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Description  |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is in the area of apparatus and methods including
software for accessing information from the Internet, and providing the
accessed information to an end user. The invention has, in various
embodiments, particular applicability to portable computers powered by
batteries and the like used as field units for Internet access.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There are many motivations to computer development, depending largely on
targeted customer groups. For example, a certified public accountant needs
to run applications having to do with accounting, taxes, financial
planning, and the like, while a fiction writer may wish only to use a
computer as a word processor. The kind of system one of these people might
choose to own may be vastly different from the type the other would
purchase. Manufacturers plan their research and development to produce
products that appeal to their targeted customer bases.
Even with the considerable differences in needs between different consumer
groups, there are still many commonly desirable traits in computer
development. For example, regardless of the ultimate functionality of a
particular sort of computer, a low cost to manufacture is a desirable
characteristic. Another desirable characteristic is portability. There are
advantages to being able to easily move one's computing tool from place to
place, and even greater advantages to having a portable computer small
enough to carry in a pocket or purse.
Even though portability and small size is generally desirable, power and
functionality are always desirable as well, and these characteristics are
competitive. Conventionally and historically one pays a penalty for small
size and portability.
One of the penalties typically paid is functionality as related to battery
life. That is, if one uses a powerful and fast CPU in a portable computer,
the size of the battery must be quite large, and life between charges will
be relatively short. For example, it can be shown in general that 100
grams of battery weight, fully charged, will power about 5.times.10.sup.8
instructions. It is to be understood that this is a general figure, and
may vary somewhat for different CPUs, types of batteries, and the like.
Given the figure above relating battery weight to a number of instructions
for illustrative purposes, if a portable computer is to be provided with
ability to execute relatively high-overhead applications, such a HTML
files in Internet applications, the CPU for the portable computer will
have to operate at 1 to 2 MIPS (million instructions per second). Assuming
1 MIPS, a battery weight of 100 g. will discharge in about 8 minutes. A
five hundred gram (a little over one pound) battery will provide a life
between charges of about 41 minutes.
It is seen, then, that as applications and desired functions for personal
computers become more sophisticated, it becomes ever more difficult to
provide theses applications and functions for small, personal,
battery-powered computers.
There are some ways that battery life may be extended or optimized. For
example, power-management techniques may extend battery life by 1.5, use
of low-power integrated circuit technology can add another 1.5,
sophisticated electrical storage technology another 1.5, and solar
recharge perhaps another 1.2. The net multiplier, using every means of
help is about 5, so a 500 g battery will then power such a computer for
about three hours. Five hours is still a relatively short battery
lifetime, so sophisticated operations for small, portable computers, such
as World Wide Web (WWW) browsing on the Internet, are not, until the time
of the present invention, very practical.
Further to the above discussion, as the global network of connected
databases known as the World Wide Web continues to grow, social and
political concerns grow as well. Many are concerned that the expense and
complexity of end-use computers suitable for WEB browsing is a formidable
barrier to increased information access by disadvantaged millions, for
which WEB access may be seen as a tool for empowerment and social and
political advancement.
What is clearly needed is apparatus and methods whereby sophisticated
operations like Web browsing and the like may be accomplished with small,
battery-powered portable computers, such as hand-held computers, while
also accomplishing a life-between-charges of a week or more, without
requiring especially heavy batteries.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In a preferred embodiment of the invention a computing system is provided
comprising a field computer comprising a display having a specific size
and resolution; and a Proxy-Server connected to the field computer by a
data link, the Proxy-Server having an Internet port. The Proxy-Server is
adapted in this preferred embodiment to access Internet servers through
the Internet port directed by commands and data received from the field
computer, to download data from the Internet servers thus accessed, to
transpose the downloaded data by reducing information density, and to
transfer the transposed data to the field computer via the data link in a
Transfer Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) format.
A particular advantage in embodiments of the invention accrues in use of
portable computers powered by electrical storage cell systems, such as by
batteries of various sorts. In these embodiments functionality to battery
life is significantly extended. Hand-held computers with computing power
lower than one-hundred thousand instructions per second can be apparently
fully functional Internet browsing tools, while enjoying battery life
between charges of as much as two weeks, or more.
In various embodiments of the invention the Proxy-Server downloads data
comprising WEB pages and transposes the data to match the specific size
and resolution of the display of the field computer. The Proxy-Server may
also accomplish caching functions in handling data from the Internet to a
field computer coupled to the Proxy-Server.
