the display unit;

Sending a document address from the handheld device to a device that controls display requests over a network;

Receiving the document address and a display unit specification at the device controlling the display requests;

Retrieving a document corresponding to the document address from the device controlling the display requests;

Converting the retrieved document into a format suitable for the display unit in the device controlling the display requests;

Transmitting the converted document from the device controlling the display requests to the communication device for display unit via the network; And
Receiving the converted document at the communication device for display unit.

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According to another aspect of the invention, a system for the selection and display of information,

(1) an I / O interface for short range wireless communication with a communication device for a display unit;

Means for receiving a display unit identification signal for short-range communication via the I / O interface; And

Means for transmitting a document address to an apparatus for controlling display requests, the handheld apparatus being enabled to display information retrieved from the information provider on an internal screen;

(2) means for receiving a document address from the handheld device that references the document to be displayed for display;

Means for receiving an indication unit specification;

Means for retrieving a document corresponding to the document address;

Means for converting the retrieved document into a form suitable for the display unit in accordance with the display unit specification; And

An apparatus for controlling display requests, comprising means for sending the converted document to the document address; And

(3) an I / O interface for short range wireless communication with a handheld device;

Means for transmitting a display unit identification signal for short-range wireless communication via the I / O interface; And

And a communication device for a display unit including means for receiving information to be displayed by the display unit.

The system according to the invention solves the problems described above. If a specific document is needed, the user of this system grabs the handheld device, displays the page on which the document is to be checked, selects the desired document on the page for display on the display unit, and identifies the communication device for the display unit nearby. The document may be displayed on the display unit. The document can be located on any node of the network as long as there is an address identifying it. The address of the document is sent from the handheld device to the device controlling the display request, the specification of the display unit is sent from the handheld device or the communication device of the display unit to the device controlling the display request, and the document is understood by the display unit. Is transmitted to the display unit in a format that can be used.

An advantage of this system is that any kind of document can be displayed on any kind of display unit. In addition, such a system provides the above advantages without additional memory for storing conversion means for various document formats and display units in a handheld device or a communication device for a display unit. This is accomplished by having the required document converted in the device that controls the display requests.

Another advantage of performing a conversion in the device that controls the display request is that the operation of the handheld device or communication device is not adversely affected by the conversion.

Another advantage of performing the conversion at the device controlling the display requests is that the document does not need to be sent to the handheld device at least before being converted. This is done by having the device controlling the display request retrieve the requested document based on the document address received from the handheld device, so that the handheld device can make the document available to the device controlling the display request. You just need to communicate. Thus, by having the device controlling the display request retrieve the document, the bandwidth on the communication path of the handheld device is saved.

An additional advantage obtained by carrying out the conversion in the apparatus controlling the display request and arranging the conversion means at this position is that the addition of new means for conversion and the replacement of the previous means for conversion are considerably simple. The reason is that there will be a much larger number of handheld devices or display units than the device controlling the display request, thereby making it easier for an administrator to carry out an upgrade of the conversion means in the device controlling the display request. Another reason is that handheld devices are not always connected to the network. Therefore, the user must personally perform the updating of the conversion means when the conversion means are located in the handheld device.

The system is also advantageous in that the handheld device can exchange data with nearby display units and also verify them over a short range communication link. Thus, the user does not have to worry about manually confirming the display unit and typing data necessary for using the display unit. As a result, the user does not need to retrieve the parameters required to perform the display. These advantages are achieved by a short range communication link formed between the handheld device and the communication device for the display unit. The short range communication link may be implemented using, for example, Bluetooth, IrDA, Open Air, Home RF, Hyper LAN, IEEE 802.11, and the like.

In the present invention, the display unit represents devices capable of displaying electronically provided information that cannot be satisfactorily displayed on the small display of the handheld device. The display unit can be, for example, a screen, a rather large display, an electronic book, an electronic picture frame or a printer.

According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the display unit is an apparatus for making a copy of an electronic document on a very mobile medium. In that case, the display unit may be, for example, a display medium such as a conventional printer or an electronically controllable ebook, an electronic picture frame or the like.

In a preferred embodiment, the display unit is a printer. By displaying information through a printer on a printable medium, the information can be displayed at a high resolution, and an overview of the information is easily obtained. Another advantage of using a printer as a display unit is that the printed document format is well known and easy to use for anyone, and it is easy to add a comment or signature required for most contracts to the printed document.

