MXPA00003342A - Method for processing hyperlink information - Google Patents

Abstract

A method processes a hyperlink formatted message to make it compatible with an alphanumeric messaging device (118) that lacks hyperlink decoding capability. The hyperlink formatted message includes at least one hyperlink having tags, a hyperlink identifier, and a resource locator. The method, which is used in a messaging controller of a messaging system (100) that communicates with a plurality of alphanumeric messaging devices, replaces (210) all occurences of a first character within the hyperlink formatted message with a second displayable character, marks (220) each hyperlink identifier within the hyperlink formatted message using the first displayable character, removes (225) the tags and resource locator of each of the at least one hyperlink, and stores (227) the resource locator of each of the at least one hyperlink in association with the hyperlink identifier.

Description

METHOD FOR INFORMATION PROCESSING OF HIPERENLACE Field of the Invention The present invention relates in general to a personal message system with two-way traffic and more particularly, to a personal message system with two-way traffic, which allows the user of a conventional alphanumeric message device, interpret Internet or intranet messages.

Antecedents of the Invention World web pages (www) are rapidly emerging as a standard for the publication of information, and these are a rich source of timely information. One of the key features of this form of information is the inclusion of hyperlinks in the information messages received from a website using the "HTML" (hyper text augmentation language), which are usually presented in a sophisticated display screen of a browser window www (such as Netscape Navigator ™, distributed by Netscape Communications Corp., Mountain View, CA and Internet Explorer, distributed by Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA), as underlined text. These hyperlinks indicate that the information related to the underlined topic can be obtained by selecting the word or words underlined in the search engine. This hyperlink, is really a link to another website, and is indicated in the HTML protocol, hyper text transport protocol (http), by "tags", and include text that indicates the hyperlink. For example, the following information is an excerpt from a message which includes a hyperlink, as seen in a typical search engine: ... claimed that he was "innocent" of any wrong action in the Whitewater affair ... this example was sent to the search engine in the protocol HTML like: ... claimed that he was "innocent" of any wrong action in the matter < A HREF = "http://www.whitewater.com" > Whitewater < / A > ... In this example, a main anchor label and the final part (A) (each one of them comprises the symbols < > and the characters between them) delineate the text "Whitewater" that identifies the anchor (hyperlink) ). The hyperlink address, or more correctly, the uniform resource locator (url) of the hyperlink, is the "http: // www.whitewater.com" located within the main anchor tag. It is this text, which indicates the existence of a hyperlink to the user, is underlined by the search engine when it is presented by the browser window www. Frequently, search engines present the underlined text in a different color from the other text, in the same way they underline it. It will be appreciated that underlining and changing the text color are techniques that comprise the change in the attributes of the characters on the screen. The complete sequence of characters in the hyperlink, including the two anchor tags and the text between them, is called an HTML element. Due to the fact that there is a demand from the client to access the information available on the world wide web, as well as to other information networks, the use of hyperlinks by communication devices in most communication systems is a highly important aspect. desirable. However, there is a problem in the allocation of phases in the use of hyperlinks in existing communication systems that have communication devices lacking the ability to decode a hyperlink, such as message devices that are already used in many delivery systems of messages. In this sense, the decoding of a hyperlink means: a) the location of the hyperlink in the message; b) removal of tags, uniform resource locators and anything other than the text that identifies the hypertext link (in such a way as not to confuse the user) and c) marking of the text that identifies the hyperlink. The newer communication devices may be equipped to decode the hyperlinks, but what is needed is a technique that provides the identification of a hyperlink in a communications system that includes communication devices that do not have a function for decoding a hyperlink Brief Description of the Drawings Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a message system, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 shows a flow chart of a method used in the message system to process a message having a hyperlink content to make it compatible with a conventional