WO2001003353A2

WO2001003353A2 - A system for responding to computerised information from a mobile or remote unit

Info

Publication number: WO2001003353A2
Application number: PCT/AU2000/000820
Authority: WO
Inventors: John Loder
Original assignee: John Loder
Priority date: 1999-07-06
Filing date: 2000-07-06
Publication date: 2001-01-11
Also published as: AUPQ143399A0; WO2001003353A3

Abstract

The present invention according to one aspect seeks to provide a system whereby the limitation of displaying information and sending or receiving information from a mobile phone is removed by an intermediary mechanism (the user defined webpages accessed by a computer attached to a mobile network). This intermediary mechanism is constantly monitoring the Internet as per the user's requirement and when a particular sought event occurs it then sends via the mobile network a short message to the mobile phone. The short message received on the mobile phone will only require simple acknowledgment type commands, easily performed by a special menu or standard keypad entries.

Description

A system for responding to computerised information from a mobile or remote unit

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a new type of system for accessing or responding to computerised information, and in particular, to a system for facilitating the exchange of information between a mobile phone and the Internet. The mobile phone/Internet information exchange system allows a user to bilaterally exchange various forms of information between a mobile phone and the Internet, or other computerised source of information, by using the input and output/display components of the mobile phone or similar such devices.

Background Art

Presently, access to information contained on the Internet is restrained to devices including networked computers or other similar devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) which essentially contain a central processing unit similar to a computer.

Also known is a Short Message Service (SMS) which allows short alpha-numeric messages to be sent and received from mobile phones. Currently, the SMS service is limited to mobile phone service providers broadcasting very limited size alpha-numeric message sequences when requested by the mobile phone user.

The Global System for Mobile (GSM) communications standardised mobile phone service, in addition to all currently known mobile networks (eg. CDMA, WCDMA, 3G UMTS etc.), are presently only capable of broadcasting messages which are usually generic and usually do not allow any user response to, filtering of, or inquiry of, the information. The mobile networks are user specific only in a very limited sense and are not generally considered to be personalised. Additionally, presently known services do not perform input, storage, searching methods etc. on the Internet while the user is offline from the Internet or while idle on the mobile phone service.

To use Internet facilities a user is presently inhibited in that they must use a full computer system with associated cable connections and/or peripheries, or a PDA or similar such device specifically constructed to allow Internet access by way of specialised software and data input device mechanisms (for example WAP phones). Such a system confines a mobile user with a standard mobile phone who might otherwise wish to access various capabilities of the Internet, or indeed any computer network, from various locations.

This identifies a need to provide a means of receiving or responding to information available on a computer network, for example the Internet, from a mobile unit, for example a mobile phone, without having the mobile unit directly connected to the Internet.

Accordingly, the present invention seeks to provide these and other benefits by providing a mobile or remote means for responding to computerised information.

Disclosure Of Invention

The present invention seeks to provide a system or method of facilitating responses to received information, said received information being a subset of information contained within a computer, the Internet, a computer network and/or a similar computerised entity such that the user receives and responds to information using an electronic unit which in one non-limiting embodiment is a standard mobile phone.

Hence the mobile phone does not have to create a full cost call over the mobile network into the network. The response is a short message which is understood by the user's webpage and appropriate pre-setup actions are then initiated (eg. do further searches on the Internet, or make a payment etc.). Thus offloading the long and extensive connection time away from the mobile phone onto a computer system that can access other processes (like the Internet at fixed connection costs and not mobile phone connection costs).

The present invention according to one aspect seeks to provide a system of responding to computerised information including: a unit which uses bilateral communication means to access a host computer from a mobile or remote location; the host computer being in communication with a computer network whereby information and/or data is transferred between the computer network and the host computer; and information and/or data being subsequently transmitted to the unit from the host computer, facilitated by software resident on the host computer .

The present invention according to another aspect seeks to provide a system wherein, the system includes: a unit which utilises wireless communication means to transmit commands to the host computer, transmitted commands initiating subsequent commands in software resident on said host computer; host computer communicating with a selected computer network or other computer and obtaining information and/or data in accordance with the initiated software commands; and the unit receiving information and/or data from the host computer, facilitated by software resident on the host computer.

In another preferred form of the invention there is sought to provide a system wherein, the unit is a mobile phone.