An information service provider is a system that facilitates access to information that can be browsed on a network, such as electronically stored documents, e-mails, drawings, blueprints. An information service provider may be an internet portal or server that serves, for example, an employee's documents to an employee or other person authorized to access that information. The server serving the company's documents may be, for example, a system such as an integrated message server.

Handheld devices are devices designed to be able to communicate over a network and to display at least textual, preferably pictorial, information found at nodes in the network. In addition, the apparatus is preferably sized such that one hand can hold the device and the other hand can operate the device. The device may be, for example, a cellular telephone, a PDA or a small computer. In a preferred embodiment, the device is provided with a browser for providing and browsing available information on the network.

In the present invention, the network may be, for example, a telephone communication network, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN), the Internet or an intranet.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the retrieval and selection of information is performed from the handheld device through a wireless telephone network and a base station of the network manager so that the handheld device can be accessed directly at the location or via the network. Allow access to In this embodiment, the handheld device is a cellular telephone and the user can retrieve information as long as he can establish a connection with the telephone operator's network. This embodiment has the advantage of allowing the user to search for information at any location by making the information available at almost any location. Then, if the document is found, the user can move to a location where a short-range communication link for the display unit for display of the document can be formed between the telephone and the communication device.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the retrieval or selection of information is performed from the handheld device via a short range communication link and a communication device for the display unit. In such embodiments, the communication device provides an access point to the Internet, an intranet, or other computer network where information can be accessed. The handheld device of this embodiment may be, for example, a PDA or a small computer. An advantage of this embodiment is that the handheld device does not require any connection other than a short range communication link for information retrieval or selection.

According to a preferred embodiment, the apparatus for controlling the display request is a module at the information service provider. By providing an apparatus for controlling a display request as a module at an information service provider, the apparatus can share functionality and interface with the information service. In addition, in the case where the information service provider serves confidential information, the security of the document for display is easily maintained.

The system can use different paths to transfer the display file, which is the required document converted into a suitable format. It is possible to produce devices that support all paths or one or some of them. Thus, the path from the device controlling the display request described below to the display unit can be all supported by one device.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the display file is transmitted from the device for controlling the display request to the communication device for the display unit via a cellular telephone, a handheld device and at least one wireless network for a short range communication link. An advantage of this embodiment is that the display file can be transmitted to the display unit even if the communication device for the display unit lacks a network connection. Another advantage is that a path for the transmission of the display file is already formed during the selection of the document and the display unit, so that the user can be sure that there is a path for transferring the display file to the display unit.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the display file is transmitted from the device controlling the display request to a communication device for the display unit via a network such as the Internet and / or an intranet. The advantage of this embodiment is that the data rate of the transmission is very fast. Another advantage of this embodiment is that the user can use the handheld device to perform other tasks while waiting for the display.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the display file is transmitted from the device controlling the display request by e-mail to the communication device for the display unit. The advantage of this embodiment is that there is no problem in displaying the display file on the display unit located behind the firewall and the transmission speed is very fast. According to one embodiment, the email containing the display file is sent to a mail server controlling the email sent to the display unit. Then, the mail server sends a notification to the communication device about the newly received email or the communication device frequently checks the mail server for a new mail search.

According to one aspect of the invention, the presentation of the selected document stored at one node of the network is performed by a system which essentially comprises a handheld device, a communication device for the display unit and a device for controlling the display request. By manipulating the handheld device, the user can obtain the display unit specification from the communication device. This specification is then sent to the device controlling the display request. In this apparatus, the selected document is converted into a format suitable for the display unit of the communication device, where the converted document is displayed. The system can use WAP-technology to send information from a handheld device to a device that controls display requests and to access information on the Internet. The system may also use Bluetooth or IrDA, for example, for communication between the handheld device and the communication device. The system can also enable mobile printing and mobile access to documents that cannot be displayed on a small display.

The communication device for the display unit is also configured to receive simple information files stored in the handheld device and to transfer the simple information files to the display unit via short range communication. Such files can be, for example, text files containing information of WAP-pages, telephone number lists, address books and the like. To initiate the transmission of the information to be displayed, the handheld device is provided with a "display" or "print" command in one of its menus and may be provided with a button dedicated to performing this operation.

Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, although the detailed description and specific embodiments represent preferred embodiments of the invention, they are presented for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention, but various modifications to the embodiments within the scope of the invention. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art that this can be applied.

Other configurations and effects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention using the preferred communication unit for display unit.

3 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention using another preferred communication unit for display unit.

4 is a schematic diagram of a preferred embodiment of the present invention using another preferred communication unit for display unit.

