Patent Publication Number: US-2005130628-A1

Title: Mobile terminal and providers for filing in electronic forms

Description:
The invention relates to a telecommunication system for mobile telecommunication and comprising mobile terminals and providers, with at least one provider being a form provider for providing a form which at least partly needs to be filled in with data.  
      The invention further relates to a data provider for use in a telecommunication system for mobile telecommunication and comprising mobile terminals and providers, with at least one provider being a form provider for providing a form which at least partly needs to be filled in with data, to a method for use in a telecommunication system for mobile telecommunication and comprising mobile terminals and providers, with at least one provider being a form provider for providing a form which at least partly needs to be filled in with data, and to a processor program product to be run via a data provider&#39;s server for use in a telecommunication system for mobile telecommunication and comprising mobile terminals and providers, with at least one provider being a form provider for providing a form which at least partly needs to be filled in with data.  
      Such a telecommunication system is generally known like for example a mobile telecommunication system in which mobile terminals communicate with service providers via access providers, which access providers for example either comprise or use network-units like for example base stations, switches, routers, bridges, servers etc.  
      Said form provider is generally known and for example visited by a mobile user using a mobile terminal, like for example a WAP phone based upon WML or an i-Mode phone based upon cHTML, via for example a WAP Internet connection or an i-mode Internet connection. In case of said user being interested in getting information from this form provider or another party or in doing business with this form provider or another party, the form provider sends a form to the mobile terminal. This form for example comprises fields like first name, last name, address, postal code, city, telephone number, email address, birthday, credit card number, expiration date, etc. and needs to be filled in with data, either by said user by hand, or automatically at a proxy as disclosed in EP 1 168 264.  
      EP 1 168 264 discloses a proxy situated between a wireless device and a merchant server. The merchant server provides the form, which is filled up at the proxy, which sends the filled-in form to the wireless device for final submission.  
      The known telecommunication system is disadvantageous, inter alia, due to being relatively inefficient.  
      It is an object of the invention, inter alia, of providing a telecommunication system according to the invention which is relatively efficient.  
      The telecommunication system according to the invention for mobile telecommunication and comprising mobile terminals and providers, with at least one provider being a form provider for providing a form which at least partly needs to be filled in with data, which form provider for example comprises a transmitting module for transmitting a form signal to at least one mobile terminal, for example comprises a data provider for providing data, which data provider for example comprises a receiving module for receiving a request signal from said mobile terminal and a transmitting module for in response to said request signal transmitting a data signal directly to said form provider, which mobile terminal for example comprises a receiver for receiving said form signal and a transmitter for transmitting said request signal.  
      By providing the telecommunication system according to the invention with for example a data provider for providing data upon a user&#39;s request to the form provider or another party, the user no longer needs to enter said data him/herself. The form signal may for example be a signal representing (parts of) the form or may for example be a signal defining a standardised form. By transmitting the data signal directly to the form provider, the filled-in form is no longer sent to the mobile terminal for final submission. Compared to indirectly transmitting the data signal to the form provider via the mobile terminal, the direct transmission to the form provider is more efficient.  
      The invention is based on the insight, inter alia, that the final submission at the mobile terminal can be avoided, and is based upon the basic idea, inter alia, that the data signal should be transmitted directly to the form provider.  
      The invention solves the problem, inter alia, of providing a telecommunication system which is relatively efficient.  
      An embodiment of the telecommunication system according to the invention is advantageous in that said form provider is a service provider and said data provider is an access provider.  
      This for example allows the access provider to be more efficiently, due to access providers usually already possessing at least some of their mobile user&#39; personal data.  
      An embodiment of the telecommunication system according to the invention is advantageous in that said data signal stored in an access provider&#39;s server is adaptable in response to a user action.  
      Now said user has for example the option to adapt his/her personal data stored in the access provider&#39;s server, for example via using a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal and visiting the access provider&#39;s web site, or sending a letter, a fax, an email, making a telephone call etc.  
      Embodiments of the data provider according to the invention, of the method according to the invention, and of the processor program product according to the invention to be run via a data provider&#39;s server are in correspondence with embodiments of the telecommunication system according to the invention. 
    
    
      These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments(s) described hereinafter.  
       FIG. 1  discloses a telecommunication system according to the invention comprising a data provider according to the invention and a mobile terminal according to the invention, and  
       FIG. 2  discloses a block diagram illustrating a method according to the invention and a processor program product according to the invention. 
