SE516326C2 - Device enabling customer without computer equipment to access general data network - Google Patents

Abstract

The device information handler receives commands from a customer connected to the public telephone network via a communication device. The information handler carries out the command and receives service data corresponding to the command from the general information network. The information handler then transmits the service data to a video text side dedicated to the customer. The information handler incorporates an authorisation (1) for each connected data network, which handles access to the network and presents information for the authorisation (2) in accordance with a standard which is common for all authorisation. An authorisation for each customer functions as lock tool for service information which is accessed by the authorisation.

Description

- vv. 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 note 516 326 øøocu ~ OIIO uno-no 2 users equipped with "individual end user terminals" access from "Videotext" databases. The system requires special terminals. Document US-A-4 970 716 relates to a system which integrates protocols from various video text systems. This means that the user can retrieve information from databases regardless of which protocol their terminal uses.

Document US-A-4 393 404 discloses a communication system for transmitting teletext signals. According to this document, in addition to the conventional information, special information directed to a few or individuals can also be transferred. This information can be, for example, "private newsletters of message services".

Document US-A-5 093 718 describes an interactive information system for households. According to the document, users in the system can interact with databases and quickly obtain information such as graphics, sound, etc ..

The reported documents only show how information can be obtained from databases via video text / teletext data terminals.

No document has been found where existing equipment such as teletext receivers and dial-up telephones are used in the home to communicate with a general information network such as the Internet.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned object is achieved with a method and a device as stated in the characterizing part of claim 1 and claim 6, respectively.

An advantage of the invention is, of course, that it eliminates the need for expensive and complicated computer equipment, as is the case today, in order to be able to use the Internet.

Additional advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the dependent claims.

The following is a detailed description of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 schematically shows the units according to the invention included in the information system. une-eva 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 516 '326 3 Figure 2 shows the architecture of the information manager according to the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF AN EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Figure 1 shows the structure of the information system, where the information manager constitutes the public interface between the telecommunications network, the video text network and the Internet. The invention is intended to work in such a way that a customer in his home will be able to receive Internet-based information services directly on the TV receiver. Customers basically call the Internet by means of a standard dial-up telephone via an information manager and order information services, which are then presented on teletext.

With the information system according to the present invention, any customer with access to the public telephone network and video teletext reception terminal (teletext) is offered access to an arbitrary information network, e.g.

Internet / World Wide Web. The advantage of this system is that the information does not have to be specially formatted for the presentation interface used (video text) but is formatted by the information manager on request.

A customer who uses this system uses an ordinary tone-signaling telephone to send commands to the information manager. The manager executes the commands and retrieves the necessary information from the information network. Then the results (for example a formatted WWW page) are sent to the customer on a dedicated video text page. The type of information network that is accessed is actually irrelevant, the important thing is that the information that is accessed is formatted for display on video text “on-the-fly”.

The spider in the web of the present invention is of course the information manager who is to transmit and process commands from a telephone to the Internet and format Internet-based services for presentation on teletext.

The architecture and function of the information manager will now be described with reference to Figure 2.

The information manager consists of four instances, namely access management for the information network 1, management of the customer interface 2, management of video text systems 3 and management of telephone-specific parts 4. noe-_; 10 15 20 25 516 326 4 The first instance 1, an instance for each connected network, handles access to the information network and presents information for the instance 2 according to a standard that is common to all instances.

Instance 2, one for each customer, functions as the customer's reading tool for information accessed via instance 1. Each output and input at one instance is controlled by instances 3 and 4.

The third instance processes the output ordered by the instance 2 for formatting and fitting in video text.

The instance 4 handles the entry of commands from the telecommunications network and presents these commands to the instance 2.

The information manager for the customer interface thus has three interfaces. All are well known and offer no obstacle to implementation. The core of the handler can be built as a lynx client (VT100-Web browser) and you thus get a formatted document that can easily fit into the video text standard.

At a first implementation of the system, e.g. HTTP is selected by default between instances 1 and 2 and VT100 between instances 2, 3 and instances 2, 4. Probably better performance can be achieved if you modify these standards to suit this unique situation.

The above is to be considered only as an advantageous embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the invention is defined only by what is stated in the following claims.

Claims (9)

516 326 5 PATENT CLAIMS 1. A method for a customer without computer equipment to have access to a general information network, wherein said customer by means of a communication device calls said information network via an information manager and transmits service-specific commands for said information network to the information network, said information manager providing that said information network transmits service information corresponding to said commands via said information manager to a video text receiver specific to said customer, and that said service information is formatted by said information manager for display on a video text page dedicated to said customer, characterized in that said information manager comprises a body (1) each connected information network, which handles access to the information network and presents information to the instance (2) according to a standard common to all instances; an instance (2), for each customer, which acts as the customer's reading tool for service information accessed via the instance (1); an instance (3) for formatting and fitting service information in video text; an instance (4) that handles the entry of commands from the telephone network and presents these commands to the instance (2). Method according to claim 1, characterized in that said information network consists of the Internet. Method according to claim 2, characterized in that said service information is transmitted on a formatted WWW page to a video text page dedicated to the customer. Method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that said communication device consists of a tone dial telephone. Device for a customer without computer equipment to be able to access a general information network, characterized by an information manager which forms a public interface between said information network, a public telecommunications network and a video text network, said information manager receiving commands from a customer connected to said public telecommunications network via a communication device, and said information manager executes these commands and retrieves service information corresponding to said commands from said general information network, after which said information manager transmits said service information to a customer dedicated to said customer. video text page and that said information manager comprises an instance (1), for each connected information network, which handles access to the information network and presents information to the instance (2) according to a standard that is common to all instances; an instance (2), for each customer, which acts as the customer's reading tool for service information accessed via the instance (l); an instance (3) for formatting and fitting service information in video text; an instance (4) that handles the entry of commands from the telephone network and presents these commands to the instance (2). Device according to claim 5, characterized in that the information manager comprises a lynx client (VT100-Web browser), which entails the creation of a formatted document which can be adapted to the video text standard. Device according to claim 6, characterized in that HTTP is selected by default between instances (1) and (2) and VT100 is selected by default between instances (2,3) and (2,4). Device according to any one of claims 5-7, characterized in that said general information network consists of the Internet. Device according to any one of claims 5-8, characterized in that said communication device is a tone dial telephone.