RU2549173C2 - Method and system for performing mediation between content provider website and mobile device - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: radio engineering, communication.

SUBSTANCE: group of inventions relates to means of facilitating communication between a first website of a content provider and a mobile device. The method includes receiving first information from the website of a content provider via a first network on a web server, wherein the first information does not include any electronic mail message, wherein receiving includes pulling out, by an internal unit of the web server, the first information from the website of the content provider; processing in at least one of the internal unit and external unit of the web server, first information to provide processed first information; sending notification on new content in the first information from the external unit of the web server over a data pushing channel established either in the first network or a second network for receiving by the mobile device; wherein the processed first information presents one or more differences existing between the first information and previous information received at the web server from the website of the content provider.

EFFECT: enabling data sharing by mobile devices.

27 cl, 9 dwg

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present group of inventions relates to communications that involve mobile devices, and more particularly, to communications between such mobile devices and content provider websites on the Internet.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Content Provider Websites (CPW), such as Social Networking (SNW) websites, news feeds, music and photography sites, as well as other types of websites, such as business to business (b2b) and business consumer (b2c) are interactive websites that allow you to upload and / or download (upload to a remote computer) (e.g. publish) various forms of data such as news, weather, personal or business information, pictures, videos and songs, and thereby contribute to the creation and support of interpersonal connections first between people and groups of people. Uploading data to the CPW by one user may allow other users to access and / or download the downloaded data. Normally, SNWs provide a framework for countless users to create the appropriate personal and professional spaces, which respectively identify the respective users and allow you to associate the downloaded data with the corresponding spaces.

[0003] CPWs may be in communication with users who operate with any of a variety of different types of devices that communicate with CPWs often via networks such as the Internet. More and more users are using mobile devices to interact with CPW. As communication activity increases, there is an increased need to improve the quality and / or user friendliness of such communication activity. In addition, there is also an increased need to increase the effectiveness of such communication activity to improve the battery performance of mobile devices and reduce data transfers for all devices.

[0004] Therefore, it would be useful if improvements in the form of improved mobile devices and / or other devices and / or improved methods could be provided to enable the mobile device to communicate with CPW, which would help to solve at least partially one or more of the above development needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0005] In at least one embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for facilitating communication between a first website (Internet site) of content providers (content providers) and a mobile device. The method includes receiving first information from a content provider's website via a first network to a web server, wherein the first information does not include any email message, the receipt including pulling, via an internal block of the web server, first information from a content provider's website. The method also includes processing at least in the internal block and the external block of the web server the first information in order to provide the processed first information, and transmitting a notification of new content (contents) in the first information from the external block of the web server via the push channel data set either in the first network or in the second network to be received by the mobile device.

[0006] Additionally, in at least one additional embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for facilitating communication between a first social networking website and a mobile device. The method includes receiving the first information on the internal block of the web server from the social network site via the first network, processing the first information on the web server in order to provide processed first information, where the processing includes filtering at least a portion of the first information on based on at least one importance level corresponding to at least one part, and where at least one part includes at least one of contact information, status information, and information about new styah. The method further includes transmitting a notification of new content in the first information from the external block of the web server via a data push channel established either in the first network or in the second network to be received by the mobile device. A notification has high priority if the new content that owns the notification includes status information, and in which the notification has low priority if the new content that owns the notification includes at least one other type of information.

[0007] Furthermore, in at least one additional embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for facilitating communication between a first social networking website and a mobile device. The method includes receiving first data from a mobile device and receiving second data from a mobile device, where one of the first or second data is content data and the other of the first or second data includes at least one identifier by which the mobile device can Log in to the first social network site. The method also includes transmitting at least one identifier to the first network for receiving by the first social network site through which the server is able to log into the first social network site as an intermediary for a mobile device.

[0008] In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for facilitating communication between a first social networking website and a mobile device. The method includes receiving first information from a social network website via the first network to a web server and processing the first information on the web server in order to provide processed first information in which the processed first information indicates the difference between the first information and the earlier pre-accepted information from a social networking website. The method further includes transmitting a notification from the web server for reception by the mobile device. When the processing includes determining that the first part of the first information is of high importance, the transmission of the notification includes substantially immediately providing a high priority notification of the processed first information through the data push channel existing between the web server and the mobile device. The method also includes waiting for a download request from a mobile device.

[0009] Furthermore, in at least one additional embodiment, the present invention relates to a method for facilitating communication between a mobile device and a plurality of social networking websites, including a first social networking site and a second social networking site. The method includes pulling the first information from the first social network website and the second information from the second social network website to the web server via at least one first network. The method further includes processing the first and second information on the web server in order to generate the processed first and second information, and transmitting a notification of the availability of the processed first or second information from the web server for reception by the mobile device. The processed first and second information is configured to allow the mobile device to request processed first and second information and display both the processed first information and the processed second information in a standard manner, that is, at least substantially independently of the specific formatting characteristics for the first and second information provided by the first and second social networking sites.

[0010]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] In FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an example communication system including a plurality of mobile devices communicating with a plurality of content provider websites, in which some of the communication processes are carried out via an intermediate web server;

[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing exemplary components of one of the mobile devices of FIG. one;

[0013] In FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing exemplary components of an intermediate web server of FIG. one; and

[0014] FIG. 4-9 are functional diagrams of various exemplary stages of operation of an intermediate web server and mobile devices of FIG. one.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] Referring to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an exemplary communication system 100 is shown in a simplified schematic form. As shown, the communication system 100 includes, in this embodiment, three mobile devices 102, one of which is shown in communication with the server via the communication line 105, which in the present embodiment is the web server 104. The mobile devices 102 are respectively representatives of the communication devices operated by people (or users) or possibly other objects (for example, netbooks or other computers) that want or require the ability to communicate. In some embodiments, for example, the mobile devices may be any of a cell phone, other wireless devices, such as personal digital assistants, and / or devices, such as laptop computers or desktop computers, that are capable of connecting and communicating with a network.

[0016] The communication system 100 is further shown as including three websites (Internet sites) of content providers (content providers) (CPW) 106, one of which is shown in communication with an intermediate web server 104 via a communication link 108. In addition, a communication line 110 is also provided that allows one of the mobile devices 102, which is connected to the web server 104, to communicate directly with this one of the CPW 106, which also has a connection to the web server, without mediating the web -servers 104. Although only one of the mobile devices 102 and one of the CPW 106 are shown to be connected to a web server, it will be understood that depending on time or operating conditions, any or all of the mobile devices 102 and CPW 106 may communicate with the web server. Likewise, depending on time or operating conditions, any of the mobile devices 102 may communicate with any of the CPW 106 via direct lines of communication, such as line 110.

[0017] Although the three mobile devices 102 are shown in FIG. 1, in other embodiments, only one mobile device is in communication with a web server 104, or otherwise, any arbitrary number of mobile devices can communicate with a web server 104. [0017] Similarly, although three CPWs 106 are shown in FIG. 1, in other embodiments, only one CPW is connected to the web server 104, or else, any arbitrary number of CPWs can be connected to the web server 104. Additionally, any arbitrary number of mobile devices can communicate with any arbitrary number of CPWs via direct communication lines, such as line 110 in other embodiments. That is, FIG. 1 is intended to show any of a plurality of systems using any arbitrary number of mobile devices and any arbitrary number of CPWs that communicate with each other either indirectly through a web server interface or directly with each other.

[0018] Depending on the embodiment, communication lines 105, 108, 110 may be part of a single network or multiple networks, and each line may include wired and / or wireless communication lines, for example, laying a land line (eg, optical fiber, copper) , microwave, radio, wireless, intranet, Internet, and World Wide Web communication lines (which themselves can use multiple intermediate hardware and / or software devices, including, for example, multiple routers ators, etc.). In addition, many communication protocols and techniques can be used to communicate via communication lines 105, 108, 110 between mobile devices 102, web server 104 and CPW 106, including, for example, transmission control protocol / Internet protocol (TCP) / IP), extensible messaging and presence information protocol (XMPP), file transfer protocol (FTP), etc. In other embodiments, other types of communication lines may also be used to facilitate signaling between multiple mobile devices 102 and CPW 106. Although in the present embodiment, the communication line / network and server are each considered as a web version, in other embodiments, the communication link / network and server may involve various non-web forms.