5 is a schematic diagram of an apparatus for controlling a display request according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a schematic diagram of a handheld device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

7A is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a communication device for a display unit.

7B is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a communication device for a display unit.

8 is a flow chart of a process in a handheld device in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a flowchart of a process in an apparatus for controlling a display request according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

10A and 10B are a flowchart of a process in a communication apparatus for a display unit according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a diagram of signals transmitted between different units of a system in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the invention in which an information service provider manages emails.

Figure 13 is a flow chart for a process for printing email and email attachments by a handheld device.

In Fig. 1, a preferred embodiment of the document display system is shown. The system includes at least one cellular telephone 100, at least one information service provider 200 and at least one communication device 300 for a display unit, the communication device 300 being shown in FIG. 300b.

The cellular telephone 100 is for example a network 10 or a cellular telephone such as the Internet, an intranet, a wide area network (WAN), a local area network (LAN) via a wireless network 14 such as a GSM network, a TDMA network. Another wireless network and a base station 12 of a network manager providing wireless access to the network 10 are connected. Access to network 10 provides a base station 12 with a gateway that implements, for example, Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), Hyper Text Transport Protocol (HTTP), or some other protocol for communicating information over a wireless telephone network. In addition, the cellular telephone 100 is provided with an interface for short range wireless communication such as Bluetooth.

The information service provider 200 is connected directly to the base station 12 or to the network 10. However, the information service provider 200 must have access means to the network 10. The information service provider 200 may be an Internet portal or a server that serves a company's documents and provides access to documents, emails and / or other browseable information in a format suitable for the phone 100 on the network. . The print service device 210 is preferably mounted in the information service provider 200, but may be located outside the information service provider 200. The print service device 210 is a device for controlling a print request of a document and is preferably implemented as software code executed in an information service provider.

Communication devices 300a and b connect the printer 380 to the network 10. The communication device may be implemented, for example, in a print server. The communication device may be connected to the printer as an external device 300a or an internal device 300b or an embedded device 300b. An interface for short range wireless communication such as Bluetooth is provided. The primary role of the communication device 300a, b is to ensure that a print file sent to one of the printing communication devices is surely printed and to provide a press specification to the cellular telephone. In another embodiment, the communication device receives the document address from the cellular telephone and then the communication device sends the document address and printer specification to the information service provider. The printer specification includes the features of the printer and data about the transmission path for the print file to be printed and is described in more detail below.

The transmission path of the print file between the printer service device 210 and the communication devices 300a and b may be different from each other according to the type of the communication device configured to receive the print file. One path is to send the print file directly to one of the communication devices 300a, b over the network 10 using the IP protocol. For this purpose, File Transfer Protocol (FTP), Internet Printing Protocol (IPP), and the like can be used. Another route is to send the print file by e-mail to an e-mail address dedicated to the communication device 300a, b selected, for example by SMTP or IMAP. The email is then sent to an email server 390, which provides the print file to the selected communication device 300a, b. Another path is to send the print file back to the cellular telephone 100, e.g. as a Wireless Session Protocol (WSP), for example by IP and / or WAP protocols, and send the print file to the selected communication device 300a, b) to send.

In Figures 2, 3 and 4, these different communication device implementations are shown. The figures also illustrate one embodiment of the present invention in more detail, for example, the network is described as the Internet 11 and the location of the printer is surrounded by a frame 50 defining the periphery of the printer. The perimeter of communication device 300 may be viewed as an area in this embodiment where short-range communication 20 of LAN or telephone 100 of a company limited to an office or building may be received by communication device 300. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, a corporate LAN connected to the Internet is usually connected through a security system, such as firewall 52, to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to the LAN. In addition, three possible information service providers 200a-c (collectively referred to as 200) are shown, one provided by an administrator at base station 12, and one Internet portal 62. One is provided by company 60 for servicing company documents to employees. In these three figures, the process of requesting the printing of the document may be the same except for the data of the specification according to the present embodiment of the communication device, and all may be the same.

2 illustrates an embodiment of a communication device for receiving a print file by email. The email is sent from one of the print service devices 210a-c, collectively 210, to the email server 390 via the Internet 11, firewall 52 and finally LAN. When the print file included in the e-mail is received at the mail server 390, it is transmitted to the communication device 300 for printing. By using e-mail as the carrier of the print file, problems that may arise when the print file passes through the firewall 52 can be avoided.

