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Mobile Phone Patent Abstract
A method and system are disclosed whereby a mobile phone user can
select one or more service preferences for the mobile phone from
a simulated mobile phone display on an Internet web page. The user
can access the web page from a personal or business computer. Once
the selection has been made, the user can save the preferences to
a server in the mobile phone network. The server contains (or provides
links to) the full complement of services that are available for
selection. The selected services' applications are downloaded from
the server to the mobile phone (via the network) either immediately
(if a network connection is already made) or the next time the phone
is turned on. Consequently, the user can readily obtain the services
desired, and also customize the display and "look and feel"
of the mobile phone.
Mobile Phone Patent Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method for selecting services for use in a phone in a mobile
network, comprising the steps of:
accessing a web site on an Internet, said web site including a
display of at least one of a plurality of phone services;
selecting a service application from said display of at least one
of a plurality of phone services;
saving said service application in a database associated with said
mobile network;
determining a status of said phone, said status defining an on-state
and an off-state for said phone;
checking user preferences stored in said mobile network while said
phone is in said on-state; and
responsive to said step of checking, downloading an application
associated with said service application from said database to said
phone, based on said user preferences.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloading step comprises
downloading at least one preference change for an application residing
in said phone.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein said preference change comprises
at least a change to an image for display.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the accessing step comprises
using a browser to access a web page on the WWW.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein said downloading step comprises
downloading said application when said phone is turned on.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein said downloading step comprises
downloading said application at a predetermined time.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein said saving and downloading steps
comprise:
saving a service profile in said database; and
downloading at least one application associated with said service
profile from said database to said phone.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein said phone comprises a mobile
phone.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein the selecting and downloading
steps comprise:
deselecting a service application from said display of at least
one of a plurality of phone services;
saving an identity of said service application in a database associated
with said mobile network;
downloading said identity of said service application from said
database to said phone; and
deleting said service application from use in said phone.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein the downloading step comprises
setting up a connection to said phone; and
downloading said application from said database to said phone via
said connection.
11. The method of claim 1, wherein said display comprises a virtual
display for said phone.
12. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of simulating
said selected service application on said web site.
13. The system of claim 1, wherein the step of selecting is independent
of a network operator.
14. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of publishing
a third-party service application on said web site.
15. A system for use in selecting services for a phone in a mobile
network, comprising:
a web site including a display of at least one of a plurality of
phone services;
means for selecting a service application from said display of
at least one of a plurality of phone services, coupled to said web
site;
a database coupled to said mobile network and said web site, for
saving said selected service;
means for determining a status of said phone, said status defining
an on-state and an off-state for said phone;
means for checking user preferences stored in said mobile network,
while said phone is in said on-state; and
means for downloading an application associated with said service
application from said database to said phone, based on said user
preferences.
16. The system of claim 15, wherein said selecting means includes
a browser.
17. The system of claim 15, wherein said downloading means includes
a server coupled between a WWW and a mobile services switching center
in said mobile network.
18. The system of claim 15, wherein said service application comprises
part of a service profile associated with said phone.
19. The system of claim 15, wherein said phone comprises a mobile
phone.
20. The system of claim 15, wherein said display comprises a virtual
display for said phone.
21. The system of claim 15, further comprising a means for simulating
said selected service application on said web site.
22. The system of claim 15, wherein said means for selecting is
independent of a network operator.
23. The system of claim 15, further comprising a means for publishing
a third-party service application on said web site.
Mobile Phone Patent Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Technical Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the telecommunications
field and, in particular, to a method and system for using the World-Wide
Web (WWW) to define certain mobile phone services a user may desire
(or needs) to see on a mobile phone display.
2. Description of Related Art
Existing telephone systems typically offer a multitude of complicated
services to users. However, the users typically are interested in
only relatively few of the services being offered. In that regard,
the GF788 mobile phone system manufactured by Telefonaktiebolaget
L M Ericsson allows a user to decide just what items are to be shown
in the mobile phone's menu display, and input that information directly
into the phone. On the other hand, some existing mobile phone systems
require the use of a graphical user interface for a computer to
determine what type of "low-level " phone services a particular
mobile phone will provide. An example of such a "low-level
" phone service is a routing service that forwards a call from
one phone to another depending on the identity of the party who
placed the call.
