WO2006096096A1

WO2006096096A1 - Hyperlink database and relative movement

Info

Publication number: WO2006096096A1
Application number: PCT/SE2005/000332
Authority: WO
Inventors: Alex Breton
Original assignee: Xpandium Ab
Priority date: 2005-03-07
Filing date: 2005-03-07
Publication date: 2006-09-14

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for communicating with a site, such as a web page (4) or a computer desktop (42) using a system comprising a user terminal (6) cooperating with a communication central (10;41;42) via at least one communication network (5;1,5;49). The terminal (6) is connectable to a built-in or separate printer device (7) and is connected to a positioning device (7; 20). The method including the steps of: transferring information to the communication central (10; 41; 42) identifying contents of a desired site, sending the contents requested by a user to the user terminal (6), printing the desired contents on a printout surface (8), associating a coordinate system with the contents of the desired site, whereby each coordinate corresponds to a specific content of the desired site, and transferring the coordinates for the current position of the positioning device (7; 20) on the printout surface (8), whereby said coordinates corresponds to a specific content of the desired site. The invention also relates to a system.

Description

HYPERLINK DATABASE AND RELATIVE MOVEMENT Technical field of the invention

The present invention relates to a method for a user to communicate with a site as defined in claim 1. The invention also relates to a system as defined in claim 15.

Background of the invention

The presentation of digital information from a digital site, such as a webpage or computer desktop, is normally limited to an electronic device, such as a computer screen, the display of a mobile phone or a PDA, etc. Many people prefer to read electronic information on paper even when the user has access to a computer with a screen that presents the information in a satisfactory way, and normally prints the information using a printer .

Furthermore, the wireless environment of today creates totally different requirements for the displaying of information compared to the fixed or stationary environment. The demand of mobility puts high requirements in the dimensioning of the mobile terminals and associated graphical screens. These are in general too small to be able to display standard data contents from the Internet in a satisfying way.

New protocols have been put forward to enable "optimisation" of Internet contents for the small screens of the data terminals. This optimisation consists in principle of a substantial downsizing of information so that it fits into the small screens. WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) is one such protocol developed just for following the restrictions in the wireless environment. Other restrictions besides the size of the screen, is that Internet standard, such as HTTP and TCP, is not adapted for intermittent coverage, long waiting time and limited bandwidth that are characterising for wireless environments.

HTTP sends its commands in an inefficient text format instead of compressed binary format.

Another major problem that the wireless systems face is that an increasing part of the information on the Internet is presented in file formats other than the web browser friendly formats (HTML, XML, GIF, JPG, etc.). Examples of these more and more common file formats are PDF, DOC, XLS, TIFF, EPS, and also file formats handled by special so called "plug-ins", or additional programs to the web browsers. These different file formats require special applications to be installed in the receiver' s terminal, which places high demand on memory space, processing capacity etc. Wireless terminals cannot reasonably handle all these applications, and even if they could, their screens would not be able to display the contents in a satisfactory manner.

Another problem with mobile units compared to fixed network computers are the entering of characters in the wireless environment. Most handheld mobile devices are too small to accommodate a keyboard and other methods of entering characters such as T9 input or handwriting recognition while writing on the display with a pen-like object has turned out to only marginally increase the speed. The entering of characters is therefore not only slow but also unreliable since mistypes easily occur in such small devices. These limitations make Web-browsing/surfing less customer friendly.

In PCT/SEOl/02204, which hereby is incorporated by reference, solves the above mentioned problems, describing a mobile system for access to and visualisation of Internet contents and services. A communication central stores a software application, which transforms Internet contents and/or services requested by a user to a format (print files or bit map files) that can easily be sent to a mobile terminal. The user's mobile terminal is provided with a printer device, by means of which the information retrieved on the Internet may be printed, and the information may thereby be presented on considerably greater surfaces compared to the surface (i.e. display) available on a mobile terminal. Furthermore, the information is far more clear and easy to grasp on a printout surface compared to a tiny screen.