Also in some preferred embodiments of the invention, when a field computer
makes a data link with a Proxy-Server adapted according to embodiments of
the invention, the field computer transfers to the Proxy-Server
information particular to specific characteristics of the field computer,
such as the size and resolution of the display of the field computer. The
Proxy-Server then uses this information in transposing data for transfer
to the field computer.
Various data links known in the art may be used for coupling field
computers, such as battery-powered portable units, to a Proxy-Server
according to embodiments of the invention. Among these links are telephone
modems, both analog and digital, and cordless connections of various
types.
Elements of the invention in various aspects can be provided separately to
be generally compatible in operation. For example, Proxy-Servers adapted
to perform the browsing and data transposing functions of embodiments of
the invention, and adapted to transmit transposed files to connected field
computers can be provided without adapted field computers. Moreover, field
computers can be provided for end-users adapted for operation with
Proxy-Servers, but may be provided separate from Proxy-Servers. Many
existing computers, including those types generally known as personal
organizers, digital assistants, and the like, may be adapted to cooperate
with Proxy-Servers according to embodiments of the invention.
Further to the above, various items of software can also be provided
according to and compatible with hardware devices and systems
independently of the hardware devices and systems.
In practicing the invention, one's adapted personal computer is coupled to
a Proxy-Server over a data link such as a telephone modem, and may,
according to an aspect of the invention, transfer specific information,
such as the type, size, and resolution of the personal computer's display,
to the Proxy-Server. The Proxy-Server may then browse the World Wide Web
according to instructions received from the personal computer, transpose
files downloaded from the Web into a form quickly and easily usable by the
personal computer, and transmit the transposed data to the personal
computer for display. Very large files may become fewer files, and much
smaller files in the transposition.
There are many benefits to be expected from practicing various embodiments
of this invention. For example, low-end, hand-held computers, including
such units known generally as personal organizers and personal digital
assistants (PDAs), now become fully-functional Web browsers. This effect
alone extends the use of the Web dramatically to people and institutions
that might otherwise be excluded from the exponentially growing body of
human knowledge available. The benefits extend to schoolrooms as well as
to the homes of potential users. Accessibility is also significantly
advanced for cultures and countries where such technology might not be
available soon, or ever. There are many such social and cultural benefits.
In addition, there are the clear benefits of power-saving, produced by the
very efficient use of computing power at the Proxy-Servers of the
invention, rather than at the computers in the field.
In addition, combination designs of televisions and computers, which are
just being offered at the time of this patent application, could benefit
from incorporation of features of this invention, wherein much of the
computing load could be carried by a Proxy-Server, allowing simplicity and
lower-end CPUs to be used at the TV apparatus. In alternative embodiments,
computing power no longer needed could be used for other tasks, such as
providing a soft-modem. Reduced file size in such applications will also
provide faster loading, which will be important for some time to come,
because analog phone lines will continue to be the principle carriers in
the near future.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a largely diagrammatical illustration of a Proxy-Server system
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram of a portable computer and a Proxy-Server from FIG. 1,
showing additional detail.
FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a first part of an exemplary session script
between a hand-held computer, a Proxy-Server, and a WEB server according
to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a second part of the exemplary session script for which FIG. 3 is
a first part.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an Uninterrupted Matrix of Inexpensive Servers
according to an embodiment of the invention.
FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating enhanced E-mail and groupware
functions according to an embodiment of the present invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
FIG. 1 is a largely diagrammatical illustration of a computing system 11
according to an embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment a
hand-held computer 13 is connected via a telephone line 15 through a modem
17 to a first dial-up point 18, which may be an Internet Service Provider.
Accordingly, dial-up point 18 is labeled ISP 1. In this arrangement a
Proxy-Server 19 according to an embodiment of the present invention is
established as a server on the Internet, and a command from unit 13 to ISP
1 results in connection through a TCP/IP pipe 16 to Proxy-Server 19.
Proxy-Server 19 is also labeled ISP 2, for Internet Provider 2.
Proxy-Server 19 has links to other Web servers on the Internet as is known
in the art, and may open TCP/IP paths 21 to any such Web server.
In alternative arrangements, connection may be by modem from unit 13
directly to Proxy-Server 19. Alternatively, Proxy-Server 19 may be a node
on a LAN at a corporate system. In all cases of embodiments of the
invention, communication from unit 13 to Web Servers on the Internet is
through Proxy-Server 19.