[0019] As will be discussed in more detail below with respect to FIG. 4-7, the web server 104 is configured to serve as an intermediate between the mobile devices 102 and the CPW 106. Various types of communication between the mobile devices 102 and the CPW 106 are skipped, processed, and / or monitored by the web server 104, including, for example, communication including uploading (downloading to a remote computer) and downloading files (e.g. photos, music, videos, text recordings, etc.), blog posts and messaging (e.g. Short Message Service (SMS), Multimedia Service Messaging (MMS) and Instant Messaging s Messaging (IM)). CPW generally includes many interactive websites that allow you to upload and download (for example, publish) various forms of data, such as personal or business information, pictures, videos and songs, and thereby contribute to the creation and support of interpersonal connections between people and groups of people. Examples of CPW include, for example, Facebook ™, MySpace ™, hi5 ™, LinkedIn ™, and Twitter ™. For the purposes of the present invention, CPWs can also be understood as including various other types of websites (e.g., websites such as business-to-business or business-to-consumer), which, although they are not fully or primarily focused on social networks however, they also include signs typical of social networks. Other content provider websites include RSS or other news feeds, photography services such as Picasa ™ or Photobucket ™, and music services such as LastFM ™.

[0020] Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram is provided illustrating exemplary internal components 200 of a mobile device, such as a mobile device 102 according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, components 200 include one or more wireless transceivers 202, 203, 205, a processor 204 (e.g., a microprocessor, a microcomputer, a dedicated integrated circuit, etc.), a memory unit 206, one or more output devices 208, and one or more input devices 210. In at least some embodiments, a user interface is present that includes one or more output devices 208, such as a display, and one or more input devices 210, such as a dedicated keyboard or touch sensor. Internal components 200 may further comprise a component interface 212 to provide direct connection to auxiliary components or accessories for additional or enhanced functionality. The internal components 200 preferably also include a power source 214, such as a battery, for providing power to other internal components, while allowing mobile devices to be portable. All internal components 200 may be connected to each other and connected to each other via one or more internal communication lines 232 (e.g., internal bus).

[0021] Each of the wireless transceivers 202 uses wireless technology for communication, which may include (but not limited to), for example, cellular-based technologies such as analog communication (using AMPS), digital communication (using CDMA, TDMA , GSM, iDEN, GPRS, EDGE, etc.), and next-generation communication (using UMTS, WCDMA, LTE, IEEE 802.16, etc.) or their variants, or peer-to-peer or highly specialized communication technologies, such as HomeRF ( radio frequency), Bluetooth, and IEEE 802.11 (a, b, g, or n), or other wireless technologies, such as such as infrared technology. In the present embodiment, the wireless transceivers 202 include a cellular transceiver 203 and a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 205, although in other embodiments only one of these types of wireless transceivers is present (and none of these types are possible wireless transceivers and / or other types of wireless transceivers). By using the wireless transceivers 202, the mobile device 102 is capable of communicating with both the CPW 106 via the communication link 110 and also the web server 104 (and thus indirectly again with the CPW 106) via the communication link 105.

[0022] An exemplary operation of the wireless transceivers 202 in conjunction with other of the internal components 200 of the mobile device 102 may take many forms and may include, for example, an operation in which, after receiving a radio signal, the internal components detect communication signals and the transceiver 202 demodulates communication signals for recovering incoming information, such as voice and / or data transmitted by radio signals. After receiving the input information from the transceiver 202, the processor 204 formats the input information for one or more output devices 208. Similarly, for transmitting radio signals, the processor 204 formats the outgoing information, which may or may not be activated by the input devices 210, and transmits the outgoing information to one or more wireless transceivers 202 for modulating communication signals. Wireless transceiver (s) 202 transmits modulated signals via wireless (and possibly also wired) communication lines to other devices, such as web server 104 and one or more CPW 106 (as well as possible to other devices, such as a cell tower, access point, or another server or any of many remote devices).

[0023] Depending on the embodiment, the input and output devices 208, 210 of the internal components 200 may include a plurality of visual, audio, and / or mechanical outputs. For example, the output device (a) 208 may include one or more visual output devices 216, such as a liquid crystal display and an LED indicator, one or more audio output devices 218, such as a speaker, a signal device, and / or a buzzer, and / or one or more mechanical output devices 220, such as a vibration mechanism. Visual output devices 216 may include, among other things, a video screen. Similarly, according to an example, input device (a) 210 may include one or more visual input devices 222, such as an optical sensor (eg, a camera), one or more audio input devices 224, such as a microphone, and one or more devices 226 mechanical input such as a flip sensor, keyboard, dedicated keyboard, touch screen, capacitive sensor, motion sensor and switch. Actions that can activate one or more input devices 210 may include not only physically pressing / activating buttons or other activation devices, but may also include, for example, opening a mobile device, unlocking the device, moving the device to activate movement, moving the device to activate the positioning system and operating the mobile device.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 2, the internal components 200 of the mobile device 102 may also include one or more of a variety of types of sensors 228. Sensors 228 may include, for example, proximity sensors (light detection sensor, ultrasonic transceiver or infrared transceiver), touch sensors, height sensors a positioning scheme, which may include, for example, a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, a triangulation receiver, an accelerometer, a tilt sensor, a gyroscope, or other information collection device A radio that can identify the current location or user device interface (carrying mode) of the mobile device 102.

[0025] The memory unit 206 of the internal components 200 may include one or more memory devices of any of a variety of types (read-only memory, random access memory, static random access memory, dynamic random access memory, etc.), and may be used by processor 204 to storing and sampling data. Data that is stored by the memory unit 206 may include, but is not necessarily limited to, operating systems, applications, and information data. Each operating system includes an executive code that controls the basic functions of the communication device, such as the interaction between various components contained among the internal components 200, communication with external devices via wireless transceivers 202 and / or component interface 212, and saving and selecting applications and data to and from memory unit 206. Each application includes executable code that uses the operating system to provide more specific functionality to communication devices, such as servicing a file system or processing protected or insecure data stored in a memory unit 206. Information data is non-executable code or information that can be referenced and / or manipulated by an operating system or application to perform the functions of a communication device.

[0026] Referring to FIG. 3, further exemplary components of the web server 104 of FIG. 1. As shown, the web server 104 includes a memory unit 302, a processor unit 304 connected to this memory unit, and one or more input / output (I / O) interfaces (not shown) for interfacing lines 105, 108 communication with the processor 304. The processing unit 304 further includes an internal unit 306 (social network processor) and an external unit 308. The internal unit 306 communicates with the CPW 106 (shown by dashed lines) via a communication line 108, and the external unit 308 communicates with mobile device 102 (also shown with dashed lines) the link line 105.

[0027] As discussed in more detail below, in at least some embodiments, the indoor unit 306 maintains a pull type communication with a CPW, such as CPW 106. A pull type communication may, for example, be implemented using a View State Transfer (REST) architecture. typical for the network type, and in this regard, the indoor unit is configured to generate requests for information to be provided to the indoor unit 306 from the CPW, such as CPW 106, at times / under conditions determined by the web server 104, in response to the cat Some CPWs search and provide the required data back to the web server. Also, as discussed in more detail below, in at least some embodiments, the external unit 308 establishes a data push channel in conjunction with mobile devices, such as mobile device 102.

[0028] In at least several such embodiments, the data push channel allows the external unit 308 to provide notifications from the web server 104 (generated by the external unit) to the mobile device 102 at times / under conditions determined by the web server 104. The notifications may indicate the amount of information that is available for provision on a mobile device. Mobile device 102, in turn, is capable of responding to notifications in a manner deemed to be a proper mobile device. Such responses often (but not necessarily always) constitute requests for some or all of the available information to be provided from the external block of the intermediate web server 104 to the mobile device.

[0029] Referring to FIG. 4 is a functional diagram showing exemplary operation steps of the web server 104 of FIG. 1 and 3, specifically when interacting with and mediating in communication between mobile devices and CPWs, such as mobile devices 102 and CPW 106 shown in FIG. 1. After the start of the process represented by the functional diagram of FIG. 4, at an initial step 400, the web server 104 starts at step 402 by establishing a communication link with a mobile device, such as a communication link 105 with a mobile device 102 of FIG. 1. As will be discussed in more detail below, establishing a communication line with a mobile device, depending on an embodiment, may actually include establishing a plurality of communication lines (which may exist in parallel or at different times) with this mobile device.

[0030] In some such cases, many communication lines are different types, for example, including a data push channel or communication protocols other than data push channels. Also, while establishing a communication link with the mobile device 102 typically involves establishing a channel switch connection with the base station, and thus, a communication device providing identification information to the base station by which the mobile device identifies itself in a telecommunication network, a web connection server 104 may also be implemented via an Internet Protocol (IP) connection or a peer-to-peer (P2P) telecommunication connection between a base station the mobile device is communicating with and the load balancer / firewall, and may also include providing a response from the web server back to the mobile device, through which the mobile device recognizes that it is in contact with the web server.