In the international patent application PCT/SE03/00321, which is hereby incorporated by reference, a method for navigating on web sites in a mobile system by means of a mobile terminal is shown. In the mentioned patent application, a program module in a communication central searches for hyperlinks in requested Internet contents and/or services, and a database is created for storing said hyperlinks in a predefined manner associating each hyperlink with a reference. The hyperlinks can then be addressed in a number of ways, for example by using a voice controlled interface as a receiving means for receiving the address of the website and transfer it further to the communication central for processing. Likewise, when addressing a web page, the user could merely say the reference corresponding to the hyperlink he wants to address. In this patent application, the database controls which references belong to which hyperlinks, and the database is dynamic, so that the latest retrieved web page' s associated hyperlinks are stored. The addressing will thus be the latest retrieved, and not the originally retrieved. Consequently the references match the latest requested and retrieved web page. The fact that the database is dynamic has, in some situations, some associated disadvantages. For example, if the user wishes to reuse an earlier visited webpage, this webpage has to be recreated in the database, since it is dynamic it only stores the latest retrieved webpage. This can be most time consuming and frustrating for a user of a mobile terminal, who wants to be able to surf the internet easily and fast also in this mobile environment .

Another problem is that the user still has to enter a reference associated with a desired website. Although

PCT/SE03/00321 provides a simpler way to enter the address of said website, in that only a reference need to be entered instead of the whole address, mistypes may still occur due to the difficulties of entering characters by means of a small device, as was described above.

Still another problem is that when a user has printed digital information on paper and wants to change the content of that information, a keyboard that is connected to the electronic device has to be used.

Thus there exists a need for an improved way for a user to retrieve and input digital information from/to a digital site, and an improved way to navigate on said digital site minimizing typing errors, while at the same time providing a large printout surface.

Summary of the invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a method and system for enabling a user to navigate, and retrieve and enter digital information from/to a digital site in a most ^'easy and convenient way, in which method the navigation functionality, e.g. on a computer desktop or between websites, is performed on a printout surface as easy as on a stationary computer.

This object is achieved by a method as defined in the characterising portion of claim 1, and by a system as defined in the characterising portion of claim 15.

The advantage with the method according to the invention is that a person sensitive to electromagnetic radiation may access and navigate on a computer desktop and/or the Internet in real-time without having to expose himself/herself to radiation from the computer screen.

A further advantage with the present invention is that it is possible for a mobile user to access and navigate on a computer desktop and/or the Internet in real-time using a mobile terminal with a very small display.

The present invention also relates to a system, whereby equivalent advantages are obtained.

Further advantages will become apparent for a skilled person from the description and the appended drawings, which are given purely as non-limited examples.

Brief description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows a schematic view over a first embodiment of a system in which the method and device according to the invention may be used.

Fig. 2 shows an exemplary positioning device to be used in order to be able to retrieve and input digital information in accordance with the present invention.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic view over a printed webpage in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 4 shows a schematic view over a second embodiment of a system in which the method and device according to the invention may be used.

Fig. 5 shows a schematic view over a printed desktop with a virtual keyboard in accordance with the present invention.

Detailed description of preferred embodiments

The present invention will now be described with reference first to figure 1. Reference number 1 denotes a network, such as the Internet or an intranet, shown here as a computer 2 with a screen 3, in order to clarify the present invention; it is however realised that the Internet is not a single computer but in fact a network of computers. A mobile terminal 6, here shown as a cellular phone, may access the Internet, by means of a communication network 5 adapted for mobile communication, such as GSM, GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) or a 3^rd generation communication network (e.g. Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) or Enhanced Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) ) . The mobile terminal 6 need not be a cellular phone, but can for example be a lap-top or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) as well. The mobile terminal 6 may access the Internet via a communication central 10 and request any information to be sent to it. Possibly needed conversions, or adaptations to a mobile terminal, of the Internet content may for example be performed in the communication central 10 in accordance with the mentioned patent application PCT/SEOl/02204 , assigned to the same assignee as the present application. The requested Internet content, here shown as a web-page 4, is then downloaded to the mobile terminal 6. The mobile terminal 6 may be connected to a printer device 7, such as for example a portable printer device as shown in the international patent application PCT/SEOl/01307. The connection may be a wired or wireless connection, for example an ordinary wire, Bluetooth™ or IR. A stationary printer may of course also be used, if available. The, in this example, requested web-page 4 is printed on a printout surface 8. In the figure, the printed webpage is denoted by reference numeral 9, and the contents of the printed webpage 9 is of course identical to the contents of the requested webpage 4.