alphanumeric message device, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of this invention. Figure 3 shows a flow chart of a method used in the message system to process a response to a message that was reformatted for hyperlink, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Description of a Preferred Modality Referring to Figure 1, a message system 100, accepts requests for voice mail or messages from various external sources, for example, a telephone 102, an input device to voice mail 104, a content collection and distribution computer (CCDC) 106, and a source computer 107. The source computer 107, shown here whose nature is exemplary, and which can function as a messaging client, a global web client, a host of the information system, or as a host of the global web, both to withdraw and to provide information to other clients. A request for voice mail or messages, is generally accepted, through a telephone network entry for a public or private telephone network 108, which preferably includes capabilities to connect to a local area network (LAN) or area network Broadband (WAN), for making high-speed network connections to devices such as CCDC 106 and source computer 107. Public or private telephone network 108, adapts the voice mail request from one of the sources (e.g. , voice mail generators or computerized messages) to an automatic telephone entry 110, or to a network input 117 in a message terminal 112. The public or private telephone network 108, as well as the dedicated entries, are connected by one or more network connection devices 123, such as modems or high-speed network interfaces, for example, IEEE 802.3 and / or the like, which support TCP / IP or connections similar to both, both to the Inter net as to the intranets. The message terminal 112 comprises the network connection device 123, the automatic telephone input 110, the network input 117, a processor 109, and the answering machine 130. The message terminal 112 is preferably a conventional Manager model WMG TM, manufactured by Motorola, Inc., of Schaumburg, IL. After accepting the voice mail request, the message terminal 112, routes a selection of calls comprised in the selected call directions, and possibly a recorded message, to a radio frequency (RF) controller 114, for transmission to a selective receiver of calls (to which we refer generically as a personal device of messages). The message is configured for a protocol, such as the well-known FLEX ™, licensed by Motorola, Inc., by the RF 114 controller which is preferably a Conductor ™, RF driver model, manufactured by Motorola and coupled to a transmitter 116, which is preferably a Symphony ™ model transmitter manufactured by Motorola, Inc. Conventional message systems, can transmit caller information to the user's receiver by messages with a plurality of formats. Each message format can indicate the mode of the information that is being sent to the message receiving device (for example: characters, numbers, audio, graphics or "just one sound"). Figure 1 illustrates a number of personal message devices, alternatively called selective receivers, subscriber units and personal message units, which can receive information messages from the message terminal 112. The illustrated personal message devices, are alphanumeric message devices 118, which are selective call receivers of conventional design and having the capability of two-way message traffic, a numerical display message receiving apparatus 120, a voice mail message receiving apparatus 121 and a tone-only message receiving apparatus 122. In the latter case, the tone-only voice message receiving apparatus 122 (eg, which does not display a message to the user), warns (e.g., by audible sound) to the A user that a transmitter wishes the user of the message receiving device to answer by calling a pre-programmed telephone number, such as a telephone number of the reception ista. In addition, the RF controller 114 is coupled to a conventional message receiver 115, which operates to receive information from the input signal (e.g., acknowledgments and message return responses of the channel) from the alphanumeric message apparatus 118, and sends it to the message terminal 112. The alphanumeric message apparatus is preferably the two-way traffic Pagewriter ™, manufactured by Motorola, Inc. of Schaumburg, IL, which has an alphanumeric display screen. The message receiver 115, is preferably an Audience ™ model receiver, manufactured by Motorola, Inc. The message terminal 112, the RF controller 114, the transmitter 116 and the message receiver 115, may alternatively be of different models and manufactures . The acknowledgment responses transmit the information as if a particular message had been received correctly (for example: without errors). The channel return messages can be either "preserved" channel messages or by returning alphanumeric messages to the channel. The "preserved" channel return messages are generated by the user, either by selecting a button that generalizes a "preserved" channel return message indicated that has previously been determined, or can be selected from