Portable high speed internet or desktop device

Abstract

The invention discloses a portable device that allows the user to access the Internet and World Wide Web. The portable device includes a modem that connects to a cellular telephone, thus the portable device connects wirelessly to the Internet. A host computer that may also be a Web server, is connected to the Internet and comprises various software programs to translate and compress into bit map or raster images the information received from the Internet. The compressed images are sent to the portable device and the device is capable of decompressing the compressed images. Thus, the user views a bit map image of a Web page. The portable device further comprises methods of pointing and clicking on text and images which represent links to other pages. All commands that the user enters into the portable device are sent to the host computer, which performs the commands via a virtual browser, and then rasterizes and compresses the page sends it to the portable device. An alternate embodiment discloses that the display on the palm top device mirrors the entire virtual browser window. The user may perform such events as clicking and scrolling on the bit map image, however the actual execution of the event occurs in the virtual browser. Another embodiment discloses a virtual desk top that the user may access through the palm top device and create and modify documents.

1 - 8 . (canceled)  
   
   
       9 . A method to access a remote host, the method comprising: 
 receiving, at a device, a first image of a virtual desktop from the remote host, the first image being received in a compressed image format, the virtual desktop representing a graphical desktop environment for controlling the remote host, the first image of the virtual desktop being generated by the remote host to indicate a state of the virtual desktop;    converting the first image from the compressed image format to a decompressed image format to display the first image;    receiving, at the device, user input with respect to the first image;    sending a first message indicating the user input to the remote host for the remote host to apply the user input to the virtual desktop; and    receiving, at the device, a second image of the virtual desktop from the remote host, the second image indicating a state of the virtual desktop after the user input is applied to the virtual desktop.    
   
   
       10 . A method as in  claim 9 , wherein the user input comprises a click on a point on the first image; and, to generate the second image, the remote host applies a click to the virtual desktop at a point that corresponds to the point on the first image.  
   
   
       11 . A method as in  claim 9 , wherein the user input comprises a double-click on a point on the first image; and, to generate the second image, the remote host applies a double-click to the virtual desktop at a point that corresponds to the point on the first image.  
   
   
       12 . A method as in  claim 9 , wherein the user input comprises a drag-and-drop on the first image; and, the remote host applies a drag-and-drop to the virtual desktop at locations that correspond to locations where the drag-and-drop on the first image is received at the device.  
   
   
       13 . A method as in  claim 10 , further comprising: 
 receiving, at the device, a second message from the remote host, the second message instructing the device to prompt for text input;    wherein the click applied to the virtual desktop allows text input at a location on the virtual desktop.    
   
   
       14 . A method as in  claim 9 , wherein the virtual desktop comprises a virtual web browser; and, the virtual web browser renders web pages requested by the device at the remote host into images.  
   
   
       15 . A method as in  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 displaying a feedback to a user of the device after said sending the first message to indicate that a response from the remote host is to be received.    
   
   
       16 . A method as in  claim 9 , further comprising: 
 selectively displaying only a portion of the first image according a user input to the device.    
   
   
       17 . A method as in  claim 16 , wherein said selectively displaying comprises: 
 scrolling at exclusive control of the device to display a portion of the first image.    
   
   
       18 . A method as in  claim 9 , wherein the first image comprises a plurality of sections; and, the plurality of sections are received in a sequence according to a display priority.  
   
   
       19 . A method as in  claim 18 , wherein a first section of the plurality of sections is received, decompressed and displayed before a second section of the plurality of sections is received.  
   
   
       20 . A method as in  claim 9 , wherein the first image is received from the remote host through a wireless telecommunication link.  
   
   
       21 . A machine readable medium containing executable computer program instructions which when executed by a data processing system cause said system to perform a method to access a remote host, the method comprising: 
 receiving, at a device, a first image of a virtual desktop from the remote host, the first image being received in a compressed image format, the virtual desktop representing a graphical desktop environment for controlling the remote host, the first image of the virtual desktop being generated by the remote host to indicate a state of the virtual desktop;    converting the first image from the compressed image format to a decompressed image format to display the first image;    receiving, at the device, user input with respect to the first image;    sending a first message indicating the user input to the remote host for the remote host to apply the user input to the virtual desktop; and    receiving, at the device, a second image of the virtual desktop from the remote host, the second image indicating a state of the virtual desktop after the user input is applied to the virtual desktop.    
   
