`
`US 20080133551A1
`
`(19) United States
`(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2008/0133551 A1
`(43) Pub. Date: Jun. 5, 2008
`
`Wensley et al.
`
`(54) SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER
`PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR MANAGING
`RIGHTS OF MEDIA IN COLLABORATIVE
`ENVIRONMENTS
`
`(75)
`
`Inventors:
`
`Paul Wensley, Mill Valley, CA
`(US); Jon M. Bloodworth, Santa
`Fe, NM (US); Robert M.
`Goldstein, Los Angeles, CA OJS)
`
`Correspondence Address:
`PATENT LAW OFFICES OF MICHAEL E.
`WOODS
`19 Vista Marin Drive
`San Rafael, CA 94903-5205
`
`(73) Assignee:
`
`AVA Mobile, Inc., Santa Fe, NM
`(US)
`
`(21) App]. No.:
`
`11/564,843
`
`(22)
`
`Filed:
`
`Nov. 30, 2006
`
`Publication Classification
`
`(51)
`
`Int. Cl.
`G06F 1 7/30
`
`(2006.01)
`
`1100
`
`/
`
`(52) US. Cl. ................................. 707/100; 707/E17.005
`
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`A system, method, computer program product, and propa-
`gated signal of this collaborative system are adapted to track
`metadata relating to an online digital as set that captures each
`user’s or group’s interest in the asset and thus, in the aggre-
`gate, defines a collective interest in the asset and self-selects
`a relevant market based upon the nature of the asset, the
`distribution, and the collective group. Further, the system,
`method, computer program product, and propagated signal
`implement a rights manager to provide for digital rights inan-
`agement in collaborative systems. The system includes a plu-
`rality of communication clients, inter-communicated by a
`network, each for initiating a collaborative concurrent pro-
`cessing of a resource file; and a rights manager, coupled to
`each the plurality of communications clients, for authorizing
`the processing ofthe resource file responsive to a rights inan-
`agement tag associated With the resource file, the rights inan-
`ager securing the rights management tag with the resource file
`to produce a digital resource and the rights manager decrypt-
`ing the digital resource to produce the resource file and the
`rights management tag. The method includes initiating a col-
`laborative concurrent processing of a resource file by a par-
`ticular one communication client of a plurality of communi-
`cation clients,
`inter-communicated by a network; and
`authorizing the processing of the resource file by a rights
`manager, the authorizing responsive to a rights management
`tag associated with the resource file, the rights manager secur-
`ing the rights management tag with the resource file to pro-
`duce a digital resource and the rights manager decrypting the
`digital resource to produce the resource file and the rights
`management tag.
`
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 1 0f 12
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`US 2008/0133551 A1
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 5 0f 12
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`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 6 of 12
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 7 of 12
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`US 2008/0133551 A1
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 8 0f 12
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`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 9 0f 12
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`

`

`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 10 0f 12
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`US 2008/0133551 A1
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`Patent Application Publication
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`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 11 0f 12
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`Patent Application Publication
`
`Jun. 5, 2008 Sheet 12 0f 12
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`US 2008/0133551 A1
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`

`US 2008/0133551Al
`
`Jun. 5, 2008
`
`SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER
`PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR MANAGING
`RIGHTS OF MEDIA IN COLLABORATIVE
`ENVIRONMENTS
`
`
`
`
`
`CROSS R1F 1 RENC 1 TO R 1 LATED
`APPLICATIONS
`
`
`
`[0001] This applicatio 1 is related to co-pending US. patent
`application Ser. Nos. 11/164,645 filed 30 Nov. 2006 entitled
`“SYSTEM, METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM
`PRODUCT FOR CONCURRENT COLLABORATION OF
`
`These implementations can be called “screen scraping” as
`they just send the display data, without any understanding of
`the media that is being displayed (including in the new Webex
`implementation noted above). Moreover,
`they are not
`designed to work on portable electronic devices.
`[0006] A well-known, but very limited in terms of features
`and user options, media sharing/collaboration solution is the
`sharing, choosing, and selecting of media files by sending
`emails with digital media attachments. The user loses control
`over the media, as real (i.e., full) copies are sent to the other
`users, who then have full control over them. Some attempts to
`control this, Via watermarking images, or sending just “down
`sampled” or proxy versions, corrupt the files and do not allow
`for full examination of the full data. Additional drawbacks
`
`include a recognition that media files may be very large, and
`many email solutions are incapable of exchanging large files
`(e.g., incapable in the sense that the system administrators/
`developers may impose size and/or content and/or file type
`restrictions). Also, the solutions are not in “real-time” and
`there is little in the way of feedback from one participant that
`the others are active in the “collaboration.”
