DIGITAL PHOTO FRAME WITH DIAL-A-TAG FUNCTIONALITY

• US 20100171805A1
• Filed: 01/07/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Modu Limited (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Ne'man, Ran, Klimovsky, Sigalit, Ron, Uri, Bychkov, Eyal
• Granted Patent: US 8,295,454 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/14.20
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/16 Digital picture frames
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/44 Additional connecting arrangements for providing access to frequently-wanted subscribers, e.g. abbreviated dialling at the subscriber's set H04M1/27; automatic redialling H04M3/424
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4222 Remote control device emulator integrated into a non-television apparatus, e.g. a PDA, media center or smart toy remote control device for a television receiver integrated into a mobile phone H04M1/72415
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42224 Touch pad or touch panel provided on the remote control
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4728 for selecting a Region Of Interest [ROI], e.g. for requesting a higher resolution version of a selected region
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/45 Picture in picture , e.g. displaying simultaneously another television channel in a region of the screen

Abstract

A digital photo frame, including a memory for storing a plurality of digital photos, and tags associated with the digital photos, where a tag for a digital photo corresponds to an object appearing in the digital photo, a screen for displaying the digital photos, an interface for making connection with a communicator, wherein the communicator includes a storage for storing a contact list of phone numbers for objects, and a controller, coupled with the memory and the interface, for rendering one of the plurality of digital photos on the screen, and for instructing the communicator via the interface (i) to identify the phone number of a selected object, and (ii) to dial the identified phone number, in response to user activation of a tag associated with the rendered digital photo and corresponding to the selected object.

Claims

1. A digital photo frame, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of digital photos, and tags associated with the digital photos, where a tag for a digital photo corresponds to an object appearing in the digital photo;

a screen for displaying the digital photos;

an interface for making connection with a communicator, wherein the communicator comprises a storage for storing a contact list of phone numbers for objects; and

a controller, coupled with said memory and said interface, for rendering one of the plurality of digital photos on said screen, and for instructing the communicator via said interface (i) to identify the phone number of a selected object, and (ii) to dial the identified phone number, in response to user activation of a tag associated with the rendered digital photo and corresponding to the selected object.

2. The digital photo frame of claim 1 wherein tags correspond to objects taken from the group consisting of people, business establishments, organizations, governments and municipalities, geographical sites, entertainment services and information services.

3. The digital photo frame of claim 1 where said interface makes an electrical connection with the communicator.

4. The digital photo frame of claim 1 wherein said interface makes a wireless connection with the communicator.

5. The digital photo frame of claim 4 wherein the wireless connection is a BlueTooth connection.

6. The digital photo frame of claim 4 wherein the wireless connections is a WiFi connection.

7. The digital photo frame of claim 1 wherein said controller renders any of a plurality of digital videos on said screen, wherein one or more tags are associated with the plurality of digital videos, and wherein said controller instructs the communicator to make a phone call to a selected object, in response to user activation of a tag associated with a rendered digital video and corresponding to the selected object.

8. The digital photo frame of claim 1 wherein said screen comprises a touch-sensitive screen, and wherein user activation of a tag corresponding to the selected object comprises the user touching said touch-sensitive screen at a location on said touch-sensitive screen where the selected object appears in the rendered digital photo.

9. The digital photo frame of claim 1 further comprising a user interface with one or more buttons for advancing through tags associated with the rendered digital photo, and for activating one of these tags.

10. A method for communication using a digital photo frame, comprising:

rendering a digital photo, the digital photo having one or more tags associated therewith, wherein a tag for a digital photo corresponds to an object appearing in the photo;

receiving a user input phone call command for a selected one of the tags associated with the rendered digital photo; and

in response to said receiving;

automatically determining a phone number for the object corresponding to the selected tag; and

automatically dialing the phone number for the object corresponding to the selected tag.

11. The method of claim 10 wherein tags correspond to objects taken from the group consisting of people, business establishments, organizations, governments and municipalities, geographical sites, entertainment services and information services.

12. The method of claim 10 wherein said rendering comprises rendering the digital photo on a touch-sensitive screen, and wherein said receiving a user input phone call command comprises identifying an area of the touch-sensitive screen touched by the user, the area corresponding to the selected tag.