A problem encountered with the existing mobile phone systems is
that users now want to decide for themselves just what services
will be displayed on their mobile phones. These services can be
"low-level " or "high-level " services (e.g.,
services displayed on a so-called "Smart-phone "), such
as an analog or digital clock display, or a calendar display, etc.
Also, users want to be able to customize the display of these services
to meet their own special needs. As such, some users want to be
able to design the "look and feel " for their own mobile
phones. However, existing mobile phone systems either do not provide
these user viewing capabilities or they are provided in inconsistent
and inconvenient ways. As described below, the present invention
successfully resolves these problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention,
a mobile phone user can select one or more service preferences for
the mobile phone from a simulated mobile phone display on an Internet
web page. The user can access the web page from a personal or business
computer. Once the selection has been made, the user can save the
preferences to a server in the mobile phone network. The server
contains (or provides links to) the full complement of services
that are available for selection. The selected services' applications
are downloaded from the server to the mobile phone (via the network)
either immediately (if a network connection is already made) or
the next time the phone is turned on. Consequently, the user can
readily obtain the services desired, and also customize the display
and "look and feel " of the mobile phone.
An important technical advantage of the present invention is that
users can conveniently view and obtain the exact services they desire
for their mobile phones.
Another important technical advantage of the present invention
is that users can readily access the WWW to view and select the
services they desire to use on their mobile phones.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
A more complete understanding of the method and apparatus of the
present invention may be had by reference to the following detailed
description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system that can be used
to implement a method for using an Internet to select and control
mobile phone user views, in accordance with a preferred embodiment
of the present invention; and
FIG. 2 is a flow diagram that illustrates the exemplary method
implemented in the system of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The preferred embodiment of the present invention and its advantages
are best understood by referring to FIGS. 1-2 of the drawings, like
numerals being used for like and corresponding parts of the various
drawings.
Essentially, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present
invention, a mobile phone user can select one or more service preferences
for the mobile phone from a simulated mobile phone display on an
Internet page. For this embodiment, the page can be a WWW web page.
The user can access the web page from a personal or business computer.
Once the selection has been made, the user can save the preferences
to a server in the mobile phone network. The server contains (or
provides links to) the full complement of services that are available
for selection. The selected services are downloaded as applications
from the server to the mobile phone (via the network) either immediately
(if a network connection is already made) or the next time the phone
is turned on. Consequently, the user can readily obtain the services
desired, and also customize the display and "look and feel
" of the mobile phone.
Specifically, FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exemplary system
(10) that can be used to implement a method for using an Internet
to select and control mobile phone user views, in accordance with
a preferred embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flow
diagram that illustrates the exemplary method. Referring to FIGS.
1 and 2, at step 102 of method 100, the user or subscriber (or agent
of the user/subscriber) of mobile phone 12 starts a conventional
browser with computer 24. Computer 24 can be any type of conventional
computer (e.g., personal computer, laptop, notebook, medium size,
general purpose computer, etc.) that provides access via a data
link 32 to an Internet 20, such as the WWW. At step 104, the user
directs the browser (typically by "clicking " on a link
or typing in a Universal Resource Locator or URL) to a mobile phone
services front page. If the Internet 20 being accessed is the WWW,
then the browser can be directed to a mobile phone services web
page. The content of the mobile phone services web page can be provided
by the user's mobile phone network operator (or some third party
that can provide such services for the operator) and stored in a
database 22 associated with the Internet service provider (ISP).
As such, instead of having to access the web site directly on the
Internet, the browser can access an "extranet " server
that can be used as a "mirror " of the web site. The "mirror
" server can be connected to different databases (including,
for example, a mobile phone services database). However, these databases
are preferably consistent in type and format, etc. Nevertheless,
the format of the mobile phone services web page does not have to
be completely consistent with such databases. In other words, there
can be slightly different lists of applications on a number of different
web pages.
For this embodiment, the mobile phone services web page preferably
includes a virtual display (e.g., identical to display 26 as viewed
on the monitor of computer 24), which simulates (or even emulates)
the display of the mobile phone 12. For example, the virtual display
(26) can look substantially the same, and have the same proportions,
as the "real " display (12). Also, the web page preferably
includes a list of applications and/or services that can be provided
for the user. These applications may or may not be run as part of
the mobile phone display simulation (if an application is a "Java
" application, it can be run as part of the simulation). It
is also possible for one or more third party developers to publish
their applications on this mobile phone services web page. Additionally,
this web page preferably includes pertinent control buttons, such
as, for example, a "save " button, "cancel "
button, "delete " button, etc.
