Picture frame with associated audio message

• US 5,504,836 A
• Filed: 09/15/1993
• Issued: 04/02/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 06/06/1991
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LJ Talk LLC
• Original Assignee: Alan R. Loudermilk
• Inventors: Loudermilk, Alan R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knepper, David D.
• Application Number:
  US08/121,955
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 395/2, 395/2.79, 395/2.81, 381/36, 381/51, 381/43, 206/232, 360/62, 40/455, 365/230.03, 365/45
• US Class Current: 704/272
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/167 Audio in a user interface, e.g. using voice commands for navigating, audio feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/062 Combinations of audio and printed presentations, e.g. magnetically striped cards, talking books, magnetic tapes with printed texts thereon
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems

Abstract

A picture frame and accompanying audio message circuit is provided such that one or more desired audio messages stored in the audio message circuit associated with one or more displayed pictures can be played upon the touching of the pictures or the frame. When audio message playback is desired, a switch on the frame or under a protective cover for the picture is activated by touching. Under CPU control, digital information representing the desired audio message is retrieved from a memory device, which is subsequently converted to an analog signal and transmitted to a speaker which produces the desired audio message perceptible to a human. In other embodiments, multiple pictures and multiple messages are provided such that the user can touch a particular picture, or the switch associated with that picture, and an audio message corresponding to that picture is then played through the speaker. In still other embodiments, a system is provided such that an image is captured electronically through a camera or the like. The electronic information representing the picture, and associated electronic information representing the audio message, is then transmitted over a suitable transmission medium such that it is remotely received. On the receiving end, a still picture is produced for insertion into the picture frame, and the received audio message is input into the voice message circuit.

Claims

1. A picture frame for displaying a still picture and for programming into the picture frame and audibly playing electrical representations of at least first and second user-programmable audio messages associated with the displayed picture, comprising:

a frame adapted for displaying the still picture;

audio storage means for storing the electrical representations of the user-programmable audio messages associated with the displayed still picture, the audio storage means being attached to the frame;

microphone means coupled to the voice storage means for generating the electrical representations of the audio messages, wherein the user programs the user-programmable audio messages into the storage means with the microphone means;

a transparent plate attached to the frame and covering the displayed picture and through which the displayed picture is visible;

at least first and second switch means for initiating the audible playing of the electrical representations of the user-programmable audio messages associated with the displayed still picture, the at least first and second switch means being coupled to the frame and to the audio storage means, wherein the first switch means is activated in accordance with a first mode of operation, and the second switch means is activated in accordance with a second mode of operation; and

speaker means for transducing the electrical representations of the user-programmable audio messages and audibly playing the user-programmable audio messages associated with the displayed still picture, the speaker means being coupled to the audio storage means, wherein the first user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed still picture is played through the speaker means in response to the activation of the first switch means in accordance with the first mode of operation, and wherein the second user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed still picture is played through the speaker means in response to the activation of the second switch means in accordance with the second mode of operation.

2. The picture frame as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first switch means comprises a touch sensitive switch and the first mode of operation comprises the user touching the touch sensitive switch, and wherein the second switch means comprises a light sensor coupled to the audio message means and the second mode of operation comprises the light sensor receiving light that exceeds a threshold intensity.

3. The picture frame as claimed in claim 1 wherein the audio storage means comprises a processing unit and a memory means, wherein the electrical representations of the audio messages associated with the displayed picture are stored in the memory means.

4. The picture frame of claim 2, wherein the first switch means is operable in response to the user touching the transparent plate, wherein the audible playing of the electrical representation of the first user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed still picture is initiated in response to the user touching the transparent plate.

5. In a picture frame for displaying a still picture and for programming into the picture frame and audibly playing at least first and second user-programmable audio messages associated with the displayed picture, the apparatus having a picture, a transparent plate covering the picture, at least first and second switches, wherein the first switch is activated in accordance with a first mode of operation, and the second switch is activated in accordance with a second mode of operation, an audio storage device storing electrical representations of the audio messages and a speaker, a method for programming and playing the user-programmable audio messages associated with the picture comprising the steps of:

programming the first and second user-programmable audio messages into the audio storage device;

activating the first switch in accordance with the first mode of operation;

retrieving the electrical representation of the first user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed picture from the audio storage device in response to activation of the first switch in accordance with the first mode of operation;

playing the first user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed picture through the speaker, wherein the user-programmable audio message is played through the speaker in response to activation of the first switch in accordance with the first mode of operation;

activating the second switch in accordance with the second mode of operation;

retrieving the electrical representation of the second user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed picture from the audio storage device in response to activation of the second switch in accordance with the second mode of operation; and

playing the second user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed picture through the speaker, wherein the user-programmable audio message is played through the speaker in response to activation of the second switch in accordance with the second mode of operation.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the picture frame includes a battery, the method further comprising the steps of detecting a low condition of the battery and disabling playing of the user-programmable audio messages, wherein the battery charge is conserved, wherein the user-programmable audio messages are preserved in the picture frame.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 wherein the first switch comprises a touch sensitive switch and the first mode of operation comprises the user touching the touch sensitive switch, and wherein the second switch comprises a light sensor coupled to the audio storage device and the second mode of operation comprises the light sensor receiving light that exceeds a threshold intensity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the first switch is operable in response to the user touching the transparent plate, wherein the audible playing of the electrical representation of the first user-programmable audio message associated with the displayed still picture is initiated in response to the user touching the transparent plate.