`
`Further, it is a problem among conventional mes-
`[0007]
`saging systems that two or more users are unable to unam-
`biguously collaborate in the rendering of a media resource,
`such that any user at any time may set a rendering ofthe media
`resource to a desired reference on all participating clients.
`[0008] Digital rights management addresses an existing
`solution to a perceived problem ofexchanging copyrighted or
`other rights-restricted digital data by, among, between, and
`across
`systems. Digital Rights Management
`(generally
`abbreviated to DRM) is any of several technologies used by
`publishers (or copyright owners) to control access to and
`usage of digital data (such as software, music, movies) and
`hardware, handling usage restrictions associated with a spe-
`cific instance of a digital work. The term often is confused
`with copy protection and technical protection measures
`(TPM). These two terms refer to technologies that control or
`restrict the use and access of digital media content on elec-
`tronic devices with such technologies installed, acting as
`components of a DRM design.
`[0009] Digital Rights Management is a controversial topic.
`Advocates argue DRM is necessary for copyright holders to
`prevent unauthorized duplication of their work to ensure con-
`tinued revenue streams. Some critics of the technology,
`including the Free Software Foundation, suggest that the use
`of the word “Rights” is misleading and suggest that people
`instead use the term Digital Restrictions Management. The
`position put forth is that copyright holders are attempting to
`restrict use of copyrighted material in ways already granted
`by statutory or common law applying to copyright.
`[0010]
`)RM is typically a distribution and use control sys-
`tem, sometimes having rudimentary asset tracking attendant
`to distribution control, cooperating with features built into (or
`added on 0) various operating systems, distribution mecha-
`nisms, and “playing” applications.
`[0011] Examples of DRM in portable electronic devices
`include Pod and the iTunes distribution system available
`from Apple Computers. iTunes includes a desktop compo-
`nent that serves as a vehicle for identifying desired copy-
`righted content and then receiving encrypted digital files (au-
`dio or video) for that content. The content may only be played
`from the iTunes application or a user may transfer a copy of
`this protected content to the iPod. This content may not be
`transferred out of this system, and content is not available to
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`MEDIA,” 11’309 529 filed 18Aug. 2006 entitled “SYSTEM,
`
`
`METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT
`
`FOR CONCURRENT COLLABORATION OF MEDIA,”
`and U. S. patent application Ser. No.
`(Attorney
`Docket 20043-7005) filed concurrently e titled “SYSTEM,
`METHOD, AND COMPUTER PROGRAM PRODUCT
`FOR TRACKING DIGITAL MEDIA I\I COLLABORA-
`
`TIVE ENVIRONMENTS,” all hereby expressly incorpo-
`rated in their entireties by reference for all purposes.
`
`
`
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`[0002] The present invention relates generally to real-time
`collaboration systems, and more particularly to a concurrent
`multi-user multi-way collaboration system capable of track-
`ing transfer or exchange among one or more client systems
`and methods.
`
`
`
`[0003] The development of digital computer networks have
`allowed t1e high-speed delivery of media files, including
`images, v deo and audio, to personal computers and mobile
`devices. 'raditionally, access to these networks has been
`through a “web browser”, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer
`and the like employing hypertext markup language (HTML)
`protocols.
`[0004] Applications that use a web browser to display and
`manipulate media files are limited to the capabilities of the
`web browser. Most browser-based solutions provide limited
`built-in user interface solutions such as grid structures that
`force information into linear displays. The structure of web
`browsers does not allow for interactive two-way communi-
`cation between users or multi-directional communication
`
`among multiple users. Some existing solutions use “plug-ins”
`or “applets” to extend the functionality of the browser to
`attempt some limited type of bi-directional communication.
`However, these solutions are limited to a “presenter” and a set
`of clients which become the audience. There are no solutions
`for true real -time multi-directional communication.