[0031] After completing step 402, at step 404, the web server 104 further establishes a communication line with a CPW, such as a communication line 108 with a CPW 106 shown in FIG. 1. The establishment of the communication line at step 404 may include, for example, providing one or more calls to web services and / or other methods. Following step 404, the web server 104 provides a continuous connection, which may be (but not necessarily) a periodic connection, to the CPW 106 and receives (pulls) information from the CPW one or more times. Information obtained from CPW may include any of a variety of types of information, including, for example, information related to contacts or friends (including a list of contacts), new friends or updated contacts, special messages, news, events, and others types of information, possibly including files (such as image files or text files) or other types of data. After receiving the information in step 406, then the web server processes the received information in step 408.

[0032] Referring further to FIG. 5, exemplary sub-steps are shown corresponding to steps 406 and 408 of FIG. 4, in accordance with one embodiment. As shown, step 406 (the receiving step) is understood to include various sub-steps starting from the initial sub-step 500, and further including three additional sub-steps 502, 504, and 506. More specifically, at the sub-step 502, the web server 104 sends a data pull signal to CPW 106, and in sub-step 504, information is received back from the CPW to the web server indoor unit 306. After receiving information on the indoor unit 306, then, at step 506, this information is pushed from the indoor unit to the outdoor unit 308 of the web server 104.

[0033] Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 5, step 408 (processing step) may include, in one embodiment, several sub-steps starting at sub-step 508 and ending at sub-step 518 (FIG. 5 shows the sub-steps corresponding to step 408, continuing the sub-steps corresponding to step 406). More specifically, in sub-step 508, after the external unit 308 of the web server 104 receives information that has been pushed from the indoor unit 306 in the sub-step 506, this information is then placed in a common transmission queue. Further, optionally in sub-step 510, the information may be compressed. In addition, at 512, the information may optionally be converted to another format, such as a binary format. As further represented by block 509 (shown by dashed lines), format conversion occurring in sub-step 512 may include deleting specific formatting information that has been provided by CPW 106 in order to standardize the formatting of information and remove site-specific information about formatting, or otherwise modify the formatting of information to be unified or universal, a format provided to a mobile device regardless of formatter CPW, which was the source of information.

[0034] Next, in sub-step 514, the information is filtered based on whether it is information of high importance or low importance. As additionally represented by sub-steps 511, 513.515 and 517 (shown by dashed lines), this filtering operation may include further definitions. Namely, as shown in sub-step 511, the web server 104 may determine whether the information relates to friends, new friends, special messages, news, or events. If so, then at sub-step 513 this information is assigned a low level status. However, if the information does not fall into one of these groups, the filtering process proceeds to sub-step 515, where the web server determines whether the information is related to status updates. If it does, then the information is assigned a high level status in step 517. In the present exemplary embodiment, if it is determined in step 515 that the information is not related to status updates, the process returns to step 513. Again, it is recognized that the web server 104 can determine whether the information is a status update for the user, and if so, interpret the information as high level or high priority, and if not, interpret the information as low level or low priority. Other types of information may also be interpreted as high priority, although it is desirable to limit the number of messages that result in increased activity for the communication device.

[0035] After completing the filtering sub-step 514, then the process proceeds to the sub-step 516, in which the web server 104 (specifically, the web server external unit 308) determines one or more differences that may exist between the information that was obtained in step 406 from CPW 106, and previous information that was previously received from the same CPW. In the present embodiment, there is only such a difference of information that is ultimately transmitted back to the mobile device 102. As already noted, shown in FIG. 5, the sub-steps corresponding to step 408 of FIG. 4 are completed at sub-step 518. It should be recognized that step 516 can advantageously occur in the indoor unit 306 between steps 504 and 506, in which case, the information will only be further processed by the web server 104 if there is a change in CPW information compared to the previous one point in time when the content was stretched for a particular subscriber. This will free up server resources to continue pulling information from the CPW for the user of the device 102 or other users who use the intermediate web server and CPW.

[0036] Returning to FIG. 4, after completing step 408, the web server 104 decides whether one or more pieces of processed information is of high importance or not high importance (e.g., low importance, or possibly medium importance or some other level of importance). If it is determined that the processed information is of high importance, then at step 412, the external unit 308 of the web server 104 sends the processed information of high importance to the mobile device 102 through the data push channel established via the communication line 105. This happens immediately, at a time determined by the web server, as made possible by using the data push channel. If it is determined at step 410 that the processed information is not of high importance, then the sending of the processed information may be delayed until one more appropriate time, thereby reducing communication activity between the device and the server and thus reducing the battery drain on the device. Thus, at step 414, the web server 104 waits for the appropriate time to send the processed information to the mobile device 102. Then, as soon as the proper time has arrived, at step 416, the information is then sent to the mobile device 102 via the web server 104.

[0037] The proper time at which the processed information is sent via the web server 104 to the mobile device 102 may be based on various considerations. For example, in some embodiments, such an appropriate time is only a periodically occurring time at which the mobile device 102 polls the web server 104 for information. Such a survey typically involves repeatedly sending request signals from the mobile device 102 to the web server 104. In other cases, the proper time comes when specific conditions arise. For example, the proper time to send processed information of low importance can come when the mobile device 102 makes a request, whether this is the case in which, by the same time, the web server 104 has determined that a certain amount of processed information of low importance has been stored to the mobile device . Although in the above description, the receipt of information by the web server 104 is described as including pulling, while the receipt by the mobile device of information of low importance from the web server is described as including polling, it should be understood that the operation is either pulling or polling (and either periodic or asynchronous communication) can be used by both the web server and the mobile device, respectively, to receive information from the CPW and the web server, respectively, depending on the embodiment. Additionally, it is envisaged that the server 104 can pull information from the CPW 106 when the mobile device 102 is not connected to the server, whereby the server will hold the information until the mobile device reconnects, or until enough time has passed for the server to delete the information.

[0038] Regardless of whether information of high importance or low importance is sent to the mobile device in steps 412 and 416, respectively, after completing these steps, a number of additional steps are performed by the web server 104 in conjunction with a mobile device, CPW, or additional mobile devices / CPW. More specifically in this regard, after completing steps 412 and 416, at steps 418-428, information from the mobile device 102 can be uploaded to the web server 104 and further provided to the CPW 106. As shown in FIG. 4, at step 418, this interaction can begin, via the web server 104, to receive identification information from the mobile device 102. Such identification information should not always be received, for example, if such identification information has already been received at step 402. Then, at at 420, the web server 104 further receives content information from the mobile device 102. The content information may include, for example, files, such as image files or text files, or other data that the user l the mobile device wants to upload to the user profile (for example, a "wall") existing on the CPW.

[0039] Next, at 422, the web server 104 receives a command from the mobile device 102 instructing the web server to download the content information to the CPW 106. In alternative embodiments, this command does not need to be explicitly provided by the web mobile device 102 to the server 104, since, in such embodiments, the web server assumes that all content information provided by the mobile device should be further uploaded to any CPW to which the mobile device is associated. In addition, then, at 424, the web server 104 sends the identification information received from the mobile device 102 to the CPW 106 in order to authenticate the relationship between the web server and the CPW. In response to the sending of this identification information, a CPW label is usually received back that the authentication is satisfactory, as indicated by step 426. As with step 418, steps 424 and 426 do not currently need to be explicitly performed in all embodiments, especially where such actions were performed as part of establishing communication lines at 402, 404. Regardless of when the authentication occurs, the authentication process allows the web server 104 to interact with the CPW 106 on behalf of, and as an intermediary and, the mobile device 102. Assuming that correct authentication has occurred, then in step 428 the content information sent by the web server 104 to CPW 106.

[0040] It is contemplated that the user ID and password required for the web server 104 to download (upload to a remote computer) and download content to and from the CPW 106, for a particular user account on the CPW, can be uploaded to the web server 104 by the user when the mobile device 102 first connects to the server and configures the CPW on the web server. The web server will store the user ID and password in memory and access the CPW using the user ID and password until the user changes them, in order to maintain stable communication with the CPW, regardless of whether the mobile device 102 is connected. that information retrieval by the web server 104 from the CPW 106 can be reduced in frequency or completely suspended (or stopped) if the mobile device does not request information from the server within a predetermined period of time, or if the web queue -server containing content to be further downloaded to the device exceeds the time threshold and / or storage capacity threshold.

[0041] In addition to the previously described upload process, under certain conditions, a user operating a mobile device 102 may wish to have content uploaded to more than one CPW 106. Such a process may be assisted by a web server 104, as indicated by the steps 430-438 of FIG. 4, especially where content information has already been provided to the web server by the mobile device 102. More specifically, as shown, in step 430, the web server determines whether an additional command was received by the web server from the mobile device 102 instructing the web server to provide information content to another CPW. If such a command is received, then in the next step 432, the web server 104 determines whether a link has already been established with another CPW. If such a communication line has not yet been established, the process proceeds to step 434, where additional identification information is received from the mobile device 102 and subsequently, at step 436, this communication line is established between the web server 104 and another CPW 106. That is, if the line communication has not yet been established with another CPW, as determined in step 432, in order to establish such a communication line, the web server 104 must again be provided with identification information from the mobile device 102, allowing this web server to be authenticated th e relative to the other CPW to operate as a proxy for the mobile device with respect to this another CPW (e.g., substantially the same operation as described above with respect to steps 424-426).