In yet another preferred form of the invention there is sought to provide a system wherein, the unit utilises information and/or data residing in a form of memory which is used in conjunction with the unit when accessing or responding to information and/or data with the host computer.

In yet another preferred form of the invention there is sought to provide a system wherein, the computer network is the Internet.

The present invention according to yet another aspect seeks to provide a system wherein, selected data fields in the software resident on the host computer can WO 01/03353 PCT/ATJOO/00820

-5- be accessed and altered by the unit and/or another computer capable of communicating with the host computer with authorisation.

The present invention according to yet another aspect seeks to provide a system wherein, the unit is housed in a permanent or semi-permanent protective fixture.

The present invention according to one aspect seeks to provide a device wherein, the device includes: electronic and/or electromagnetic communication means between the device and a host computer, the host computer being in communication with a computer network whereby information and/or data is transferred between the computer network and the host computer, facilitated by software resident on the host computer; input command means for transmitting information from the device to the host computer, the host computer able to receive said information by utilising the software resident on the host computer; and output display means for displaying received information from the host computer.

The present invention according to another aspect seeks to provide a device wherein, the device is a modified mobile phone.

The present invention according to another aspect seeks to provide a device wherein, the modification to the mobile phone is software resident in the mobile phone or the mobile phone's SIM card.

The present invention according to another aspect seeks to provide that the device is a remote device housed in a protective casing and positioned at a location remote from the host computer. In yet a further broad form, the present invention seeks to provide that the computer network can be any network of two or more communicating computers or terminals including but not limited to, an internetwork, an intranetwork, a LAN, a WAN, the Internet, or the Internet 2.

In still yet a further broad form, in accordance with the present invention information or data is exchanged by means including but not limited to: metallic cables; semi-conducting cables; optical fibre cables; satellite links; electromagnetic waves; microwave links; exchanging of memory devices; or any other such medium or combination thereof connected to a network infrastructure.

The present invention according to yet another aspect provides a system of responding to computerised information from a mobile or remote unit, substantially according to the embodiment described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

The present invention according to yet another aspect provides a mobile or remote device for responding to computerised information from a computer and/or computer network, substantially according to the embodiment described in the specification with reference to the accompanying drawing.

Brief description Of Drawings

The present invention will become better understood from the following detailed description of a preferred but non-limiting embodiment thereof, described in connection with the accompanied drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention wherein, the figure shows a schematic representation of the system or method of responding to information contained within the Internet by using a mobile phone .

Modes For Carrying Out The Invention

A preferred, but non-limiting, embodiment of the present invention is shown in figure 1. The exchange of information between a mobile phone and the Internet is represented in the system 1 which includes a mobile phone 2 which can be in communication with a host computer 5 via electromagnetic signals 4 being transmitted/received by a transmitter/receiver 3 in accordance with standard mobile phone communication means and protocols. The host computer 5 is thus acting as an interface between the Internet and a mobile phone system. That is, the mobile phone is normally attached to the mobile network (eg. registered, listening to broadcast messages) but is not engaged in receiving SMS, voice or data calls, and hence no call costs are accumulated.

The host computer 5 is in communication with the Internet 6. The host computer 5 upon receiving notification from the Internet may initiate further data transfers 7 across to the Internet to transact some data (eg. search requirement, payment of bills, obtain further e-mail messages etc.). Thus, the host computer 5 can exchange, filter, transmit, receive, modify, or the like information from the Internet 6 which need not necessarily be transmitted to the mobile phone 2. However, if information of interest is encountered by the host computer 5 from the Internet 6, interest being defined according to pre-set criteria on the webpage, then communication with the mobile phone 2 can be initiated.

The mobile phone 2 may send a response back from a previous message sent by the host computer 5, or send a request for some information which the host computer 5 then initiates. Upon receiving a request from the mobile phone 2 the host computer 5 initiates data transfer 7 across the Internet layer 8. Responses or inquiries from the mobile phone 2 to the host computer 5 would typically be via a short message, not a full voice or data call, and as such would incur relatively small costs. Data transfer across the Internet layer is usually performed while the mobile phone 2 is connected to the mobile network but not actively receiving SMS, voice or data information, as previously mentioned. This allows retrieval or access of information from the Internet 6 to be performed without the mobile phone user being charged mobile phone network access rates whilst the host computer 5 communicates with the Internet 6. Essentially, data transfer across the Internet layer 8 can be performed in the background so that the mobile phone 2 can be making or receiving a call or just being idly attached. Additionally, the exchange of data between the host computer 5 and the Internet 6 can be via fixed non-mobile connections which are cheaper than if the mobile phone 2 was connected directly to the Internet 6.