the list of responses that has been included in the message received by the alphanumeric message device 118. An example of a "preserved" message response is a message indicating to the message terminal 112 a request for access to the predetermined main page of the website. In some models of alphanumeric message apparatuses 118, a suitable channel for generating a channel return message may be generated by an alphanumeric keyboard that is part of the message apparatus 118. In response to the content of the information signaled by the channel. return, including a "preserved" request to access the default home page of the website, the message terminal 112, using the processor 109 in conjunction with the network connection device 123, accesses the CCDC to collect the information contained in form of a message in hypertext language (HTML) of a corresponding source computer 107 with a uniform resource locator (url) for the main page stored in the database of the message terminal 112. The CCDC 106 then receives, the message of the main Web page, in HTML from the source computer 107, including the desired information for the alphanumeric message device 118. The message information contained in the main Web page is the only one that has been reformatted by the CCDC 106, as explained in this description below, and is sent to the message terminal 112, which modifies it. the messages according to the parameters of the alphanumeric message device, to which the message is intended to be sent, so as to replace an identification number of the alphanumeric device within the PSTN 108, with an "electronic" identification number, necessary in the device of alphanumeric messages for use within the RF protocol. Then, the message terminal 112, routes the message to the transmitter 116, via the RF controller 114 for its radio transmission as a call pickup message, at the request of the alphanumeric message device 118, using the conventional RF protocol. The CCDC 106, comprises the conventional hardware of the computer running under the Windows NT ™ operating system driver, distributed by Microsoft, Inc., and includes the unique instructions of the program in the form of the software (such as a file). on the hard disk) or hardware (such as read-only memory) that controls the CCDC 106, to perform the exclusive functions described in this section. It will be appreciated that the CCDC 106, could be an alternative computer model, that also has the exclusive instructions of the program. AI CCDC 106 and message terminal 112, collectively, can be referred to as a message controller, which, in an alternative embodiment of the present invention, can comprise a simple processing device, particularly in a message system 100; which interfaces with a moderate number of personal message devices (e.g., 1000), and in which the number of different source computers 107, with which the message system 100 performs the interfaces is small. For example, they can coexist with the message controller, when the message system 100 interfaces only with the weather report system, or when the message system 100, only interfaces with the world web pages, by reformatting the functions CCDC and message terminal 112. Although the information, or the hyperlink content message, has been previously described as HTML information, it will be appreciated that other sources that provide messages which include hyperlinks, may not use the good known http format. The use of underlining and / or changing other character attributes (such as color) is a natural and uniform choice to identify hyperlinks in messages received from other sources, but there is a problem in the ability to use such messages hyperlink, on the significant basis that the existing alphanumeric message devices do not have the function of decoding the hyperlink and that in some cases, they also lack the ability to display the underlined text, or otherwise modify the display's drop-down attributes. text in a unique way for hyperlinks. As an example of a non-HTML source of information, there may be a national or international commercial weather reporting service, which has a large database of information that is conveniently transferred to a user in the form of messages that include hyperlinks indicated in a different way to those specified in the http. In the case of both http, and other information formats with hyperlinks, there are tags or equivalents thereof (those symbols that identify the extension of the hyperlink to a computer), and an associated hyperlinker (for example, the description of a word or phrase), and an associated source address, which, in the HTML is the url included within the guide tag. For convenience, the http tags and their equivalents are simply called tags in the present description. The source address in the http format is called a uniform resource locator (url). For simplicity, the source address in other messages (not HTML), and the url are called, from here on, resource locator (RL), and the combination of tags, the RL and the hyperlink identifier, is given the Hyperlink name, both for HTML messages, as for other types of messages.