3 illustrates an embodiment of a communications device that receives a print file directly from one of the print service devices 210a-c via a network connection, such as the Internet, a firewall, and a LAN or a single Internet access point. In this embodiment, the print file is delivered directly to the communication device 300.

4 illustrates a communications device implementation for receiving a print file from one of the print service devices 210a-c over at least wireless telephone network 14, telephone 100, and short-range communication link 20. In this embodiment, in the case where the print service apparatus 210a located at the operator's site is used, the print file need not be transmitted via the Internet, but the Internet may also be used if appropriate. This communication device implementation is preferred when there is no network connection or there are other reasons for not connecting the communication device to the network.

Referring now to FIG. 5, an embodiment of a print service device 210 is presented. The print service device 210 is provided with means 212 for receiving a print request of a document. The request includes a document address and a printer specification that indicates where the document is located. The printer specification includes, for example, information on how to send a print file to the printer and information on the make and model of the printer, which will be described in more detail below. The request is transmitted from the means 212 to the control means 214 for receiving the request. Control means 214 then extracts the document address from the request and passes it to document retrieval means 216.

Means 216 for retrieving the document retrieve the document at a specified address in memory 230 to which the information provider has access. The memory 230 may be storage memory of an information service provider or any memory connectable or accessible via a network such as the Internet or an intranet. The control means 214 conveys to the document converting means 218 some of the printer specifications including the retrieved document and the data for selection of a suitable device driver 220.

The document converting means 218 examines the retrieved document to find out the format in which the document is stored. The simplest way to check the format is ".txt" for plain text files, ".doc" for Microsoft Word files ".pdf" for Acrobat Reader files, or ".tif for Tagged Image files. "The file extension is read and interpreted as" .ps "for PostScript files and" .dwg "for AutoCad files. However, checking a file's extension is a somewhat uncertain way to determine the file's format, because the extension may be wrong and different programs may use the same extension. Therefore, in the preferred embodiment, the content of the file is also checked for the portion indicating the format of the file. Once the document format is determined, the document converting means 218 selects the corresponding application 224 for interpreting the document. Application program 224 may be a dedicated program for interpreting one or multiple formats, or may be a full version of a program that may generate documents in the current format.

The document converting means 218 also determines which device driver 220 to use to generate the print file, using portions of the printer specification that contain data for selecting the appropriate device driver 220. The determination may be made based on data defining the manufacturer and model of the printer and / or the Plug and Play (PnP) device of the printer.

The converting means now uses the selected application program 224 and the selected device driver 220 to convert the requested document into a printer file that can be used by the target printer.

The control means 214 also checks the printer specification for the path to which the print file is to be sent. For example, the specification may include an email address, an IP address of a communication device, or a return address to a cellular telephone.

The control means 214 provides the print file transmission means 222 with information about the path, such as an address and a print file. Then, the print file transmitting means 222 transmits the print file to the desired printer through the requested path.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a cellular telephone 100 is shown that is configured to request and receive an indication unit specification over a short range communication link 20 and to transmit a wireless request over a wireless telephone network. The cellular telephone is a WAP-enabled cellular telephone provided with a user interface 110 that includes a touch screen or display and a keypad. The user interface is connected to information browser means 112 for browsing the information on the network in response to an event at the user interface 110 in accordance with the WAP-standard. The information browser is implemented by a program processed by the CPU 114. Communication over the short range communication link is provided by the short range communication interface 116, preferably by Bluetooth coupled to the CPU 114. For communication via the wireless telephone network 114, the cellular telephone is provided with a conventional interface 118 for the cellular telephone.

Reference is made to FIGS. 7A and 7B which show two embodiments of a communication device 300 according to the present invention. Two embodiments 300 for a communication device are provided with a CPU 302 for controlling the processing of the communication devices 300. They are provided with an interface 304 for communication over the short range communication link 20 and an interface 306 for connecting the printer 380. The communication device 300, as shown in FIG. 7A, is configured to receive a print file via the short-range communication link 20 along the path of FIG. The communication device 300 according to FIG. 7B is configured to receive print files over the network 10 along the path of FIG. 2 or FIG. 3. Thus, the communication device of FIG. 7B is provided with an additional interface 308 for communication over the network 10. Both embodiments 300 of a communication device are provided with protocols for communication via the interface of each communication device 300.

The main purpose of the printer specification provided to the print service apparatus via the telephone is to identify which format the printer can print and to which path the file should be sent in order for the file to reach the printer. For this purpose, the print file contains data about the make and model of the printer and the address to which the print file should be sent. The printer specification may be, for example, the following text.

