Abstract:
Method, system and terminal for setting, in an information system comprising a network ( 2, 7 ) connecting user terminals ( 1 ) and one or more servers ( 4, 8, 9 ), local user preferences valid for the terminal and non-local user preferences valid for said one or more servers. A preferences setting file is downloaded from one of said servers to the relevant terminal, which is completed by the terminal user with the user&#39;s local and/or non-local preferences. Subsequently, the completed preferences setting file is uploaded to the relevant server ( 9 ). One or more preference groups (“moods”) may be assigned to the completed local and/or nonlocal preferences. The user may select one occurrence out of said preference groups, resulting in retrieval in the relevant server ( 9 ), the local and/or non-local preferences assigned to the selected preference group, and activating the relevant preferences in the terminal and the network and/or the one or more servers.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The invention refers to the setting of user preferences, listed in a user terminal or in an information or transmission system to which a user terminal may be connected.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     There are a variety of terminals that can be configured or programmed to the personal preferences and needs of a user.  
         [0003]     For example a computer with a graphical user interface can be personalized by setting a background picture, customizing color schemes, customizing event sounds and setting software specific features like the accessibility of menus and functionality. When the computer is used for communication, e.g. for email, chatting or IP telephony, a user can be given the possibility to program events like pop-up screens appearing when messages arrives or blocking incoming/outgoing messages based on a criteria.  
         [0004]     Another example of such a terminal is a mobile phone, which can be configured through a menu. By pressing the menu button on the mobile phone a user gets the possibility to change settings related to the phone itself, change security settings, change network settings, and select or modify profiles. Examples of settings related to the phone itself are selecting the language of the user-interface, adjusting the contrast of the display and adjusting the appearance of the build-in clock. Security settings are related to pin-codes, which can be set and changed by the user. The network settings are used to set the behavior of the mobile phone in the network. For example the user can choose whether the mobile phone automatically selects a network based on the strength of received communication signals or a manual selection is to be made by the user when the network changes. Profiles are used to make many changes in the mobile phone at once. Examples of profiles are “normal surroundings”, “silent surroundings”, “meeting” and “car”. By selecting a profile the ring tone, ring tone volume, vibration and settings related to the phone itself are selected at once. The user can modify the settings in the profile.  
         [0005]     Besides configuring and programming terminals it is also possible to let a user make changes in the network the terminal is connected to. For example a user with a mobile phone can change redirection settings by calling a specific number or using a shortcut in the mobile phone, making all incoming calls being forwarded to another terminal. Another example is the (de) activation of a voicemail box, which is located in the network and can be used by a calling party to leave a message when the user does not answer the phone.  
         [0006]     It can be important to technically detect the status of a terminal user at a certain moment and/or location. It is undesirable for example that a mobile terminal receives and displays an advertisement (which can be pushed to the terminal, i.e. sent to the terminal without the user requesting it) about e.g. a special offer of snacks when the user attends a business meeting or has a romantic date. In general the fact that the user&#39;s current situation (or mode, mood or environment) cannot be technically detected by the sending party or the network, is seen as an important obstruction for the success of pushed content delivery. Although users already become used to set their terminal to a number of profiles, those profile settings are local terminal settings that are not detectable by the sending party or network.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0007]     One aspect of the present invention is to enable the terminal to set both local user preferences valid for the terminal itself and non-local user preferences, valid for one of more servers.  
         [0008]     Another aspect is to apply one common user interface and/or platform for the setting of user preferences, valid for the terminal and/or the network and/or external servers.  
         [0009]     A further aspect is to load a “user preferences setting page” or the like (e.g. by means of WAP, I-mode, etc.) from an Internet server, comprising input fields which can be used by the user to input the desired preferences in the telecommunications and/or data network. Via the same Internet page local terminal settings may be set, e.g. using an “Application Program Interface” (API) linked to the terminal&#39;s control software.  
         [0010]     The user may use the “user preferences setting page” for setting, resetting or amending the user&#39;s preferences, e.g. adapted to the user&#39;s “mode”, “mood” or “environment”. By selecting the desired right “mood”, the behavior of the terminal, viz. the terminal itself and the information to be supplied to the user, will be applied, both within the terminal and outside the terminal, viz. by the relevant server(s).  
         [0011]     The “user preferences setting page”—which will also called “mood page” hereinafter—thus may be used to set e.g. a “buy mode”, business mode”, “holidays mode”, “romantic mode”, etc. Each mode may comprise a group (cluster) of setting parameters, some of which relate to the terminal itself, e.g. the ring tone mode, and some of them relate to the form and/or content of information, which may or may not be sent to the terminal. Also network settings (parameters) may be incorporated in said groups.  
         [0012]     The “mood page” preferable has the form of a “portal”, serving as a interchange page via which various other information services may be called and/or routed to deliver their content to the relevant user terminal. 
     
    
     FIGURES  
       [0013]      FIG. 1  shows schematically the Internet and a mobile telecommunication network, as well as a mobile terminal.  
