Method, device and system for mobile information services

[0001] This application claims priority of Taiwanese Application No. 095103464, filed on Jan. 27, 2006.

[0002] 1. Field of the Invention

[0003] The invention relates to mobile information services, more particularly to a method of mobile information services adapted to provide messages related to specific information to a hand-held mobile communications device.

[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art

[0005] In this era when developments of Internet and wireless communications technologies flourish, use of a handset to send and receive e-mail has become one of the channels to obtain latest information. In order to facilitate reception of e-mail, more and more telecommunications service providers provide push mail services, and push mail has recently become a popular subject for discussion.

[0006] With the so-called push mail, after the user has set relevant rules or conditions, such as subjects of the mail to be received, or senders of the mail to be received, in a mail server, when contents of an e-mail message received by the mail server comply with the preset rules, the mail server will automatically send a backup copy of the mail to a device of the user, such as a handset or a personal computer. Therefore, the user can receive the latest e-mail without having to go through such troublesome procedures as accessing the Internet, inputting his/her account number and user password, etc.

[0007] FIG. 1 depicts a push mail service system developed by a Canadian company named Research In Motion (RIM) using the push mail technology. The system provides a push mail server 20 connected to a telecommunications service provider 10 having a cooperative relation with said company, and various mail servers 30 (only one is exemplified). When a user subscribes to a push mail service from the telecommunications service provider 10, and the user has his/her handset 40 loaded with relevant software for the push mail server 20 or the user uses an electronic device supplied by RIM, the user can link up with the push mail server 20 through a personal computer 50 to set parameters of the mail to be received by the handset 40, such as subjects of the mail, senders of the mail, etc. Thereafter, the push mail server 20 will check and screen the e-mail on the mail servers 30 according to the rules preset by the user regularly, convert those e-mail messages that comply with the user's preset rules to a specific format suitable for reception by the user's handset 40, and transmit the same to the user's handset 40 through the telecommunications service provider 10.

[0008] However, there exist the following problems with the aforesaid push mail service system:

[0009] Therefore, how to provide push mail functionality while avoiding the aforesaid problems is a subject to be investigated in the present invention.

[0010] Co-pending commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. xxxxxxxx, entitled “Method for Acquiring Information, and Hand-held Mobile Communications Device for Implementing the Method,” and filed on May 11, 2006, discloses a method for acquiring information is implemented in a hand-held mobile communications device to access information in a remote information server through the Internet. The method includes enabling the communications device to acquire information from the information server at predetermined times, to filter the acquired information according to a filtering rule, and to display information complying with the filtering rule or a notification message relating to the information complying with the filtering rule according to a user setting. The method and device permits user convenience and ensures information confidentiality, without incurring extra fees.

[0011] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a method of mobile information services which can overcome the drawbacks associated with the prior art, and a device and system for implementing the method.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present invention, the method of mobile information services is adapted to connect a remote information server and a telecommunications service provider so as to timely provide information to a hand-held mobile communications device. The method includes: (A) according to a filtering rule, searching the information server for information complying with the filtering rule, and sending a notification message to the hand-held mobile communications device through the telecommunications service provider; and (B) enabling the hand-held mobile communications device to download information related to the notification message from the information server after receiving the notification message.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, the mobile information service device for implementing the aforesaid method is adapted to connect a remote information server and a telecommunications service provider so as to timely provide information to a hand-held mobile communications device. The mobile information service device includes a communications unit and a processing unit. The communications unit is adapted to be connected to the information server and the telecommunications service provider. The processing unit, according to a filtering rule and through the communications unit, searches the information server for information complying with the filtering rule, and generates a notification message which is sent to the hand-held mobile communications device through the communications unit that is connected to the telecommunications service provider.

[0014] According to a further aspect of the present invention, the mobile information service system for implementing the aforesaid method is adapted to connect an information server and a telecommunications service provider so as to timely obtain information provided by the information server. The mobile information service system includes a hand-held mobile communications device and a mobile information service device. The hand-held mobile communications device can be connected to the information server and the telecommunications service provider. The mobile information service device is connected to the information server and the telecommunications service provider, and, according to a filtering rule, searches the information server for information complying with the filtering rule, and subsequently sends a notification message through the telecommunications service provider to the hand-held mobile communications device such that the hand-held mobile communications device can, according to the notification message, download information related to the notification message from the information server.

[0033] Referring to FIG. 2, a preferred embodiment of a mobile information service device 21 according to the present invention is adapted to be connected to various remote information servers 31 (only one is exemplified), and various telecommunications service providers 32 (only one is exemplified) so as to send particular messages to a hand-held mobile communications device 22 through the telecommunications service provider 32 such that the hand-held communications device 22 can selectively obtain information provided by the information server 31.

