Audio ticker system and method for presenting push information including pre-recorded audio

For use with client/server or network communication and processing systems, such as the Internet, a "push" information system is provided, for automatically providing information to a user. The information is provided in audio form. The system includes a library of prerecorded sounds, including a dictionary of words and phrases. When information appears, for instance in text format, a mapper produces a sequence of audio clips from the library, to convey information substantially identical to that in the information. This sequence of audio clips is played at the user's terminal. Thus the user is exposed to the information, while the user continues to use an application on the terminal. The information does not require screen real estate, and the user need not look away from his/her work in order to receive the information.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
The invention generally relates to the field of computer communication 
systems in client-server architectures. More specifically, the invention 
relates to providing a user with desired, remotely-stored information. The 
invention has particular applicability to the World Wide Web. 
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
The Internet, and its multimedia counterpart, the World Wide Web, have 
become a popular medium of communication. Information on a wide variety of 
topics is available with just a few clicks of a mouse. As the Internet 
expands its boundaries by increasing the number of servers and networks 
which it supports, and as more and more people utilize the Internet to 
search for data, the way in which information is presented is undergoing 
evolution. Two important evolutionary factors, which have become 
increasingly apparent, are discussed herein. 
THE FIRST FACTOR--"PUSH" TECHNOLOGY 
The first important evolutionary factor is that the burden of obtaining 
information desired by a user no longer falls squarely on the shoulders of 
the user. Rather, an active technology, called "Push" technology, is 
making it possible for the system to provide the user with desired 
information automatically, as information, defined by a class of criteria 
as being "desired," becomes available. Push technology has been pioneered 
by PointCast, Inc., in Sunnyvale, Calif. 
For example, automated agent machines, such as "web crawlers", search the 
Web for data collection, indexing and filtering. As another example, a 
single access to a server might be made by a "proxy server", which then 
saves the content and re-distributes it to a user community. 
Also, push technology has been explored, with particular reference to 
issues relating to providing compensation to content providers, on 
co-pending, co-assigned United States Patent Application 08/819,345, filed 
Mar, 18, 1997, Lotspiech et al., "Persona-Based Client/Server 
Communications." The disclosed invention provides a system and method for 
client/server communications on the World Wide Web, which represents one 
possible approach for allowing the user to control information that is 
revealed to a server and that is delivered from a server. 
A client system is communicatively coupled to a server. User information 
about a user on the client system is stored on the client system. A user 
information request is received from the server. The requested user 
information is compared with the stored user information, at the client. 
User information is transmitted from the client to the server based on the 
comparison between the requested user information and the stored user 
information. Information is received from the server that is based on the 
user information transmitted from the client to the server. 
The PointCast and Lotspiech systems have used Push technology to make 
desired information available to users. However, the user then faces the 
prospect of being overwhelmed by the volume of information received. 
THE SECOND FACTOR--HIGHLIGHTS 
The second important evolutionary factor is that the explosive growth of 
the amount of information available in cyberspace makes presenting 
highlights a more valuable approach. 
A user interface technology, commonly called "Ticker" technology, has 
recently emerged as one of the dominant user interfaces, used by Internet 
information systems, for displaying dynamically changing data. 
"Ticker" is a metaphor, referring to the old-style hard-copy stock tickers 
which printed information, such as stock quotes and news bulletins, on a 
thin strip of paper tape. In a graphical user interface (GUI), the ticker 
manifests itself as a strip, typically along the bottom of a GUI display, 
within which information is displayed. Text either runs, or "crawls," 
horizontally along the length of the ticker display strip, or rolls 
vertically, in the fashion of a line of just-typewritten text coming into 
view as the platen of a typewriter rolls upward one line. 
Conventional visual and text-based ticker interfaces have had many 
drawbacks. First, one must always pay close attention to the ticker's 
display, or otherwise he/she has no way of getting the information 
content. 
Second, a ticker requires a display device with sufficient capabilities to 
realize its value. This means that it is not appropriate for devices with 
very limited displaying capabilities such as a mobile phone. A ticker, 
however small and compact it is, occupies some screen space that could 
otherwise be used by other applications. For example, a user filling out a 
financial spreadsheet must constantly close an application window in order 
to see the ticker's content. 
Third, the visual display ties up user's eye sights thus diverting one's 
attention from performing some other important tasks. Finally, one has to 
be near the screen to get the information. 