    
    
       FIG. 1  discloses a mobile terminal  1  according to the invention comprising a processor  10  coupled to (more general: communicating with) a receiver  11 , to (with) a memory  12 , to (with) an interface  13 , to (with) a man-machine-interface (mmi)  14  and to (with) a transmitter  15 . An input of receiver  11  is coupled to (more general: communicates with) an output of interface  13 , of which an input is coupled to (more general: communicates with) an output of transmitter  15 . An in/output of interface  13  is coupled to (more general: communicates with) an antenna for mobile telecommunication with an access provider  2  via a base station  4 .  
      Access provider  2  comprises a processor  20  coupled to (more general: communicating with) a server  21 , to (with) a switch  22 , to (with) a transmitting module  23 , to (with) a receiving module  24  and to (with) an adjusting module  25 . Switch  22  is externally coupled to (more general: communicates with) base station  4  and to (with) service provider  3 , and is internally-coupled to (more general: communicates with) server  21 , to (with) an output of transmitting module  23 , to (with) an input of receiving module  24  and to (with) adjusting module  25 .  
      Service provider  3  comprises a processor  30  coupled to (more general: communicating with) a receiving module  31 , to (with) a module  34 , to (with) an interface  32 , to (with) a server  35  and to (with) a transmitting module  33 . An input of receiving module  31  is coupled to (more general: communicates with) an output of interface  32 , of which an input is coupled to (more general: communicates with) an output of transmitting module  33 . An in/output of interface  32  is coupled to (more general: communicates with) switch  22 .  
      A user using mobile terminal  1  is for example surfing the web and visiting service provider  3  via access provider  2  and base station  4 . The mobile terminal  1  is for example a WAP phone based upon WML or an i-Mode phone based upon cHTML and using for example a WAP Internet connection or an i-mode Internet connection. In case of said user being interested in getting information from this service provider  3 , like for example personalized information or information which is to be sent to this user&#39;s email address or home address, or in doing business with this service provider  3 , the service provider  3  sends an electronic form to the mobile terminal  1 , for example by sending a form signal from transmitting module  33  via interface  32  and switch  22  and base station  4 , which form signal arrives via interface  13  and receiver  11  at mobile terminal  1 , where said form signal is displayed via mmi  14 . This form for example comprises fields like first name, last name, address, postal code, city, telephone number, email address, birthday, credit card number, expiration date, etc. and needs to be filled in by said user with data, which according to prior art used to be done by entering data via the keys of mmi  14  of the mobile terminal  1 . This was an inconvenient procedure.  
      According to the invention, electronic forms are dealt with in a much more convenient way. Thereto, the telecommunication system comprises a data provider for providing the data automatically upon the user&#39;s request. Via mmi  14 , said user (for example by using one or more keys) generates a request signal, which via processor  10  and transmitter  15  and interface  13  and base station  4  and switch  22  is sent to receiving module  24 . Processor  20  is informed and controls transmitting module  23  in such a way that a data signal is transmitted.  
      According to a first possibility, this data signal is transmitted directly to receiving module  31  of service provider  3 , via switch  22  and interface  32 , where this data signal for example is stored in server  35  under control of processor  30 .  
      According to a second possibility, this data signal is transmitted to receiver  11  of mobile terminal  1 , via switch  22  and base station  4  and interface  13 , where this data signal for example is temporarily stored in memory  12  and displayed via mmi  14 , under control of processor  10 . Now said user has the option of checking this data, and of possibly amending it, which is very advantageous.  
      Then, in response to a user action (for example by using one or more keys), a further data signal is transmitted directly from transmitter  15  via interface  13  and base station  4  and switch  22  to said service provider  3 . In case of said user having amended the data, said further data signal will be different from said data signal, and in case of said user just having checked said data, said further data signal will correspond with (like for example being equal to) said data signal. Apart from this, said further data signal may further differ from said data signal in case inside said mobile terminal or between data provider and mobile terminal this data signal is amended without any user interaction (and for example due to standardised recommendations and/or irregularities). The direct transmission from mobile terminal  1  via switch  22  (but without intervention from receiving module  24  and transmitting module  23 ) to service provider  3  is advantageous in that access provider  2  is involved just once when generating said data.  