`
`Some extensions to the web browser paradigm, such
`[0005]
`as implemented in a WebEx online meeting solution available
`from WebEx Communications, Inc., 3979 Freedom Circle,
`Santa Clara, Calif. 95054 (www.webex.com) provide a lim-
`ited solution. These solutions try to implement “collabora-
`tion” or “sharing” of a desktop in an attempt to capture some
`of the benefits of true multi-way multi-device concurrent
`sharing of digital resources. However, these implementations
`are limited, in that they require one user (or in some newer
`implementations multiple users may on a non-concurrent
`basis) to be the “presenter” and the others to be the “audience”
`so they only truly capture one type of online meeting, namely
`the presentation. These solutions do not have a true collabo-
`rative paradigm, where each user may have the same status for
`moving, marking, and commenting on the media, or other-
`wise interacting with it (Viewing and or playing for example).
`
`

`

`US 2008/0133551Al
`
`Jun. 5, 2008
`
`be retrieved from the iPod. Thus sharing or collaboration is
`limited to multiple users listening/watching the content as it is
`played from the iTunes or the iPod.
`[0012] Microsoft Corporation has announced a portable
`music player (the “Zune”) that assertedly includes an ability
`for a user to wirelessly transfer content directly to another
`Zune user. The recipient is slated to have limited abilities to
`use the content (e.g., play the content no more than three times
`within a limited period (e. g., three days).
`[0013] Also relevant to the present invention is the current
`interest in targeted advertising. Advertisers continue to search
`for new ways to focus their content and improve return for
`each advertising dollar spent. This is true across different
`media, print, television, radio, and the lntemet. Interactivity is
`a word used frequently in the context of advertising and the
`distribution medium of a particular advertisement. To date,
`one ofthe most successful interactive advertising systems are
`oay-per-click in which advertisers pay whenever a user
`selects an advertisement presented in a web browser. Adver-
`isers try to target users based upon keywords correlation, and
`‘eceive “interaction” through “clicks” on the advertisement.
`[0014] While successful, this paradigm has limitations that
`‘elate to the use of keywords for correlation and to the limi-
`ations of the web browser as an interactive client.
`
`
`
`
`
`
`
`In the context of digital rights systems, an organiza-
`[0015]
`ion known as the Creative Commons (www.creativecom-
`nons.org) was founded in 2001 to provide a framework fo ‘
`defining bundles ofrights with respect to certain online digital
`‘esources. Creative Commons releases a set of copyrigh
`licenses free for public use. Inspired in part from the Free
`Software Foundation’s GNU General Public License (G\IL
`GPL), Creative Commons developed a Web application ha
`elps people dedicate their creative works to the pmlic
`domainior retain their copyright while licensing them as
`free for certain uses, on certain conditions. Unlike the G\IL
`GPL, Creative Commons licenses are not designed for soft-
`ware, but rather for other kinds of creative works: websites,
`scholarship, music, film, photography, literature, courseware,
`and the like. Creative Commons also developed metadata ha
`can be used to associate creative works with their pu alic
`domain or license status in a machine-readable way. This
`enabled people to begin to use Creative Common’s search
`application and other online applications to find, for examole,
`ohotographs that are free to use provided that the orig'nal
`ohotographer is credited, or songs that may be copied, dis-
`ributed, or sampled with no restrictions whatsoever. Various
`oredefined licenses are defined and an owner may link a
`oarticular resource to a particular license. Current DRM sys-
`ems are, in general, incompatible with most standard Cre-
`ative Common licenses. That is, such DRM systems would
`ot comply with the Creative Common licenses and therefore
`3e in violation of the license terms, making use of DRM
`systems improper to use with Creative Commons licensed
`naterial.
`
`
`
`[0016] There are other initiatives similar to Creative Com-
`nons that are designed to help facilitate controlled distribu-
`ion of material.
`
`[0017] What is needed is a real -time concurrent multi-user
`nulti-way collaboration system capable of operation incor-
`oorating one or more electronic devices preferably including
`one or more portable devices to permit distributed users to
`easily and efficiently share, in real time, both content and
`nambiguous editorial input on such content. Further, what is
`eeded is a system to track metadata relating to an online
`
`digital asset that captures each user’s or group’ s interest in the
`asset and thus, in the aggregate, defines a collective interest in
`the asset and self-selects a relevant market based upon the
`nature of the asset, the distribution, and the collective group.