In the above specification, for example, data for a printer manufacturer lies between <PrinterManufacturer> and </ PrinterManufacturer>.

It is assumed that a traveling service technician is traveling around the world, servicing industrial robots. In the process, he encounters a robot failure that he is not familiar with. He needs documentation about the robot. To obtain that document, he requires a printer with a print server according to an embodiment of the invention. He can also use his cellular telephone to check for peripheral communication devices capable of providing the service according to the present invention.                 

1 and 8, when the service technician locates the communication device 300, he uses his WAP-enabled cellular telephone 100, at step 510, for a WAP-gateway 12 ) Is connected to an operator providing the Internet 10. Then, in step 512, a WAP-page is provided on the display of the telephone 100, which can browse the web of connected WAP-pages by selecting 514 links provided on the display. Each time a link is selected, at step 516 the phone 100 checks whether the link is pointing to another WAP-page. If the link points to another WAP-page, the page is downloaded and presented on the display at step 512 and the process of steps 512-516 is repeated. Known WAP-pages can also be reached by storing the address in phone 100 and selecting it in the information browser of phone 100 or simply typing the address.

In one of the methods mentioned above, the service technician causes an information page to be displayed at step 512 including a link to the document he needs. Now, in step 514 he selects a link to a document that is not a WAP-page. The phone 100 checks in step 512 if the link points to a WAP-page and finds it is not. The phone 100 then presents a print / download dialog at step 518. If the service technician chooses to download, then at step 522 the document can be downloaded to a nearby computer via, for example, a short range communication link. However, if he chooses to print, then at step 524 phone 100 sends an identity request to all communication devices 300 within reach of phone 100 with respect to short-range communication 20 via a short-range communication interface. Will deliver. If there is no response to the request, an error message appears on the display at step 528, indicating that no compatible communication device is available. Then, the phone 100 returns to step 512 to display the WAP-page again. If there is more than one communication device 300 responding to the request, the communication device 300 appears on the display at step 530. The service technician may then select one of the communication devices 300 displayed at step 530. Once one communication device 300 is selected, the phone 100 transmits a request for a printer specification to the selected communication device 300 at step 534. In step 536 the communication device 300 returns the printer specification received to the phone 100. Then, in step 538, the print request including the document address and printer specification given by the selected link is sent to the print service apparatus 210 via the wireless telephone network 14.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 9, in step 602 a print request is received by the print service device 210. The device 210 identifies different portions of the request at step 604, such as the document address and the printer specification, and retrieves the document to be printed using the document address at step 606. Then, as described above, in step 608, the format of the retrieved document is confirmed. Once the format of the document is formed, in step 610, the print service device 210 converts the appropriate application and document for interpreting the document into a print file suitable for the selected printer using this information of the request and the display unit specification. To find the device driver corresponding to the information of the printer specification. Then, in step 612, the document is converted into a print file.

The print file is now ready to be sent to the selected communication device. However, before the print file is transmitted, in step 614 the print service apparatus selects a transmission method according to the address given in the printer specification. Then, in step 616 the print file is sent to the communication device via one of the paths described above.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 10A, if communication device 300 is configured to receive a print file directly via telephone 100 and short-range communication interface 20 or via the Internet 10, step 720. At, communication device 300 receives the print file and forwards it to the printer for printing at step 704.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 10B, if the communication device 300 is configured to receive a print file via email, at step 712 the communication device checks the mail server 390 at predetermined time intervals. You can do it. In step 714, when a new mail is displayed, in step 716 the communication device 300 retrieves the email and extracts a print file from the email in step 718. Once the print file is extracted, in step 720 it is passed to the printer 380 for printing.

The service technician can now extract the document from the printer and begin repairing the robot.