If the printer device 7 is a portable, handheld printer device, as the printer device in the above mentioned application PCT/SEOl/01307, it preferably already includes positioning means for determining the position of the print head on the printout surface, and the same positioning means may be used to enabling the positioning of the device on a printout surface 8. Some other positioning means are also conceivable; the purpose is to be able to determine a certain position on a printout surface 8. The positioning means need thus not be integrated into the printer device 7, but can consist in a separate positioning device, as the one shown in fig. 2, i.e. without printing means. The positioning device 20 may have any desired shape, and includes at least one positioning sensor 21. The sensors 21 could be any suitable type of sensor, for example a sensor from optical mice such as e.g. Agilent ADNS-2051 or ADCS-1120. Such sensors take consecutive snapshots of the print medium and compare one picture with the previous so to detect any movement on a pixel level. A micro controller circuit (not shown) is needed to receive positioning data from the optical sensor (s) 21. If the optical sensor (s) only needs to deal with a vertical movement, it would be enough having just one sensor. If movements in more dimensions are desired, an additional sensor is needed. The positioning sensor (s) 21 are used in order to detect the movement of the positioning device 20 on a printout surface, and thus other components with the ability to detect the movement of the positioning device 20 or the velocity of it and with the ability to communicate said information to a micro controller circuit, could replace the positioning sensor (s) 21. The micro controller circuit thereby detects the movement, i.e. the velocity of the positioning device 20, in order to be able to. determine its position relative some indicated starting point O. If a handheld printer device of the kind mentioned in PCT/SEOl/01307 is used, the positioning sensor (s) are also used in order to determine when the print head should eject an ink drop.

With reference now to figure 3, the method in accordance with the present invention will be described in detail. A user prints a desired webpage on a printout surface 8. As was described above, this can be accomplished by means of a portable printer device or by means of a stationary printer. The user may alternatively have printed the desired webpage previously and stored it for reuse. The printed webpage 9 is in either case provided with some kind of identifying means, for example a bar code 13, for identifying the webpage.

The user may then use the printer device 7, or some other device including positioning means for enabling the determination of a position on the printed webpage 9, to mark a certain position on the printed webpage 9. In the following description it is assumed that the printer device 7 is used for this positioning purpose. The user thus positions his/her printer device 7 on the printed webpage 9, and marks a starting point, or an origin of coordinates, denoted O in the figure and preferably having coordinates (0, 0) . This marking step may for example be performed by clicking on a button on the printer device 7, in a way much similar to the way a person surfs on the internet on a stationary computer with the aid of a mouse. When the user has marked the origin of coordinates 0, data corresponding to this position is sent to the communication central 10 via the communication network 5 together with the identifying means 13 described above. The origin of coordinates may in an alternative embodiment be included within the identifying means, i.e. the identifying means defines an origin of coordinates besides the identification of the webpage 4. Thereby the communication central 10 knows which page the user is watching and is also given a relative coordinate system and its origin of coordinates. When the user moves the printed device 7 over the printed webpage 9 any location on the printed webpage 9 may be identified. For example, if the user moves the printer device 7 to a hyperlink 12 and presses a button on the printed device 7, or marks a certain location on the printed webpage 9 in some other way, this location is registered within the printer device 7. Corresponding coordinates (X₁, y_λ) in the relative coordinate system is calculated, and the coordinates (X₁, Y₁) is thereafter transferred to the communication central 10 via the communication network 5, whereby the communication central 10 may correspond the coordinates (X₁, γι) on the printed webpage 9 to a position on the actual webpage 4. A coordinate (X₁, Y₁) is thus converted to hyperlink information. The communication central 5 is always aware of which webpage the user is presently using, by means of the identifying means 13.