`In the context of digital works, what is needed is a rights
`manager
`for mediating and enforcing rights in digital
`resources in an online collaborative environment, as well as
`providing a rights system to aid users when introducing,
`using, and distributing digital resources of their own and as
`well as for digital resources in which a third party has an
`ownership interest.
`
`
`
`BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`
`
`
`
`[0018] Disclosed is a system, met 10d, computer program
`product, and propagated signal for a real-time concurrent
`multi-user multi-way collaboration system that is able to
`incorporate one or more electronic devices including one or
`more portable devices that permits distributed users to easily
`and efliciently share both content and editorial input on such
`content (of course, text messaging is not limited to editorial
`input on the content). Specifically, a real-time concurrent
`multi-user multi-way collaboration system, method, and
`computer program capable of operation providing two or
`more users to be able to unambiguously collaborate in the
`rendering of a media resource, such that any user at any time
`may set a rendering of t e media resource to a desired refer-
`ence on all participating clients. The system for transmitting
`a media resource and one or more collaboration messages
`over a communications network includes a plurality of real-
`time messaging clients coupled to the communications net-
`work, with each client 0 the plurality of clients including: a
`communications system for receiving the media resource and
`for receiving the one or nore collaboration messages; and a
`renderizer system for p‘oducing a rendering of the media
`resource in substantial synchronization with other ones ofthe
`real-time messaging clients; wherein a particular one of the
`one or more collaboration messages are transmitted by one of
`the messaging clients, tie one or more collaboration mes-
`sages including a desired reference of the rendering and each
`other ofthe messaging cl 'ents substantially synchronizing the
`rendering ofthe media resource at the desired reference using
`the particular one collaboration message.
`[0019] The system, method, computer program product,
`and propagated signal of this collaborative system are
`adapted to track metadata relating to an online digital asset
`that captures each user’s or group’s interest in the asset and
`thus, in the aggregate, defines a collective interest in the asset
`and self-selects a relevant market based upon the nature ofthe
`asset, the distribution, and the collective group. Further, the
`system, method, computer program product, and propagated
`signal implement a rights manager to provide for digital rights
`management in collaborative systems. The system includes a
`plurality of communication clients, inter-communicated by a
`network, each for initiating a collaborative concurrent pro-
`cessing of a resource file; and a rights manager, coupled to
`each the plurality of communications clients, for authorizing
`the processing ofthe resource file responsive to a rights man-
`agement tag associated with the resource file, the rights man-
`ager securing the rights management tag with the resource file
`to produce a digital resource and the rights manager decrypt-
`ing the digital resource to produce the resource file and the
`rights management tag. The method includes initiating a col-
`laborative concurrent processing of a resource file by a par-
`ticular one communication client of a plurality of communi-
`
`

`

`US 2008/0133551Al
`
`Jun. 5, 2008
`
`inter-communicated by a network; and
`cation clients,
`authorizing the processing of the resource file by a rights
`manager, the authorizing responsive to a lights management
`tag associated with the resource file, the rights manager secur-
`ing the rights management tag with the resource file to pro-
`duce a digital resource and the rights manager decrypting the
`digital resource to produce the resource file and the rights
`management tag.
`[0020] The AVA media rights manager enforces rights man-
`agement of media content files from the moment they enter
`the AVA system and for so long as they remain within theAVA
`system, particularly as they are exchanged from one device to
`another. Reporting capabilities of the media asset tracker
`include how many users have shared or exchanged a particu-
`lar media file with other AVA users, how many users received
`and viewed or played the media file, the frequency ofviewing
`or playing the media file, and the communication “trail” ofthe
`media file, including associations among users and with other
`media files.
`
`[0021] The preferred embodiments ofthe present invention
`create a more natural “processing environment” for those that
`work or play with digital media files, particularly when shar-
`iig/exchanging media content with others in any context.
`One applicable paradigm, provided to facilitate rmderstand-
`iig, is the real-world experience of working on the same
`tabletop with the other users, interacting, commenting and
`choosing media. Moreover, embodiments of the invention
`elps to keep digital files secure, by controlling the access and
`ability to save them, among other rights management fea-
`tures. It is recognized that a modern workgroup cannot easily
`be at the same “tabletop” as all of the others, and that having
`tie tools available on mobile devices is important for true
`interactivity. In the context of digital works, the embodiments
`provide a rights manager for mediating and enforcing rights
`11 digital resources in an online collaborative environment, as
`well as providing a rights system to aid users when introduc-
`iig, using, and distributing digital resources of their own and
`as well as for digital resources in which a third party has an
`ownership interest.