[0042] After the link is established in step 436, or if it is determined in step 432 that the link has already been established with another CPW, the process proceeds to step 438, where the content information is uploaded to another CPW. Thus, through steps 430-438, content information already provided to the first CPW in step 428 is further provided to another CPW. It will be understood that although FIG. 4 does not show a direct cycle when repeating steps 418-438, the steps can be repeated repeatedly with respect to multiple pieces of information and more than one additional CPW. It is envisaged that the content will be provided from the mobile device 102 in a unified format, and that the internal server unit will format the data separately and appropriately for each of the target CPWs onto which the content is uploaded.

[0043] Furthermore, with respect to FIG. 4, after completing step 438, or in the case when it was determined by the web server 104 at step 430 that the command was not received, the web server further proceeds to determine whether the mobile device 102 has disconnected from the web server, at step 440 Even if the mobile device 102 is disconnected from the web server 104, as a basic rule, the web server will still maintain its line of communication with CPW 106, in which it has previously entered into communication and in relation to which the web server is able to act as an intermediary on behalf of a mobile device that is about connected, as represented by step 442. Thus, the web server 104 can continue to operate with the CPW 106 on an ongoing basis, even if the mobile device 102, on whose behalf the web server operates, is temporarily unconnected. Therefore, the web server 104 may continue to work to pull information from the various CPWs 106 and can access and monitor such information over time, so that when a previously disconnected mobile device reconnects to the web server, the web server is able to immediately (if appropriate ) provide the latest, updated CPW information available.

[0044] Despite the above description, and although not shown in FIG. 4, in certain embodiments, it is also possible for the mobile device 102 to transmit instructions to the web server 104 so that the web server ceases to act on its behalf in relation to one or more CPW 106, in which case the web server will do so. Finally, as shown in FIG. 4, in both cases, when step 442 is completed, or if it is determined in step 440 that the mobile device 102 is still connected, the web server 104 proceeds to determine whether there is a need or desire to establish additional communication lines with other mobile devices 102 and / or CPW 106. According to the present functional diagram, if there is no such need or desire, the process ends at step 446, while if such a need or desire exists, the process returns to the initial step 400.

[0045] It should be understood that despite the specific steps, as shown in FIG. 4, many additional or other steps may be performed by the web server 104, depending on the embodiment, and one or more of the specific steps shown in FIG. 4 may be rearranged, repeated, or completely eliminated depending on the embodiment. Also, some of the steps performed according to the functional diagram of FIG. 4 can be repeated on a continuous or continuous basis at the same time, while the other steps are performed. For example, steps 406-412 related to receiving and processing information received from the CPW 106, and directly (or essentially immediately) sending high-priority information to the mobile device 102, can be repeated on an ongoing or continuous basis, even while when other interactions are also performed, such as those represented by steps 418-438, related to downloading content information from a mobile device to a web server and then to one or more CPWs. In addition, while FIG. 4 describes in some detail the ability of a web server 104 to communicate with a plurality of CPW 106 sequentially or simultaneously, and illustrates exemplary interactions facilitated by a web server between this mobile device and such one or more CPWs, it should be understood that the same process can be performed at the same or essentially the same time by the web server in terms of enabling such interactions between any number of other mobile devices and such one or Lee CPW.

[0046] It is contemplated that the indoor unit 306 may include a separate plug-in for each CPW 106, including APIs suitable for its corresponding CPW. Each of the plug-ins includes an API for its respective CPW, whereby the plug-in pulls information from the website and reformat the information into a universal client format of the mobile device 102. Additionally, content from the mobile device will be reformatted from the unified format of the client program of the mobile device 102 into the proper format specified by the CPW associated with this plug-in when it is uploaded by the indoor unit 306. Thus, the content from the mobile devices and 102 may be sent in a single message in a unified format, and will be routed as selected by the user and formatted by each of the plug-ins of the indoor unit for each of the corresponding CPWs that it targets.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 6, an additional functional diagram is provided showing exemplary operation steps of the mobile device 102, how it interacts with the web server and, through this interaction, is able to interact with one or more CPWs. That is, FIG. 6 is intended to illustrate exemplary operational steps of the mobile device 102 that are complementary (or mostly complementary) to a number of steps performed by the web server 104, as illustrated in FIG. 4 or 5 above. In addition, as will be described further below, FIG. 6 also includes the steps by which a mobile device 102 is capable of interacting directly with one or more CPW 106 without mediation through a web server 104, or simultaneously (but independently) with mediation through a web server. As shown in FIG. 6, after starting operation at the initial step 600, the mobile device 102 begins its interaction with the web server 104 by establishing a communication link with the web server and, by means of the web server, thereby establishing a communication link with the CPW in block 602.

[0048] Referring further to FIG. 7, step 602 can be understood as including several sub-steps, as shown in this Figure. As shown, after starting in sub-step 700, the mobile device 102 activates a data push channel application supported on the mobile device, as indicated in step 702. Then, in step 704, the mobile device 102 provides identification information to the web server 104. Such identification information may include, for example, identification codes indicating a specific mobile device (e.g., serial number, model number, or product identification number), information related to identification information and a user using a mobile device, or other code information such as a descriptive name or password. Next, at step 706, it is determined on the mobile device 102 whether there is a desire to establish a communication line with a particular one of the CPW 106 via the web server. If at the moment there is no such desire, then the process represented by FIG. 7 ends in sub-step 708. Otherwise, if there is a desire to establish a communication line with the CPW 106 via the web server 104, as may be indicated by a user issuing a command to the mobile device 102 indicating such a desire, then in the sub-step 710, the mobile device 102 is additionally sends a command to the web server instructing the web server to establish such a communication line.

[0049] In addition, at step 712, the mobile device 102 further sends network identification information to the web server 104, allowing the web server to establish a communication line with the CPW 106 and act as an intermediary for the mobile device when it communicates with this CPW. The identification information sent in sub-step 712, in some embodiments, may be the same as in sub-step 704, in which case sub-step 712 does not need to be performed. Once the identification information has been provided in substep 712, a data push channel line is established between the mobile device and the web server in substep 714. After completion of substep 714, the remaining process steps shown in FIG. 6 following step 602, may be performed (as indicated by the Return to A block).

[0050] Returning to FIG. 6, after establishing a communication link with the web server 104 in step 602, in step 604, the mobile device 102 receives high priority information from the web server via a data push channel (for example, a data push channel established in substep 714). This information, as already described with reference to FIG. 4-5, in the present embodiment, they are provided from the web server 104 to the mobile device 102 in an asynchronous manner, that is, at times not determined by the mobile device. Moreover, in order to receive such information of high importance on an asynchronous basis, as further presented by the next step 606, the mobile device 102 may further send one or more requests to the web server 104 regarding other information to be downloaded by the web server to the mobile device. As discussed above with reference to FIG. 5, while high importance information may include information such as status update information, other information (e.g. low importance) may include information such as contact / friend information, new friend information, contact lists, photos and videos, special messages, news or event information.

[0051] The requests provided by the mobile device 102 in step 606 may be provided on a periodic basis or at other times, as determined by the mobile device. Although the present embodiment provides that the mobile device 102 will determine when requests are made to the web server 104, which, in turn, determines whether information other than high importance information is transmitted, in other embodiments, such requests and / or loading of information may occur at moments determined by mutual agreement between the web server and the mobile device, at moments determined by only one web server (for example, when the web server has determined that chnoe number of low-priority information), or at the moments determined by another entity or party, such as a manufacturer, who has programmed both devices. Regardless of whether it is requests from the mobile device 102 that request sending information by the web server 104 back to the mobile device, or whether it is other triggering signals that request sending such information, as indicated in step 608, ultimately, such another information is also received via a mobile device from a web server. While block 602 can be considered complementary to block 402 of FIG. 4, steps 604-608 may be considered complementary to the web server operations represented by steps 406-412 (and specifically steps 414-412) of FIG. four.

[0052] Still referring to FIG. 6, in a subsequent step 609, information received by the mobile device 102 from the web server 104 is displayed or otherwise displayed by the mobile device. The area for which such display / output of information occurs will depend on the embodiment. In at least some embodiments, the information is displayed / displayed by the mobile device 102 in a standard manner, so that information or features of CPW-specific formatting are not provided as part of the displayed / displayed information. More specifically, in some embodiments, CPW-specific formatting information and features are edited by the web server 104 or, in some alternative embodiments, by a mobile device or a combination of both, the web server and the mobile device.

