Interactive multimedia assistant device with a swappable personality customizable skin

• US 10,289,152 B1
• Filed: 02/23/2018
• Issued: 05/14/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Chamberlain Group LLC
• Original Assignee: The Chamberlain Group, Inc. (The Chamberlain Group LLC)
• Inventors: Cheng, Fred, Yau, Herman
• Primary Examiner(s): Wu, Jerry
• Application Number:
  US15/903,508
• Time in Patent Office: 445 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1613 for portable computers cooling arrangements therefor G06F1/203; constructional details or arrangements for pocket calculators, electronic agendas or books G06F15/0216; constructional details of portable telephone sets: with several bodies H04M1/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1686 the I/O peripheral being an integrated camera
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1633 Protecting arrangement for the entire housing of the computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/01 Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer G06F3/16 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/16 Human faces, e.g. facial parts, sketches or expressions
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 2015/223 Execution procedure of a spoken command

Abstract

An interactive multimedia assistant device (IMAD) includes an interactive core component (ICC) and a swappable personality customizable skin (SPCS) for performing interactive communication and control actions based on multimedia inputs. The ICC includes multimedia sensors for recognizing multimedia inputs; a storage medium for storing the multimedia inputs and media content; a controller for processing the multimedia inputs, modulating an audio output, and performing control actions based on the multimedia inputs; output devices for rendering outputs of the controller, and one or more communication interfaces for communicating with the SPCS. The SPCS is operably coupled on and activated by the ICC. The SPCS is programmed with a unique identifier that identifies a personality of the SPCS. The SPCS directs and programs behavior of the ICC based on the unique identifier, thereby allowing the ICC to assume the personality for performing interactive communication and control actions based on the multimedia inputs.

Claims

1. An interactive multimedia assistant device for performing interactive communication and control actions based on a plurality of multimedia inputs, said interactive multimedia assistant device comprising:

an interactive core component comprising;

one or more of a plurality of multimedia sensors positioned within said interactive core component for detecting, recognizing, capturing, and tracking one or more of the plurality of multimedia inputs, the plurality of multimedia inputs comprising gestures, an image input, and an audio input;

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium for storing the plurality of multimedia inputs and media content;

a controller configured to execute computer program instructions for processing the plurality of multimedia inputs received from one or more of said multimedia sensors, modulating an audio output, and performing one or more of said control actions based on said processed plurality of multimedia inputs;

one or more output devices operably connected to said controller for rendering outputs of said controller; and

one or more communication interfaces for communicating with a swappable personality customizable skin positioned on said interactive core component; and

said swappable personality customizable skin operably coupled on one or more configurable locations of said interactive core component, wherein said swappable personality customizable skin is programmed with a unique identifier that identifies a personality of said swappable personality customizable skin, and wherein said swappable personality customizable skin directs and programs behavior of said interactive core component based on said unique identifier communicated to said interactive core component by said swappable personality customizable skin via one of said one or more communication interfaces, thereby allowing said interactive core component to assume said personality of said swappable personality customizable skin for performing said interactive communication and said control actions based on the plurality of multimedia inputs.

2. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said multimedia sensors comprise:

image sensors and gesture sensors for detecting, recognizing, capturing, and tracking said image input comprising facial features, and said gestures respectively; and

audio sensors for detecting said audio input.

3. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said interactive core component activates said swappable personality customizable skin and directs and programs behavior of said swappable personality customizable skin based on said unique identifier communicated to said interactive core component by said swappable personality customizable skin via said one of said one or more communication interfaces.

4. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, further comprising one or more interface elements positioned on said interactive core component for one or more of receiving a manual control input to control said one or more output devices, and activating one or more supplementary components positioned on said swappable personality customizable skin.

5. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said unique identifier identifies a type of said personality, a name, an appearance, and said behavior of said swappable personality customizable skin.

6. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said one or more output devices comprise:

one or more output speakers for playing said stored media content and said audio input;

one or more light sources for indicating one of said received multimedia inputs and status of said control actions; and

a display screen for displaying said media content.

7. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said interactive core component further comprises an energy storage device for activating said multimedia sensors, said controller, said one or more output devices, and said one or more communication interfaces of said interactive core component, and for powering said swappable personality customizable skin.

8. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said interactive core component further comprises a radio frequency identification reader for emitting radio signals used for powering said swappable personality customizable skin and for reading said unique identifier of said swappable personality customizable skin.

9. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said one or more communication interfaces comprise one of wired interfaces, wireless interfaces, and any combination thereof.

10. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said control actions comprise playing said audio input based on said unique identifier of said swappable personality customizable skin, playing said media content, performing a preset function, controlling external devices, and activating and deactivating said one or more output devices based on said multimedia inputs.

11. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said interactive core component is in operable communication with a client application deployed on a user device via one or more of said one or more communication interfaces over a network, and wherein said client application renders location-based data of said user device to said interactive core component, programs functions on said interactive core component based on said multimedia inputs, updates said interactive core component, and streams said media content received from a media server to said interactive core component.

12. The interactive multimedia assistant device of claim 1, wherein said swappable personality customizable skin comprises one of a top skin piece, a bottom skin piece, and a combination thereof, and wherein said top skin piece and said bottom skin piece are operably coupled to a top end and a bottom end of said interactive core component respectively.