Methods and apparatus for enabling use of web content on various types of devices

Abstract

A method system for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator having the following functionalities: receiving, at a server, an http request from a mobile communicator being used by a user, the http request identifying a website and should the mobile communicator not support a client-side script employed by the website, causing the server to emulate the script so as to enable the user to interact with the website.

1 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator, the method comprising:
 receiving, at a server, an http request from a mobile communicator being used by a user, said http request identifying a website; and   should said mobile communicator not support a client-side script employed by said website, causing said server to emulate said script so as to enable said user to interact with said website.   
     
     
         2 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and also comprising:
 retrieving a user-agent field from said http request, said user-agent field identifying said mobile communicator being used by said user; and 
 ascertaining whether said mobile communicator being used by said user supports a given computer language or script. 
 
     
     
         3 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and also comprising:
 employing a conventional browser of the mobile communicator for communicating with said server. 
 
     
     
         4 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and also comprising:
 employing a form submit button to replace script elements not supported by said mobile communicator. 
 
     
     
         5 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 4  and wherein said form submit button appears as a picture which resembles said script element. 
     
     
         6 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and wherein said script is JavaScript and said server provides client-side emulation of said JavaScript. 
     
     
         7 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and wherein, when a user requests an HTML web page from said server, said server retrieves the requested web page from the internet and searches the said web page for elements that require client-side script emulation. 
     
     
         8 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 8  and wherein if at least one element that requires client-side script emulation is found, the following takes place on a mobile communicator adapted web page corresponding to said web page requested by said user:
 each element respectively indicated as “one-way” or “return”, is replaced by an input tag of a submit type (<input type=submit . . . >) having a unique name unless the mobile communicator supports use of an input tag of an image type, in which case an input tag of an image type is employed instead of the input tag of a submit type. 
 
     
     
         9 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 8  and wherein visual appearance of said tag of a submit type is set to be similar to the visual appearance of an element to which it corresponds. 
     
     
         10 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and wherein:
 if said element is within an HTML form tag having an action attribute, the value of the action attribute of the form tag is replaced by the IP address of said server; and 
 if said element is not within an HTML form tag, an HTML form tag is created around said element and the action attribute of the form tag is set to be the IP address of said server. 
 
     
     
         11 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and wherein a look-up table is created for the requested web page and indexed by the unique names of the input tags of the submit type. 
     
     
         12 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 11  and wherein said look-up table contains information including at least one of the following items:
 a name of said element to which each input tag corresponds; 
 an ID attribute of said element; 
 a type characterizing said element; and 
 location of the element in the DOM of said web page. 
 
     
     
         13 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 11  and wherein an input tag of a “hidden” type is added to the HTML form defined by said HTML form tag and the value of said input tag is employed to identify the look-up table. 
     
     
         14 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 13  and wherein if said element is a select element, corresponding to a select region, a plurality of option-displaying adapted pages, each containing a limited number of options are prepared, each of said available options in said select region appearing on one of the adapted option-displaying pages, each of the available options being a link to said server and containing a value which is employed to identify the look-up table. 
     
     
         15 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 14  and when a user clicks on a select region this results in submission of the corresponding HTML form to said server which, upon receipt of the HTML form submission, recognizes the HTML form submission as a request to display said general listing of options if available or alternatively a first adapted option-displaying page. 
     
     
         16 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 15  and wherein a user selection of an option operates as a HTTP request to said server, which identifies said request as an emulation request and finds said unique name of said input tag of the submit type and said look up table and thus finds information to enable it to identify a corresponding option element on the DOM. 
     
     
         17 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 16  said option element is found in the following manner:
 said server again requests said web page from the internet and creates a DOM corresponding to said web page and said information found on said look-up table is employed to locate the option element on the DOM. 
 
     
     
         18 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 17  and wherein an event identified by event attributes of said element is triggered by said server, resulting in emulation of a user operating a conventional web browser, producing an adapted page and said information found on said lookup table is saved in an emulation list associated with the look-up table so that retrieving the look-up table also retrieves the emulation list. 
     
     
         19 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 1  and wherein when a user selects an element that has submit button functionality, but is not a select region, this selection operates as a HTTP request to said server and the server identifies this request as an emulation request, server finds the unique name of the input tag of the submit type and the look up table and thus finds information to enable it to identify the element selected by the user. 
     
     
         20 . A method for interactive communication with a web site using a mobile communicator according to  claim 19  and wherein said user-selected element is found in the following manner:
 said server again requests said web page from the Internet and creates a DOM corresponding to the web page and said information found on the look-up table is employed to locate the element on the DOM. 
 
     
     
         21 .- 38 . (canceled)