      Alternatively, in response to a user action (for example by using one or more keys), a confirmation signal is transmitted from transmitter  15  via interface  13  and base station  4  and switch  22  to receiving module  24  in access provider  2 . Processor  20  is informed, and then controls transmitting module  23  in such a way that transmitting module  23  sends a further data signal to service provider  3 . This allows said user to amend the data, in which case said further data signal will be different from said data signal, or just to check the data without amending it, in which case said further data signal will correspond with (like for example being equal to) said data signal. But for both cases the (further) data signal does not need to be sent from mobile terminal  1  to service provider  3 , just either a confirmation signal or an amendment signal needs to be sent from mobile terminal  1  to access provider  2 , the (further) data signal is sent from access provider  2  to service provider  3  usually via a public switched network having low-cost, high-speed connections, which is very advantageous.  
      Said service provider  3  and said access provider  2  comprise servers for storing form signals and data signals. This allows the access provider  2  to be more efficiently, due to access providers usually already possessing at least some of their mobile users&#39; personal data.  
      According to a third possibility, said data signal stored in the access provider&#39;s server  21  is adaptable in response to a user action. Now said user has the option to adapt his/her personal data stored in the access provider&#39;s server  21 . Thereto access provider  2  comprises an adjusting module  25  for making adjustments in the data stored in server  21 . This adjustment module  25  can for example be remotely controlled by a user for example using a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal and visiting the access provider&#39;s web site, or is controlled by an access provider&#39;s employee after having received a letter, a fax, an email, a telephone call etc. from said user having used for example a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal.  
      By providing the telecommunication system according to the invention with a data provider (like for example but not exclusively an access provider) for providing data upon a user&#39;s request to for example the form provider (like fore example but not exclusively a service provider), the user no longer needs to enter said data him/herself. The form signal may be a signal representing (parts of) the form or may be a signal defining a standardised form.  
      The invention is based on the insight, inter alia, that the entering of data via mobile terminals is inconvenient, and is based upon the basic idea, inter alia, that this data could be offered as a service.  
      The invention solves the problem, inter alia, of providing a telecommunication system, which allows electronic forms to be filled in at least partly automatically by a trusted party. The electronic forms filled in are either sent back to said form provider, or to one or more other parties. When sent back to said form provider, at least the (further) data signal needs to be sent, possibly with at least a small part of said form signal, like for example a linking code (for linking data and form). When forwarded to one or more other parties, generally just the (further) data signal will not be sufficient to be sent, and will be accompanied by at least a larger part of said form signal, like for example the entire form signal or the codes described below.  
      Each possibility and each alternative can be combined with each other possibility and each other alternative. Each part of mobile terminal  1 , access provider  2  and service provider  3 , shown in the form of a block or not shown, can be 100% hardware, 100% software or a mixture of both. Each block shown or not shown can be integrated with each other block shown and/or not shown per mobile terminal, access provider and service provider, but also per combination of access provider and service provider. In addition to processors, memories and servers shown, each block can have a further processor and a further memory not shown for efficiency purposes. Interfaces  13  and  32  may be duplexers, splitters, switches etc. and may comprise buffers, converters etc.  
      The form signal may be a signal representing (parts of) the form for displaying (parts of) this form or may be a form code signal defining a standardised form and comprising one code defining the entire form or comprising several codes, each code for example defining one or more fields of the form. Said form signal for example further comprises an address code defining an address of the service provider and/or a destination code defining a destination of another party and/or an identification code defining the mobile terminal and/or its user.  
      The request signal for example comprises said identification code defining the mobile terminal and/or its user, and may further for example comprise said form code and/or said address code defining an address of the service provider and/or said destination code defining a destination of another party and/or an address code defining an address of said access provider.  
      The confirmation signal for example comprises said identification code defining the mobile terminal and/or its user, and may further for example comprise said form code and/or said address code defining an address of the service provider and/or said destination code defining a destination of another party and/or said address code defining an address of said access provider and/or an amendment code defining one ore more amendments.  
      The (further) data signal comprises data to be filled in into fields of the form, and may further comprise the signal representing (parts of) the form for displaying (parts of) this form or may comprise the form code signal defining a standardised form and comprising one code defining the entire form or comprising several codes, each code for example defining one or more fields of the form. Said (further) data signal further for example comprises said identification code defining the mobile terminal and/or its user, and may further for example comprise said address code defining an address of the service provider and/or said destination code defining a destination of another party and/or said address code defining an address of said access provider.  