[0034] The information server 31 can be a mail server, such as the existing Exchange Mail Server, POP3/SMTP Mail Server, etc. The telecommunications service provider 32 can be AT&T, Sprint, Cingular, etc. The hand-held mobile communications device 21 must be a smart phone having a network accessing function, such as a GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) mobile phone or a Wi-Fi mobile phone, and an operating system capable of executing information downloading and reading functions, such as Win CE5.0.

[0035] The hand-held mobile communications device 22 can be sold with the mobile information service device 21 as a mobile information service system, or independently thereof. That is, to use the push mail services provided by the mobile information service device 21 the user only needs to purchase the mobile information service device 21, and to install in his/her own hand-held mobile communications device 22 a software program compatible with the mobile information service device 21.

[0036] In contrast to the conventional mobile mail server 20 which is provided at a remote end, the mobile information service device 21 of this embodiment is provided at the user end, e.g., the user's home or office.

[0037] As shown in FIG. 3, the mobile information service device 21 has a hardware architecture which includes a communications unit 23, a processing unit 24, a real time clock 25, and a memory unit 26.

[0038] The communications unit 23 includes an Ethernet module 27 and a telecommunications module 28. The Ethernet module 27 can be linked to the information server 31 through the Internet (using, e.g., an ADSL modem). The telecommunications module 28 (e.g., a GSM module) is used to connect to a telecommunications network so as to communicate with the telecommunications service provider 32.

[0039] The processing unit 24 can search the information server 31 for information of interest to the user and notify the user of the same according to rules preset by the user.

[0040] The real time clock 25 can trigger the processing unit 24 at predetermined intervals according to the user's settings.

[0041] The underlying principle for the mobile information service device 21 is as follows:

[0042] Referring to FIG. 4, in step 41, when the processing unit 24 is activated by the real time clock 25, the processing unit 24 retrieves data from the information server 31 through the Ethernet module 27 of the communications unit 23, e.g., to determine whether there is any e-mail for the user, and to acquire a portion of the data of the received e-mail, e.g., the sender, the subject, and some of the content of the e-mail. Then, in step 42, according to filtering rules preset by the user, data complying with the rules are screened from the acquired portion of the data. In step 43, the data complying with the rules are stored temporarily in the memory unit 26, and step 44 is executed, in which a message (e.g., an SMS message, an MMS message, an EMS message, or a WAP Push message, depending on the functionality of the hand-held mobile communications device 22) containing the data complying with the filtering rules is sent to the hand-held mobile communications device 22 of the user through the telecommunications module 28 of the communications unit 23 and the telecommunications service provider 32, so as to notify the hand-held mobile communications device 22 to retrieve the desired e-mail from the information server 31.

[0043] In addition, it is noted that the communications unit 23 of the mobile information service device 21 may dispense with the telecommunications module 28, and can, instead, utilize the Ethernet module 27 to connect to the information server 31 so as to obtain the data, and can connect to the telecommunications service provider 32 through the Internet so as to forward the notification message to the hand-held mobile communications device 22 through the telecommunications service provider 32.

[0044] In addition, the mobile information service device 21 of this embodiment can be integrated with an IP router (access point, AP), i.e., it is merely necessary to add a wireless access module (not shown) to the mobile information service device 21. This will not take up a connecting port of the IP router, and can achieve efficient utilization of space.

[0045] The method of use and the operational flow of the mobile information service device 21 and the hand-held mobile communications device 22 will now be described in detail in the succeeding paragraphs.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 5, when a user wants to use the push mail service provided by the mobile information service device 21, supposing the mobile information service device 21 is provided in an office of a company, after the mobile information service device 21 is connected to a personal computer 33 (see FIG. 2) of the company's management information system (MIS) (such as through a LAN port of the mobile information service device 21), the MIS personnel can locate the mobile information service device 21 by inputting an IP address or domain name of the mobile information service device 21 on the personal computer 33. After a successful connection, a web browser screen such as an Internet Explorer (IE) screen as shown in FIG. 6 will appear on the personal computer 33, and a window will appear to show the user of the mobile information service device 21. Then, after the MIS personnel clicks an “ADD” button on the screen, an “Add a new account” screen as shown in FIG. 7 will be displayed for the MIS personnel to fill in data of the user (such as name, mobile phone number, password, etc.). By clicking an “Add” button on the screen, a new user can be set in the mobile information service device 21 (i.e., the processing unit 24).

[0047] After the MIS personnel has set the new user in the mobile information service device 21, the mobile information service device 21 and the hand-held mobile communications device 22 have to undergo an initialization procedure on first use.