Therefore, there is an unfilled need for a method and system, usable in 
client/server or remote networked systems such as the Internet, for making 
desired information available to the user in a way that the user is 
optimally able to receive the information without being unduly distracted 
from his/her work. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide desired information 
to a user in a way which is less distracting to the user than conventional 
ways are. 
It is a further object of the invention to provide the desired information 
to a user in a way which requires less video display real estate than 
conventional ways are. 
To achieve these and other objects, there is provided, in accordance with 
the invention, a system, for use with an information processing system 
which is coupled to an information source, for providing a user of the 
information processing system with desired information while the user is 
otherwise occupied using the information processing system. 
The system of the invention comprises the following components: 
A user interface unit is provided, the unit including a video display 
mechanism and an audio play mechanism. 
Means are provided for displaying first information, using the video 
display mechanism, responsive to user commands for accessing the first 
information. This generally includes a known computer graphical user 
interface (GUI) system, having a pixel display, such as a video display, 
for displaying the familiar GUI paradigm of a desktop, icons representing 
user-selectable application programs, and windows representing active 
application programs and including functional features usable by the user 
through manipulation of a keyboard and of a mouse or other pointing 
device. 
Finally, in accordance with the invention, means are provided for playing 
second information, responsive to a predetermined system condition, using 
the audio play mechanism. 
Advantages of the system and method according to the invention will be 
evident from the detailed description which follows. First, since most of 
the functionality of the system remains within the GUI, audio information 
played for the user, in accordance with the invention, does not take up 
"bandwidth" of the user's visual perception. Rather, the user's hearing, 
which is conventionally utilized less fully than the user's vision, is 
available for absorbing the information in audio form. Thus, information 
conveyed by a system according to the invention does not monopolize the 
user's attention from his/her work at hand. Also, the information conveyed 
does not require display screen real estate. 
It is believed that the system according to the invention is inexpensive to 
implement on conventional GUI computer systems, and can be an easy add-on 
to existing systems. 
While the invention is primarily disclosed as a system, it will be 
understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that an apparatus, 
such as a conventional data processor, including a CPU, memory, I/O, 
program storage, a connecting bus, and other appropriate components, could 
be programmed or otherwise designed to facilitate the practice of the 
method of the invention. Such a processor would include appropriate 
program means for executing the method of the invention. 
Also, an article of manufacture, such as a pre-recorded disk or other 
similar computer program product, for use with a data processing system, 
could include a storage medium and program means recorded thereon for 
directing the data processing system to facilitate the practice of the 
method of the invention. It will be understood that such apparatus and 
articles of manufacture also fall within the spirit and scope of the 
invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
In accordance with the invention, information is automatically provided, in 
audio form, to a user. The description which follows will include a 
description of the environment in which the invention is to be used, the 
system architecture of a server supporting the invention and a client 
system for allowing a user to utilize the invention, and a procedure for 
allowing the user to request the service and specify the sort of 
information which is desired. 
THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE INVENTION 
FIG. 1 is a diagram, showing an environment in which the invention is 
advantageously practiced. Various sources of information are shown 
collectively as 2. The information sources may include a remote 
information processing system, a time clock, an on-line database of 
information such as legal information or financial information, broadcast 
radio or television signals, etc. 
A communication network 3 couples the information from the information 
sources 2 to a push server 4. Many noteworthy aspects of the invention are 
preferably embodied within the push server 4, and its structure and 
function will be described in detail below. 
The push server 4 processes the information, and produces formatted 
information 6, which is provided to a user at an information processing 
system 8 which serves as a push client. In accordance with the invention, 
the formatted information 6 is formatted as audio information, such as a 
sequence of pre-recorded voice clips chosen from a library, based on the 
information coupled to the push server 4. 
The push server 4 distributes the information among registered clients (one 
or more users at information processing systems 8) according to their 
requests. The process by which a user subscribes to the service will be 
described in detail below. 
THE USE OF INFORMATION TOKENS: FIRST EMBODIMENT--FIG. 2 
In accordance with the invention, information is quantified in the form of 
"tokens," or discrete units, and the push client 8 receives information 
consisting of sets of the tokens. Here, the term "token" is taken as 
broadly meaning data in any suitable form, packetized or otherwise, for 
storage and/or transmission. The nature of the tokens is dependent on the 
type of information being provided, and numerous different types, which 
would be understood by persons skilled in the art, fall within the spirit 
and scope of the invention. Preferred implementations of the invention 
accommodate such token formats as are already in existence and in use with 
existing systems. 
