Several different embodiments of an electronic document delivery system are
described including a client machine (e.g., a palmtop/handheld computer or
wireless communication device) coupled to a transcoder proxy. The system
allows a client machine with limited resources to provide interactive
aspects of electronic documents such as Web pages and/or an assistive
technology solution for a physically challenged user. The transcoder proxy
receives an electronic document including one or more elements and
expressed in a first digital format (e.g., HTML or XML). The transcoder
proxy assigns a unique identifier to each element, produces an "original"
script including at least a portion of the document expressed in a second
digital format (e.g., a scripting language), and provides the original
script to the client machine. The transcoder proxy may form a model of the
document (e.g., a document object model or DOM), and may use the model to
produce the original script. The client machine uses the original script
to display or otherwise present the portion of the document. The client
machine generates an event in response to user input, associates the event
with an element within the original script, and provides the event and the
identifier assigned to the element to the transcoder proxy. The transcoder
proxy accesses the model using the identifier, uses the model to produce a
"modification" script, and provides the modification script to the client
machine. The client machine uses the modification script to modify the
displayed or otherwise presented portion of the document.