[0048] Therefore, in step 81 as shown in FIG. 8, under the condition that the mobile information service device 21 and the personal computer 33 are connected, first, the personal computer 33 will inspect whether software (e.g., Active sync software) for enabling connection between the hand-held mobile communications device 22 and the personal computer 33 has been installed therein. If affirmative, the flow goes to step 82, where the personal computer 33 inspects whether the hand-held mobile communications device 22 has been connected to the personal computer 33. If yes, in steps 83-85 as shown in FIG. 8, search procedures to search for the mobile information service device 21 (such as through area network broadcasting) is conducted. If the mobile information service device 21 is found, in step 86, a plurality of located mobile information service devices 21 are displayed on a screen of the personal computer 33, since a company may be using a plurality of mobile information service devices 21 (e.g., Router 1, Router 2, and Router 3) at the same time. The user of the hand-held mobile communications device 22 then selects the mobile information service device 21 (e.g., Router 1) used thereby, and inputs his/her account number and password. After clicking a “Next” button, a “Mail Account Setup” screen as shown in FIG. 9 is displayed. In an upper text box of the screen, mail server account information (Profile 1 Name, Profile 2 Name, James Wu Hinet . . . ) of an internal mail handler (e.g., Outlook or Outlook Express) is available for the user's selection and addition to a lower text box of the screen so as to select the mail server to be searched.

[0049] Subsequently, after the user has clicked the “Next” button, a screen entitled “Set Up Mail Filter” as shown in FIG. 10 will appear to allow the user to set filtering rules. There are two options on an upper part of the screen: “Contact Filter” and “Subject Filter.” When the “Contact Filter” is selected, two boxes will appear on the left and right sides of the screen, respectively. The box on the left displays data of a plurality of contacts (i.e., senders). The user can set the contacts (i.e., senders) from which mail is to be received by clicking data of the selected contacts and dragging the same to the box on the right. When the “Subject Filter” is selected, a “Subject Filtering Rule Setup” screen will pop up to allow the user to enter a keyword or keywords of the mail to be received in the blanks. The aforesaid setup process is performed in the processing unit 24, and the setup data are recorded in the processing unit 24. When the above setup procedures have been completed, the personal computer 33 will perform a setup procedure with respect to the hand-held mobile communications device 22 of the user. After completion of the setup, the hand-held mobile communications device 22 will receive the push mail service.

[0050] Therefore, as shown in the screen in step 121 of FIG. 12, when the hand-held mobile communications device 22 receives a mail notification message, a customized message window (for the user to edit and set the content and manner of display for the message window according to individual requirements) will open on the screen to show the sender of the mail, the subject of the mail, and the size of the mail. At the same time, two options “Download the first page” and “Download all” will appear at a lower portion of the message window for the user's selection and downloading of the content of the mail. If the downloading is successful, a screen as shown in step 122 will be generated to show the content of the mail. Otherwise, in step 123, the user will be requested to try again. Furthermore, in step 121, there are two more options at the lowermost portion of the screen, namely, “Close notification” and “Mailbox.” Upon clicking of the “Close notification” option, the message window will be closed. Upon clicking of the “Mailbox” option, a mailbox screen as shown in step 124 will appear to allow the user to check the received mail.

[0051] In addition, when the hand-held mobile communications device 22 receives the mail notification message, an incoming notification can be generated to notify the user to check the hand-held mobile communications device 22. The incoming notification may be a ringing tone or vibration. Moreover, the user can customize or edit the form of the incoming notification.

[0052] Furthermore, aside from being configured to send a notification in advance, the hand-held mobile communications device 22 may also be set such that when the hand-held mobile communications device 22 receives a notification message, it will automatically download the text (content) of the e-mail associated with the notification message from the information server 31, and then open the customized message window as shown in step 121 to display the sender, the subject, and the size of the mail on a home page screen.

[0053] As shown in FIG. 13, upon selection of a virtual button 191 at a lower right corner of a home page screen 190 of the hand-held mobile communications device 22, a menu including several options such as “Scheduling” and “Set Filtering Rules” is displayed. When the “Scheduling” option is clicked, a “Mobile Mail Scheduling” management screen as shown in FIG. 14 will appear on the display screen, and the user can set the mail checking time of the real time clock 25 of the mobile information service device 21 on the screen to enable the real time clock 25 to trigger the processing unit 24 of the mobile information service device 21 to search for mail data in the information server 31 at preset times according to the time setting.

[0054] In addition, to ensure the accuracy of the date and time for the processing unit 24 to perform information searches, the mobile information service device 21 can also be automatically connected to a clock server on the Internet at predetermined times so as to permit automatic calibration of the time of the real time clock 25.