Referring to FIG. 11, an example of communication between system devices and between a cellular telephone and a user is shown. At event 902, the user drives the WAP-browser of the cellular telephone. Then, at event 904, he connects the telephone to the information service provider. The phone sends a connection request 906 to the information service provider. In response, the information service provider sends an authentication request 908 to the phone for authentication of the user. At event 910, the user enters the PIN-code and SIM-code of the subscriber subscribed to the information service provider as authentication message 912 into the phone. If the information service provider authorizes the user, the information service provider sends the initial WAP-page 914 to the telephone. Then, at event 916, the user can select a link on the page displayed on the phone to browse the information service provider's information. While browsing, the information provider responds to the request by sending the requested pages, and the phone requests other pages on the selected link, which corresponds to a bidirectional communication of 918. At event 922, if the user selects a link to a document that is not a WAP-page, at event 922, the phone displays a print dialog. When the user chooses to start printing at event 924, the phone delivers message 926 to all communication devices capable of operating as the communication device of the present invention via a short-range communication interface such as Bluetooth. The communication devices then respond to the request by sending a message 928 to the phone including the identification information. Then, if there is more than one response, the user is asked to select one of the identified communication devices from the list. If only one is confirmed, the user must select it or stop the operation. Once the communication device is selected, the phone sends a request 932 for the printer specification to the selected communication device. The selected communication device responds by returning the printer specification 934 to the telephone. The phone then sends a request 936 including the printer specification and document address to the information service provider for printing the document at the particular printer. A request for converting the document into a printable format and sending the converted document to the selected printer is delivered to the print service apparatus of the information service provider. If the document is converted and no error occurs, the print service device sends the print file 940 to the communication device via e-mail, for example. When the print file is sent, the information service provider gets a message 942 that the conversion was successful. If the conversion failed, the information provider gets a message 942 that the conversion failed. The message 944 is sent to the phone and delivered to the user.

The invention may also be used to facilitate the receipt of emails in a handheld device. Currently it is possible to receive emails from a PDA or mobile phone via, for example, Short Message System (SMS), WAP, i-mode, or the like. However, handheld devices are only provided with limited sources regarding CPU performance, memory size and resolution and size of the display. Thus, it is possible but difficult to view complex or bulk email attachments in handheld devices with such limited sources.

In Fig. 12, an information service provider 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. The information service provider 200 of this embodiment is configured to manage an email account and emails sent to the email address of the email account. The information service provider of this embodiment is configured to receive an email, store the email and its attachments, and send emails stored in the account to a person authorized to view the emails of the account as required.                 

Upon receiving an e-mail, the information service provider 200 stores the text of the e-mail in the e-mail storage means 232 and, if there is an attachment, stores it in the attachment file storage means 234, Register a pointer to all attachments included in the mail in the text. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the pointer of the attachment is an address such as a Uniform Resource Locator (URL). If the pointer of the attached file is a URL, it may have the following form, for example.

Upon receiving a request to display an email, the information service provider 200 sends the text of the requested email to the handheld device 100 that requested it. The text sent does not contain any attachments but contains a pointer to the attachments / attachments that belong to the email. The user can then obtain the attachment provided by the handheld device 100 at the nearby display unit 380 by using any of the techniques previously described herein.

To print the entire mail, including the attachment, the handheld device 100 includes a menu or display button for initiating the display process of the above mentioned information. In response to a print request of an entire e-mail presently present on the handheld device or referenced by a pointer or a link on the display of the handheld device 100, the handheld device 100 is in accordance with the previously described embodiment of the present invention. Check the contents of the email for display and send the email address and its attachments. In another embodiment, the handheld device 100 delivers the entire email including the text of the email and a pointer to its attachment to the communication device 300 of the display unit 380. The communication device 300 then manages the email and its attachments. If the e-mail is simple text and the display unit is a printer 380, since most printers can print simple text without converting the files to another format, the communication device 300 utilizes the print service described above. no need.

To ensure security, HTTP or other secure channels can be used for the delivery of attachments or emails.

In Fig. 13, a flowchart of one embodiment for printing e-mails and attachments of e-mails from a handheld device such as a cellular telephone or PDA is shown. In step 1002, the user accesses an information service provider that presents the email service to the user and downloads the new email text to the phone.

Then, at step 1004, the user can read the text of the email and decide whether to print the email and possible attachments. If the user does not wish to start a print operation, at step 1002 the user can return to the phone's email interface and download the next email. However, if the user wants to print, at step 1006 the user selects "send mail" in the menu or by pressing the button.

Then, at step 1008, the user selects Bluetooth as the delivery method. The phone sends a confirmation request to all Bluetooth-enabled devices within range of the Bluetooth signal. If no Bluetooth-enabled device responds to the request, then at step 1002 the phone returns to the email interface. If there is one or more responses to the response, then at step 1012 the phone should check whether the responding devices are printers or not. If there is no printer among the responding devices, then at step 1002 the phone returns to the email interface. If at least one of the responding devices is a printer, at step 1014, the user may select one of them to begin data transmission.