If the user uses the same printed webpage 9 repeatedly, he may not be aware of changes that may have occurred on the webpage 4. This problem of making the user aware of changes can be taken care of in a number of ways. The identifying means 13 may for example include a date, which date is compared to the date the webpage 4 was last changed. Alternatively the identifying means 13 may include the size of the webpage 4 (8 Mb for example) , which size is compared to the current size of the webpage 4. If it is determined that the webpage 4 has been altered since the printout of the webpage, a message may be sent to the user, for example requesting the user to print out the webpage 4 again, or just informing the user that changes has occurred.

In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, a virtual keyboard 14 may be provided facilitating the entering of text. A virtual keyboard is thus printed on a printout surface, preferably along with an identifying means 13 for enabling the communication central 10 to identify that a virtual keyboard is being used, or the virtual keyboard 14 could be added at the bottom of the present printout surface 8 as shown in fig. 5. The positions of the different keys are thus also identified, and the user enters text and/or numbers by clicking on the virtual keys by means of the printer device 7. Since the virtual keyboard may have the size of a real keyboard, the entering of text is greatly facilitated. The user may for example send an e-mail or a SMS (Short Messages Service) . The printer device 7 may further include some scanning means, whereby even handwritten e-mails may be transmitted .

To further simplify the input of characters, the printer device 7 (i.e. functioning as the positioning device in this example) may be shown on a display arranged to the printer device 7. To reduce the time required during the input process of characters, the printer device 7 may also be provided with means to convert the relative coordinates to a character. When all characters has been "typed in", i.e. the relative coordinates have been converted to characters, the characters are sent to the communication central 10, instead of sending the relative coordinates one at a time to the communication central 10 to be converted into characters. A requirement for this feature is that the virtual keyboard always has to be presented at the same coordinates on the printout surface .

By means of the present invention, the downloading times are minimised since once a webpage has been downloaded and printed it may be used several times .

A surfing means is thus provided by means of the present invention, whereby a mobile user may overcome the problems associated with tiny screens of mobile communication units by printing a desired webpage on a printout surface. The resolution of a printout is in general also greater than the resolution of a screen. Further, the user may click on a hyperlink 12 on the printed webpage 9 in the same way as when surfing on an ordinary stationary computer. The user may click on said hyperlink 12, and retrieve any information available on that hyperlinked webpage. This information may in turn be printed on a printout surface and the user is now surfing by using paper instead of a screen.

If a user want to access a previously printed webpage, it is easier to achieve this than using an ordinary computer when surfing. The identifying means 13, or each printout surface 8, will function as saved links in an ordinary web browser, but there is no need to download the webpage again since the printout 8 is already available (provided the webpage has not been altered) . It is also easy to "jump" between different web pages without having to type in the correct web address, access saved links, or having to step back through the web pages in between. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention the user may buy a kind of a subscription, where a service provider provides a starting page, which page may be customized in a way defined by the subscriber. The starting page may for example include hyperlinks to sport related information, to economics or some other special interest of the user. This starting page may further include identifying means stating subscription information. The page may in an embodiment not be available for retrieval on the internet, whereby a service provider may charge a user for the provision and customizing of a starting page. The service provider includes subscription information to each customized starting page, and sends it to a user, for example by means of e-mail, fax or by mail.

In the description above the retrieval of internet contents, or WebPages, has been used as an example of information that could be retrieved. However, other graphical information may be retrieved and printed as well. For example, a person working at home and wishing to access the computer station at work, may, for instance, retrieve an image of the desktop of that computer, print it and then use the portable printer device in order to edit, write or else way handle the information retrieved and printed.

Fig. 4 shows a second embodiment of a system 40 for accessing a computer desktop for performing the method according to invention. The system comprises a user terminal 6, which may be a mobile terminal, and which is connected to a communication network 5 (as described earlier in connection with fig. 1) to access Internet 1. A server 41 is connected to Internet 1, preferably via a secure connection 44, and a computer 42 is in turn connected to the server 41 via a network, e.g. a LAN (Local Area Network) .

When the user requests access to the desktop of the computer 42, the request is forwarded to the server 41, which will function as a communication central for the retrieval and inputting of digital information, and an image of the desktop will be sent to the user terminal 6. A printer device 7, either wired or wireless connected to the user terminal 6, prints the desktop image 43 on a printout surface 8. In this example a virtual keyboard 14 is added at the bottom of the printout surface 8 to facilitate the inputting of characters as previously described. The printer device 7 is in this example also used as a positioning means and is therefore also provided with a display 45 to show "typed" characters.

