Apparatus and method for accessing request header information using a transcoding filter servlet

An apparatus for formatting content data for presentation on a client device, comprising:

• a preamble servlet;
• a content generator coupled to the preamble servlet;
• and
• a transcoding servlet coupled to the content generator, wherein when a request for the content data is received by the apparatus, the request having client device characteristic information and identifying requested content data, the preamble servlet stores the client device characteristic information in a data structure associated with the request, the preamble servlet passes the client device characteristic information to the transcoding servlet, and the content generator generates the requested content data to form generic content data, the transcoding servlet matches the generic content data to the request, and wherein the transcoding servlet transcodes the generic content data using the client device characteristic information is the data structure associated with the request to produce transcoded content data.

A computer program product in a computer readable medium for formatting content data for presentation on a client device, comprising:

• first instructions for receiving a request for the content data, the request having client device characteristic information and identifying requested content data;
• second instructions for storing, by a preamble servlet, the client device characteristic information in a data structure associated with the request;
• third instructions for passing, by the preamble servlet, the client device characteristic information to a transcoding servlet;
• fourth instructions for generating the requested content data to form generic content data;
• fifth instructions for matching the generic content data to the request;
• and
• sixth instructions for transcoding, by the transcoding servlet, said generic content data using the client device characteristic information in the data structure associated with the request to produce transcoded content data for display on said client device.