Method and apparatus for distributing picture mail to a frame device community

• US 20040205582A1
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Published: 10/14/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dean Schiller, Paul Yanover
• Original Assignee: Dean Schiller, Paul Yanover
• Inventors: Yanover, Paul, Schiller, Dean
• Granted Patent: US 9,203,930 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/513
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/066 Format adaptation, e.g. format conversion or compression
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/102 Entity profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1014 based on the content of a request
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1017 based on a round robin mechanism
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/1036 Load balancing of requests to servers for services different from user content provisioning, e.g. load balancing across domain name servers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/75 Indicating network or usage conditions on the user display
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A method and apparatus for distributing picture mail to a frame device community is described. The present invention comprises one or more interconnected frame devices. Each frame device has a display region (e.g. an LCD) surrounded with a border region modeled to resemble a traditional picture frame. The border region may be comprised of wood, plastic, or any other aesthetically pleasing compound. Each frame device is configured to connect to an interconnection fabric to periodically obtain image data from a centralized repository and then display that data according to criteria established by an authorized user. The data repository is populated with image data via the image collection process. In one or more embodiments of the invention, the user may specify filter criteria which establishes what network addresses (e.g. picture mail address) are authorized to populate the data repository. The filter criteria and other information such as the behavior characteristics of each frame device are established and/or managed via a picture box. The picture box resides on a server computer and may be obtained by the user upon demand.

Claims

1-43. -43) Canceled

44. ) A method for distributing digital photo data to at least one picture frame device comprising:

connecting at least one picture frame device to a network coupled to at least one server system;

presenting a user interface to a user associated with said at least one picture frame device, wherein said presenting executes at a client system coupled to said network and physically separated from said at least one picture frame devices;

utilizing said user interface to obtain digital photo data from said user;

populating said at least one server system with said digital photo data;

determining if said digital photo data conforms to display constraints associated with said at least one picture frame device;

modifying said digital photo data to conform to said display constraints when said determining step indicates non-conformity;

said at least one picture frame device automatically initiating a periodic connection between said at least one picture frame device and said at least one server system via said network;

transmitting said digital photo data from said at least one server system to said at least one picture frame device via said network;

displaying said digital photo data on said at least one picture frame device.

45. ) The method of claim 44 wherein said at least one picture frame device comprises an ornamental border region that circumscribes said digital photo data.

46. ) The method of claim 44 wherein said at least one picture frame device comprises a unique identifier.

47. ) The method of claim 46 wherein said digital photo data is associated with said unique identifier.

48. ) The method of claim 44 wherein said display constraints further comprise filter criteria.

49. ) The method of claim 48 wherein said filter criteria comprises determining if said user has permission to access said at least one server system.

50. ) The method of claim 44 wherein said at least one picture frame device comprises a behavior module configured to store operational preferences associated with said at least one picture frame device.

51. ) The method of claim 50 further comprising:

said user interface further comprising a means for obtaining said operational preferences;

loading said operational preferences into said behavior module at said at least one picture frame device via said network.

52. ) The method of claim 51 where said presenting said user interface occurs after said user is authenticated.

53. ) The method of claim 52 wherein said operational preferences comprise behavior characteristics stored in said at least one server system prior to performing said loading said operational preferences into said behavior module.

54. ) The method of claim 51 wherein behavior module directs said at least one picture frame device to perform said step of automatically initiating, from said at least one picture frame device, said periodic connection between said at least one picture frame device and said at least one server system at predetermined intervals.

55. ) The method of claim 54 wherein said predetermined intervals are set via said user interface.

56. ) A system for distributing digital photo data between a plurality of users comprising:

at least one frame device configured to operate according to a set of preferences defined by a first user wherein said at least one frame device comprises a border region modeled to resemble a picture frame designed to circumscribe printed photographs;

a network coupled to said at least one frame device wherein said at least one frame device is further configured to;

obtain a configuration number sequence from a memory located in said at least one frame device;

use said configuration number sequence to initiate a connection to at least one server system via said network;

obtain a localized number sequence from said at least one server system;

terminate said connection to said at least one server system;

reconnect to said at least one server system via said network

using said localized number sequence;

a user interface transmitted to at least one client system by said at least one server system via said network wherein said user interface and said at least one client system are physically separated from said at least one frame device and provide a means for obtaining said digital photo data from a second user of said at least one client system and transmitting said digital photo to said at least one server system;

said at least one server system coupled to said at least one frame device via said network, wherein said at least one server system is configured to periodically relay said digital photo data to said at least one frame device when said at least one frame device automatically issues a request for said image data.

57. ) The system of claim 56 wherein said digital photo data is stored in said memory of said at least one frame device.

58. ) The system of claim 56 wherein said at least one server system is further configured to determine if said digital photo data conforms to display constraints associated with said at least one frame device and modify said digital photo data to conform to said display constraints when said determining digital photo data is non-conforming.

59. ) The system of claim 58 wherein said display constraints comprise a size value associated with said digital photo data.

60. ) The system of claim 58 wherein said display constraints comprise a resolution value associated with said digital photo data.

61. ) The system of claim 58 wherein said constraints comprises a quality value associated with said digital photo data.

62. ) A computer program product comprising:

a computer usable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein for distributing data over a network to at least one frame device, said computer program product comprising computer readable program configured to;

present a user interface to a first user associated with said at least one frame device, wherein said presenting executes at a geographic location physically separate from said at least one frame device;

utilizing said user interface to obtain digital photo data from said first user;

populate a data repository with said digital photo data;

respond to a request for said digital photo data from said at least one frame device by transmitting over said network said digital photo data from said data repository to at least one frame device;

display said digital photo data at said at least one frame device to a second user.

63. ) The computer program product of claim 62 further comprising computer readable program code configured to determine if said first user has permission to populate said data repository.

64. ) The computer program product of claim 62 wherein said at least one frame device comprises a unique identifier.

65. ) The computer program product of claim 62 wherein said digital photo data is stored in said data repository in a manner associated with said unique identifier.

66. ) The computer program product of claim 62 wherein said at least one frame device comprises computer readable program code configured to store behavior characteristics for controlling said at least one frame device'"'"'s operations.

67. ) The computer program product of claim 66 wherein said behavior characteristics are adjustable by said second user via said user interface.

68. ) The computer program product of claim 66 further comprising computer readable program code configured to store said behavior characteristics in said data repository prior to transmitting said behavior characteristics to said at least one frame device over said network.

69. ) The computer program product of claim 67 wherein access to said user interface occurs when said first user is authenticated.

70. ) The computer program product of claim 67 wherein said at least one frame device requests image data over said network from said data repository at predetermined intervals.

71. ) The computer program product of claim 70 wherein said predetermined intervals are set via said user interface.

72. ) The computer program product of claim 71 wherein said first user comprises a content provider.