In an alternative embodiment, the user terminal 6 is wired directly (dashed line 49) to the computer 42 to allow the user to retrieve images of the computer desktop and to print the desktop image 43 on a printout surface 8. In this alternative embodiment, the computer 42 will function as the communication central. Some people have difficulties with working in front of computer screens, for example people oversensitive to the flickering of the screen, and therefore this method provides a way to use the computer without having to sit in front of the screen. The user terminal in this alternative embodiment may even have the functionality of the printer device 7 incorporated, therefore only one wired device is necessary to allow the user to retrieve and input digital information to/from the desktop, navigate on the computer, access programs available on the computer, navigate the Internet 1 by activating an Internet browser provided the computer is connected to the Internet 1, etc. The principle for accessing and navigating on the desktop is the same as the previously described embodiment for navigating on the Internet, but it should be noted that it is possible to navigate on Internet through accessing the web browser on the desktop of the computer 42. With reference to fig. 5, the method of the present invention will be described in detail. A user prints a desktop image 43 of the computer 42 on a printout surface 8. The printed desktop image 43 is provided with some kind of identifying means, for example a bar code 13 for identifying the desktop. The user use a positioning device to determine the relative coordinates when moving the positioning means across the desktop image 43 in the same way as previously described in connection with figure 3.

Other types of objects are available on a desktop image 43 compared to the printed webpage 9, such as icons 50, e.g. to word processing documents 51, spread sheets 52 and programs 53, drop-down menus, or a field for entering characters. Furthermore, a command bar 54 could also be available, as is standard in Microsoft® operating systems, having short cuts to programs 55 and a "START" menu 56. It is common knowledge how the START menu functions, and therefore it is possible to add a first sublevel of commands 57, which are lightly shaded on the printed desktop image 43 and could be activated only of the user first marks the "START" menu 56. Also at least one second sublevel of commands 58, which are dark shaded, could be added to the printed desktop image 43. These are activated only if the appropriate command on the first sublevel of commands 57 is marked, e.g. "SETTINGS". The advantage with having sublevels of commands 57, 58 indicated on the printed desktop image 43 reduces the number of required printed desktop images when the user wants to access e.g. the printers . When a user access the printers by first marking the START menu 56, thereafter marking the SETTINGS command on the first sublevel of commands 57 and finally marking Printers on the second sublevel of commands 58, a window (not shown) for the printers will appear on the desktop of the computer 42, which preferable is printed on a separate printout surface 8 having a separate identifying means (bar code) . The desktop image 43 will not have to be printed again and it is easy to jump between the printer window and the desktop in a manner very similar to the technique used when the windows are minimized.

The same principle is preferable implemented when marking a program icon 53, a word processing document 51 or a spread sheet 52.

^■ The virtual keyboard 14 provided at the bottom of the printout surface 8, may have a separate bar code (identifying means) 13 to indicate that a string of characters is to be entered. The user must also indicate where on the desktop image 43 the string of characters should be entered, e.g. in a word processing document, as an e-mail, etc. The function of the keyboard has been described above.

In fact, a person may retrieve any graphical contents accessible to that person and print it by means of the portable printer. By means of the present invention the user is able to work as if the printed printout surface was an interactive interface for inputting and retrieval of information .

It should be appreciated that the means and steps of the described method and system, respectively, could be suitably altered or modified. Thus, while the invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular forms illustrated. Modifications and alterations obvious to a person skilled in the art are to be included within the scope of the appended claims .

