User interface for an e-marker

• US 20020145589A1
• Filed: 04/06/2001
• Published: 10/10/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/06/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation Of America (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tree, John
• Application Number:
  US09/827,504
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145589A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/156
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance

Abstract

A desktop stand alone electronic data marker including a music marker is provided with a display unit and configured to display a user'"'"'s electronic marks based on user input by illuminating a preassigned portion of the display unit.

Claims

1. An electronic data marker device, comprising:

a display unit including a plurality of display panels positioned on said display unit; and

an input unit for inputting data marks, said display unit is configured to receive said data marks from said input unit and correspondingly display said data marks on said plurality of display panels.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said display unit includes one of a liquid crystal display, a cathode ray tube display, and a touchpad display unit.

3. The device of claim 1 further including a base mounted to said display unit for vertically supporting said display unit.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of display panels on said display unit are non-overlapping.

5. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said plurality of panels have substantially the same dimensions.

6. The device of claim 5 wherein said plurality of display panels are arranged on said display unit in a substantially uniform array.

7. The device of claim 5 wherein each of said plurality of display panels are of one of a square shape, a triangular shape, and a rectangular shape.

8. The device of claim 1 wherein said display unit is configured to selectively display an indication of said received data marks on a corresponding one or more of said plurality of display panels.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said display unit displays said indication of received data marks by illuminating said corresponding one or more of said plurality of display panels.

10. The device of claim 1 wherein said data marks include information corresponding to a music file.

11. The device of claim 10 wherein said information corresponding to said music file includes a text and an image information corresponding to said music file.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein said input unit includes a spring loaded button.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein said input unit includes a music broadcast mark button and a television broadcast mark button.

14. The device of claim 1 further including an output unit for coupling to an external device.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein said output unit includes one or more of a USB port, a serial port, a parallel port, and an infra red (IR) port.

16. The device of claim 14 wherein said external device includes one or more of a personal computer, a personal digital assistant, a television set, a mobile telephone, a pager, and a wireless communication device.

17. The device of claim 14 wherein said external device is configured to correspondingly display said received data marks on said external device.

18. The device of claim 17 wherein said data marks are music marks corresponding to music files and further, wherein said data marks displayed on said external device includes information corresponding to said each received music marks.

19. The device of claim 18 wherein said music marks displayed by said external device includes one or more of a title of the music corresponding to said each music marks, a name of the artist corresponding to each music marks, a title of the album corresponding to each music marks, and a graphical display of an album cover corresponding to each music marks.

20. A method, comprising:

receiving a data mark; and

displaying the data mark.

21. The method of claim 20 further including:

determining that maximum number of data marks have been received; and

outputting an output signal responsive to said determining step.

22. The method of claim 21 wherein said output signal includes one of an audio signal and a display signal.

23. The method of claim 21 wherein said maximum number is nine.

24. The method of claim 20 wherein said step if displaying said data mark includes the step of illuminating a display panel corresponding to the receiving step.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein said data marks include one or more of a time stamp information and a date stamp information.

27. The method of claim 26 further including:

detecting a disconnection from said gateway device; and

resetting said stored data marks.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the resetting step includes deleting the stored data marks.

29. The method of claim 26 wherein said connection includes one of a parallel, serial or USB cable connection, a wireless connection.

30. The method of claim 26 wherein said gateway device includes one of a personal computer and a server terminal.

31. The method of claim 26 wherein said received data includes one or more of text data, still image data, animated image data, and video data corresponding to the stored data marks.

26. A method, comprising:

detecting a connection to a gateway device;

transmitting stored data marks to said gateway device;

receiving data corresponding to said data marks; and

displaying said received data.

32. An electronic data marker device, comprising:

input means for inputting a plurality of data marks; and

display means for displaying a plurality of data marks, said display means configured to display said data marks received from said input on corresponding display panels.