The host computer 5 may communicate via standard TCP/IP with any number of URL addressed computers 9. Information which is accessible by the host computer 5 from the Internet 6 is capable of being transmitted to the mobile phone 2. It is the electronic display of the mobile phone 2 which limits the indicia which may be displayed to a user.

In a preferred embodiment the present invention is in general a closed broadcast of services/information to an individual subscriber who has entered predetermined information into a special individual webpage resident in the host computer 5, or a computer associated with the host computer. When the requested information is located, the subscriber is notified using the mobile phone 2. This facilitates specific and personal information to be broadcast from the individuals secure webpage which acts as the individuals web information base. This differs from general broadcast services which are sent containing more information than is wanted or sent too often. In the present invention, before being sent the broadcast messages are filtered by the user's webpage containing their preferences, then information that is relevant is sent to the mobile phone. Any response from the mobile phone 2 is again interpreted by the user's webpage which will then initiate further actions for the user without the user having to be directly connected.

The desired information resides on a networked computer, or the host computer 5 itself, this is distinct from other electronic hand-held devices which most often store information in the devices internal memory.

The data or preferences contained in the personalised webpage would typically be set up by an operator accessing the host computer 5 by non-mobile phone means such as a networked computer 10. For security, password protection may be associated with the personalised webpage. The data or preferences contained in the personalised webpage may be altered using the mobile phone 2.

Alternatively, the data or preferences contained in the personalised webpage may be altered by connecting to the host computer 5 by using a computer 10 having some communication pathway with the host computer 5 in which the personalised information resides. For example, the personalised webpage may be accessed either directly, or via communication 11 over the Internet 6, connection to the host computer 5 is via the Internet layer 8 at location 7 having security features such as password protection and/or a firewall. It is not essential that the computer 10 have a permanent connection to the host computer 5.

Similarly, it could be provided that a remote computer 13 utilising an Internet 6 connection 12 can access the host computer 5 to alter the personalised webpage if authorisation is obtained. Furthermore, the personalised webpage may reside on a computer other than the host computer 5 if so desired. The host computer 5 can access the personalised webpage by network links.

Administration and initial set-up of a personalised webpage on the host computer 5 is typically performed at computer 10. A user on a remote computer 13 may access the personalised webpage by password which may be stored on the host computer 5 itself or some other networked computer. The user then adds in all the information sources, notification services, E-mail services, and other services provided by third parties. The user sets up all conditions for notification (eg. price levels, sports results, delay in delivery, train cancellation etc.) and all the mobile phone response codes to take additional action (eg. for meetings DM30 may be set to mean delay meeting 30 minutes, for buses Bn- Lxxx may be set to mean when does bus number n arrive next at location xxx). It should also be noted that these codes may be supplied as defaults by the service provider.

In operation, when the service provider notifies the personalised webpage that there is some event of interest, data filters will go through the message then send the appropriate short message to the mobile phone 2. The mobile phone user then acknowledges or sends back a response which is interpreted by the personalised webpage which makes the appropriate responses as specified by the personalised webpage set-up conditions.

Mobile phone based communication with the personalised webpage is enacted by simple keystrokes using the mobile phone keypad. Specialised software would not necessarily be required for the mobile phone 2 to make the minimum appropriate responses to the alerts or notifications initiated by the personalised webpage subsequent to the personalised webpage obtaining an alert or message from another computerised source. However, specialised software may be used to interpret commands from a mobile phone 2. Specialised software may be stored in the mobile phone or the SIM card, the software could carry out and assist making more detailed responses to the received messages or constructing messages to be sent back to the host computer. For example, SIM cards using JAVA programs to obtain greater functionality of a mobile phone may be employed.

Numerous specific applications can be envisaged using the hereinbefore mentioned embodiments of the invention. These applications may provide a variety of services which would otherwise be inaccessible from a mobile or remote source, they include, but are not limited to, the examples hereinafter disclosed.

Personalised financial market information such as share and stock quotes may be accessed using the host computer 5. The personalised webpage may be set up with a monitoring service of listed shares with buy/sell thresholds. An alarm can be sent to the mobile phone asking whether an action is required when a threshold is reached. A user may then conveniently respond using the mobile phone 2 to send instructions, if required, to buy or sell using previously provided account details established with a broker via the personalised webpage .