In this embodiment hand-held computer 13 is a high-end personal organizer,
such as a Sharp Wizard.TM. personal organizer. The hand-held computer,
however, can be any one of a large number of commercially available
computing devices with a broad range of capabilities, including those
devices known as personal digital assistants (PDAs). In other embodiments
and aspects of the present invention, the computer used by a person to
access and interact with the Proxy-Server in practicing the present
invention need not be a hand-held, or even a portable computer in the
sense the terms are used in the art. In some aspects, capabilities of a
field unit according to the present invention are built into a set-top box
for a TV system or directly into a TV set.
Most computers capable of modem communication can serve to practice the
invention, and, in the following discussion, the terms field computer or
field unit are used to generally indicate a computer used anywhere for
primary Internet access, whether through and in cooperation with a
Proxy-Server according to an embodiment of the present invention, or not.
Even though the present invention is not limited to hand-held,
battery-powered computers, but is applicable to personal computers of all
types, the techniques of the invention are particularly advantageous when
used with portable, battery powered devices as filed units, because they
provide a way to accomplish relatively sophisticated computer operations
with low-end, low-power CPUs. This technique is particularly effective in
saving power relative to functionality, which provides greatly extended
battery life.
Returning to FIG. 1, in this arrangement, computer 13 has a modem 17, and
is connected via phone lines 15 to a Proxy-Server 19, as described above,
such as through a first dial-up point. This connection is convenient, but
not required. There are a number of other ways computer 13 may be
connected to the Internet, or to a similar Proxy-Server without telephone
lines, such as by a satellite link or cable modem, or by a combination of
data links. Also, the modem shown may be a built-in modem or an external
modem, and may also be either an analog modem or a digital link such as an
Integrated Services Digital Network (ISDN) modem.
Proxy-Server 19 in this arrangement is unique. In a conventional system,
proxy-servers, if used at all, are used only for caching and security. In
embodiments of the present invention the Proxy-Server performs much of the
computing that computer 13 would otherwise be obliged to perform.
Proxy-Server 19 and its functionality with computer 13 is described in
more detail below.
FIG. 2 is a diagrammatical illustration of hand-held computer 13,
Proxy-Server 19, and WEB server 23 from FIG. 1 showing additional detail.
In FIG. 2, computer 13 is shown connected directly to Proxy-Server 19, but
could be connected by a number of ways, as is described more generally
above.
Computer 13 has a CPU 25, a memory 27, video adapter circuitry 29, and
modem 17 all communicating on bus 31. Video circuitry 29 drives a display
33. Memory 27 may be any of a number of types, such as flash, random
access (RAM), read-only (ROM) or similar type, or a combination of these.
There may be other components as well, but these are not shown to
facilitate description of the unique aspects of this embodiment of the
invention. The hardware arrangement is intentionally shown as general, and
is meant to represent a broad variety of architectures, which depend on
the particular computing device used.
Proxy-Server 19 is a relatively sophisticated and powerful computer typical
of computers used as WEB servers, although the use in this embodiment of
Proxy-Server 19 is not the conventional or typical functions of a WEB
server as known in the art. Proxy-Server 19 has a CPU 39, a memory 41 and
a means of connecting to a network. The network connecting means in this
embodiment is a modem 35 communicating on a bus 47. In other embodiments
the network connecting means may be a network adapter or other.
Modem 35 in the embodiment shown is compatible with modem 17 in computer
13. In other embodiments link 15 may be of a different sort, and
connection may be made through a dial-up point as shown in FIG. 1. A
communication port 37 connects to communication link 21 (FIG. 1),
providing communication with conventional WEB server 23, which represent
any WEB server that may be accessed on the World Wide Web.
Port 37 and link 21 may be any of several types. In some embodiments,
server 23 and server 19 will be nodes on a local area network (LAN), and
the link between the two servers will be a serial network link with port
37 being a LAN card according to any of a number of well-known protocols.
In other embodiments link 21 may be another telephone line, and port 37
will be a telephone modem. In still other embodiments, this link could be
a parallel communication link.
Proxy-Server 19 exists in this embodiment of the invention to perform
functions enabling hand-held computer 13 to operate as an apparently
powerful web-browsing machine, even though the stand-alone capability of
computer 13 will not even begin to support such functionality. As is
well-known in the art, for a computer to be a fully-functional
web-browsing system requires a high-performance CPU and execution of
relatively sophisticated web-browsing and display applications. Such a
computer typically has to operate, as described above, at or above a
million instructions per second.