         [0014]      FIG. 2  shows schematically an embodiment of a mobile terminal, which is enabled to cooperate with the telecommunication network and the Internet. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0015]     In  FIG. 1 a  terminal  1  may be connected to a telecommunication network  2 , via base stations  3 . The network  2  is controlled by control means  4 , including a database  5 . The control means  4  can comprise a plurality of servers, exchanges, registers and/or databases. The control means can be based on “Intelligent Network” (IN) technology, which is fit for lean and mean adaptation of user preferences, which may be registered in the relevant database(s).  
         [0016]     By means of a telephony or Internet interface server  6 , e.g. known from applicant&#39;s EP2079379, the telecommunication network  2  is linked with the Internet (“world wide web”)  7  or any other data network. Connected to the Internet  7  are several servers  8  which may be enabled to deliver information in the form of graphics, text, images, sound or video. One server  9  can optionally serve as “portal” for services to and from mobile terminals like terminal  1 .  
         [0017]      FIG. 2  shows schematically the architecture of terminal  1  more in detail. Shown is an antenna  10 , connected to a transceiver  11 , which, in turn, is connected with a terminal controller  12 . Controller  12  is connected with an API module  13 , a register  14 , a camera  15 , a loudspeaker  16 , a video display screen  17 , an input module  18 , comprising a keyboard  19  and a pointing device  20 , and a microphone  21 . For sake of clarity, the interconnections between the various modules are not shown in  FIG. 2 . The example of  FIG. 2  shows a mobile phone. It is also possible to use other kind of terminals, like PDA&#39;s, organizers and mobile computers, as long as they are equipped with communication means.  
         [0018]     The terminal  1  may originate a call to another terminal via the network  2 . Such a call may be setup by means of the keyboard  19 , the controller  12 , the transceiver  11 , the antenna  10 , one of the base stations  3  and the network control means  4 , which will setup a connection to the relevant called terminal. A call from another terminal to terminal  1 , will arrive at the control means  4  in the same way, after which the control means  4  will setup a connection to terminal  1  via the relevant base station  3 , guided by e.g. location information of terminal  1  registered in database S. The received call will reach controller  12  via the antenna  10  and transceiver  11 , resulting in e.g. outputting a call tone via the loudspeaker  16 , whereupon the terminal user may pick up the call by pushing the relevant button on the keyboard  19 .  
         [0019]     When a user is e.g. attending a meeting, the user may have set locally—e.g. via keyboard  19 —the terminal&#39;s call tone into “buzz” mode, or the user, in another environment, may set a certain preferred ring tone, for instance some measures of the user&#39;s favorite piece of music. Besides to make a voice connection with another terminal, terminal  1  may be enabled to communicate with Internet servers  8 . To that end the terminal  1  may connect, via interface  6 , the relevant portal server  9 . Via portal  9  information (text, graphics, video, sound, etc.) may be downloaded from (and/or uploaded to) one or more of the servers  8 . Said information is transmitted to the terminal  1  and presented to the terminal&#39;s display  17  and/or—in the case of audible information—the loudspeaker  16 .  
         [0020]     Besides setting preferences within the terminal, as discussed before, the user may set user preferences within the telecommunication network  2 , which settings may be registered in database  5 , and/or user preferences in the Internet domain (e.g. preferences in the portal  9  and/or within (files within) one or more servers  8 ).  
         [0021]     The user preferences can be set using one common (e.g. graphic) user interface, residing in the terminal  1 , to set both the local terminal related preferences like e.g. ring tone settings and external settings, registered in the telecommunication network and/or in the internet. To that end the terminal  1  comprises an API (Application Program Interface) or equivalent module  13 . In general an API is a software module comprising a language and message format used by an application program to communicate with the operating system or some other control program such as a database management system or communications protocol. API&#39;s may be implemented by writing function calls in the program, which provide the linkage to the required subroutine for execution. Thus, an API implies that some program module is available in the computer to perform the operation or that it must be linked into the existing program to perform the tasks.  
         [0022]     Being connected to the Internet portal server  9 , the terminal  1  may load a common setting internet page (“preferences setting page”) which may be displayed at the screen  17  and which includes fields which may be filled by the user with the user&#39;s preference parameters, clustered together to different “moods”, “modes” or “environments” (hereinafter to be called “moods”). The parameters may partly apply to local terminal settings relating to the terminal hardware and/or software to be registered in the terminal&#39;s register  14 . The parameters may also partly apply to settings for the telecommunication network  2 , to be registered in database  5 . And finally, part of the user preference setting may apply to one or more Internet servers, either having the function of portal, like server  9 , or not, like the servers  8 .  
         [0023]     For instance, user preference parameters for the mood “business” could comprise e.g.:  
         [0024]     One or more terminal parameters e.g. setting the terminal&#39;s ring tone to buzz or vibrate, to be registered into terminal register  14 ;  
         [0025]     One or more network parameters e.g. setting the network  2 , to be registered into the network control database  5 , e.g. setting that only one or some restricted originating callers may access the user&#39;s terminal  1 , while all remaining callers are rerouted to e.g. a secretary&#39;s telephone number or to the user&#39;s voice mail box;  
         [0026]     One or more portal server parameters, to be registered into the portal server, e.g. setting a preference relating to the format (font, background) of Internet pages to be displayed to the user via the terminal screen  17 ;  
         [0027]     One or more content provider parameters, to be registered within the portal server  9  and/or the relevant content servers  8 , e.g. setting the content to be downloaded to the terminal  1 , e.g. relevant stock quotes or selected business news.  
