System and method for implementing a personal information mode in an electronic device

• US 20090328127A1
• Filed: 06/26/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Electronics Inc. (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Jastorff, Dan, Calderon, Rafael, Zorrilla, Rolando, Barry, Keith, Hernandez, Jorge
• Application Number:
  US12/215,263
• Publication Number:
  US 20090328127A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 725/153
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44213 Monitoring of end-user related data arrangements for monitoring the users' behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• 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 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4751 for defining user accounts, e.g. accounts for children
• 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 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

A system and method for implementing a personal information mode in a television device includes personal information data that is selectably accessed from at least one remote information source. A display of the television device is configured to display a personal information interface to a system user. A personal information module of the television then automatically displays the personal information to the system user on the personal information interface.

Claims

1. A system for implementing a personal information mode in an electronic device, comprising:

information data that is selectably accessed from at least one information source;

a display coupled to said electronic device for displaying a personal information interface to a system user; and

a personal information module that automatically displays said personal information to a system user on said personal information interface.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic device is implemented to include a television that supports said personal information mode.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein said at least one information source includes a server that said electronic device communicates with through an electronic network.

4. The system of claim 3 wherein said server functions as a gateway device to provide connection information for said personal information module to contact and obtain said personal information from one or more remote information sources through said electronic network.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein said personal information interface includes one or more personal information display pages that present said personal information to said system user.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein said personal information module obtains at least a portion of said personal information from a server through an electronic network.

7. The system of claim 6 wherein said electronic network includes an Internet network.

8. The system of claim 6 wherein said electronic network includes a cable television network.

9. The system of claim 6 wherein said server includes information links for said electronic device to directly connect with one or more remote information sources through said electronic network to obtain said personal information.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein said personal information includes news data, weather data, traffic data, sports data, financial data, and entertainment data.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic device includes one or more personal information applications that support user-selected functions during said personal information mode.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein said personal information applications include a calendar module, a map module, a games module, a clock module, an alarm module, and an audio/video module.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein said electronic device includes configuration data that defines operating characteristics of said personal information mode.

14. The system of claim 13 wherein said personal information module allows said system user to interactively perform a configuration procedure to create and locally store said configuration data.

15. The system of claim 1 wherein said personal information module monitors a server through an electronic network to detect any data changes in said personal information provided by said server, said personal information module updating locally-stored versions of personal information data to incorporate said data changes.

16. The system of claim 1 wherein said personal information mode is manually or automatically activated in said electronic device to display said personal information to said system user.

17. The system of claim 1 wherein said personal information module determines a currently-selected display mode for said personal information mode.

18. The system of claim 17 wherein said currently-selected display mode is a personal-information-only mode, said personal information module responsively instructing said display to present only said personal information interface to said system user.

19. The system of claim 17 wherein said currently-selected display mode is a combination mode, said personal information module responsively instructing said display to present both said personal information interface and normal display information to said system user.

20. A method for implementing a personal information mode in an electronic device, comprising:

accessing information data selectably from at least one information source;

displaying a personal information interface to a system user on a display coupled to said electronic device; and

utilizing a personal information module to automatically display said personal information to a system user on said personal information interface.