[0053] When making such editions, similar types of information found on different CPWs, even if named differently by different CPWs (for example, as information found on a publication site or, alternatively, as information found on a wall) recognize conceptually the same type and, on the basis of such recognition, such information can be displayed (or displayed) in a simple way on a mobile device, regardless of the origin of the information. That is, provided that such information or features characteristic of CPW formatting are edited, information of the same conceptual type from different CPWs, even if formatted differently on different CPWs, is nevertheless displayed in the same or similar, consistent way on a mobile device, regardless of origin this information, thus facilitating the user to view such information. It should be further noted that such information can include not only text data and image data, but also a wide variety of other data, including data that enables the display of interactive windows and data entry fields on a mobile device into which the user can enter additional information or commands that can then be sent back to the web server.

[0054] Next, at step 610, the mobile device 102 determines whether there is a need or desire to upload the currently available content information on the mobile device to the web server and / or ultimately to CPW 106. The need or desire can be determined automatically by the mobile device 102, for example, based on whether a particular type of information has been received by the mobile device from a user or another source, or whether a particular event has occurred or time has passed by triggering such an upload event. Often, such a need / desire arises in response to a user command provided to the mobile device 102. If it is determined at step 610 that there is no such need / desire, then, as shown, the process proceeds to step 622, discussed below. However, if at step 610 it is determined that such a need / desire exists, then at step 612, the mobile device 102 sends content information to the web server 104, and at step 614, the mobile device further sends a command to the web server to upload the content information to the CPW 106. Steps 610-614 can be understood as being generally complementary to steps 418-428 of FIG. 4, except in cases where the identification information that is provided from the mobile device 102 for authentication purposes, as discussed with respect to step 418, can be understood as already provided at step 602, shown in FIG. 6 (alternatively, additional identification information suitable for this purpose may be provided immediately prior to step 612).

[0055] After completing step 614, the mobile device 102 further determines whether there is a need / desire to upload content information to one or more additional CPWs in addition to the first CPW to which this information has already been uploaded, at step 616. Again , this need or desire can be determined based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, one or more instructions provided by the user of the mobile device to the mobile device. If at step 616 it is determined that there is no such need or desire, the process proceeds again to step 622, discussed below. However, if it is determined at step 616 that such a need or desire exists, the process proceeds to step 618, where an additional communication line is established between the mobile device and such additional CPW via the web server. Step 618 may be considered complementary to steps 432-436 of FIG. 4 and may, depending on the embodiment, include sub-steps where the mobile device first determines if a communication line already exists with such an additional CPW and then, if it is determined that such a communication line does not exist, sends additional identification information to the web a server for establishing such a communication line with such an additional CPW and for allowing the web server to act as an intermediary for the mobile device in such communication.

[0056] After establishing an additional communication link with the additional CPW 106 in step 618, then the mobile device further sends a command to the web server 104 to upload content information to this additional CPW 106 in step 620. The operation of step 620 can be understood as corresponding to step 430 s FIG. 4, it should further be understood that the operating order of steps 618 and 620 is reversible, so that those steps more closely match the order of steps 430-436 of FIG. 4. Additionally with respect to FIG. 6, after completing step 620, it is assumed that the web server 104 actually downloads the content information to the additional CPW. Although not shown, in some embodiments, upon completion of such an upload, the web server 104 sends an indication signal back to the mobile device 102, confirming that such an upload has occurred.

[0057] Although the above steps of FIG. 6, as well as the steps of FIG. 4 provide for the use of the web server 104 as an intermediate between the mobile device 102 and the CPW 106, the web server does not always need to mediate such communication, but it is preferable under certain conditions that the mobile device communicate directly (i.e., directly through one or more networks that do not include any web server, or at least not a web server, as described above) with respect to one or more CPWs. Since the mobile device 102, after completing step 620 (or, in some cases, steps 610 and 616, as discussed above), further determines whether there is a need or desire for the mobile device to communicate directly with one or more CPW 106 at step 622 .

[0058] If the mobile device 102 determines at step 622 that this is not the case, then the mobile device may return to node A in its operation, in response to which the process starts again at step 604 and continues. Assuming this happens, the mobile device 102 therefore continues to receive information from the web server 104, and continues to work to upload content information to the web server in a repeatable, ongoing manner. However, if at step 622, the mobile device 102 determines that there is a need or desire to communicate directly with the CPW 106, then the mobile device proceeds to step 624, where the mobile device establishes such a direct communication line.

[0059] Whether there is a need or desire to communicate directly with CPW 106 can be determined based on a variety of considerations. Under some conditions, the mobile device 102 detects this automatically and as a result automatically proceeds to establish a direct line of communication with the CPW 106. For example, if the user requests more information on a specific topic, and downloading this information from this CPW is best done (for example, as regards data transfer efficiency or the like) through direct communication with the CPW, the mobile device may try to connect directly to the CPW. It is also possible under certain conditions that the user may want to view the available information on a particular CPW in the specific format associated with that CPW, and may not want to view an edited view of such information that could be provided if the information was processed by the web server 104 on the route to mobile device. Also, determining whether there is a need or desire to communicate directly with the CPW 106 can be determined based on the receipt of a user command that explicitly requests such a connection.

[0060] The establishment of a forward link in step 624 may include many specific commands or operations performed by the mobile device, which under certain conditions may include receiving data input from the user. For example, in one case, the user initiates the establishment of such a direct line of communication by calling the application / browser program (viewer) to be opened and executed on the mobile device, and by entering the URL (unified resource locator) for CPW in the input field provided by the browser as a result of which the browser communicates with the CPW, and the CPW, in turn, returns web pages or other information back to the browser through which the mobile device (and user) is able to participate in further communication with CPW. In other embodiments, establishing a forward link is an automatic process that does not involve any specific user action.

[0061] Regardless of how the direct link is established, after the establishment of this line, then at additional step 626, the mobile device 102 sends and / or receives information to and / or from the CPW 106 directly (again, without the mediation of the web server described above). Subsequently, at step 628, the mobile device further determines whether there is a need or desire to interrupt the existing communication line with the web server 104. If there is no such need / desire, the process returns to node A, and step 604 and subsequent steps are repeated again. That is, both direct communication (without the mediation of a web server) and indirect communication (via a web server) between the mobile device and CPW can continue simultaneously. However, if it is determined at step 628 that there is a need or desire to interrupt the server-based communication, the process proceeds to step 630, where the mobile device’s communication with the web server is disconnected (which corresponds to step 440 discussed above with respect to Fig. 4 )

[0062] In the present embodiment, as discussed above, the web server 104, configured to keep in touch with the CPW or sites with which it previously had contact on behalf of the mobile device, even after the termination of communication with the mobile device, moreover, the web -server continues to act as an intermediary for a mobile device. However, in other embodiments, the communication of the web server with the CPW is disconnected when the mobile device ceases to communicate with the web server. At any event, following step 630, at step 632, there may be a new need or desire on the part of the mobile device to reconnect with the web server. As in the case of determining whether to enter into direct communication with the CPW 106 in step 622 or disconnect from the web server 104 in step 628, is there a need or desire on the part of the mobile device 102 to re-establish communication with the web server 104, on step 632 may be determined based on any of a variety of considerations, including, for example, user commands that trigger such activity, battery charge considerations, etc. If it is determined in step 632 that the server-based communication should be re-established, then the process returns to the initial step 600. If not, the process represented by FIG. 6 complete at the final step 634.

[0063] Referring to FIG. 8 and 9, respectively, in further embodiments, the operations performed by the web server 104 and the mobile device 102 may be somewhat different from those in FIG. 4-7. More specifically, in some other embodiments, instead of performing steps 408-416 between the Node B and the Node C shown in FIG. 4, the web server 104 instead operates in a different way, involving steps 800-814 shown in FIG. 8. As shown, after moving from node B, instead of performing processing step 408 (and the corresponding steps shown in FIG. 5), the web server 104 instead performs steps 800, 802 and 804. In particular, at step 800 The web server 104 determines whether a change has occurred between the information just received / pulled from the CPW 106 in step 406 and the information previously received from the CPW previously. If the change (s) are detected in step 802, then in step 804, the external unit 308 of the web server 104 places this change information in the change list. In cases where these steps are performed multiple times with respect to the plurality of CPWs that the web server 104 contacts, the change information found with respect to each of the CPWs can all be placed on a change list, which in this case may be called a general change list. .