The communication device of the printer receives data including the text of the email and pointers of possible attachments. Then, at step 1016, the communication device instructs the printer to print the text of the email. In one embodiment of the invention, the telephone is configured to allow the user to select one of a plurality of displayed ones, such as email text and all attachments, attachments only, email texts only, specific attachments and the like.

Then, at step 1018, the communication device checks whether the received data includes any pointer of the attachment. If there are no pointers, the print job ends, but if the data contains pointers to one or more attachments, then at step 1020 the communication device downloads / requires them in a printable format and allows the printer to print them. Command If the pointer of an attachment points to a printable attachment without being converted once, the communication device downloads it directly, but if the format of the attachment cannot be printed without a conversion operation, as described above, Is sent to a print service, and a print service for converting the attached file is started.

Claims (46)

As a method in a system for the selection and presentation of information, Receiving a display unit identification at the handheld device via a short range wireless connection from a communication device for the display unit; Sending a document address from the handheld device to a device that controls display requests over a network; Receiving the document address and a display unit specification at the device controlling the display requests; Retrieving a document corresponding to the document address from the device controlling the display requests; Converting the retrieved document into a format suitable for the display unit in the device controlling the display requests; Transmitting the converted document from the device controlling the display requests to the communication device for display unit via the network; And Receiving the converted document at the communication device for the display unit. The method of claim 1, Receiving an indication unit specification at a handheld device via the short range wireless connection from a communication device; And Transmitting the display unit specification from the handheld device to a device that controls the display requests over the network. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the communication unit for display unit transfers the converted document to a display unit connected to the communication unit for display unit. The method according to claim 1 or 2, And the display unit specification comprises at least a display address to which a display document for display can be transmitted and data indicating a format suitable for display in the display unit. The method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the converting step, Reading the display unit specification; Determining a format in which the document is stored; Selecting a conversion method according to the contents of the display unit specification and the format in which the document is stored; And Converting the document by the selected conversion scheme. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The display address is an email address, and the converted document is transmitted to the display unit via an email server. A system for the selection and display of information, (1) an I / O interface for short range wireless communication with a communication device for a display unit; Means for receiving a display unit identification for short-range communication via the I / O interface; And Means for transmitting a document address to an apparatus for controlling display requests, the handheld apparatus being enabled to display information retrieved from the information provider on an internal screen; (2) means for receiving a document address referring to a document to be displayed from the handheld device; Means for receiving an indication unit specification; Means for retrieving a document corresponding to the document address; Means for converting the retrieved document into a format suitable for the display unit in accordance with the display unit specification; And An apparatus for controlling display requests, comprising means for sending the converted document to the display address; And (3) an I / O interface for short range wireless communication with the handheld device; Means for transmitting an indication unit identification signal for the short range wireless communication via the I / O interface; And And a communication device for a display unit comprising means for receiving information to be displayed by the display unit. The method of claim 7, wherein the handheld device, Means for receiving an indication unit specification for short-range communication via the I / O interface; Means for transmitting the received display unit specification to an apparatus for controlling the display requests, wherein the communication apparatus comprises: Means for transmitting the indication unit specification for the short range communication via the I / O interface. The method according to claim 7 or 8, And the display unit specification includes at least data indicating a display address to which the display document can be sent for display and a format suitable for display on the display unit. The method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the conversion means, Multiple conversion means; And Means for selecting one of the plurality of conversion means from the plurality of conversion means according to the display unit specification. The method of claim 10, The conversion means, Means for determining a format of the document; And And means for interpreting the format of the document. The method according to claim 7 or 8, And a communication device for display unit is provided with an I / O interface for communication via a network. The method of claim 12, The system further comprises an email server, wherein the display address is an email address. A method for an apparatus for controlling display requests, comprising: Receiving a document address referring to a document to be displayed from the handheld device; Receiving an indication unit specification from the handheld device; Retrieving a document corresponding to the document address; Converting the retrieved document into a format suitable for the display unit; And Transmitting the converted document to the display unit. The method of claim 14, And the display unit specification comprises at least a display address to which the display document can be sent for display and data indicating a format suitable for display on the display unit. The method according to claim 14 or 15, The document address and the display unit specification are received over a network. The method of claim 14 or 15, wherein the converting step, Reading the display unit specification; Determining a format in which the document is stored; Selecting a conversion method according to the contents of the display unit specification and the format in which the document is stored; And Converting the document by the selected conversion scheme. The method according to claim 14 or 15, And the retrieved document is converted into a format suitable for printing by a printer. The method according to claim 14 or 15, And the converted document is transmitted over a network and displayed by the display unit. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the converted document is sent by email addressed to the display unit. 20. The method of claim 19, wherein the converted document is sent to the display unit. An apparatus for controlling display requests, Means for receiving a document address referring to a document to be displayed from the handheld device; Means for receiving an indication unit specification from the handheld device; Means for retrieving a document corresponding to the document address; Means for converting the retrieved document into a format suitable for the display unit according to the display unit specification; And And a means for transmitting the converted document to the display unit. 23. The display request control apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the display unit specification includes at least a display address to which the display document can be transmitted for display and data indicating a format suitable for display on the display unit. . 24. The display request control apparatus according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the means for receiving the document address and the means for receiving the display unit specification are configured to receive the address and the specification via a network. The method according to claim 22 or 23, wherein the conversion means, Multiple conversion means; And And a means for selecting one of the plurality of converting means according to the display unit specification. The method of claim 25, wherein the conversion means, Means for determining a format of the document; And And means for interpreting the format of the document. The method of claim 22 or 23, Means for receiving the document address and means for receiving the presentation unit specification are configured to receive the data over a network, Means for transmitting the converted document is configured to transmit the data over the network. A computer-readable medium for storing computer programs that can be loaded directly into the memory of a digital computer. A computer readable medium comprising software code portions for performing the steps of claim 14 when the computer program is run on a computer. A method for a communication device for a display unit, Transmitting an identification of the communication device over a short range connection; And After transmitting the identification signal, receiving a document for display by the display unit from the device controlling the display requests, wherein the received document is sent to the display unit by the device controlling the display requests. How to convert to a suitable format. The method of claim 29, Receiving a request of an indication unit specification; After receiving the request, sending the requested specification; And After transmitting the requested specification, further comprising receiving a document to be displayed by the display unit. The method of claim 29 or 30, The received request is received over a short range wireless connection and the required identification signal is transmitted over the short range wireless connection. 31. The method of claim 29 or 30, wherein the received document is received over a network. 31. The method of claim 29 or 30, further comprising causing the display unit to display the received document. 34. The method of claim 33, wherein causing the display unit to display the received document includes delivering the document to an output process in a printer. 31. The method of claim 29 or 30, comprising checking the mailboxes for presentation documents at predetermined time intervals. As a communication device for a display unit, I / O interface for short range wireless communication; Means for transmitting a display unit identification signal through the short-range wireless communication I / O interface; Means for receiving information to be displayed by the display unit, converted from a device controlling the display requests into a print file suitable for the display unit; And Means for causing the display unit to display the received information. The method of claim 36, Means for receiving a request for an indication unit specification via the I / O interface for short-range wireless communication; And And means for transmitting said display unit specification. The method of claim 36 or 37, And a network connection I / O interface. The method of claim 36 or 37, And the display unit is a printer. A method for the handheld device for displaying information on a display unit separate from a handheld device, the handheld device being enabled to present information retrieved from an information provider on a display in the handheld device, wherein Way, Receiving a display unit identification signal from the communication unit for display unit via a short range wireless connection; And Sending the address of the selected information document to the device controlling the display requests, The device controlling the display requests receives a document address referring to a document to be displayed from the handheld device, receives a display unit specification, retrieves a document corresponding to the document address, and retrieves the retrieved document from the display unit. Converting into a format suitable for the display unit according to a specification, and transmitting the converted document to the document address. The method of claim 40, Receiving an indication unit specification from the communication device via the short range wireless connection; And Transmitting the display unit specification to a device controlling the display requests. 42. The method of claim 41, further comprising requesting a display unit specification over the short range wireless connection in response to the selection of the identified display unit. 43. The method of any one of claims 40 to 42, further comprising transmitting an identification request over the short range wireless connection for identification of an adjacent display unit. A handheld device for displaying information on a display unit separate from the handheld device, the handheld device being enabled to present information retrieved from an information provider on an internal display, The handheld device, I / O interface for short range communication; Means for receiving a display unit identification signal through the short-range communication I / O interface; Means for selecting information that is accessible from the information provider and to be displayed on the display unit; And Means for sending a request to display the information on the display unit, The information is retrieved corresponding to a document address from the handheld device, converted into a format suitable for the display unit, and transmitted from a device controlling display requests to a communication device for the display unit via a network. The method of claim 44, Means for receiving an indication unit specification via the short range communication I / O interface; And And handing means for transmitting the indication unit specification. 46. The method of claim 44 or 45, And means for broadcasting an identification request over the short range communication I / O interface.

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