Referring to Figure 2, a flowchart of a method used in message system 100 is shown to process a message, which has a hyperlink content to make it compatible with a conventional alphanumeric message device, in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The method is used in message systems, in which compatibility with conventional alphanumeric message devices is desired. Conventional alphanumeric message devices, as used in the present invention, describe alphanumeric message devices 118, which are two-way message traffic devices, of conventional design that do not have a hyperlink decoding function to eliminate labels, removing resource locators and marking the hyperlink identifier, and including said alphanumeric message devices, which additionally can not provide underscore of characters or other attributes of single deployment character. In step 205, a message that includes hyperlink information (e.g., a hyperlinked message) is received by the CCDC 106, e.g., in response to a prior transmission, made by the conventional alphanumeric message device. the main page required. In step 210, the CCDC 106 replaces every time a first drop-down character appears within the hyperlinked message by a second drop-down character. The first drop-down character is preferably the inverted accent (which can be identified as a character with decimal value 96 in the American Standard for Encoded Information Exchange [ASCII]). The second drop-down character is preferably the single quote (this character has a decimal value of 39 in ASCII). Alternatively, other symbol characters may be chosen, but both, the first and second deployable characters, preferably, have the feature of being expandable by all conventional alphanumeric message devices, with which the message system 100 is compatible, and the The first, preferably fold-down, character is not frequently found in messages sent by the message system 100 to the alphanumeric message devices. It will be appreciated that the term "drop-down character" as used in the present invention excludes underlining of characters, because underlining is an attribute of the drop-down characters, not a drop-down character in itself. The CCDC 106, in step 215, identifies each hyperlink in the hyperlink format message by the tags and stores the hyperlink identifier and resource locator of each hyperlink in a CCDC message memory associated with each other , for example, in a database. In step 220, the CCDC 106 marks each hyperlink identifier within the hyperlinked message, using the first drop-down character. In step 225, the CCDC 106 removes the labels and resource locators. The resulting message is a reformatted hyperlink message. The reformatted message is stored in the CCDC message memory, in step 227, in association with the hyperlink identifiers and the resource locators found therein. In step 230, the CCDC 106 routes the reformatted hyperlink message to the message terminal 112. The response of the message responder 130 reconfigures the reformatted hyperlink message in accordance with the unique parameters for the alphanumeric message device. for which the message is designed. The reformatted hyperlink message is sent to the RF controller 114, which stores the reformatted message in the message memory of an RF message controller, in step 235, subsequently configures it within an RF protocol and sends it to the transmitter 116, which transmits the hyperlinked message reformatted during step 240. It will be appreciated that the steps are described in a preferred order of development, but they can be used in different orders, requiring some of them, more complex sequences of program instructions. This operation is illustrated by an example of reformatting a formatted hyperlink message, which is an HTML message, according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention. The hyperlink message formatted in the example, is: ... claimed that he was "innocent" of any wrong action in the < / A > subject < A HREF = "http://www.whitewatre.com" > Whitewater ... The principal and drag anchor tags (A) (identified by the <> symbols), which precede and follow the text "Whitewater", which identifies the anchor (the hyperlink). The uniform resource locator (url) of the hyperlink, is "http://www.whitewatre.com". located on the main label. The text "Whitewater", indicates to the user the existence of a hyperlink, and exemplifies the text that is generally located in any http anchor or hyperlink message, within another protocol, which identifies the hyperlink for the user. In this part, this text is called "the hyperlink dentifier". The sequence that includes the two anchor tags and the text between them is called an HTML element, but we also refer to it in the present invention, just as the hyperlink. In this example, the word "innocent" is preceded and followed by the first conventionally deployable character, which is the symbol of the inverted accent Q. In most of the text, the inverted accent is not frequently used. The CCDC 106 finds and replaces the inverted accents with a second conventionally deployable character, the single quote ('). Then the CCDC 106, uses the inverted accent to mark the identifier of the hyperlink (Whitewater), preceding and following the hyperlink identifier with an inverted accent symbol. Then, the CCDC 106 removes hyperlink tags and stores the url "http://www.whitwwater.com" in association with "Whitewater". The reformatted hyperlink message is communicated to the transmitter 116, which transmits it to the alphanumeric message device. The resulting reformatted hyperlink message is as follows: ... claimed that he was "innocent" of any wrong action in the 'Whitewater' affair ... It will be appreciated, that other characters can be used for the first and second conventionally deployable characters. For example, the first drop-down character conventionally, can be the left bracket ([). It can be replaced by the second drop-down character conventionally, which is a left parenthesis. In this example, a third conventionally drop-down character, the