As another example of a service a user may select from a number of news services (for example CNN, Hotwired, Znet, nineMSN) and then set up in the personalised webpage specific words which they desire to have notification messages triggered by. When searching software encounters the specific words, headlines of news items can be sent to the mobile phone 2 allowing the user to view the text headlines on the mobile phone's screen. The user may then select specific headlines and expand the articles, or alternatively the user can send instructions to have the news articles sent to their E-mail address. Similarly, any recent publicly available information such as sports results, social gatherings, etc. , which is entered into a computer accessible by the host computer 5 may be retrieved and sent to the mobile phone 2.

Regulated information, such as timetables, may be entered into a database which may then be accessed by the mobile phone 2. One such example includes bus/train/ferry/aeroplane timetables being made accessible to the host computer 5. The timetable database may have Internet 6 or web access allowing the host computer 5 to inquire, extract, and/or obtain desired information from the database. The personalised webpage may be set up to respond to information regarding various bus/train/ferry/aeroplane etc. services so that if the user sends a request sequence, for example B4 which could represent the bus at 4:00 pm, the personalised webpage interprets this to mean - check whether the 417 bus scheduled at 4:00 pm is on time. The host computer 5 then relays the required commands to the bus timetable database found at some URL to ascertain the status of the bus in question. If the bus is delayed a message will be sent to the mobile phone, for example the message may be "417 5 minutes delayed" .

Alternatively, the timetable database may have been updated and either all or a selection of the updated information is encapsulated in a message sent to all mobile phones for which specific updates have been requested. In this case the personalised webpage is on the update list. Upon receiving the update message the personalised webpage searches through the update message to determine if any other of the user's designated services have been affected. If so, the webpage can send the mobile phone a pre-programmed message such as "Delays on Parramatta line, approximately 10 minutes" .

A further application of an embodiment of the present invention contains the additional feature that a database of information is periodically updated. For example, if a bus is equipped with a suitable remote device capable of sending location information to a database. Thus, when a user sends instructions via their mobile phone to access, for example, the bus timetable, real-time information giving the location or due time of a bus is sent to the mobile phone and displayed to the user.

In another application of an embodiment of the present invention the mobile phone 2 may be replaced by a unit being permanently fixed at location, for example, a bus stop. The permanently, or semi-permanently, fixed unit may provide similar or additional features as the mobile phone 2. That is, the unit provides for information to be entered then transferred via signals to a host computer which then carries out the required searching/information retrieval. Similar to the mobile phone the permanently fixed unit has the capability of bilateral information exchange.

A specific non-limiting application could include the unit being located at a public transport stop, whereby a user presses a button for information in relation to the service desired. Such a system alleviates a user of having to possess a mobile phone. Furthermore, broadcast messages could be displayed continuously on the fixed information unit, so that advertisements and user information is displayed, for example delays on the particular bus route or special fare prices. However, what is broadcast to individual or group information units is set up on individual or group webpages so that filtering of messages and very specific messages are only sent to those units controlled by the webpage.

Additional information may be electronically stored within the unit reducing the processing time using the Internet 6 or other such database. For example, the unit may have geographical maps of an area within its internal memory so as a user may inquire of the quickest distance to a street or point of interest from the location of the unit. As a further example of an application of an embodiment of the invention the personalised webpage may contain or access via another website personal management information such as addresses, phone numbers, tasks, etc. which may be accessed or specific information sent to the mobile phone. Thus, the invention may act as a virtual Personal Digital Assistant (PDA) and could replace current hand-held PDAs which presently contain the desired information in internal memory. Hence, appointments entered into a website or the personalised webpage when a notification message approaches can be sent to the mobile phone user, and in turn the mobile phone user could send a very short message back, for example 'DM10' meaning that the appointment in question should be delayed 10 minutes, or 'CM' meaning that the appointment in question should be cancelled.

In all cases for the unmodified (hardware and software) mobile phone 2 the number of key strokes has to be limited, and so as not to repeat contents of the message received in the reply the same keys could have different meanings depending on what message was received by the mobile phone 2. That is, if a meeting at 10:00 am was sent to the mobile phone 2 then the response 'D30' could be understood to be delay meeting 30 minutes. Later if a message was received informing the user that the gold price was below 250, and asking for confirmation to buy, the response 'D30' may mean delay sale for 30 minutes.