[0064] Next, at step 806, the external unit 308 of the web server 104 determines whether the processed information is of high importance or not high importance (eg, low importance). In making this determination, the same considerations that were discussed above with respect to step 410 of FIG. 4, and for this reason, step 806 is also marked as step 410 in FIG. 8. Depending on whether the processed information is determined to be of high importance or low importance, the process then proceeds to either step 808 or step 810, respectively. At step 808, after determining that the processed information is of high importance (for example, the information is relevant to updating the status), the external unit 308 of the web server 104 sends a notification to the mobile device 102 via a data push channel indicating that a change of high importance has occurred. Similarly, at 810, after determining that the processed information is of low importance, the external unit 308 of the web server 104 also sends a notification to the mobile device 102 via a data push channel indicating that a change of low importance has occurred.

[0065] Once notifications have been sent either at step 808 or 810, then at step 812, the external unit 308 of the web server 104 may later receive a request from the mobile device 102 to send the change information itself. The request may be received at any time, as determined by the mobile device 102. Often, if the change information is of high importance, the mobile device 102 will immediately or very soon after receiving the notification at 808 send an information request. In contrast, if the change information is of low importance, the mobile device will often wait until a predetermined time (for example, periodic or non-periodic polling time) for such a request is reached. For example, a device may wait no more than 5 minutes to request information of high importance, and wait 15-30 minutes between requests to download information of low importance. At any event, after receiving the change information transfer request from the mobile device 102 in step 812, then the requested change information is subsequently transmitted via the external unit 308 of the web server 104 to the mobile device 102. In the present example, it is preferable that this change information not sent via the data push channel, or alternatively, so that only information about changes of high importance is transmitted through the data push channel, in order to reduce the amount of time in which increase the energy consumption of the mobile device for receiving modified content, even if it is recognized that in other embodiments, all information about the changes can be sent via the data push channel.

[0066] After sending this information in step 814, or if in step 812 the request for information was not received (or at least not received within a predetermined period of time), or if no changes were detected in the information received from CPW 106 at step 802 , then the process returns to node C (and thus to step 418) of FIG. 4. It should be understood that if no content is required to be uploaded to the CPW, the web server 104 will typically return repeatedly to step 406 as it continues to pull content from the CPW, regardless of whether the content is uploaded to the client of the mobile device 102.

[0067] Although in the present example, change information notifications are provided in the same way by the data push channel in steps 808 and 812, regardless of whether the change information is of high importance or low importance, this should not always be so. In other embodiments, for example, a notification regarding a change of high importance can be sent more expeditiously, or in some other way than a notification regarding a change of low importance. Furthermore, whereas in the present example of FIG. 8, information about changes at step 814 is sent at a different time than sending notifications at steps 808, 810, this does not always have to be this way. For example, in one other embodiment, in the case where the content of information about changes of high importance is small (for example, a text message of less than 100 characters), this content can be provided along with (or even serve) a notification of a change of high importance. From the above description, it should be obvious that, at least in some embodiments, the operation of the indoor unit may be largely or completely independent of the operation of the external unit with regard to the corresponding communication of different units with the CPW 106 and the mobile device 102. Many different types communications, for example, those that include pulling or polling, or periodic or asynchronous communications, can be used by any of the blocks regardless of the operations of another block, depending on the embodiment eniya. Thus, the indoor unit 306 can continuously pull content from the CPW 106 and send changes to the external unit 308 regardless of what the external unit does. The external unit 308 can likewise push data to the mobile device 102 and wait for requests to download the changed content, or synchronize the web server 104 and the mobile device, without worrying about what the internal unit 306 is doing at any given moment.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 9, the functional diagram provided here shows how, in some other embodiments, instead of performing steps 604-609 between the node A and the node D shown in FIG. 6, the mobile device 102 instead operates in a different way, involving steps 900-914. Steps 900-914 performed by the mobile device 102 shown in FIG. 9 are, in particular, complementary to steps 800-814 performed by the web server 104 shown in FIG. 8. As shown in FIG. 9, after transitioning from the node A, instead of performing the receiving step 604 of FIG. 6, the mobile device 102 may instead receive a notification from the web server 104 (sent in one or both of the steps 808, 810) that one or more changes have been detected in information provided most recently and at an earlier time from the CPW 106. If at 900, a notification is received, then at 902, the mobile device 102 determines whether the notification indicates that the change is of high or low importance.

[0069] If it is determined at step 902 that the change is of high importance, the mobile device 102 determines at step 904 whether to receive information on the changes of high importance immediately from the web server 104. Despite the fact that in some embodiments, always so that information about changes of high importance should be received as quickly as possible, in other embodiments, the mobile device can still determine for various reasons that it is preferable to delay attempts to receive this information from the web server but (for example, because the mobile device has a low charge). Assuming that at step 904, the mobile device 102 determines that the change information should be received immediately, then the process proceeds to step 906, where the mobile device immediately sends a request signal to a web server requesting that the high-level change information be provided to mobile device right now. In response, at step 908, the mobile device 102 ultimately receives the requested change information (or at least some of this information, as determined by the web server 104) from the web server. In this regard, the execution of step 908 complements the execution of step 814 of FIG. 8.

[0070] If, as an alternative, at step 902 it is determined by the mobile device that the notification indicates that the change information is of low importance, or if at step 904 the mobile device determines that the change information should be received immediately, the process proceeds to step 910 instead At step 910, the mobile device 102 further determines whether the time has come to poll the web server 104 for information about the changes. Such an appropriate time may be a periodically upcoming time, or, in other embodiments, may be determined by the mobile device 102 based on many other considerations (for example, a predetermined amount of time elapsed since the last event, or a user command as received, indicating the mobile device receive content information from the web server 104).

[0071] If at step 910 the proper time for polling the web server has not yet arrived, the process may repeat this step until such time has arrived (or may go to another step of the process and / or possibly return to step 910 at another time) . However, if the time is right at step 910, the process proceeds to step 912, where the polling / request signal is sent by the mobile device to the web server 104. After sending this signal, the process returns to step 908, where the mobile device 102 receives requested change information. In addition, as shown in FIG. 9, after completing step 908, the mobile device 102 proceeds to step 913, in which the received information is displayed or otherwise displayed by the mobile device 102 to allow the user to view the information on the mobile device. Step 913, as shown, may be identical or similar to step 609 of FIG. 6.

[0072] While the change information sent by the web server 104 in step 908 is often of great interest to the user of the mobile device 102, this change information often excludes a lot of content information (also about formatting) that was originally available on CPW 106 before processing this information by the web server. That is, while the information provided by the web server 104 may include various content, such as events, information about the latest status, comments from others, etc., and while the mobile device 102 may also, as it is of course, displaying certain standard information as part of its user interface (for example, username, CPW the user is in contact with, etc.), a significant amount of content and / or other information can be excluded as a result of web server mediation RA 104. For this reason, after the display of the information about the changes in step 913, the user may decide that it would be desirable not only to obtain information about the changes, but also receive another information content (or even formatting). Given that the user may want to receive such other information, the mobile device in a subsequent step 914 further determines whether a user command was received to receive other information not received from the web server 104 in step 908. Such a command may be received, for example when the user selects an icon displayed by the mobile device, which can be displayed as part of the change information in step 913.

[0073] If it is determined in step 914 that such a command has been received, then the mobile device 102 in step 916 establishes a forward link to the CPW 106. This forward link establishment operation may be identical or similar to the operation associated with step 624 discussed above , and may include a standard web version of client-server communication (for example, providing for the input / transmission of a uniform resource locator (URL)) and / or associated with web pages CPW 106), which is designed with the ability to establish communication lines, and you vlyat other information that the user desires. Thus, after establishing the forward link in step 916, then in step 918, other information desired by the user is received from the CPW 106. After completion of step 918, as well as if the reception of the user command was not determined at step 914, or if the notification from the web server 104 was received at step 900, then the process returns to node D and continues from step 610 with FIG. 6.

In another alternative embodiment, the indoor unit 306 includes a plurality of plug-ins or processors, each of which is associated with a corresponding CPW 106. Each plug-in includes application program interfaces (APIs) for its associated CPW 106. Each plug-in uses the Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to constantly pull information from its corresponding CPW 106. When changes are detected by the plug-ins of the indoor unit 306, the changes are uploaded to the queue and the external unit 308 pushes the notification to the mobile device 102. All plug-ins in the internal unit 306 will continue to download the queue with information formatted according to a common format, which includes, for example, the information source ID (source CPW identifier), mobile account ID devices (user device), content type, priority and information. For a status, for example, the format can be: type (STATUS, MOOD, STATUS_AND_MOOD), action (clear status or update status), provider, aggregation service account id, external id, friend id, if the update is for a friend, status text, date and time of publication. The web server 104 builds a uniform tape for each user device (user account) by combining content pulled by all plug-ins into a common change list for each corresponding device (user account). Content is built over time, and each entry can have a timestamp.