At step 106, the user can select (or deselect) from the web page
list of applications and/or services the specific applications and/or
services to display and use (or not display and use) on the user's
mobile phone 12. For example, the user can move a mouse 25 to "drag
" an application and/or service from the list to a particular
position on the display 26. In a windows-type environment, the so-selected
application and/or service can be displayed as a complete window
or an icon. Alternatively, the user can "click " on an
icon on the display 26, which represents a particular application
and/or service, and "drag " the window that appears to
an appropriate location on that display. For example, this feature
is useful if the user desires to display a small clock application
(as shown in the display 26) at the same time a calculator is being
displayed and used. Note that if the user has previously configured
the display for mobile phone 12 (or, for example, a default configuration
is displayed), the applications that are already displayed on the
mobile phone 12 also appear on the virtual display 26. Consequently,
the user can use the virtual display to deselect or delete one or
more of those previous applications.
At step 108, when the user decides to save the service profile
(preferences selected and/or deselected), the user can "click
" on the "save " button shown on display 26. At step
110, the browser conveys the resulting services profile from the
computer 24 to the Internet 20. The Internet 20 then conveys the
services profile to a server (e.g., including a profile database)
18 that preferably maintains all users' service profiles via the
data connections 32 and 30. for example, these data connections
can carry out communications in accordance with the TCP/IP protocol.
At step 112, the server (profile database) 18 is updated with the
new service profile for the user of mobile phone 12. Although this
exemplary embodiment shows a single service profile database (18),
a distributed type of database (e.g., multiple associated databases
and servers) can be used.
At step 114, the profile server 18 communicates with a mobile services
switching center (MSC) 16 in the mobile phone network using, for
example, the framework for the mobile application part (MAP) protocol.
In this illustrative case, the mobile phone network can be a Global
System for Mobile Communications (GSM) network. As such, the server
18 can check with the MSC 16 and determine if the mobile phone 12
is turned on (or, alternatively, whether the user has the phone
turned off). In this regard, the mobile phone 12 can be a mobile
radiotelephone, a fixed telephone operating in a mobile network,
a wireless computer with telephone capabilities, etc. Note that
the type of telephone capability used for phone 12 is not intended
to so limit the present invention, as long as the telephone capability
used includes an appropriate user service display. If, at step 114,
the server 18 determines from the MSC 16 that the mobile phone 12
is not turned on, then at step 116, the server 18 regularly polls
the MSC 16 until information is received that the phone is turned
on.
If the phone 12 is turned on, at step 118, the server 18 checks
the preferences set by the user to determine if the service application(s)
should be downloaded immediately, or if the user has selected to
initiate the downloading. For example, at step 120, the server 18
could download the service application(s) late at night when the
user is not using the phone 12. Alternatively, the server 18 could
send a message to the mobile phone 12 via the MSC 16, the base station
(BS) 14, and the air interface 28, which informs the user (preferably
by the phone's display) that a new version of an existing service
application is available for downloading. The user can thus determine
whether or not to have the new version downloaded, preferably using
a "smart " versioning system, such as, for example, Marimba's
Castanet.TM..
At step 122, when the user decides to have new application software
downloaded, the server 18 prompts the MSC 16 to set up a call connection
between the server 18 and the mobile phone 12. Preferably, for this
embodiment, at step 124, the software code is downloaded through
this connection. A processor in the mobile phone installs the downloaded
application software in the phone. For example, the application
software being executed in the mobile phone can comprise an operating
system with Java functionality. In other words, the mobile phone
12 would then have a Java Virtual Machine implemented either in
software or hardware.
Also, the mobile phone 12 preferably includes a cache (memory)
where the applications for the installed services are stored. If
the cache becomes filled, the user can be so informed by looking
at the display, and the user (or the server 18) can choose whether
or not to delete some of the resident applications. Notably, it
is possible that the user may desire to run an application that
is not presently installed on the phone 12. In that case, the application
can be fetched from the server 18 (or from a database at a different
location from the server) in real-time.
Although a preferred embodiment of the method and apparatus of
the present invention has been illustrated in the accompanying Drawings
and described in the foregoing Detailed Description, it will be
understood that the invention is not limited to the embodiment disclosed,
but is capable of numerous rearrangements, modifications and substitutions
without departing from the spirit of the invention as set forth
and defined by the following claims.
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