Network of disparate processor-based devices to exchange and display media files

• US 20040044725A1
• Filed: 08/27/2002
• Published: 03/04/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation, Wayne State University
• Original Assignee: Wayne State University
• Inventors: Bell, Cynthia S., Smith, Nathan Y.
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,532 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor

Abstract

A first type of processor-based device, such as a personal computer functioning as a host and containing digital media files, may wirelessly communicate with a second type of processor-based device or appliance, such as a digital picture frame (DPF). Upon request and/or at periodic intervals, the host may transmit menu items and/or media files to the DPF. Responsive to user choices entered at the DPF and transmitted to the host, the host may transmit further menu items and/or media files to the DPF. Methods of polling and registering one or more DPFs by a host, of retrieving media files by a host from the Internet satisfying user-specified search criteria, and of uploading media files from a DPF to a host, are also described, in addition to a network and a machine-accessible medium.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of digital media files on a host; and

wirelessly communicating at least one of the plurality of digital media files from the host to a processor-based appliance.

2. The method recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

wirelessly communicating a file structure of the plurality of digital media files to the appliance to render into one of a visual form and an audio form.

3. The method recited in claim 2 and further comprising:

wirelessly communicating a choice from the file structure being displayed at the appliance to the host.

4. The method recited in claim 3 wherein the choice is one of a menu item and a digital media file.

5. The method recited in claim 1 wherein, in communicating, the processor-based appliance comprises a digital picture frame having a display, and the at least one of the plurality of digital media files comprises a digital photograph.

6. The method recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

rendering, at the processor-based appliance, the at least one of the plurality of digital media files into one of a visual form and an audio form.

7. The method recited in claim 1 and further comprising:

the host storing search criteria to specify the at least one of the plurality of digital media files; and

wherein wireless communicating is performed in accordance with the search criteria.

8. The method recited in claim 7 wherein the search criteria comprise at least one of a time, a calendar date, a calendar month, a calendar year, a file descriptor, a folder descriptor, a pathway, a keyword, and an image characteristic.

9. The method recited in claim 7 and further comprising:

the host downloading additional digital media files from a network; and

wherein wireless communicating is performed upon the additional digital media files in accordance with the search criteria.

10. The method recited in claim 9 wherein the network is the Internet.

11. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of digital media files on a host, the plurality of digital media files being organized in a file structure; and

wirelessly communicating one of a digital media file and a portion of the file structure from the host to a processor-based appliance to render into one of a visual form and an audio form.

12. The method recited in claim 11 and further comprising, prior to communicating:

scheduling wireless communications between the host and the processor-based appliance in accordance with a schedule;

determining from the schedule whether it is time for the host to communicate with the processor-based appliance; and

if so, communicating.

13. The method recited in claim 11 and further comprising, prior to communicating:

determining whether the processor-based appliance'"'"'s status is active; and

if so, communicating.

14. The method recited in claim 13 and further comprising:

if the processor-based appliance'"'"'s status is not active, de-allocating the processor-based appliance from a list of active processor-based appliances.

15. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of digital media files on a host, the plurality of digital media files being organized in a file structure;

wirelessly communicating a portion of the file structure from the host to a processor-based appliance to render into one of a visual form and an audio form; and

receiving a request from the processor-based appliance.

16. The method recited in claim 15 and further comprising, after receiving:

determining whether the request is for an item operation; and

if so, performing the item operation.

17. The method recited in claim 16, wherein the item operation is one of printing the item, emailing the item, posting the item to a Web site, designating the item a user-favorite item, designating the item a hidden item, file-sharing the item, posting the item, and uploading the item.

18. The method recited in claim 15 and further comprising, after receiving:

determining whether the request is a menu request; and

if so, wirelessly communicating a further portion of the file structure to the processor-based appliance to render into one of a visual form and an audio form.

19. The method recited in claim 15 and further comprising, after receiving:

determining whether the request is a content item request; and

if so, wirelessly communicating at least one digital media file to the processor-based appliance to render into one of a visual form and an audio form.

20. The method recited in claim 19 and further comprising, after determining:

formatting the at least one digital media file.

21. A method performed by a host comprising:

storing a plurality of digital media files, the plurality of digital media files being organized in a file structure;

wirelessly transmitting a polling inquiry;

determining whether a response to the polling inquiry is received from a processor-based appliance; and

if so, registering the processor-based appliance.

22. The method recited in claim 21 wherein registering comprises:

allocating resources in the host for the processor-based appliance; and

initializing the processor-based appliance.

23. The method recited in claim 21 and further comprising:

wirelessly communicating a portion of the file structure to the processor-based appliance for display.

24. The method recited in claim 21 and further comprising:

wirelessly communicating at least one digital media file to the processor-based appliance for display.

25. The method recited in claim 21 and further comprising:

wirelessly communicating a locale identifier to the processor-based appliance for display.

26. A method performed by a processor-based appliance comprising:

wirelessly transmitting a registration request;

determining whether a response to the registration request is wirelessly received from a host, the host being to store a plurality of digital media files organized in a file structure, and further being to store menu information pertaining to at least one of the plurality of digital media files and the file structure.

27. The method recited in claim 26 wherein, if a response is received, the response comprises confirmation of registration by the host.

28. The method recited in claim 26 wherein, if a response is received, the method further comprises:

the processor-based appliance wirelessly receiving at least one of a digital media file and menu information from the host.

29. The method recited in claim 26 wherein, if a response is not received, the method further comprises:

the processor-based appliance displaying at least one of a digital media file and menu information stored in the processor-based appliance.

30. A method comprising:

storing a plurality of digital media files in a processor-based appliance; and

wirelessly communicating at least one of the plurality of digital media files from the processor-based appliance to a host.

