Strategies for Sending Content to a Target Device

Abstract

A strategy is described for forwarding content accessed using a first device to a second device. For instance, the first device can comprise a personal computer and the second device can comprise a mobile telephone. The strategy employs general purpose content-forwarding (CF) functionality. Different providers of content can rely on the same general purpose CF functionality to forward content to the second device, without requiring time-intensive and cumbersome manual modification of the CF functionality for each application.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows an overview of a system for forwarding content from a first device to a second device using content-forwarding (CF) functionality.

FIG. 2 shows, in part, an exemplary architecture of an interface provider that can be used in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 shows an exemplary architecture of request processing functionality (RPF) that can be used in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 shows an exemplary architecture of a user device that can be used in the system of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5, 6A, 6B, 6C, 6D, and 6E show various user interface presentations provided by a first device used in the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 shows a user interface presentation provided by a second device used in the system of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 8-14 show various procedures that explain the operation of different aspects of the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 15 shows an exemplary computer environment for implementing aspects of the system of FIG. 1.

Claims

1. A method for sending content to a target address, comprising: receiving at least one parameter associated with a context in which a user is invoking content-forwarding functionality;customizing the content-forwarding functionality based on said at least one parameter, to provide customized content-forwarding functionality; andproviding the customized content-forwarding functionality to the user, wherein the customized content-forwarding functionality allows the user to forward content to the target address.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the user invokes the content-forwarding functionality using a first device, and wherein the target address is associated with a second device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the first device is a computer and the second device is a mobile telephone.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving request information from the user, using the customized content-forwarding functionality, which identifies at least the target address; andconstructing a message, based on the request information, for use in supplying the content to the target address.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the request information specifies a telephone number associated with the target address.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the constructing comprises constructing the message based on a URL and text content.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising forming reference information that is associated with at least the URL, wherein the reference information is sent to the target address in lieu of the URL.

8. The method of claim 4, further comprising: determining a preferred mechanism for delivering the message to the target address; andforwarding the message to the target address using the preferred mechanism.

9. The method of claim 4, further comprising: determining a preferred format for delivering the message to the target address; andforwarding the message to the target address using the preferred format.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: invoking the content-forwarding functionality by activating a content-forwarding icon that is displayed in a base user interface presentation, wherein the content-forwarding icon is associated with an identified information item in the base user interface presentation that the user intends to forward to the target address,wherein the customized content-forwarding functionality includes at least one content-forwarding user interface presentation that the user interacts with to forward the identified information item to the target address.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the base user interface presentation is administered by a first entity, and the customizing is performed by a second entity.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said at least one parameter comprises one or more of; application information that identifies a base user interface application that is being used by the user;application scenario information that identifies a scenario within the base user interface application;locale information that identifies a location associated with the target address; orpartner information that identifies an entity that supplies the base user interface application.

13. The method of claim, wherein the content that is forwarded to the target device comprises one or more of: a search result;a map;an image;audio information; orconfiguration information.

14. One or more computer readable media containing machine-executable instructions for implementing the method of claim 1.

15. A system for sending content to a target address, comprising: a first device;a second device associated with the target address;a base user interface application that provides a base user interface presentation;an interface provider for providing a content-forwarding user interface presentation, for display to a user at the first device in conjunction with the base user interface presentation; andrequest processing functionality for processing request information entered by the user at the first device, via the content-forwarding user interface presentation,wherein the request information enables the request processing functionality to forward content to the second device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the first device is a computer and the second device is a mobile telephone.

17. The system of claim 15, wherein the interface provider is configured to customize the content-forwarding user interface presentation based on at least one received parameter that reflects a context in which the user invokes the content-forwarding user interface presentation.

18. The system of claim 15, wherein the request processing functionality is configured to process the request information by constructing a message, based on the request information, for use in supplying the content to the second device.

19. A method for populating a base user interface presentation with at least one content-forwarding icon: identifying a base user interface presentation;analyzing the base user interface presentation to determine whether it contains at least one information item that is deemed potentially desirable to send to a target address, based on at least one selection criterion; andannotating said at least one information item with said at least one content-forwarding icon, wherein said at least one content-forwarding icon can be invoked by a user to send said at least one information item to the target address.

20. One or more computer readable media containing machine-executable instructions for implementing the method of claim 19.