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the sequence, within the environment of the 
invention, whereby information tokens are provided to the user. When a 
system according to the invention provides information to a user, the 
information goes through a mapping process, which will be explained in 
detail below. 
While some or all of the functionality of the mapping process can reside at 
the server 4, the mapping process preferably is performed at the push 
client 8, for two reasons. In general, the mapping process maps received 
tokens (relatively small-size data packets) to audio clips (relatively 
large data objects). Transmission throughput, then, is optimized by doing 
the greatest possible amount of transmission using the tokens, and keeping 
the need for transmission of audio clips to a minimum. 
The second reason for preferably keeping the mapping function at the client 
8 is that information resources, in the form of a library of audio clips, 
are maintained at the venue where the mapping takes place. If the mapping 
takes place at the user's client system 8, the required on-site 
information resources may be kept small, to accommodate only the needs of 
that particular user. 
Information originates in a repository, or from a remote source such as a 
news service, a stock exchange, etc. It is contemplated that the 
information is dynamically updated over time, and new information updates 
are provided to the server 4 at random times. Some of these new 
information updates will be considered likely to be of interest to users. 
Accordingly, means are provided for noting changes to the stored 
information, new incoming information, etc. Responsive to these changes, 
the new information is made available by the server 4 as an information 
token. 
The new information is made available, preferably over a link 12 to the 
client 8. The information, received in the form of tokens 13, is provided 
to a mapper 14. The mapper 14 includes, or operates cooperatively with, a 
library 16 of clips of information, in a format suitable for use by the 
client 8. The library 16 is also preferably resident within the push 
client 8, but may alternatively include an external database, file system, 
etc. 
In accordance with the invention, the library 16 includes audio clips. The 
audio clips are preferably such as can be assembled in a sequence to 
convey the meaning of the information to the user, through an audio player 
18. In one preferred embodiment, the library 16 includes a dictionary of 
audio clips of individual spoken words. Alternatively, phrases may also be 
included. Where the information is likely to relate to a specialized area 
of subject matter, audio clips of phrases relating to that subject matter 
are particularly advantageous. 
In many foreseeable applications of the invention, the information dealt 
with is limited in its vocabulary. The vast majority of push channels are 
dealing with such subjects as stock prices, traffic reports, weather 
conditions, sports scores, etc. For all these areas of interest, a limited 
vocabulary can be designed so as to facilitate the translation from any 
text containing information to that subject matter to the sequence of 
predefined sounds. 
The mapper 14 parses the information within the token, and identifies 
individual words, phrases, etc. By referencing the audio clip database 16, 
the mapper 14 accesses corresponding pre-recorded audio clips for the 
tokens. The mapper 14 then assembles these clips into a cohesive 
structure. While a skeleton structure of key words may be sufficient to 
convey the meaning of the information item, additional processing may be 
employed to produce linguistically correct and natural sentences. 
Note that a speech synthesizer, which generates voice from text, may be 
used in place of an audio clip library. However, it is believed that, 
because of the relatively low level of maturity in present-day speech 
synthesis technology, of the difficulty in generating synthesized voice 
with natural sounding tone, inflections, etc., and of the advantages of 
using audio clips for specialized areas of vocabulary, audio clip 
libraries are deemed to be the preferred mode of operation of the 
invention. 
SECOND EMBODIMENT--FIGS. 3 AND 4 
Next, a detailed description of a second preferred system architecture, and 
of the operation responsive to receipt of a new information item, will be 
given. 
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a system including a client 8, substantially 
as given in FIG. 2, and a server 20, having functionality in addition to 
that described in connection with the embodiment of FIG. 2. 
Again, the preferred location for most of the functionality is in the 
server 8. However, additional capability is provided in the server 20, for 
situations in which the mapper 14 is unable to map a portion of the 
information item to any audio clips existing in the clip library 16, 
residing on the client 8. 
Where a portion of the text in a token cannot be mapped to any audio clip 
in the database 16, it is possible simply to omit that part of the text 
from the audio sequence, or to insert an audio warning indicating that a 
portion of the message is missing from the audio sequence. However, 
preferred embodiments of the invention provide ways for dealing with such 
situations. 