31. The method recited in claim 30 wherein, in storing, the at least one of the plurality of digital media files is stored on a memory element from the group consisting of a memory card, a MemoryStick™

device, and a SmartMedia™

device, and wherein communicating occurs without further human initiation when the memory element is inserted into the processor-based appliance.

32. The method recited in claim 30 and further comprising:

storing the at least one of the plurality of digital media files in the host.

33. The method recited in claim 32 and further comprising:

determining whether the host is already storing the at least one of the plurality of digital media files;

if not, performing the communicating; and

if so, not performing the communicating.

34. The method recited in claim 32 wherein, in storing, the at least one of the plurality of digital media files is stored in a file structure in the host, the method further comprising:

assigning the at least one of the plurality of digital media files to a uniquely identified folder in the file structure.

35. The method recited in claim 30 wherein, in storing, the processor-based appliance comprises a digital picture frame;

and

wherein, in communicating, the host comprises a personal computer, and the at least one of the plurality of digital media files comprises one of a digital photograph, an audio file, and a text file.

36. A host comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of digital media files, and to further store program instructions;

a processor coupled to the memory to execute ones of the program instructions; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor to wirelessly communicate at least one of the plurality of digital media files to a processor-based appliance, in accordance with ones of the program instructions.

37. The host recited in claim 36, wherein the memory is further to store a schedule, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of digital media files is communicated to the processor-based appliance in accordance with the schedule.

38. The host recited in claim 36, wherein the memory is further to store one or more selection criteria, and wherein the at least one of the plurality of digital media files is communicated to the processor-based appliance in accordance with the one or more selection criteria.

39. The host recited in claim 36, wherein the memory is to store the plurality of digital media files in a file structure, wherein the memory is further to store a plurality of menu items each representative of a portion of the file structure, and wherein the transceiver is to wirelessly communicate at least one of the plurality of menu items to the processor-based appliance.

40. The host recited in claim 38, wherein the processor-based appliance comprises one of a digital picture frame, an Internet appliance, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, a pager, a music reproduction device, and a hand-held computer.

41. A digital picture frame comprising:

a memory to store a plurality of digital media files, and to further store program instructions;

a processor coupled to the memory to execute ones of the program instructions;

a renderer coupled to the processor to render one or more of the digital media files into human-perceivable form in accordance with ones of the program instructions; and

a transceiver coupled to the processor to wirelessly communicate with a host, in accordance with ones of the program instructions.

42. The digital picture frame recited in claim 41, wherein the renderer comprises a visual display.

43. The digital picture frame recited in claim 41, wherein the renderer comprises a sound reproduction element.

44. The digital picture frame recited in claim 41, wherein the memory is further to store at least one menu item wirelessly received from the host via the transceiver.

45. The digital picture frame recited in claim 41, wherein the transceiver is to wirelessly communicate bi-directionally with the host, the digital picture frame further comprising:

a user interface to receive a user selection of one of a digital media file identifier and a menu item, and to cause the transceiver to transmit the user selection to the host.

46. The digital picture frame recited in claim 41, wherein the transceiver is to wirelessly communicate at least one digital media file to the host.

47. The digital picture frame recited in claim 41, wherein the memory is further to store a schedule, and wherein the transceiver is to wirelessly communicate one or more digital media files to or from the host in accordance with the schedule.

48. A network comprising:

a host including;

a host memory to store a plurality of digital media files, and to further store a first plurality of program instructions;

a host processor coupled to the host memory to execute ones of the first plurality of program instructions; and

a host transceiver coupled to the host processor and to operate in accordance with ones of the first plurality of program instructions; and

a digital picture frame including;

a digital picture frame memory to store at least one digital media file, and to further store a second plurality of program instructions;

a digital picture frame processor coupled to the digital picture frame memory to execute ones of the second plurality of program instructions;

a renderer coupled to the digital picture frame processor to render the at least one digital media file into human-perceivable form in accordance with ones of the second plurality of program instructions; and

a digital picture frame transceiver coupled to the digital picture frame processor to wirelessly communicate with the host transceiver, in accordance with ones of the second plurality of program instructions.

49. The network recited in claim 48, wherein the digital picture frame further comprises:

a user interface to receive a user selection of one of a digital media file identifier and a menu item, and to cause the digital picture frame transceiver to transmit the user selection to the host transceiver.

50. The network recited in claim 49, wherein the host transceiver, responsive to the user selection, wirelessly communicates to the digital picture frame transceiver a menu level corresponding to the menu item.

51. The network recited in claim 49, wherein the host transceiver, responsive to the user selection, wirelessly communicates to the digital picture frame transceiver a digital media file corresponding to the digital media file identifier.

52. An article comprising a machine-accessible medium having associated instructions, wherein the instructions, when accessed, result in a machine performing:

storing a plurality of digital media files in a file structure having at least one menu item; and

wirelessly communicating at least one of the plurality of digital media files and the at least one menu item from the machine to a processor-based appliance to render into one of a visual form and an audio form.

53. The article recited in claim 52 wherein the instructions, when accessed by the machine, result in the machine performing:

wirelessly receiving a user selection from the processor-based appliance comprising a menu item; and

wirelessly transmitting a menu level corresponding to the menu item to the processor-based appliance.

54. The article recited in claim 52 wherein the instructions, when accessed by the machine, result in the machine performing:

wirelessly receiving a user selection from the processor-based appliance comprising a digital media file identifier; and

wirelessly transmitting a digital media file corresponding to the digital media file identifier to the processor-based appliance.

55. The article recited in claim 52 wherein the instructions, when accessed by the machine, result in the machine performing:

periodically providing a hierarchical list of digital media files to the processor-based appliance.