Obviously, the codes herein mentioned could be widely varied and should not be considered limiting. Any form of code can be entered into the mobile phone 2 which results in the desired effect.

It should be noted that the computer network as referenced in this specification should be taken to include all forms of connected or communicating computers or terminals having at least two terminals connected or communicating as hereinbefore described. That is, the term computer network should be taken to include any type of terminal as hereinbefore defined, computer, computerised device, peripheral computer equipment, computerised accessory, mobile or cellular phone, digital electronic device or other similar type of computerised electronic device or part thereof which is rendered such that it is capable of communicating with at least one of any of the aforementioned entities. Said communication of information or data can occur over any data communications network, computer network, wireless network, internetwork, intranetwork, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the Internet, the Internet 2, transient or temporary network, combinations of the above or any other type of network providing for computerised, electronic or digital devices.

Furthermore, references to the terms connecting, communicating, transmitting, requesting, receiving, exchanging and the like, and permutations thereof, as applied to the term computer network and/or components thereof should be taken to pertain to the transfer of information or data. Such transfers of information or data can be facilitated for by any form of entity/entities for facilitating such, including, but not limited to, metallic wires or cables, semiconducting wires or cables, optical fibres and optical devices, wireless means, electromagnetic waves and the like and modulations thereof, acoustic waves and the like and modulations thereof, control of electric and/or magnetic fields, and/or the transportation of all forms of memory devices.

Thus, there has been provided in accordance with the present invention, a system of accessing or responding to computerised information from a mobile or remote unit which satisfies the advantages set forth above, and overcomes problems inherit in the prior art.

The invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts, elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification of the application, individually or collectively, in any or all combinations of two or more of said parts, elements or features, and where specific integers are mentioned herein which have known equivalents in the art to which the invention relates, such known equivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually set forth.

Although the preferred embodiment has been described in detail, it should be understood that various changes, substitutions, and alterations can be made herein by one of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as hereinbefore described and as hereinafter claimed.

Claims

The claims defining the invention are as follows:

1. A system of responding to computerised information including; a unit which uses bilateral communication means to access a host computer from a mobile or remote location; the host computer being in communication with a computer network whereby information and/or data is transferred between the computer network and the host computer; and information and/or data being subsequently transmitted to the unit from the host computer, facilitated by software resident on the host computer.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein, the system includes; a unit which utilises wireless communication means to transmit commands to the host computer, transmitted commands initiating subsequent commands in software resident on said host computer; the host computer communicating with a selected computer network or other computer and obtaining information and/or data in accordance with the initiated software commands; and the unit receiving information and/or data from the host computer, facilitated by the software resident on the host computer.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 or claim 2 wherein, the unit is a mobile phone.

4. The system as claimed in claim 1, claim 2, or claim 3 wherein, the unit utilises information and/or data residing in a form of memory which is used in conjunction with the unit when accessing or responding to information and/or data with the host computer.

5. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4 wherein, the computer network is the Internet.

6. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5 wherein, selected data fields in the software resident on the host computer can be accessed and altered by the unit and/or another computer capable of communicating with the host computer with authorisation.

7. The system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6 wherein, the unit is housed in a permanent or semi-permanent protective fixture .

8. A device wherein, the device includes: electronic and/or electromagnetic communication means between the device and a host computer, the host computer being in communication with a computer network whereby information and/or data is transferred between the computer network and the host computer, facilitated by software resident on the host computer; input command means for transmitting information from the device to the host computer, the host computer able to receive said information by utilising the software resident on the host computer; and output display means for displaying received information from the host computer.

9. The device as claimed in claim 8 wherein, the device is a modified mobile phone.

10. The device as claimed in claim 8 or 9 wherein, the modification to the mobile phone is software resident on the mobile phone or the mobile phone's SIM card.

11. The device as claimed in any one of the claims 8 to 10 wherein, the device is housed in a protective casing and positioned at a location remote from the host computer.

12. A system of responding to computerised information from a mobile or remote unit, substantially according to the embodiment described in the specification with reference to and as illustrated in the accompanying drawing.

13. A mobile or remote device for responding to computerised information from a computer and/or computer network, substantially according to the embodiment described in the specification with reference to the accompanying drawing .