An additional audio clip database 22 is provided at the server 20. It is 
anticipated that the database 22 will be more comprehensive than those 
found in the clients, such as the database 16 in the client 8. Thus, where 
the client 8 fails to match a portion of the token with its own audio 
clips, it sends a message back to the server 20, requesting a consultation 
with the database 22. If the database 22 contains a matching audio clip, 
it sends that audio clip to the client 8. While this solution has the 
drawback that a fairly sizeable audio clip is sent between the server 20 
and the client 8, it is anticipated that this will not need to happen very 
frequently. 
Yet another possible solution is to provide the client 8 or the server 20 
with a thesaurus database, which contains synonyms for words, and sets of 
equivalent phrases. Thus, if a word or phrase cannot be matched up with a 
literally equivalent audio clip, it may nevertheless be matched up with an 
audio clip for a synonym or equivalent phrase. 
Additional functionality is shown in the server 20, including a profile 
engine 24 and a user profile database 26. These will be discussed in 
connection with FIGS. 5 and 6, below. 
PREFERRED FUNCTIONALITY--FIG. 4 
FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the preferred operation of the system of FIG. 
3. Initially, some of the terminology used in FIG. 4 will be defined. 
"Channel C": an information source, generally characterized in terms of 
content. For instance, one channel might be stock market information, 
while another channel might be sporting event results. User preferences as 
to desired information will be expressed in terms of channels of 
information. 
"Token t": a unit of information, associated with a particular channel, and 
deemed of interest to the user. 
"Table T": a table, used in the mapping process, which contains audio 
clips, and which uses a suitable indexing or addressing scheme for 
allowing the mapper 14 to access an appropriate audio clip for a parsed 
word or phrase from the token. 
"Audio Clip a": an audio clip from within the table T, corresponding with 
part of the content of the token t. 
"Audio Sequence S": a sequence of audio clips, assembled from the clips in 
the table T, for correspondence with the content of a token t. 
Referring now to FIG. 4, the process executed by a system according to the 
invention will be described in detail. 
The input is a token t, such as a text token, provided from channel C. 
First, a token mapping table is accessed (steps 28, 30). the table is 
essentially equivalent to the database 16 of FIG. 3, but is specific to 
the subject matter likely to arise in messages from channel C. It will be 
understood, then, that the client 8 also includes other similar tables for 
other channels. 
If a match for a word or phrase in the token t is found in the table T, 
then processing proceeds to steps 32 and 34, in which an audio clip is 
accessed from the table T, and used to build an audio sequence. 
If step 30 failed to find a match, then, in the preferred embodiment of 
FIG. 3, a request for a consultation with the database 22 is made (step 
36). If a matching clip is found there, then step 38 retrieves the 
matching clip, and sends it back to the client 8. Processing passes to 
step 34, where the clip is used in the building of the audio sequence. 
If step 36 also fails to find a match, then a suitable response is sent 
back to the client 8. The client 8 either consults a thesaurus, or uses a 
default "unknown" audio clip (step 40). 
The processing up through step 34 is executed iteratively, for tokens 
containing a sequence of segmentable words or phrases. When the last word 
or phrase is processed, the final result of step 36 is a completed audio 
sequence S (step 42). 
Optionally, prelude and postlude sounds, such as fanfares, chimes, etc., 
are added, and background sound, such as music, is superimposed (step 44). 
Finally, in step 46, the entire audio sequence is played back through a 
suitable audio system in, or coupled to, the client system 8. 
USER PREFERENCE CONFIGURATION--FIGS. 5 AND 6 
Next, a discussion will be provided of the process of configuring the 
system for a given user's preferences and interests. 
In the block diagram of FIG. 5, the server 20 and the client 8, 
substantially as per those of FIG. 3, are shown. 
As discussed above, sources of various particular types of subject matter 
are referred to as "channels." Thus, a user will express his/her desired 
information by specifying channels. 
In FIG. 5, the server 20 includes a channel administration tool 48, which 
operates, in conjunction with a user's input, to subscribe a user to a 
desired channel. The server 20 also includes a library 50 of channels to 
which a given user has already subscribed. When a user adds or deletes a 
subscribed channel (by means of a process to be described below), the 
administrator 48 makes suitable changes to the entries in the library 50. 