right bracket (]), could also, preferably, be replaced by a fourth, conventionally deployable character, the right parenthesis. Then, the right and left brackets can be used to mark the hyperlink identifier (for example, this is marked by both, the first and the third conventionally deployable characters). An advantage of using the inverted accent is that its use is generally uncommon, so that the original meaning of the hyperlink message is less likely to be altered by the character change. As an example of this approach, the message with hyperlink format is: ... claimed that he was [innocent] of any wrong action in the < / A > subject < A HREF = "http://www.whitewater.com" > Whitewater ... The reformatted hyperlink message is: ... claimed that he was (innocent) of any wrong action in the matter [Whitewater] ... The user of the alphanumeric message device that has received the reformatted hyperlink message, is then warned of the existence of a hyperlink. Referring to Figure 3, the flowchart of a method using message system 100 is shown, to process a response to the reformatted hyperlink message, according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. In step 305, a user of an alphanumeric message device that has received a reformatted hyperlink message selects a hyperlink identifier that is displayed with a portion of the reformatted hyperlink message. Said selection is made, for example, by moving the cursor under a character inside the hyperlink identifier. The hyperlink identifier, of course, it becomes obvious due to the inverse accent (the first unfolding character according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention) that precedes it and follows it. When the hyperlink identifier has been selected, the user initiates the response process for the hyperlinked message reformatted in step 310, for example, by pressing the hyperlink request key. In step 315, the alphanumeric message device transmits a response message that includes a hyperlink identifier, and also includes a message identifier, which in turn identifies the reformatted hyperlink message, from which it has been selected. the hyperlink The identification of the reformatted hyperlink message is preferably executed by the acknowledgment of the protocol position (for example, time 15, cycle 3, frame 45, block 10, word 5, in the FLEX ™ protocol), to which The initial part of the reformatted hyperlink message was transmitted. The response is received by the message receiver 115, and sent to the RF controller 114. In step 320, the RF controller 114 uses the message identifier to retrieve the reformatted hyperlink message that was stored in step 235, with reference to Figure 2. The reformatted hyperlink message is then sent in step 325 to the message terminal 112, which in turn, sends it to the CCDC 106, together with the hyperlink identifier of the selected alphanumeric message device. by the user, and an identity of the alphanumeric message device. In step 330, the CCDC 106 determines the resource locator of the hyperlink identifier, and the reformatted hyperlink message received from the message terminal 112.; and formats a request message that is sent to the resource location of step 335, which typically results in another hyperlinked message that can be returned to the alphanumeric message device, using the device identity of the alphanumeric message, received with the reformatted hyperlink message. It will be appreciated that there are alternative methods for tracking the reformatted hyperlink message, other than the stored full message, as described in steps 225 and 235. For example, the reformatted hyperlink message can be identified by a message code, the which is generated by the CCDC 106. The message code is then stored in the CCDC 106 in place of the message and in the RF controller 114. When the reformatted hyperlink message is identified by the response of the alphanumeric message device, the RF controller sends back the message code and the hyperlink identifier to the message terminal 112, which sends them to the CCDC 106, which uses the message code and the hyperlink identifier to determine the location of the hyperlink resource. It will be appreciated that through the use of this unique technique, the hyperlinks are displayed without the presence of hyperlink labels and resource locators (which could confuse the user). In addition, the hyperlinks will be identifiable only by the user. This is true when a hyperlinked message is received and displayed by an alphanumeric message device that does not have the ability to decode hyperlinks, including those that also lack the ability to present underlined characters, or otherwise change the attributes of the hyperlinked user. Expanding character. This is also true when a reformatted hyperlink message is received by an alphanumeric message device that can decode the hyperlink messages. In this way, the reformatted hyperlink message is compatible with said alphanumeric message devices. This technique is useful when, for example, a group of message calls is transmitted to a plurality of message devices, including those that may or may not decode the hyperlink messages. Or those, which may or may not, use character underlining. This technique is also useful when a system is being converted for the first time, to be compatible with hyperlink format messages and when service systems, mostly conventional alphanumeric message devices that do not decode the hyperlink characters, including to those who also do not display the underlined characters. The technique is unique, in that it: a) decodes the hyperlink message in a controller of a message system that is separate from the message device, which displays the hyperlink message via another communication link (in this case, an RF link); b) provides storage of the resource locator in the message handling system; and c) uses a unique character before and after (in the preferred embodiment of the present invention) of the hyperlink identifier (instead of changing an attribute of a character of the hyperlink identifier.