In the embodiment of the present invention shown by FIGS. 1 and 2
Proxy-Server 19 executes a program 45 the inventor terms an InterBrowser.
The InterBrowser combines functionality of a conventional web browser with
special functions for recognition of and communication with hand-held
computer 13. Commands from computer 13, such as, for example, a command to
access a WEB page on the World Wide Web, are received by Proxy-Server 19
operating the InterBrowser program, and acted upon as though they are
commands received from a conventional input device such as a keyboard.
Following the example of a command communicated over link 15 from computer
13 for accessing a WEB page (typically a Universal Resource Locator (URL),
Proxy-Server 19 accesses the appropriate server (in this case server 23)
over link 21, and downloads the appropriate data over link 21.
Proxy-Server 19 therefore has HTML and TCP/IP capability, and typically
has access to and capability of executing a host of other routines as
known in the art for supporting WEB browsing and accessing data through
the World Wide Web. These routines and this functionality are all very
well-known to those with skill in the art.
Proxy-Server 19, instead of displaying the downloaded data (or playing
video and/or audio output, as the case may be, depending on the downloaded
data), translates the data to a simpler communication protocol and sends
the data to computer 13 for output over link 15 in a TCP/IP protocol. Link
15 becomes a dedicated TCP/IP pipe to and from Proxy-Server 19.
Proxy-Server 19 thus acts as a proxy for computer 13, performing those
functions of WEB browsing computer 13 cannot perform.
Computer 13 through execution of a program the inventor terms a NanoBrowser
43 sends commands entered at computer 13 over link 15 to Proxy-Server 19
and accepts data from Proxy-Server 19 to be displayed on display 33. Data
is transferred in a protocol the inventor terms HT-Lite. The NanoBrowser
also provides for interactive selection of links and entry into fields in
displays, as is typical for WEB pages displayed on a computer screen. The
NanoBrowser provides for accepting such entry, packaging data packets in
TCP/IP form, and forwarding such data to Proxy-Server 19, where much
greater computer power provides for efficient processing.
In conventional WEB browsing, all final processing takes place at the
browser's computer, and those who establish WEB servers assume that
browser's will operate with sufficiently powerful equipment and programs
to accomplish all of the necessary processing. No such processing is done
at the WEB servers.
One of the processing tasks that has to conventionally occur at the
browser's computer is processing of received data into a format to be
displayed on whatever display the user has. There are, as is well-known in
the art, many types of displays and many display modes. These range all
the way from relatively crude LCD displays to high-resolution, multi-color
displays. There are, in addition, a number of other functions that have to
be performed conventionally at a user's computer to interact effectively
with the WWW. For example, audio and video and some other functions
typically require supplemental, or helper, applications to be installed on
or downloaded to a field unit to process audio and video data and the
like.
Most data transferred by WEB servers assumes relatively high-end displays,
such as color SVGA displays as known in the art. In PDAs and digital
organizers, such as those anticipated for use in the present invention,
the displays are relatively low resolution, and are typically LCD in
nature. In the system described with the aid of FIGS. 1 and 2 InterBrowser
program 45 at the Proxy-Server and the HT-Lite NanoBrowser program at the
hand-held unit cooperate in another manner as well. When one connects to
the Proxy-Server the hand-held unit, through the HT-Lite NanoBrowser
program, provides a signature which the Proxy-Server compares with logged
signatures.
An ID match when connecting a hand-held unit to the Proxy-Server provides
the Proxy-Server with information about the hand-held unit, such as CPU
type and power, screen size, type and resolution, presence of a pointer
device, and sound capability. The Proxy-Server then uses this specific
information to translate HTML and other files from the Internet to a form
readily usable without extensive additional processing by the hand-held
unit. For a small monochrome LCD display a 60 k/70 k JPEG file becomes a 2
k/4 k bit map, for example. Also, multi-file pages are recombined into
single file pages. This translation also minimizes bandwidth requirement
for link 15, and speeds transmission of data.
It is in this ability of the Proxy-Server to do the heavy computing, of
which the translation of HTML files is a single example, that is
responsible for a unique ability of hand-held devices in practicing
embodiments of the present invention to accomplish functions that they
could not otherwise accomplish, and to do so without inordinate usage of
stored energy. In various embodiments of the present invention, hand-held
devices with CPUs having an ability to run at from 0.001 to 0.05 MIPs can
serve as WEB browsers, displaying WEB pages and allowing users to initiate
on-screen links and to input data into input fields. Given the above
example of MIPs requirement for WEB browsing, where currently available
solutions may provide a 5X advantage, practicing the present invention can
provide an advantage of up to 2000X, resulting in battery life approaching
2 weeks (given a 100 g battery weight), where expected battery life for
similar functionality with a powerful CPU was calculated as 8 minutes.