Claims

1. A method for communicating with a site using a system comprising a user terminal (6) cooperating with a communication central (10; 41; 42) via at least one communication network (5; 1, 5; 49), and the terminal (6) being connectable to a built-in or separate printer device (7), the method including the steps of: transferring information to the communication central (10; 41; 42) identifying contents of a desired site, and - sending the contents requested by a user to the user terminal ( 6) , printing the desired contents on a printout surface (8), characterized in that the system further comprises a positioning device (7; 20) connected to the terminal (6), and that the method further comprising the steps of: associating a coordinate system with the contents of the desired site, whereby each coordinate corresponds to a specific content of the desired site, and - transferring the coordinates for the current position of the positioning device (7; 20) on the printout surface (8), whereby said coordinates corresponds to a specific content of the desired site.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method further comprises the steps of: providing a printed, virtual keyboard (14), associating an alphanumeric character with a position on the virtual keyboard (14) corresponding to the character printed on the keyboard, which alphanumeric character is entered at an indicated coordinate of the desired contents.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein a printed, virtual keyboard is provided on each printout surface (8) together with the contents of the requested site.

4. The method according to any of claims 1 to 3, wherein each specific content of the desired source of information comprises a hyperlink (12), an icon (50), a drop-down menu, or a field for entering characters.

5. The method according to any of claims 1 to 4 , wherein the contents of the site is identified by means of an identifying means (13) .

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein said identifying means (13) comprises a bar code or one or more character ( s) .

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 or β, wherein said identifying means (13) includes a date which is compared to the date the desired contents (4; 42) was last altered.

8. The method as claimed in claim 5 or 6, wherein said identifying means (13) includes a size of a printed contents (9; 43), which size is compared to a current size of the corresponding contents (4; 42).

9. The method as claimed in claim 7 or 8, wherein a message is sent to the user in case the comparison yields a mismatch, informing the user that the contents (4; 42) has been altered.

10. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein a reference point for the coordinate system is defined .

11. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the site is a webpage (4) .

12. The method as claimed in claims 11, wherein the webpage (4) includes subscription information.

13. The method as claimed in any of claims 1-10, wherein the site is a desktop of a computer (42) .

14. The method as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein the user terminal is a mobile terminal (6) that cooperates with the communication central (10; 41) via the communication network (5), which is adapted for wireless data communication, the communication central (10) is connected to Internet (1) or some other communication networks, wherein the method further comprises the step of accessing the Internet via the communication central (10; 41) .

15. A system for communicating with a site comprising a user terminal (6) cooperating with a communication central (10; 41; 42) via at least one communication network (5; 1, 5; 49), the user terminal (6) being connectable to a built-in or separate printer device (7), the system including - means for transferring information to the communication central (10; 41; 42) identifying contents of a desired site, and means to sending the contents requested by a user to the user terminal (β), - means for printing the desired contents on a printout surface ( 8 ) , characterized in that the system further comprises a positioning device (7; 20) connected to the user terminal (6), means for associating a coordinate system with the contents of the desired site, whereby each coordinate corresponds to a specific content of the desired site, and - means for transferring the coordinates for the current position of the positioning device (7; 20) on the printout surface (8), whereby said coordinates corresponds to a specific content of the desired site.

16. The system as claimed in claim 15, wherein said specific content of the desired source of information comprises a hyperlink (12), an icon (50), a drop-down menu, or a field for entering characters.

17. The system as claimed in claim 15 or 16, wherein means are arranged to identify the contents of the site by means of an identifying means (13) .

18. The system as claimed in claim 17, wherein said identifying means (13) comprises a bar code or one or more character ( s) .

19. The system as claimed in claim 17 or 18, wherein said identifying means (13) includes a date which is compared to the date the desired contents (4; 42) was last altered.

20. The system as claimed in claim 17 or 18, wherein said identifying means (13) includes a size of a printed contents

(9; 43), which size is compared to a current size of the corresponding contents (4; 42) .

21. The system as claimed in claim 19 or 20, wherein means are arranged for sending a message to the user in case the comparison yields a mismatch, informing the user that the contents (4; 42) has been altered.

22. The system as claimed in any of claims 15-21, further comprising a printed, virtual keyboard (14) for entering data.

23. The system as claimed in any of claims 15-22, wherein said user terminal is a mobile terminal (6) that cooperates with the communication central (10; 41) via the communication network (5), which is adapted for wireless data communication, the communication central (10) is connected to Internet (1) or some other communication networks, wherein the system further comprises means to access the Internet via the communication central (10; 41) .