         [0028]     All those parameters are to be input in said “preferences setting page”, in this example related (and clustered) to the “business mood”. The same page may comprise input fields in which preferences are related to other moods, like “home”, “holiday”, “hobby” etc. All those clustered preferences may be input by means of one “preferences setting page” common for all “moods” or via separate “preferences setting pages” per “mood”.  
         [0029]     All parameters are thus recorded via the “preferences setting page(s)” and transmitted to the portal server  9 , in which the all those parameters are registered.  
         [0030]     When the terminal user, after having transmitted his/her preferences for the various moods to the portal server  9 , the user may load and activate his/her preferences by calling a “mood page” at the portal  9  and selecting or setting his/her mood for that moment, e.g. the mood “business”.  
         [0031]     After the user selects and submits the mood “business” to the portal server  9 , the portal server  9  retrieves the user&#39;s preference parameters from the relevant “preferences setting page(s)” and activates the relevant internet related parameters within the portal  9  and the relevant linked servers  8 . The parameters which are valid outside the Internet domain, e.g. in the telecommunication network  2  and/or within the terminal  1  itself are sent back to the terminal  1  and set in its controller  12  via the API module  13 , which is able to read and interpret the contents—especially the parameters—of the non-internet preferences sent back from the portal  9 , to Interact with the controller  12  and to set the terminal settings like e.g. the ring tone settings etc. Besides, the API module  13  may output via controller  12  settings for the telecommunication network. Those network settings—which normally have to be set by the user by inputting such settings e.g. via the keyboard  19 —will be forwarded, by the controller  12 , to the network control means  4 , to be registered in the relevant network database  5 .  
         [0032]     Registering and clustering—via completing the electronic form called “preferences setting page(s)”—of various “mood” related local (terminal) and non-local (network and/or server) settings enables the terminal user to adapt his/her terminal, network and server preferences to his/her mood, mode or environment in a trice, e.g. by selecting the relevant mood (cluster) and submitting it to the portal  9 , which portal  9  subsequently retrieves all previously input parameters assigned to the selected mood. The parameters are used to adapt the portal&#39;s and the relevant server&#39;s settings to the user&#39;s “mood” and—after sending back the relevant parameters to the terminal  1 —to set, via the terminal controller  12  the settings of the terminal  1  and/or the network  2 .  
         [0033]     It is noted that, to prevent the necessity to send back local and network parameters from the portal to the terminal and/or network, it may be advantageous to register those parameter within the terminal  1  and network  2  respectively instead of in the portal server  9 . To that end the local and network parameters are read from the “preferences setting page” form(s) when the user completes them. When all preference parameters are filled in, the form is to be submitted to the portal  9 . The API module  13  may be programmed thus that, on submission of the parameters by means of such a “preferences setting page” form, the API  13  intercepts the submitted parameters and registers locally, in register  14 , the terminal and/or network parameters, labeled with (clustered to) the relevant mood item (e.g. “business”). To act in the desired way when, later on, the user decides to activate another mood, the API module  13  is programmed so that, when the user submits, by means the “mood page” called from the portal  9  e.g. the (new) mood “business”, The API  13  intercepts that new mood item (viz. “business”) and retrieves locally, in the register  14 , the local and network parameters assigned to the label “business”. The terminal activates the locally registered parameters, while the Internet related parameters are retrieved by portal  9 , which also activates those parameters. As the terminal and network parameters already are present in the terminal  1  it will be no longer necessary to send those parameters back to the terminal.  
         [0034]     For completeness it is noted that it might be preferred to have an (additional) API module  22  within the network control means  4 , enabling the control means  4  to intercept, register and afterwards retrieve in database  5  parameters which are valid for the user related preferred network settings, related to the various user moods like “business” etc. In that case the terminal  1  could intercept, register and retrieve locally the relevant terminal parameters using register  14  and API module  13 , the network control means  4  could intercept, register and retrieve the relevant network parameters using database  5  and said API module  22 , while only the internet related parameters should be registered and retrieved in the portal server  9  and/or content servers  8 .  
         [0035]     It is noted that the preference setting pages or mood pages might also be called and completed by means of e.g. a data terminal or computer connected to the internet  7 , bypassing the relevant mobile terminal  1 . The relevant mood pages can be secured against unauthorized access. Further, some mood page parameters could relate to billing aspects, e.g. billing accounts: by selecting “business” as mood the usage of the terminal, telecommunication network  2  and/or the internet related services of the servers  8  and/or  9  could be billed using a business account, while when the user selects a private mood like “holiday” the costs for using the terminal, telecommunication network and/or internet related services could be attributed to a private user account.