The client 8 includes means for providing a user interface that allows the 
user to make channel selections. Preferably, the means includes a profile 
editor 52, which displays a menu 54 of possible channels, including an 
indication of which channels are currently subscribed to. Since the 
information about available channels and channels currently subscribed to 
is typically resident on the server 20, the means further includes a 
communication arrangement for allowing the profile editor 52 to access and 
update the library 50 of pre-defined channels. It will be understood that 
consistency is required between the record of subscribed channels in the 
library 50 and the information 54 displayed at the client. 
Also in accordance with the invention, a further refinement in the user's 
ability to specify desired information is preferably provided. This 
further refinement is called "filtering." 
The user filters desired information by specifying subsets of the 
information within a given channel which is desired. For a channel devoted 
to stock market information, the user can filter the information by 
subscribing only for information about IBM Corp. stock. For a channel 
devoted to sports information, the user can filter the information by 
subscribing only for information about baseball, or more specifically for 
information about the Cleveland Indians. 
The mechanisms by which desired channel information is identified, and by 
which particular filtered information within a given channel is 
identified, are not necessarily identical. Channel information is likely 
to be easily identifiable by the server 20 because of its transmission 
point of origin, or because of a header on the token, the header 
identifying the origin of the token, or giving information that classifies 
the token's content. 
Where more specific filtering of information is to be performed, a more 
elaborate test may be required. For instance, where Cleveland Indians 
information is to be filtered out of information from a sports channel, 
the system identifies the information by its channel as being sports 
information, and then runs a content check, for instance by using 
"Cleveland Indians" as a keyword or keyphrase. Information from the sports 
channel that contains this keyphrase is considered as having been 
identified by the filtering. 
Where less specific filtering of information is to be performed, the test 
may be modified to include a set of keywords or keyphrases. That is, where 
the more general category of baseball information is to be filtered out of 
a sports channel, a set of keyphrases might include {baseball, spring 
training, World Series, Little League, Minor League} or other related 
terms. An information item containing any one of these keyphrases would 
satisfy the filtering, and be provided to the user. 
FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a process by which a user, operating the 
client 8, changes the user's desired information. In step 56, the user 
operates the client 8 by entering a command to invoke the profile editor 
52. a suitable user interface, such as an application window, opens on the 
client 8's display. Also, a message is sent to the server 20, requesting a 
download of the user's current desired information from the library 50 of 
pre-defined, subscribed information. 
The client 8 receives this information (step 58) and displays it to the 
user, through the client 8's user interface (step 60). 
The user then subscribes (step 62) to new channels, in which he/she is 
interested, or deletes channels which had been subscribed to, but which 
are no longer of interest. Preferably, the user interface supports a 
convenient, userintuitive way of doing this. For instance, a menu of 
channels is listed, and a user clicks a mouse on one of the channels to 
subscribe to it. A channel already subscribed to is marked accordingly, 
such as by an adjacent checkmark or other symbol. When the user clicks on 
a channel already subscribed to, the subscription symbol disappears, 
indicating that the channel is no longer to be subscribed to. 
The profile editor 52 also provides the user with the ability to specify a 
filter associated with a subscribed channel. This functionality is invoked 
(step 64) in a suitable manner, such as by selecting a subscribed channel 
and clicking on a "filter definition" button. 
As discussed above, a filter is preferably defined in terms of a set of one 
or more keywords or keyphrases. Initially, the system displays any filter 
already in existence for the channel. Preferably, the defined filter is 
given in an edit window, or the like, so that the user can edit the filter 
as desired. 
Optionally, the channel menu may contain a default filter, or a list of 
suggested keywords and keyphrases, associated with a given channel. A 
user, selecting that channel, may invoke the default filter or select 
keywords or keyphrases from the list, as well as type in his/her own 
desired keywords or keyphrases. The editor may also include a spell 
checker for the keywords, or a "wildcard" capability, so that a user can 
type in the root of a desired keyword, and use the wildcard to catch all 
possible inflections, suffixes, or variations on that root. 
Also, the filter may be specified in terms of more sophisticated logical 
combinations of keywords, as are commonly used with other keyword-based 
search engines. Examples are "a and (B or C)", "D and not (E)", "F 
(adjacent to) G," "H (within (a specified number of words) of) I," etc. 
When the user has completed the desired subscriptions and filters, he/she 
indicates completion (step 66), such as by clicking on an Enter button in 
the user interface. The information entered, including all changes, is 
then sent (step 68) back to the server 20, for entry into the library 50 
of subscribed channels and filters. Thereafter, that information is used 
to identify information items to be sent to the client 8. 