There are many functions other than simple WEB browsing that are desirable
for a hand-held devices like those contemplated to be used with systems
according to embodiments of the present invention. The typical functions
for digital organizers and PDAs, for example, such as scheduling of
appointments, listing phone numbers, addresses and the like, taking notes,
sending faxes and E-mail and so forth, and such tasks as currency
conversion, are still provided by a hand-held unit executing HT-Lite. Now,
however, these functions are more interactive than previously, as data for
these functions can be exchanged through the TCP/IP link with the
Proxy-Server, which may access data from a variety of sources to update
data for such functions.
In a preferred embodiment of the present invention a variety of Groupware
functions are supported, wherein a database having variable data such as
appointment schedules for employees may be accessed from several different
points, such as from a computer at home, a computer on a network at the
office, and a hand-held computer in the field, through a Proxy-Server
connection. In such interactive circumstances, date and time monitoring
may be used so files in different locations may be updated when connection
is made between units having different versions of a file. Also, access
may be provided selectively, so, if preferred, only certain persons may
have access to certain files. For example, one user could grant another
access to his or her appointment schedule, such that one could make an
appointment for oneself on another's appointment schedule.
To practice the invention, given an accessible WEB server configured as a
Proxy-Server according to an embodiment of the present invention, one
needs only to load HT-Lite NanoBrowser software on a computer and to
provide Internet access for the computer, such as by a telephone modem. In
many cases, candidate computers have built-in modems. In other cases, an
external modem may be provided and connected. In the case of hand-held
devices, such as PDAs and organizers, some have an ability to load
software via a serial port, a PC card slot, through the modem extant or
provided, or by other conventional means. IN some cases, all operating
code is embedded, that is, recorded in read-only memory. In some of these
cases, adding HT-Lite routines may require a hardware replacement. In
virtually all cases of hand-held devices, however, the necessary routines
can be provided.
One of the components of the HT-Lite NanoBrowser software is a minimum
browser routine termed by the inventor a NanoBrowser. The NanoBrowser is
capable of exerting a URL over the modem connection to access the
Proxy-Server. Theoretically, one could exert a URL of a WEB site other
than the Proxy-Server, but the result would be an unusable connection, as
the small hand-held unit would not be able to handle the sophisticated
data provided to be downloaded.
Connection to the Proxy-Server provides the Proxy-Server with information
as to the subscriber and the subscriber's equipment. These operations
proceed in a manner well-known in the art for such log-on and security
transactions. Once access is extended to the user, an interface is
provided for the user to browse in a manner very similar to well-known WEB
interfaces. That is, the user's display provides an entry field for a URL
which is asserted by an enter key or the like. There may also be an
address book for often-visited sites, as is common with more powerful
machines.
Developers are quickly introducing new and useful features for WEB
browsing, such as an ability for users to access electronic documents
through access to their own WEB pages, machine-independently. All such
features will be available in the practice of the present invention, as
there is nothing in the invention that inherently restricts use more than
the use of more powerful machines.
Similarly, there are no strict requirements for the location of the
Proxy-Server or of accessible WEB servers in embodiments of the present
invention. No restrictions are placed on such locations beyond
restrictions on servers in general. In one embodiment, a corporation with
multiple and perhaps international locations may have a local area network
with one or more Proxy-Servers, and employees, particularly those
employees whose job functions require travel, are provided with hand-held
digital assistants according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Multiple functions are then provided over Internet connection in Internet
protocol, far beyond what could otherwise be provided with small and
inexpensive units; and battery life would be far beyond what would
otherwise be expected.
FIGS. 3 and 4 together form an example of a session script between
hand-held computer 13, Proxy-Server 19, and any WEB server 23. These
figures are used herein to describe important functions of the NanoBrowser
incorporated in computer unit 13, and the InterBrowser, incorporated in
Proxy-Server 19, as well as to illustrate methods in practicing the
present invention.
Referring first to FIG. 3, the figure is divided generally into three
columns (as is FIG. 4), one for functions performed at computer field unit
13, a middle column for functions performed at Proxy-Server 19, and a
third column for functions performed at WEB server 23.