[0074] The following algorithm can be used to detect changes during server synchronization, it being understood that server synchronization includes synchronization of web server 104 with CPW 106 (in comparison, it should be understood that client synchronization includes client synchronization, such as mobile device 102 with a web server). Web server program 104 supports three numbers for each account: cla, w1, and w2. cla is the change list binding, w1 is the start time (sample) of the change list window, and w2 is the end time (sample) of the change list. The web server 104 stores a portion of the change list that falls within the window [w1, w2]. All changes found during server synchronization (i.e., an indoor unit pulling from CPW) are marked with a synchronization binding equal to the current w2 (i.e., before w2 is increased by 1). The program pauses server synchronization (CPW size synchronization) as soon as the window size reaches or exceeds the maximum window size mw. Once suspended, the server will resume server synchronization when a new client poll is received. Other variables are: ca is client binding, OFF is a flag indicating no synchronization activity. The values of cla, w1, and w2 are updated according to the following state transition rules.

Event State changes initialization cla = 0, wl = 0, w2 = 0, off = 0 server synchronization w2 = w2 + l, off = 1 if w2-wl> = mw client synchronization, wl <= ca <= w2 wl = ca, off = 0 client synchronization, cla <wl and (ca <wl or ca> w2) cla = w2 + l, wl = cla, w2 = cla, off = 0
(the so-called "reset change list")

When a client polls for changes, if client binding ca falls within [w1, w2], then partial synchronization will work, and server 104 will send back changes that fall within [ca, w2] (and erase changes older than ca). At the conclusion of synchronization, ca will be updated. If the client then polls for changes, the client’s binding falls out of [w1, w2], a new full synchronization occurs between the web server 104 and the client program in the mobile device 102.

[0075] It is contemplated that server synchronization (plug-ins of the indoor unit pull content for a specific device 102) can be suspended for the account of a specific mobile device 102 when the window size reaches mw, in which case a small number of skipped data push signals (notifications to the device ) may cause a service interruption in the absence of a client survey. It is contemplated that it may be advantageous to send data push signals if there are pending changes since the last w2, where data push signals can transmit as long as there are pending changes from the moment wl.

[0076] It is further contemplated that the intermediate web server 104 described herein can be advantageously used with the device polling manager described in US Provisional Application No. 61/180301 entitled "A MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE AND METHOD WITH ENHANCED POLING MANAGEMENT", filed May 21, 2009, which is hereby incorporated by reference.

[0077] As an example of uploading content, uploading photographs will now be considered. Intermediate web server 104 can be used to optimize the process of uploading photos from mobile device 102 to a variety of CPW 106, which in this example are social networking systems, by caching photos in memory 302 of intermediate web server 104. An exemplary process may be such as should:

1. The external block of the web server indicates to the internal block that the user device uploaded the photo;

2. The external block or internal block of the web server will give the new photo the URL of the photo and a system-wide unique photo ID;

3. The photo ID is downloaded to the device, in response to which the client program of the device associates the photo ID with the name of the photo;

4. The internal block uploads the file via HTTP to a location such as /tmp/uniquephotoid.tmp;

5. The corresponding indoor unit plug-ins associated with each of the target CPWs represent work.uploadPhoto for each CPW to upload this photo file;

6. The indoor unit provides a report, back to the external unit, on the success or failure in uploading (sharing) photos;

7. The external unit may optionally notify the user device of success or failure;

8. After a predetermined period of time, the photograph is deleted.

[0078] In the process, photos from the mobile device 102 are downloaded from the device to the external unit 308. The external unit 308 or the internal unit 306 caches the photos in the memory 302 of the intermediate web server for a predetermined period of time to allow the same web photo to be presented. Sites or various systems without requiring re-uploading photos using a mobile device. After a predetermined period of time, the photo is erased. A predetermined period can be any period of time, and it is selected according to memory limitations and frequency of use. The time period may be, for example, 24 hours, this time period may begin at the time of uploading the photograph to memory, as a result of which the time period is set as soon as the image is uploaded, or this time period may begin after the photograph is uploaded to CPW, resulting in a period The time will expand each time a picture is uploaded to a new CPW.

[0079] For one exemplary embodiment, as a principle of operation, the photo is uploaded from the mobile device, along with the identification of the specified CPW 106, to the external server unit 308 and stored in the temporary storage of the network server. The external unit 308 sends the photo to the plug-in in the internal unit 306 of the server 104, which may be, for example, dedicated to the CPW 106 indicated by the mobile device 102. The external unit 308 of the network server also sends a message including the photo identifier (ID) associated with the saved photo, back to the mobile device 102. The photo ID identifies the location or location indicator where the photo is stored in the web server memory 302. Mobile device 102 associates (matches) the photo ID with the name of the photo. Subsequently, if the mobile device 102 makes a choice via the user interface to send the same photo to another CPW (for example, a system of a different social network), the mobile device will send the photo ID, instead of the actual photo, to the web server 104. In response, the web server 104 will extract the photo and forward it to another plug-in dedicated to another CPW. It is envisaged that as soon as the photo is deleted from the memory 302, an update will be sent to the mobile device 102 to unlink the photo name from the photo ID so that the mobile device uploads the photo. On the other hand, if the photo is no longer stored, the web server 104 receives the request to upload the photo associated with the photo ID, the external unit 308 will send an error message to the mobile subscriber device, in response to which the subscriber device will be prompted to upload the photo again.

[0080] For other embodiments, the indoor unit 306 will determine whether the photo uploaded from the mobile device 102 is within the required constraints (eg, dimension and size) of the target CPW (eg, social network system). It is envisioned that this can be processed by the plug-in associated with each CPW when the snapshot is deleted from memory 302, since each plug-in can store CPW restrictions for photos. If such restrictions are met, the indoor unit may skip the photo on the target CPW. Otherwise, the photo size will be resized according to the requirements of CPW. In order to resize the photo, and / or scale the photo to the target size, determine the size change factor. In particular, an advantageous algorithm that can be used to determine the resizing coefficient X is as follows:

x / 100 = ((t-f) / (kc)) ^ (0,5),

Where

x is the percentage of resizing;

t is the target size in bytes, and may, for example, be approximately 1 megabyte or less, and preferably may be 200,000 bytes, and in one implementation, 100,000 bytes;

f is a small correction factor for file size;

k is a constant coefficient, and may be less than 1, and preferably may be less than 0.5, and in one implementation has been selected to be 0.23. c is the original file size in bytes.

[0081] By storing the photo on the web server 104, the server helps to reduce the power consumption of the device and the bandwidth load on the communication network by allowing the mobile device to send media to different CPWs at different times, while downloading the media only once through the local network or the global network through which the mobile device 102 communicates. Additionally, the web server 104 may adapt the media to the format required by each CPW, and the mobile device 102 does not need to know or adapt to these requirements to successfully upload the media.

[0082] It is also contemplated that photographs can be downloaded to mobile devices via an intermediate web server. For example, for RSS feeds, photos from an RSS content source are pulled via an internal block from a feed, along with a feed summary. When the indoor unit 306 detects that such news information is new, or, in other words, that a change has occurred since the previous RSS feed was pulled from this CPW by the indoor unit, the indoor unit of the server 104 will transmit to the external unit 308 a correctly formatted feed for client mobile device 102. The external unit 308 will generate a low priority data push notification for the client device 102, and a summary and a photo will be uploaded to the device 102 in a queue. When the client device 102 subsequently sends an interrogating content request to the external unit 308, the external unit will transmit the contents of the queue, which includes a news feed that contains formatted pictures and a summary. The client program on the mobile device 102 will display a summary and related images on the display 216 of the mobile device 102. Thus, the inside 306 detects and formats a new image and summary for the device, and the external unit 308 notifies the device that the content is available and responds to a polling request from the device for downloading the news feed to the mobile device 102. In addition to the above operation, in at least one additional embodiment, if the input device 210 includes a touch sensor on the display (commonly referred to as a touch screen), the user can touch the screen in the summary and snapshot area, and the user interface will connect, directly via line 110, to the CPW associated with the news feed summary / snapshot and download additional information regarding the news feed , on the display 216 for viewing by the user.

[0083] In addition, it is envisaged that the client program in the mobile device 102 will store some descriptions regarding the types of content and characteristics for each CPW for which the user has a server account. The user interface of the mobile device will vary depending on which user account the user sets up on the server. For example, suppose a user logs on to Facebook ™ and Twitter ™ in their web server account 104. When a user interacts with the user interface to build a message to be uploaded to the CPW, the user interface display represents a choice of “Facebook”, “Twitter” or "all" for the target CPW where the message will be sent. Depending on the choice made, the parameters for the message may be different (for example, the number of characters). If the user selects everything, the shortest of the two CPW constraints will be the length. In addition, it is contemplated that a length counter and a warning may be provided. While the user enters text, the remaining number of characters is displayed, valid until the limit is reached. At some threshold, such as 30 characters, a warning will be displayed. When the limit is exceeded, the remaining number of characters will have a negative count, or the user will not be allowed to enter additional characters. If the user changes the final CPW, the limit will be changed accordingly. For example, if a Twitter ™ website is added as final after creating a message, the limit will be reduced. If the Twitter ™ website is deleted as final, then the limit will be increased.

