CONFIGURABLE PERSONAL AUDIOVISUAL DEVICE FOR USE IN NETWORKED APPLICATION-SHARING SYSTEM

• US 20080052348A1
• Filed: 08/24/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: BBY Solutions Incorporated (Best Buy Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Maxwell, Duane, Huang, Andrew, Adler, Steven, Grand, Joseph, Tomlin, Stephen, Steele, Kenneth
• Granted Patent: US 9,654,589 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/203
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/02 based on web technology, e.g. hypertext transfer protocol [HTTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/306 User profiles

Abstract

A method for facilitating sharing of widget programs among a plurality of personal electronic devices is disclosed. The method includes establishing a database of the widget programs capable of being executed by the plurality of personal electronic devices. The method further includes receiving, over a communication network, a widget forwarding request from at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices. An instance of a selected one of the widget programs is then transmitted, in response to the widget forwarding request, to another of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of personal electronic devices; and

service provider apparatus in communication with the plurality of personal electronic devices over at least one communication network, the service provider apparatus including;

a database of widget programs, said widget programs being capable of execution by ones of said plurality of personal electronic devices;

a server communicatively coupled to the database and the at least one communication network, the server being responsive to instructions received over the at least one communication network to provide instances of ones of the widget programs, and conditions relating to execution of the instances, to ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein each of the plurality of personal electronic devices includes a user interface, each said user interface presenting content consistent with the instance of the one of the widget programs currently being executed.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the database includes information relating to a sequence of execution of the ones of the widget programs corresponding to each of said plurality of personal electronic devices.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the instructions are received by the server over the at least one network.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein ones of the instructions further include information relating to adjustment of audio or visual parameters pertinent to execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein ones of the instructions include information defining aspects of appearance of the user interfaces of corresponding ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein a first user of a first of the plurality of personal electronic devices is accorded a first privilege with respect to configuration of the first of the plurality of personal electronic devices and an administrator of the first of the plurality of personal electronic devices is accorded a second privilege with respect to configuration of the first of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices each include a wireless communication receiver capable of communicating with a wireless access point communicatively coupled to the at least one network.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices includes:

a processing unit;

a memory in which is stored an instance of at least one of the widget programs;

a user interface which presents information specific to the at least one of the widget programs upon execution by the processor of the instance of the at least one of the widget programs.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the user interface includes a display screen, said at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices further including a flexible housing.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices includes a user interface through which a user may select ones of the widget programs provided to the at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices for execution.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein, in response to a request received over the at least one communication network from a computing device operated by a user of at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices, the server provides an instance of a selected one of the widget programs to another of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein one of the conditions defines a relative order of execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs provided to one of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

14. The system of claim 1 wherein one of the conditions defines one or more absolute times of execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs provided to one of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

15. A method for facilitating configuration of a plurality of personal electronic devices over at least one communication network, said method comprising:

establishing a database of widget programs, said widget programs being capable of execution by ones of said plurality of personal electronic devices;

receiving, over the at least one communication network, user or administrator instructions selecting ones of the widget programs for provision to ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices and specifying conditions relating to execution of the ones of the widget programs; and

transmitting, over the at least one communication network, instances of the ones of the widget programs to the ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices in response to the instructions.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein one of the conditions defines a relative order of execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs provided to one of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

17. The method of claim 15 wherein one of the conditions defines one or more absolute times of execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs provided to one of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

18. The method of claim 15 further including:

receiving additional user or administrator instructions relating to adjustment of audio or visual parameters pertinent to execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs; and

transmitting the additional user or administrator instructions to the ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

19. The method of claim 15 further including:

receiving additional user or administrator instructions relating to definition of aspects of appearance of the user interfaces of corresponding ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices; and

transmitting the additional user or administrator instructions to the corresponding ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

20. The method of claim 15 further including:

receiving, over the at least one communication network, a widget forwarding request from a computing device operated by a user of at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices; and

transmitting, in response to the widget forwarding request, an instance of a selected one of the widget programs to another of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

21. The method of claim 15 further including:

receiving, over the at least one communication network, a widget forwarding request from at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices; and

transmitting, in response to the widget forwarding request, an instance of a selected one of the widget programs to another of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

22. A network-based service provider apparatus operative to facilitate configuration of a plurality of personal electronic devices over at least one communication network, said service provider apparatus comprising:

a database of widget programs, said widget programs being capable of execution by ones of said plurality of personal electronic devices;

a server communicatively coupled to the database and the at least one communication network wherein the server is responsive to user or administrator instructions to transmit, over the at least one communication network, instances of ones of the widget programs and conditions relating to execution of the instances to ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

23. The service provider apparatus of claim 22 wherein certain of the conditions define relative orders of execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs provided to corresponding ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

24. The service provider apparatus of claim 22 wherein certain of the conditions define one or more absolute times of execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs provided to corresponding ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

25. The service provider apparatus of claim 22 wherein the instructions are received by the server over the at least one network.

26. The service provider apparatus of claim 22 wherein ones of the instructions further include information relating to adjustment of audio or visual parameters pertinent to execution of the instances of the ones of the widget programs.

27. A method for facilitating sharing of widget programs among a plurality of personal electronic devices, said method comprising:

establishing a database of the widget programs, the widget programs being capable of execution by ones of said plurality of personal electronic devices;

receiving, over a communication network, a widget forwarding request from at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices; and

transmitting, in response to the widget forwarding request, an instance of a selected one of the widget programs to another of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

28. The method of claim 27 further including transmitting, to the plurality of personal electronic devices, instances of ones of the widget programs prior to each occasion of execution of the ones of the widget programs by the plurality of personal electronic devices.

29. A method of operating a personal electronic device, the method comprising:

receiving, at the personal electronic device, a stream of first instances of a plurality of widget programs;

temporarily storing, within memory of the personal electronic device, the first instances of the plurality of widget programs executing, using a processor of the personal electronic device, each of the first instances of the plurality of widget programs; and

receiving, at the personal electronic device, a stream of second instances of the plurality of widget programs.

30. The method of claim 29, further including:

temporarily storing, within the memory of the personal electronic device, the second instances of the plurality of widget programs

31. In a system including a plurality of personal electronic devices, a method of personalized communication comprising:

creating a personalized widget program including a personal message;

storing the personalized widget program within a database of widget programs, each of the widget programs being capable of execution by ones of the plurality of personal electronic devices;

receiving, over a communication network, a request to forward the personalized widget program to one of the plurality of personal electronic devices;

transmitting, in response to the request, an instance of the personalized widget program to the one of the plurality of personal electronic devices;

32. The method of claim 31 wherein the request to forward the personalized widget program is received from another of the at least one of the plurality of personal electronic devices.

33. A method for distributing widget programs to at least one personal electronic device over a communication network, said method comprising:

storing the widget programs within a database, the widget programs being capable of execution by the at least one personal electronic device;

establishing a plurality of profiles, each of the profiles being pertinent to particular subject matter wherein one or more of the widget programs is associated with each of the plurality of profiles;

associating a first of the plurality of profiles with the at least one personal electronic device; and

transmitting, over the communication network, the one or more of the widget programs associated with the first of the plurality of profiles to the at least one personal electronic device.

34. The method of claim 33 further including storing additional widget programs within the database and modifying which of the widget programs are associated with ones of the plurality of profiles.

35. The method of claim 33 further including receiving, over the communication network, a request from the at least one personal electronic device to subscribe to a set of channels corresponding to a set of the plurality of profiles.

36. The method of claim 35 further including associating, in response to the request, the set of the plurality of profiles with the at least one personal electronic device.