At step 47 a user turns on the hand-held computer. It is assumed at this
point that a data link is established between the hand-held and
Proxy-Server 19, which is represented in FIG. 3 and in FIG. 4 by the
boundary between the left column and the center column. As previously
described, this interface can be of any convenient sort, such as an analog
telephone modem. After the hand-held performs a simple boot-up process, a
menu is presented to the user. One of the selections (by virtue of the
NanoBrowser software) is Browse/Mail.
At step 49 the user selects Browse/Mail. Other functions of the hand-held,
that may be fully supported without connection to a Proxy-Server, such as
appointment scheduling and phone lists, are not represented here, except
by the general step 51 labeled "Other Activity". There may be other menu
selections, and the Browse/Mail selection is exemplary. Initiation of
communication with the Proxy-Server could be accomplished in other ways.
Routines in the NanoBrowser respond to the Browse/Mail selection by
presenting the necessary interface for the user to access his/her
subscribed Internet provider. At step 53 this interface is presented and
the user makes the necessary inputs to establish the provider connection.
The present example assumes connection and operation through an Internet
provider, wherein the subscriber's status is that of a Proxy-Server
subscriber, although this is not the only arrangement within the scope of
the invention. Employees of a corporation might, for example, log on to a
server on a company network.
Connection to the Internet provider is made at step 55. At step 57 action
is taken to establish an Internet Protocol (IP) connection to a
Proxy-Server according to the present invention. Initial communication
from the connected hand-held causes the Proxy-Server to open a port and
establish the connection at step 59.
At step 61 the user logs on by entering a user name and password and the
field unit identifies itself with its ID. At step 63 the Proxy-Server
compares the entered password and ID with stored records, and derives a
signature for the unit. At step 65 the Proxy-Server decides whether the
information is correct. If the Log-On is valid, control passes to step 67,
and the Proxy-Server acknowledges the successful log-on to the hand-held
unit at step 69. If the log-on is not valid, control in the Proxy-Server
goes from step 65 to step 71, and the Proxy-Server disconnects from the
hand-held unit. The Proxy-Server then waits for a new ID request (step
73).
At the hand-held unit, assuming an unsuccessful log-on, control passes from
step 74 back to step 53, and the user is provided another opportunity to
log on. Control continuity from the hand-held unit to further steps in
FIG. 4 is indicated by line 76. For the Proxy-Server the control
continuity to FIG. 4 is indicated by line 78.
Referring now to FIG. 4, which is a continuation of FIG. 3, continuity
lines 76 and 78 are shown at the top of the figure. Following the activity
at the hand-held, at step 79 a request is sent from the hand-held (after
having been entered by the user) to access a page on the WWW. This request
is represented by the URL WWW.Any.Com, which can be any valid Universal
Resource Locator (URL) for the Internet.
At step 81 the Proxy-Server receives this request. The proxy server
processes the request from the hand-held and at step 83 issues a new
request through its own full-service browser, through its connection to
the Internet, to access WWW.Any.Com. At step 85 the WWW server at
WWW.Any.Com receives the request from the Proxy-Server and at step 87
sends its home page HTML file, represented as Home.HTML, to the
Proxy-Server.
At step 89 the Proxy-Server receives Home.HTML. Home pages typically
contain at least one image file, which in many cases is a JPG file.
Accordingly, at least two files must be downloaded to display a home page.
At step 91 a request for a JPG image file is sent by the Proxy-Sever. The
Proxy-Server receives this request at step 93 and send the image file to
the Proxy-Server at step 95. The Proxy-Server receives the image file at
step 97. There may be many more files than this, but a minimum
representation has been made for simplicity in description.
At step 101 the Proxy-Server converts all of the .jpg files to a dithered
bitmap format according to information associated with the user ID
received from the hand-held at log-on. This ID establishes the size and
resolution of the hand-held's display, for example, and the bitmap created
from the .jpg files is scaled to the hand-held's display.
Once all the files in the Home page script are downloaded from the accesses
Web server at WWW.Any.Com, the Proxy-Server assembles all of these files
into a single HT-Lite (HTL) file for transfer to the hand-held. This
process is represented by step 103. At step 105 the new HTL file is
transmitted to the hand-held unit. The hand-held receives at step 107 the
single HTL file prepared from the several HTML files received by the
Proxy-Server. Finally, at step 109 the hand-held awaits new user input,
such as, for example, a request to jump to a related page.
As has been described above, field computers of many sorts may be used for | | |