      Of course, in mobile terminal  1 , said codes will generally be added automatically to the signals, possibly in response to one or more user actions. In access provider  2  and service provider  3 , said codes will generally be added automatically to the signals, as a result of the (mobile) connection between mobile terminal, access provider and service provider being already set up. In case of said access provider and said data provider not belonging to the same provider, the request signal to be sent to said data provider may involve another connection needing to be set up, possibly from access provider to data provider.  
      In the block diagram shown in  FIG. 2  the blocks have the following meaning: 
          Block  100 : Mobile user&#39;s terminal generates an internet signal (comprising an access provider&#39;s address code like a telephone number) destined for an access provider for setting up an internet connection and then generates a service provider&#39;s address code (like for example a URL);     Block  201 : Access provider receives said internet signal and sets up an internet connection with said service provider;     Block  302 : Service provider is visited by the mobile terminal&#39;s user who shows interest in getting information and/or doing business with said service provider;     Block  303 : Service provider sends form signal to mobile user&#39;s terminal via the access provider;     Block  104 : Mobile user&#39;s terminal receives said form signal, which needs to be filled in with data;     Block  105 : Mobile user&#39;s terminal sends request signal to said access provider for automatic generation of said data;     Block  206 : Access provider receives said request signal and generates a data signal which either is sent to said mobile user&#39;s terminal or is sent to the service provider:     Block  107 : Mobile user&#39;s terminal receives said data signal and has the possibility of checking and/or amending the data;     Block  108 : Mobile user&#39;s terminal generates a confirmation signal possibly comprising an amendment signal which either together with said data signal is sent to the service provider or which possibly together with said data signal is sent to the access provider;     Block  209 : Access provider receives said confirmation signal possibly comprising said amendment signal possibly together with said data signal and sends said possibly amended data signal to the service provider;     Block  310 : Service provider receives said data signal comprising the data for filling in the electronic form;     Block  311 : Service provider sends a report signal to the mobile user&#39;s terminal for reporting the reception of the data;     Block  112 : Mobile user&#39;s terminal receives said report signal and now has the options of visiting other services of this service provider or visiting other service providers (possibly integrated with the access provider or via the access provider&#39;s portal etc.) or finishing the internet connection.        

      So, different features can be found in this invention, like for example: 
          the telecommunication system for mobile telecommunication and comprising mobile terminals ( 1 ) and providers ( 2 , 3 ),     with at least one provider ( 3 ) being a form provider ( 3 ) for providing a form which at least partly needs to be filled in with data,     the form provider ( 3 ) comprising a transmitting module ( 33 ) for transmitting a form signal to at least one mobile terminal ( 1 ),     said telecommunication system comprising a data provider ( 2 ) for providing data,     the data provider ( 2 ) comprising a receiving module ( 24 ) for receiving a request signal from said mobile terminal ( 1 ) and a transmitting module ( 23 ) for in response to said request signal transmitting a data signal,     the mobile terminal ( 1 ) comprising a receiver ( 11 ) for receiving said form signal and a transmitter ( 15 ) for transmitting said request signal,     said data provider ( 2 ) comprising said transmitting module ( 23 ) for transmitting said data signal to said mobile terminal ( 1 ),     the mobile terminal ( 1 ) comprising said receiver ( 11 ) for receiving said data signal,     said mobile terminal ( 1 ) comprising said transmitter ( 15 ) for in response to a user action transmitting a further data signal,     said mobile terminal ( 1 ) comprising said transmitter ( 15 ) for in response to a user action transmitting a confirmation signal to said data provider ( 2 ),     the data provider ( 2 ) comprising said receiving module ( 24 ) for receiving said confirmation signal and said transmitting module ( 23 ) for in response to said confirmation signal transmitting a further data signal,     said form provider ( 3 ) and said data provider ( 2 ) each comprising a server ( 35 , 21 ) for storing form signals and data signals,     with said form provider ( 3 ) being a service provider ( 3 ) and with said data provider ( 2 ) being an access provider ( 2 ),     said data signal stored in an access provider&#39;s server ( 21 ) being adaptable in response to a user action.        

      In view of the above, it will be clear that further telecommunication systems, further data providers, further mobile terminals, further methods and/or further processor program products can be defined using one or more of the above-described features and/or using further features disclosed in the introduction and/or in the description of the drawings, without departing from the scope of this invention.