[0055] Furthermore, referring to FIG. 15, when the user selects the “Set Filtering Rules” option on the home page screen 190 in step 151, options including “Sender” and “Subject” will appear at a lower portion of the screen. When the “Sender” option is selected, a window 192 showing the data of all the contacts will appear for the user to select a sender of interest or to add/delete a sender. When the “Subject” option is selected, in step 153, a window 193 showing a plurality of subjects will appear to allow the user to select the content or subject of the mail desired to be received. Besides, the user can also add/delete a keyword or keywords in the content or subject, as shown in step 154. After completion of the settings in steps 152, 153, and 154 and after an “OK” option is clicked in step 155, the hand-held mobile communications device 22 will, upon determining that the set rules have been changed, display a screen showing completion of the setting of the filtering rules in step 156.

[0056] After the mobile information service device 21 has undergone the initialization procedure for first use, when the user wants to set the filtering rules for the mobile information service device 21 through the personal computer 33, in step 161 as shown in FIG. 16, the personal computer 33 displays a screen related to a search for the mobile information service device 21 (such as through local area network broadcasting) After locating the mobile information service device 21, in step 162, a log in screen showing the located mobile information service device 21 is displayed to allow the user to enter his/her own account number (i.e., mobile phone number) and password so as to log in to the mobile information service device 21. Then, in step 163, when the personal computer 33 determines the mobile information service device 21 and the entered password to be correct, the flow goes to step 164 to open a main page, which includes three options: “Filter Management,” “Mail Management,” and “Push Mail Scheduling Management.” On the contrary, if it is determined in step 163 that the password or the mobile information service device is incorrect, a screen requesting retrying or canceling of the operation is generated in step 165.

[0057] Subsequently, when the user selects “Filter Management,” the screens as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11 will appear once again to allow the user to set the filtering rules, the intended contacts (i.e., senders), or keywords of the mail desired to be received. Then, upon clicking of a “Next” button, a screen entitled “Mail Management” will appear to allow the user to set the mail server (e.g., Exchange Mail Server, POP3/SMTP Mail Server) for searching the mail. The aforesaid setting process is performed in the processing unit 24, and the setting data are recorded in the processing unit 24.

[0058] Thereafter, when the user clicks the “OK” button, a screen entitled “Push Mail Scheduling Management” as shown in FIG. 12 will appear on the personal computer 33 to allow the user to set the mail checking time of the real time clock 25, which triggers the processing unit 24 to perform a mail data search in the information server 31 accordingly.

[0059] In addition, the mobile information service device 21 of the preferred embodiment not only can screen e-mail and send short messages to notify the hand-held mobile communications device 22 of the user to access the e-mail in the mail server, it can also screen web page information provided by an RSS (Really Simple Syndication) transmission system of the information server 31. The information server 31 referred to herein is a web server.

[0060] The RSS transmission system is a system for transmitting contents based on XML format, which enables the user to read all the subscribed articles, e.g., information provided by various blogs, or news information provided by various websites (e.g., Yahoo® news) in real time directly through RSS reading software.

[0061] Therefore, to permit screening of the web page information provided by the RSS transmission system, and reading (through hyperlinks) of the web page information, the mobile information service device 21 and the hand-held mobile communications device 22 must have an RSS reader installed therein. Thereafter, the user needs to set some web page information sources, e.g., blog websites, on both of the mobile information service device 21 and the hand-held mobile communications device 22. As this belongs to the prior art and is not the crux of this invention, it will not be described in detail herein.

[0062] Thus, when the RSS reader of the mobile information service device 21 searches for the web page information set by the user, as described heretofore, the mobile information service device 21 will screen the web page information of interest to the user according to the filtering rules (e.g., author, subject or text) set in the filter of the processing unit 24 by the user, and send a message (short message) to notify the user of the hand-held mobile communications device 22 and simultaneously activate the RSS reader of the hand-held mobile communications device 22 such that, according to the content of the message (short message), the RSS reader only displays the web page information of interest to the user so as to allow the user to browse the corresponding article provided by the web page via a hyperlink.

[0063] As illustrated, in the preferred embodiment, by providing the mobile information service device 21 at the user end, and by enabling the user to set filtering rules in the mobile information service device 21 such that the mobile information service device 21 searches the information server 31 for information complying with the filtering rules set by the user, and sends a notification message to the hand-held mobile communication device 22 through the telecommunications service provider so that the hand-held mobile communications device 22 can, after receiving the notification message, download the information desired by the user, the hand-held mobile communications device 22 not only will not receive unwanted information, it can also save information downloading expenses. In addition, since the mobile information service device 21 merely acquires a header of the information or partial contents for screening and does not download the entire piece of information when screening the information, i.e., the actual content of the information will not go through the mobile information service device 21, integrity and confidentiality of the information can be ensured, thereby achieving the intended effect and object of the present invention.

[0064] While the present invention has been described in connection with what is considered the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is understood that this invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiment but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.