13. The method of claim 10 wherein said automatically determining comprises automatically locating the phone number for the object corresponding to the selected tag within a contact list of phone numbers for objects.

14. A method for communication using a digital photo frame, comprising:

rendering a digital photo, the digital photo having one or more tags associated therewith, wherein a tag for a digital photo corresponds to an object appearing in the photo;

automatically determining phone numbers corresponding to the one or more tags;

receiving a user input phone call command for a selected one of the tags associated with the rendered digital photo; and

in response to said receiving, automatically dialing the phone number for the object corresponding to the selected tag.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein tags correspond to objects taken from the group consisting of people, business establishments, organizations, governments and municipalities, geographical sites, entertainment services and information services.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein said rendering comprises rendering the digital photo on a touch-sensitive screen, and wherein said receiving a user input phone call command comprises identifying an area of the touch-sensitive screen touched by the user, the area corresponding to the selected tag.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein said automatically determining comprises automatically locating the phone numbers for the objects corresponding to the one or more tags within a contact list of phone numbers for objects.

18. A method for linking tags associated with digital photos to objects in a contact list, by a digital photo frame, comprising:

associating tags with a plurality of digital photos, where a tag for a digital photo corresponds to an object appearing in the digital photo;

accessing a contact list of phone numbers for objects;

automatically searching for the object corresponding to one of the tags within the contact list; and

if the object corresponding to one of the tags is located within the contact list, then automatically enabling a user to assign the object'"'"'s phone number to the tag; and

if the object corresponding to one of the tags is not located within the contact list, then enabling a user to assign an existing object or a new object to the tag.

19. A method for linking tags associated with digital photos to objects in a contact list, by a digital photo frame, comprising:

associating a tag with a digital photo, the tag corresponding to an object appearing in the digital photo;

accessing a contact list of phone numbers for objects;

automatically enabling a user to assign one of the objects in the contact list to the tag, or to add a new object and phone number to the contact list and to assign the new object to the tag; and

in response to the user activating the tag, automatically dialing the phone number of the object assigned to the tag.

20. A digital photo frame, comprising:

a memory for storing a plurality of digital photos, and tags associated with the digital photos, where a tag for a digital photo corresponds to an object appearing in the digital photo;

a screen for displaying the digital photos;

an interface for making connection with a communicator, wherein the communicator comprises a storage for storing a contact list of phone numbers for objects; and

a controller, coupled with said memory and said interface, for receiving a caller ID for an incoming call answered by the communicator, for identifying an object in the contact list whose phone number matches the caller ID, for identifying one or more of the plurality of digital photos that have an associated tag corresponding to the identified object, and for rendering the identified digital photos on said screen while the incoming call is in progress.

21. The digital photo frame of claim 20 wherein tags correspond to objects taken from the group consisting of people, business establishments, organizations, governments and municipalities, geographical sites, entertainment services and information services.

22. The digital photo frame of claim 20 where said interface makes an electrical connection with the communicator.

23. The digital photo frame of claim 20 wherein said interface makes a wireless connection with the communicator.

24. The digital photo frame of claim 20 wherein the wireless connection is a BlueTooth connection.

25. The digital photo frame of claim 20 wherein the wireless connections is a WiFi connection.

26. The digital photo frame of claim 20 wherein said controller renders any of a plurality of digital videos on said screen, wherein one or more tags are associated with the plurality of digital videos, and wherein said controller identifies one or more of the plurality of digital videos that have an associated tag corresponding to the identified object, and renders the identified digital videos on said screen while the incoming call is in progress.

27. A method for communication using a digital photo frame, comprising:

receiving a caller ID for an incoming phone call;

automatically determining the identity of the caller;

automatically identifying one or more digital photos that have tags corresponding to the caller, wherein a tag for a digital photo corresponds to an object appearing in the photo; and

automatically rendering the identified one or more digital photos while the incoming call is in progress.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein tags correspond to objects taken from the group consisting of people, business establishments, organizations, governments and municipalities, geographical sites, entertainment services and information services.