[0084] The mobile device 102 generates a user interface display having operating parameters dependent on one or more CPWs that the user device is configured on the intermediate web server 104. For messages, the basic message input field is presented on the display for the user to enter text, an upper size limit based on the smallest maximum message size allowed by one or more CPWs selected as the end ones for the message text. The limit can be stored on the client mobile device. The client program of the mobile device may generate a warning when the message size approaches a predetermined limit value. The limit is changed if one or more CPWs are changed. Content due to user input fills the message input area and can generate a warning when the limit is reached. The client program transmits a message to the external server block with the identity of one or more CPWs. The indoor unit formats the message for one or more end CPWs and downloads the message in the format required by the CPW. From the above description, it should be obvious that many methods using numerous different work steps, such as those discussed above, are carried out by means of the present invention. Additionally, many alternative embodiments are also intended to be implemented by the present invention in addition to the specific embodiments discussed above, including embodiments using methods having other work steps in addition to or instead of the steps discussed above, as well as embodiments using methods with stages in various orders and combinations additionally or in place of specific orders or combinations of the steps discussed above. Furthermore, it should be apparent that systems in accordance with one or more of the embodiments described above are capable of providing enhanced functionality with respect to facilitating interaction between mobile devices operated by users and social networking websites. Depending on the embodiment, any one or more of the quality of communication between users and social networking websites, user friendliness of social networking websites and related transactions experienced by mobile device users, and / or communication efficiency may be improved. between mobile devices and such websites.

[0085] In particular, it is intended that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and drawings contained herein, but includes modified forms of these embodiments, including portions of embodiments and combinations of elements of various embodiments, in accordance with the scope claims.

Claims (27)

1. A method of facilitating communication between the first website of the content provider and the mobile device, comprising the steps of:
receive the first information from the website of the content provider through the first network on the web server, the first information does not include any email message, and the receipt includes pulling, through the internal block of the web server, the first information from the web -site of content provider;
processing, in at least one of the internal unit and the external unit of the web server, the first information in order to provide the processed first information; and
transmit a notification of new content in the first information from the external block of the web server via the data push channel established either in the first network or in the second network for reception by the mobile device,
moreover, the processed first information represents one or more differences that exist between the first information and earlier information received on the web server from the website of the content provider. 2. The method according to claim 1, in which, after receiving the first information, the indoor unit processes the first information to provide an indication of the change to the external unit of the web server for processing. 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the data push channel is established at least partially based on the operation of the application program running on the mobile device, and in which the data push channel uses one or more of a transmission control protocol (TCP), an extensible communication protocol Presence messaging and information (HMRR) and asynchronous communication technology. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein when the processing includes determining that the first part of the first information is of high importance, the transmission includes pushing high priority data; and
wherein, when the processing includes determining that the second part of the first information is of low importance, the transmission includes pushing low priority data. 5. The method of claim 4, wherein the first information includes a first amount of data, the processing including one or more of (a) putting at least some of the first amount of data in a common transmission queue, (b) compressing at least some data; and (c) converting at least some data to another format. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the additional transfer of new content from the web server to the mobile device is delayed until the web server receives a poll from the mobile device. 7. The method according to claim 1, in which the website of the content provider is the first site of a social network. 8. The method according to claim 7, in which the web server further communicates with at least one of the social network site and the mobile device through a variety of web service calls. 9. The method according to claim 7, in which the processed first information is configured to allow at least some of the processed first information to be displayed on a mobile device in a manner that is independent of at least one custom feature of the social network site. 10. The method according to claim 1, in which the processed first information is configured to be used by a mobile device, after receiving the processed first information, to generate a display field into which either text or other input from the user can be received. 11. The method according to claim 7, further comprising stages in which:
receive second information from a second social networking website;
processing the second information on a web server in order to provide processed second information; and
transmit a notification of the processed second information from the web server via the data push channel for reception by the mobile device. 12. The method according to claim 11, in which the processing of the first and second information serves to achieve aggregation of information representing changes that have occurred in relation to the first and second information over a period of time from the previous update. 13. The method of claim 12, wherein each of the processed first information and the processed second information is configured to display at least some of the processed first and second information on a mobile device in a manner that is independent of at least one customizable feature of the first and second social network sites. 14. The method of claim 7, wherein the web server authenticates with respect to the social network site by providing an authentication pointer to the first network for reception through the social network site, in response to which the web server then receives the authentication token back from the social network site. 15. A method of facilitating communication between a first social networking website and a mobile device, comprising the steps of:
receive the first information on the internal block of the web server from the website of the social network through the first network;
processing the first information on a web server in order to provide processed first information, the processing including filtering at least one part of the first information based on at least one importance level to which at least one part corresponds and at least at least one part includes at least one of contact information, status information, and news information; and
transmit a notification of new content in the first information from the external block of the web server via the data push channel established either in the first network or in the second network, for receiving by the mobile device,
moreover, the notification has high priority if the new content that owns the notification includes status information, and the notification has low priority if the new content that owns the notification includes at least one other type of information. 16. The method according to p. 15, in which the additional transfer of new content from the web server to the mobile device is delayed until the web server receives a poll from the mobile device. 17. A method of facilitating communication between a first social networking website and a mobile device, comprising the steps of:
receive first data from a mobile device;
receiving second data from a mobile device, wherein one of the first and second data is content data, and the other of the first and second data includes at least one identifier by which the mobile device can log in to the first social network site; and
at least one identifier is transmitted to the first network for reception by the first social network site through which the server can log in to the first social network site as an intermediary for a mobile device. 18. The method of claim 17, further comprising at least one of the steps of:
transmit content data from the server to the first social network site;
maintain the status of the server’s login with respect to the social network site on behalf of the mobile device, even when the mobile device becomes disconnected from the server for a period of time. 19. The method of claim 18, further comprising the step of:
receive an additional identifier from the mobile device and transmit the additional identifier to the first network for reception by the second social network site, through which the server can log in to the social network site as an additional intermediary for the mobile device, and wherein the content data is additionally transmitted via the server to the second site a social network, whereby content data is shared with a second social network site. 20. A method of facilitating communication between a first social networking website and a mobile device, comprising the steps of:
receiving first information from a social network website through a first network on a web server;
processing the first information on a web server in order to provide processed first information, the processed first information indicating the difference between the first information and earlier information previously received from the social network website, and
transmitting the notification from the web server for reception by the mobile device, wherein when the processing includes determining that the first part of the first information is of high importance, the transmission of the notification includes substantially immediately providing a high priority notification of the processed first information through the channel pushing data between the web server and the mobile device; and
Waiting for a download request from a mobile device. 21. The method of claim 20, wherein when the processing includes determining that the second part of the first information is of low importance, the processing further includes storing either the second part or the corresponding second part of the processed first information for a period of time up to transmitting the corresponding second part for reception by the mobile device. 22. The method according to p. 20, further comprising stages in which:
receive second information from a second social networking website through either the first network or an additional network on a web server;
processing the second information on a web server in order to provide the processed second information, the processed second information indicating an additional difference between the second information and the additional earlier information previously received from the second social networking website; and
transmitting at least some of the processed second information from the web server for reception by the mobile device. 23. The method of claim 22, wherein the processed first and second information is configured to enable the mobile device to display at least some of the processed first and second information in a manner that is substantially independent of the corresponding formatting characteristics of the first and second social networking sites. 24. The method of claim 20, wherein the first information does not include any email message. 25. A method of facilitating communication between a mobile device and a plurality of social networking websites, including a first social networking site and a second social networking site, comprising the steps of:
pulling the first information from the first social network website and the second information from the second social network website to the web server via at least one first network;
process the first and second information on a web server in order to generate the processed first and second information,
transmit a notification about the availability of the processed first and second information from the web server for reception by the mobile device,
moreover, the processed first and second information are configured to enable the mobile device to request processed first and second information and display both the processed first information and the processed second information in a standard manner, that is, at least essentially independent of the specific formatting characteristics for first and second information provided by the first and second sites of the social network. 26. The method according to p. 25, in which the first processed information represents at least one of the contact list and status updates. 27. The method of claim 25, wherein the processing of the first and second information includes determining whether portions of the first and second information are of high or low importance.

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