USER INTERFACE FEATURES RELATING TO SOUND PLAYBACK 
1. SOUND PLAYBACK FEATURES 
In addition to those aspects of the user interface according to the 
invention discussed above, related to subscribing to channels and 
filtering, a preferred implementation of the invention includes an 
interface defined in terms of a commonly known interface paradigm usually 
applied to audio devices such as compact disc players or tape recorders. 
Play, pause, rewind, fast-forward and other similar tasks are provided, 
preferably by means of mouse click buttons in a graphical user interface. 
Also, a set of new features is introduced. A user can play the clips in 
reverse or repeat them more than once. 
2. MAPPING DIFFERENT SOUNDS TO DIFFERENT INFORMATION 
As discussed above, audio clips being played may be headed and ended with 
Prelude and Postlude sounds, such as fanfares, chimes, etc. Also a 
background sound, played concurrently with the information, is provided 
and can be changed or turned off. Preferably, a plurality of such sounds 
are available, and a flexible triggering mechanism is supplied, which 
plays back such sounds based on the content of the information items. The 
user maps sounds to information by channel or filter, preferably during 
the process of FIG. 6. 
Accordingly, when an information item occurs, which has been suitably 
flagged by the user, the user is notified by an audio icon he/she has 
chosen for that information, and which he/she recognizes as such. For 
instance, if a specified stock suddenly drops its value by a specified 
amount, the user hears a warning sound of a siren selected for use when an 
information item occurs from the stock channel, filtered by the stock name 
and the amount of the price drop. 
3. SOUND PLAYBACK MODES FOR REPETITIVE MESSAGES 
It will often be the case that a particular desired information item is an 
item which will, from time to time, be updated in value, status, etc. For 
instance, desired information might include changes in the price of a 
stock. Such changes will only occur during a time interval while the stock 
market is open. While the market is open, however, a series of price 
fluctuations may take place. Then, a final price will stand at the close 
of the stock market's session. 
For another example, messages might be desired regarding the score of a 
baseball game in progress. A first message is given when the first team 
scores. Subsequent messages will be given as further scoring takes place. 
Then, when the game ends, a final score will be given. 
In either instance, a succession of messages, all using the same prelude, 
postlude, or background might become undesirably repetitive to the user. 
To give the user an opportunity to accommodate his/her particular tasks in 
such situations, an audio ticker playing mode selection is provided. Two 
modes are as follows: 
(a) Play once: some users do not like to hear the audio get repeatedly 
played, so a "play once" option may be selected. The audio gets played 
only once when the information is received from the push server. For 
instance, the first stock price quote of the day might be accompanied by 
the familiar bell ringing used to open and close sessions of the New York 
Stock Exchange. Once the first price quote has been given, with the bell 
sound, subsequent stock price quotes omit the bell. 
In the baseball example, the opening score could be accompanied by, for 
instance, a segment of "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," to draw the user's 
attention to the fact that the item pertains to a baseball game which is 
beginning. Subsequent scores could omit the tune. The same tune, or a 
different sound, could be used to signal the final score. An additional 
option could be that different sounds are used depending on the content of 
the token. For example, different sounds could be used for the report of 
the final score, depending on the outcome of the game. For instance, if 
the user's home team wins, the final score could be accompanied by a clip 
chosen to convey victory, such as a clip of "Happy Days Are Here Again." 
(b) Play when updated: some users want to hear a ticker item whenever its 
content is updated from its last value. For example, if the user listens 
to the stock channel of the audio ticker and there are 20 stocks in the 
channel. The ticker will play the stock whose value have been updated 
since the last time the value was received from the push server. 
4. VOICE OTHER THAN A TRANSCRIPT OF THE INFORMATION ITEM 
The discussion above has focused on providing a substantially word-for-word 
voice representation of the content of an information token. For instance, 
if an information token from a weather channel indicates that it will rain 
later that day, the voice clips played for the user give merely a 
statement that rain is coming. 
However, it is also possible to include audio clips in the library 16 (or 
the server library 22) which give other information which, in some 
suitable way, follows from the information in the token. For instance, if 
an information token from a weather channel indicates that it will rain 
later that day, the voice clips played for the user could include a 
directive to the user to take an umbrella and a raincoat, in addition to 
(or in place of) the statement that rain is coming. 