Claims (12)

R E I V I N D I C A C I O N S
1. Having described the present invention, it is considered as novelty and, therefore, the content of the following CLAIMS is claimed as property: 1. A method for. processing a hyperlinked message to make it compatible with an alphanumeric message device, which lacks the ability to decode hyperlinks, where hyperlinked messages include at least one hyperlink with tags, a hyperlink identifier, and a resource locator, and wherein the method is used in a message controller of a message system that communicates with a plurality of alphanumeric message devices. Understanding said method the steps of: generating a reformatted hyperlink message, comprising the steps of: replacing all occurrences of the first drop-down character within the hyperlinked message by a second drop-down character, marking the hyperlinker identifier of each one, at least, a hyperlink within the hyperlinked message, using the first drop-down character, and remove the labels and the resource locator from each, at least, one hyperlink; and store the resource locator of each, of at least one hyperlink in association with the hyperlink identifier.
2. 2. The method as described in Claim 1, further characterized in that the first drop-down character is an inverse accent and the second drop-down character is a single quote.
3. 3. The method as described in claim 1, further characterized in that, in said marking step, the hyperlink identifier of each, of at least one hyperlink, is marked by prefixes and suffixes of the hyperlink identifier with the first Expanding character.
4. 4. The method as described in Claim 1, further characterized in that, the hyperlinked format message is an increase in the hyperlink message language (HTML), the resource locator is a uniform resource locator, and the tags they are HTML anchor tags.
5. 5. The method as described in Claim 1, further characterized in that, in said storage step, the reformatted hyperlink message is stored in association with each resource locator and the hyperlink identifier of at least one hyperlink. .
6. 6. The method as described in Claim 1, further characterized in that the reformatted hyperlink message is transmitted by an RF transmitter.
7. 7. The method for processing a hyperlinked message that is received and displayed by an alphanumeric message device, which lacks the ability to display underlined characters, where the hyperlinked message includes at least one hyperlink with labels, a hyperlink identifier, and a resource locator, and wherein the method is used in a message controller of a message system that communicates with multiple alphanumeric message devices; said method comprising the steps of: generating messages formatted for hyperlink, comprising the steps of: replacing all occurrences of a first drop-down character within the hyperlinked message by a second drop-down character. labeling of the hyperlink identifier of each one, of at least, a hyperlink with the hyperlinked message, using the first drop-down character, and removal of the labels and the resource locator of each, of at least one hyperlink; and storage of the resource locator of each, of at least one hyperlink associated with the hyperlink identifier.
8. 8. The method as described in Claim 7, further characterized in that the first drop-down character is an inverse accent and the second drop-down character is a single quote.
9. 9. The method as described in Claim 7, further characterized in that in said marking step, the hyperlink identifier of each, of at least one hyperlink, is marked by a prefix and a suffix in the hyperlink identifier with the first drop-down character
10. 10. The method as described in Claim 7, further characterized in that, in cases where the hyperlinked message is an increase in the language of the hyperlink message (HTML), the resource locator is a locator of uniform resources, and the tags are HTML anchor tags.
11. 11. The method as described in Claim 7, further characterized in that in said storage step, the reformatted hyperlink message is stored in association with each resource locator and hyperlink identifier of at least one hyperlink.
12. 12. The method as described in Claim 7, further characterized in that the reformatted hyperlink message is transmitted by the RF transmitter.