9. An apparatus for displaying a plurality of still pictures and for audibly playing a plurality of electrical representations of audio messages associated with the plurality of pictures, wherein each of the displayed pictures has a particular audio message associated therewith, the apparatus comprising:

a frame for displaying the plurality of still pictures;

audio storage means attached to the frame for storing the electrical representations of the audio messages associated with the plurality of pictures;

microphone means coupled to the audio storage means for generating the electrical representations of the audio messages, wherein the user programs the plurality of user-programmable audio messages with the microphone means into the audio storage means;

one or more transparent plates attached to the frame and covering the displayed pictures and through which the displayed pictures are visible;

a plurality of switch means attached to the frame for initiating the audible playing of the electrical representations of the audio messages stored in the audio storage means, wherein each switch means corresponds to a particular one of the plurality of pictures, and wherein the plurality of switch means are coupled to the audio storage means and are activated in response to touching by a user; and

control means for controlling the audible playing of the electrical representations of the audio messages stored in the audio storage means, wherein the control means is coupled to the plurality of switch means and to the audio storage means, wherein the control means initiates the audible playing of the electrical representation of the audio message associated with a particular displayed picture in response to the activation of the switch means that corresponds to that particular displayed picture; and

speaker means for transducing the electrical representations of the audio messages and audibly playing the audio messages, wherein the audio message associated with a particular picture is played through the speaker means in response to touching by the user.

10. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the plurality of switch means are operable in response to touching by the user of the one or more transparent plates, wherein the control means initiates the audible playing of the electrical representation of the audio message associated with a particular displayed picture in response to touching of the one or more transparent plates at a point in proximity to the particular displayed picture that corresponds to the audio message.

11. The apparatus as claimed in claim 9 wherein the audio storage means and control means comprise a processing unit and a memory means, wherein the electrical representations of the audio messages associated with the displayed pictures are stored in the memory means.

12. In an apparatus for displaying a plurality of still pictures and for playing audio messages associated with the displayed still pictures, the apparatus having still pictures secured in a picture frame, one or more transparent plates covering the pictures, a plurality of switches corresponding to the plurality of pictures, an audio storage device storing electrical representations of the audio messages and a speaker, wherein each of the displayed pictures has a particular audio message associated therewith, a method for programming and playing a user-programmable audio message associated with a particular one of the plurality of pictures comprising the steps of:

programing the electrical representations of user-programmable audio messages into the audio storage device;

touching of the apparatus by a user at a point corresponding to the particular picture;

activating the switch corresponding to the particular picture in response to the touching by the user;

retrieving the electrical representation of the audio message associated with the particular picture from the audio storage device; and

playing the audio message associated with the particular picture through the speaker, wherein the audio message associated with the particular picture is played in response to the touching by the user.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 wherein the control signal is generated in response to touching by the user of the transparent plate at a point in proximity with the particular picture.

14. A method for producing a still picture and an audio message associated with the still picture in a frame at a remote location, comprising the steps of:

generating an electrical representation of the picture;

generating an electrical representation of the audio message;

transmitting the electrical representations of the picture and the audio message over a transmission medium coupled to the remote location;

receiving the electrical representations of the picture and the audio message from the transmission medium at the remote location;

producing the still picture from the received electrical representation of the picture;

inserting the produced picture into a frame having attached thereto a switch coupled to a voice message circuit coupled to a speaker; and

storing the received electrical representation of the audio message in the voice message circuit, wherein the audio message is played through the speaker in response to activation of the switch.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14 wherein the switch is coupled to a transparent plate, wherein the transparent plate is connected to the frame and covers the picture in the frame, wherein the switch is activated by touching the transparent plate.

16. An apparatus for producing a still picture and an audio message associated with the still picture in a frame at a remote location comprising:

means for generating an electrical representation of the picture;

means for generating an electrical representation of the audio message associated with the picture;

means for transmitting the electrical representations of the picture and the audio message over a transmission medium coupled to the remote location;

means for receiving the electrical representations of the picture and the audio message from the transmission medium at the remote location;

means for producing the still picture from the received electrical representation of the picture;

a frame at the remote location for displaying the still picture;

voice storage means attached to the frame for storing the received electrical representation of the audio message associated with the picture;

means for inputting the electrical representation of the audio message into the voice storage means;

switch means attached to the frame and coupled to the voice storage means for initiating the playing of the audio message associated with the picture; and

speaker means connected to the frame and coupled to the voice storage means for playing the associated audio message, wherein the associated audio message is played through the speaker means in response to activation of the switch means.

17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 further comprising a transparent plate attached to the frame and covering the displayed still picture and through which the displayed still picture is visible, wherein the transparent plate is coupled to the switch means and wherein the audio message associated with the picture is played through the speaker means in response to touching of the transparent plate.

18. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16 wherein the voice storage means comprises a processing unit and a memory means, wherein the audio message associated with the picture is stored in the memory means.