`
`
`
`
`
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`
`FIG. 1 is a computer system that may function as a
`[0022]
`basic computer in implementing the present invention;
`[0023]
`FIG. 2 is a generalized diagram of a portion of a
`network system (e.g., the Web or the Internet) to which a
`computer controlled display terminal used for transmitting or
`receiving messages is connected;
`[0024]
`FIG. 3 is a generalized schematic of an AVA col-
`laboration system shown in FIG. 2;
`[0025]
`FIG. 4 is a generalized block diagram of a generic
`computer of the system shown in FIG. 3;
`[0026]
`FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of the AVA
`server shown in FIG. 2;
`[0027]
`FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of the AVA
`client shown in FIG. 2;
`[0028]
`FIG. 7 is a close-up of an AVA client supporting
`local workspace;
`[0029]
`FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of a preferred
`embodiment for an AVA real-time collaboration system
`including a plurality of portable electronic devices each sup-
`porting anAVA client wirelessly communicating with anAVA
`server through a wireless-supported communications net-
`work;
`
`FIG. 9 is a preferred embodiment for a workspace
`[0030]
`recreation process implemented by a system (e. g., the system
`shown in FIG. 8);
`[0031]
`FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an asset tracking
`system;
`FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a rights manager
`[0032]
`system; and
`[0033]
`FIG. 12 is a block diagram of an alternative rights
`manager system.
`
`
`
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
`
`
`
`[0034] The present invention relates to a real-time concur-
`rent
`ulti-user multi-way collaboration system capable of
`opera ion incorporating one or more electronic network
`devices preferably including devices having wireless network
`connectivity to permit distributed users to easily and effi-
`ciently share both content and editorial input on such content.
`Specifically, a real -time concurrent multi-user multi-way col-
`laboration system, method, and computer program capable of
`operation providing two or more users to be able to unam-
`biguously collaborate in the rendering of a media resource,
`such that any user at any time may set a rendering ofthe media
`resource to a desired reference on all participating clients.
`Further, the system tracks metadata relating to an online
`digital asset that captures each user’s or group’ s interest in the
`asset and thus, in the aggregate, defines a collective interest in
`the asset and self-selects a relevant market based upon the
`nature of the asset, the distribution, and the collective group.
`The following description is presented to enable one of ordi-
`nary skill in the art to make and use the invention and is
`provided in the context of a patent application and its require-
`ments. Various modifications to the preferred embodiment
`and the generic principles and features described herein will
`be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the
`present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodi-
`ment shown but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent
`with the principles and features described herein.
`[0035]
`FIG. 1 is a computer system 100 that may function
`as a basic computer in implementing the present invention.
`Computer system 100 includes a central processing unit
`(CPU) 105, such as one ofthe PDA (personal digital assistant)
`microprocessors, PC microprocessors or workstations, e.g.
`IntelTM PXA270 312 MHz processor used in a TreoTM 650
`portable electronic device or other microprocessor or micro-
`controller or controller,
`is provided and interconnected to
`various other components by a system bus 110. An operating
`system 115 runs on CPU 105, provides control and is used to
`coordinate the function ofthe various components of FIG. 1.