5. SOUND CONTENT OTHER THAN VOICE 
Where the information items include text tokens such as stock quotes 
received from the push server, voice is sufficient to communicate the 
message to the user. Other sounds, such as preludes, postludes, and 
background, as described above, are used to attract the user's attention, 
rather than to convey additional content. 
However, with the current trend of fast growing amount of audio data on the 
cyberspace, the audio ticker design is also extended to take advantage of 
such information resources. Therefore, an audio ticker channel can contain 
audio clips such as sports highlights, speeches, music, etc. 
6. USING THE USER'S CLIENT SYSTEM AS AN INFORMATION SOURCE 
Information resources may originate, not only from the push server, but 
also from the user's personal computer. Where the client 8 is supported by 
a platform of a general purpose computer, or the like, the computer may 
also concurrently run another application program which handles 
information that can be conveyed to the user as audio signals. That 
application program may then be treated as another information channel, in 
a manner generally equivalent to the way in which the system of the 
invention treats the external or remote information channels. 
For example, the audio ticker can have a reminder channel that plays the 
entries of the user's calendar. A meeting scheduled on the user's on-line 
calendar utility generates an information token which is provided to the 
mapper 14, the message saying "you have a meeting at 10 o'clock", "your 
phone bill is due today", etc. 
7. "PERSONAL RADIO": COMBINING INFORMATION MESSAGES WITH ONGOING BACKGROUND 
SOUNDS 
Conventional machines which can serve as the client system 8, such as IBM 
Corporation's Dock II docking station for use with a ThinkPad laptop 
computer, provide audio playback capability, such as a CD-ROM drive with 
an audio CD driver application. Other systems have the capability of 
playing back broadcast audio, such as music from radio stations. 
Such a novel user interface may be characterized as a "personal radio." 
Thus, business-related information, such as the audio clips discussed 
above, may be integrated with entertainment, such as one's favorite music. 
Alternatively, a company or product theme song or jingle may be used as a 
background while stock quotes are being played, thus providing an 
integrated advertising sound presentation. 
8. USE WITH PORTABLE DEVICES 
A class of portable information tools has appeared on the market in recent 
years. These tools include cordless cellular telephones, laptop computers, 
"personal digital assistant" devices, etc. Many of such devices have 
interfaces for accepting downloaded information for later, stand-alone use 
by the user. An increasing number of such devices also have audio playback 
capabilities. 
A system according to the invention may advantageously be used with such 
portable devices. Audio information produced by a system according to the 
invention, such as voice messages with preludes, etc., may be downloaded 
onto these portable devices. 
Using the foregoing specification, the invention may be implemented using 
standard programming and/or engineering techniques using computer 
programming software, firmware, hardware or any combination or 
subcombination thereof. Any such resulting program(s), having computer 
readable program code means, may be embodied or provided within one or 
more computer readable or usable media such as fixed (hard) drives, disk, 
diskettes, optical disks, magnetic tape, semiconductor memories such as 
read-only memory (ROM), etc., or any transmitting/receiving medium such as 
the Internet or other communication network or link, thereby making a 
computer program product, i.e., an article of manufacture, according to 
the invention. The article of manufacture containing the computer 
programming code may be made and/or used by executing the code directly 
from one medium, by copying the code from one medium to another medium, or 
by transmitting the code over a network. 
An apparatus for making, using, or selling the invention may be one or more 
processing systems including, but not limited to, a central processing 
unit (CPU), memory, storage devices, communication links, communication 
devices, servers, I/O devices, or any subcomponents or individual parts of 
one or more processing systems, including software, firmware, hardware or 
any combination or subcombination thereof, which embody the invention as 
set forth in the claims. 
User input may be received from the keyboard, mouse, pen, voice, touch 
screen, or any other means by which a human can input data to a computer, 
including through other programs such as application programs. 
One skilled in the art of computer science will easily be able to combine 
the software created as described with appropriate general purpose or 
special purpose computer hardware to create a computer system and/or 
computer subcomponents embodying the invention and to create a computer 
system and/or computer subcomponents for carrying out the method of the 
invention. While the preferred embodiment of the present invention has 
been illustrated in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and 
adaptations to that embodiment may occur to one skilled in the art without 
departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention as set forth 
in the following claims. 
While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been 
illustrated in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and 
adaptations to those embodiments may occur to one skilled in the art 
without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in 
the following claims.