Remote programming of CD players over a network

• US 20040032421A1
• Filed: 05/02/2003
• Published: 02/19/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Icebox, LLC (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.), Salton Incorporated (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Salton Incorporated (Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.)
• Inventors: Williamson, Charles G., Schrader, M. Lee
• Application Number:
  US10/428,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20040032421A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/704
• CPC Class Codes: A47J 27/62 by devices for automatically controlling the heat supply by switching off heaters or for automatically lifting the cooking-vessels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/40 of multimedia data, e.g. slideshows comprising image and additional audio data retrieval of still image data G06F16/50; retrieval of audio data G06F16/60; retrieval of video data G06F16/70
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/025 'Virtual' control panels, e.g. Graphical User Interface [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/09 Arrangements for device control with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time; Arrangements for control of broadcast-related services
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/25891 being end-user preferences retrieval of video data in a video database based on user preferences G06F16/739; arrangements for recognizing users' preferences H04H60/46; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4755 for defining user preferences, e.g. favourite actors or genre retrieval personalisation and generation of user profiles for the retrieval of video data G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8106 involving special audio data, e.g. different tracks for different languages
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 6/688 for thawing

Abstract

The invention may be broadly conceptualized as an approach in which the configuration of a CD player occurs by a user entering data into a graphical interface, the data is stored in a user profile at a server and also downloaded to the CD player.

Claims

1. A system to remotely configure a CD player, comprising:

a graphical interface on a first network device that displays a page that establishes a user profile in a remote database; and

a CD player having a digital controller that is able to communicate with the remote database to receive and apply the user profile to facilitate operation of the CD player.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an alarm configuration page displayed in the graphical interface that establishes an alarm time list and a sequence of compact disk tracks to be played in the user profile.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein an alarm clock in the CD player is set in response to the alarm list in the user profile and a playlist in the CD player is set in response to the sequence of compact disk tracks to be played from the user profile.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein receipt of a time synchronization message at the CD player results in the alarm clock being set.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the graphical interface is a web browser

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the list of tracks to be played in the alarm configuration page is composed of the track names and numbers associated with the International Standard Recording Code number for the compact disk inserted in the CD player.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the track names and numbers are retrieved from a database internal to the first network device.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the track names and numbers are retrieved from a database external to the first network device.

9. A method for remotely configuring a CD player, comprising:

programming a user profile on a remote database through a graphical interface on a first network device that displays a page establishing said user profile; and

communicating the user profile to a CD player having a digital controller that is able to receive and apply the user profile to facilitate operation of the CD player.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

configuring an alarm configuration page displayed in the graphical interface that establishes an alarm time list and a sequence of compact disk tracks to be played in the user profile.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

generating a time synchronization message at the second computing device;

sending the time synchronization message to the CD player; and

setting a clock in the CD player in response to reception of the time synchronization message.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

displaying an alarm configuration page in the graphical user interface;

creating an alarm association between an alarm action and a time of day;

storing the alarm association in the user profile located in the remote database; and

;

communicating the alarm association to the CD player.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein communicating further includes:

communicating a sequence of tracks to be played by the CD player; and

configuring the CD player to play said list.

14. A system for remotely configuring a CD player, comprising:

means for establishing a user profile on a remote database; and

means for receiving the user profile by a digital controller in a CD player.

15. The system of claim 14, further comprising means for establishing an alarm time and a sequence of tracks to be played from the compact disk inserted in the CD reader.

16. The system of claim 15, further comprising means for setting the alarm clock in the CD player in response to the alarm list in the user profile and means for setting a playlist in the CD player in response to the sequence of compact disk tracks to be played in the user profile.