`Operating system 115 may be one ofthe commercially avail-
`able operating systems such as the Palm OS available from
`PalmSource, Inc.; Microsoft’s Windows, as well as UNIX
`and AIX operating systems, and the like. One or more appli-
`cation programs 120, controlled by the system, are moved
`into and out of a main memory RAM 125. These programs
`include the program of the present invention to be subse-
`quently described in combination with local or wide-area
`network systems, such as for example, the Internet. A read
`only memory (ROM) 130 is connected to CPU 105 via bus
`110 and includes the Basic Input/Output System (BIOS) that
`controls the basic computer functions. RAM 125, an I/O
`adapter 135 and a communications adapter 138 are also inter-
`connected to system bus 110. I/O adapter 135 may be a Small
`Computer System Interface (SCSI) adapter that communi-
`cates with a disk storage device 140. Communications
`
`

`

`US 2008/0133551Al
`
`Jun. 5, 2008
`
`
`
`adapter 135 interconnects bus 110 with an outside network
`enabling the data processing system to communicate with
`other such sys ems over a Local Area Network (LAN) or
`Wide Area Network (WAN), which includes, of course, the
`Internet, the WEB, intranets, extranets, and other public and
`private networks. The terms associated with the network are
`meant to be generally interchangeable and are so used in the
`present description of the distribution network. I/O devices
`are also connected to system bus 110 via a user interface
`adapter 145 and a display adapter 150. A keyboard 155 and a
`pointing device (e.g., mouse 1 60 or ajoystick, remote keypad,
`game controller, stylus, button navigations system, or the
`like) are all interconnected to bus 110 through user interface
`adapter 145. Display adapter 150 includes a frame buffer 165,
`which is a storage device that holds a representation of each
`pixel on a monitor or display screen 170. Images may be
`stored in frame buffer 165 for display on monitor 170 through
`various components, such as a digital to analog converter (not
`shown) and the like. By using the aforementioned I/O
`devices, a user is capable of inputting information to the
`system through the keyboard 155 (or other input device) or
`mouse 160 (or other pointing system) and receiving output
`information from the system via display 170. The system also
`contains a memory cache 175 which is illustrated as a dashed
`line outline and includes a portion 180 of a disk storage drive
`140 and a portion 185 ofKAM 125.
`[0036] As noted above, preferred embodiments of the
`present invention may use a wide range of computing sys-
`tems. One particular embodiment is mo st preferred, namely a
`use of one or more wireless-network-connected electronic
`
`devices (e. g., portable or mobile computing system) in com-
`munication with a server application and optionally one or
`more desktop/workstation personal computers. Client appli-
`cations are supported by the electronic device and communi-
`cate via a wireless network connection, as described in more
`detail herein. An example of a suitable portable electronic
`device is represented by a Treo 650 smartphone available
`from Palm, Inc. (http://www.palm.com) and other similar
`devices. While the present invention contemplates use of
`virtually any suitable network-compatible computing system
`having a display of reasonable resolution and color depth
`(preferably color) such as, to simplify the discussion the
`computing system described in the preferred embodiments
`will be the Treo 650-type device. When a quality ofthe screen
`is poor (e.g., a relatively few number of colors or limited
`resolution) or when a bandwidth of the network communica-
`tions is limited, the quality of the experience is also more
`limited than would be the case with improved display and/or
`bandwidth. In some embodiments and implementations, cli-
`ent applications, or server functions when present, may con-
`vert content from one system to another in an appropriate
`form/format.
`
`[0037] The TreoTM 650 smartphone from Palm, Inc. com-
`bines a compact wireless mobile phone with email, organizer
`features, messaging, and web access. Also included is Blue-
`tooth® technology so a user may connect wirelessly to other
`Bluetooth devices. Additional
`features include an MP3
`
`player, a digital camera that captures video, and a color screen
`that is responsive to a stylus for controlling the system (alter-
`natively a keypad may also be used for a system interface)7
`all in a device that is still small enough to fit in a pocket of the
`user. In some implementations, a “smartphone” implementa-
`
`tion is not necessary by adapting the user interface elements
`consistent with the input and display features of the portable
`electronic device.
`
`[0038] Additionally to simplify the following discussion, it
`is noted that the present invention contemplates use on many
`different communications networks, both public and private.
`In some implementations, multiple different types ofnetwork
`systems may be used together, and the server may, for
`example, bridge different communications networks and
`translate/convert between different protocols/formats
`to
`exchange messages between the devices and to exchange
`communications with any device. In the following example,
`use of the Internet accessed through wireless access points
`using is described as the preferred embodiment though other
`configurations are within the scope of the present invention.
`[0039] Before going further into details of specific embodi-
`ments, set forth below is a general perspective of the various
`elements and methods that may be related to the present
`invention. Since a major aspect of the present invention is
`directed to network communications, preferably Internet
`communications using Internet and/or Web protocols, and
`use of data messaging similar to access of Web pages, an
`understanding of such networks and their operating prin-
`ciples may be helpful. The following does not go into great
`detail in describing the networks to which the present inven-
`tion is applicable. For details on Web nodes, objects and links,
`reference is made to the text, Mastering the Internet, G. H.
`C