System for Controlling a Group of Picture Frames

• US 20090310028A1
• Filed: 06/11/2009
• Published: 12/17/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Digital Spectrum Solutions
• Original Assignee: Digital Spectrum Solutions
• Inventors: Sadri, Reza, Kazemi, Saied
• Application Number:
  US12/483,059
• Publication Number:
  US 20090310028A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/718
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00347 with another still picture apparatus, e.g. hybrid still picture apparatus circuits or arrangements for control or supervision between image input and image output device H04N1/32
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6125 involving transmission via Internet transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6175 involving transmission via Internet broadcast-related systems characterised by the transmission system being the Internet H04H60/82
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6543 for forcing some client operations, e.g. recording remote booting in general G06F9/4416
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0039 Connection via a network
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0075 by a user operated remote control device, e.g. receiving instructions from a user via a computer terminal or mobile telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device

Abstract

A system for controlling multiple electronic displays is presented. The system comprises a display manager capable of aggregating environmental data and deriving a context based on the data. In response to the context, the display manager can coordinate the display of content on the multiple displays. In some embodiments, the displays can be registered members of a group; a family for example.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a plurality of picture frames, the system comprising:

a plurality of digital picture frames;

a plurality of sources of environmental data;

a display manager configured to (a) aggregate the environmental data from the plurality of sources, and to (b) coordinate a display of content on at least two of the plurality of picture frames in response to a context derived from the environmental data; and

a network interconnecting the plurality of picture frames, the plurality of sources, and the display manager.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of picture frames comprises the display manager.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager resides on a centralized server remote relative to the plurality of picture frames.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least two of the plurality of picture frames are physically separated by more than 10 Km.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of picture frames comprises a sensor configured to acquire the environmental data from sources local to the at least one of the plurality of picture frames.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the environmental data comprises at least one of image data and audio data.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the environmental data comprises environmental data obtained by at least two distinct ones of the plurality of picture frames.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the context is derived from environmental data collected by a first picture frame and a second picture frame of the plurality of picture frames and the display of content occurs on a third, different picture frame.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a WAN.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the network comprises a peer-to-peer network.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the display of content includes displaying the same content on at least two of the plurality of picture frames.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager is further configured to display different portions of the content on different ones of the plurality of picture frames.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager is further configured to display content on a first display selected from the plurality of displays and related, yet different content a second, different display selected from the plurality of picture frames.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the display manager is further configured to display an advertisement on at least one of the plurality of picture frames.

15. The system of claim 1, further comprising a content database accessible by the display manager and that stores the content.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of picture frames is member of a group assigned a group ID.

17. The system of claim 1, wherein the context correlates to a profile having a plurality of attribute values associated with the environmental data.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the profile comprises a user profile.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein the profile comprises an authentication.

20. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sources is non-local with respect to the display manager and the plurality of picture frames.