   
       22 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the user input comprises a click on a point on the first image; and, to generate the second image, the remote host applies a click to the virtual desktop at a point that corresponds to the point on the first image.  
   
   
       23 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the user input comprises a double-click on a point on the first image; and, to generate the second image, the remote host applies a double-click to the virtual desktop at a point that corresponds to the point on the first image.  
   
   
       24 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the user input comprises a drag-and-drop on the first image; and, the remote host applies a drag-and-drop to the virtual desktop at locations that correspond to locations where the drag-and-drop on the first image is received at the device.  
   
   
       25 . A medium as in  claim 22 , wherein the method further comprises: 
 receiving, at the device, a second message from the remote host, the second message instructing the device to prompt for text input;    wherein the click applied to the virtual desktop allows text input at a location on the virtual desktop.    
   
   
       26 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the virtual desktop comprises a virtual web browser; and, the virtual web browser renders web pages requested by the device at the remote host into images.  
   
   
       27 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises: 
 displaying a feedback to a user of the device after said sending the first message to indicate that a response from the remote host is to be received.    
   
   
       28 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the method further comprises: 
 selectively displaying only a portion of the first image according a user input to the device.    
   
   
       29 . A medium as in  claim 28 , wherein said selectively displaying comprises: 
 scrolling at exclusive control of the device to display a portion of the first image.    
   
   
       30 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the first image comprises a plurality of sections; and, the plurality of sections are received in a sequence according to a display priority.  
   
   
       31 . A medium as in  claim 30 , wherein a first section of the plurality of sections is received, decompressed and displayed before a second section of the plurality of sections is received.  
   
   
       32 . A medium as in  claim 21 , wherein the first image is received from the remote host through a wireless telecommunication link.  
   
   
       33 . A device to access a remote host, the device comprising: 
 means for receiving, at the device, a first image of a virtual desktop from the remote host, the first image being received in a compressed image format, the virtual desktop representing a graphical desktop environment for controlling the remote host, the first image of the virtual desktop being generated by the remote host to indicate a state of the virtual desktop;    means for converting the first image from the compressed image format to a decompressed image format to display the first image;    means for receiving, at the device, user input with respect to the first image;    means for sending a first message indicating the user input to the remote host for the remote host to apply the user input to the virtual desktop; and    means for receiving, at the device, a second image of the virtual desktop from the remote host, the second image indicating a state of the virtual desktop after the user input is applied to the virtual desktop.    
   
   
       34 . A device as in  claim 33 , wherein the user input comprises a click on a point on the first image; and, to generate the second image, the remote host applies a click to the virtual desktop at a point that corresponds to the point on the first image.  
   
   
       35 . A device as in  claim 33 , wherein the user input comprises a double-click on a point on the first image; and, to generate the second image, the remote host applies a double-click to the virtual desktop at a point that corresponds to the point on the first image.  
   
   
       36 . A device as in  claim 33 , wherein the user input comprises a drag-and-drop on the first image; and, the remote host applies a drag-and-drop to the virtual desktop at locations that correspond to locations where the drag-and-drop on the first image is received at the device.  
   
   
       37 . A device as in  claim 34 , further comprising: 
 means for receiving, at the device, a second message from the remote host, the second message instructing the device to prompt for text input;    wherein the click applied to the virtual desktop allows text input at a location on the virtual desktop.    
   
   
       38 . A device as in  claim 33 , wherein the virtual desktop comprises a virtual web browser; and, the virtual web browser renders web pages requested by the device at the remote host into images.  
   
   
       39 . A device as in  claim 33 , further comprising: 
 means for displaying a feedback to a user of the device after the first message is sent to the remote host to indicate that a response from the remote host is to be received.    
   
   
       40 . A device as in  claim 33 , further comprising: 
 means for selectively displaying only a portion of the first image according a user input to the device.    
   
   
       41 . A device as in  claim 40 , wherein said means for selectively displaying comprises: 
 means for scrolling at exclusive control of the device to display a portion of the first image.    
   
   
       42 . A device as in  claim 33 , wherein the first image comprises a plurality of sections; and, the plurality of sections are received in a sequence according to a display priority.  
   
   
       43 . A device as in  claim 42 , wherein a first section of the plurality of sections is received, decompressed and displayed before a second section of the plurality of sections is received.  
   
   
       44 . A device as in  claim 33 , wherein the first image is received from the remote host through a wireless telecommunication link.