Method and apparatus for providing an audio visual e-mail system

• US 6,252,588 B1
• Filed: 06/16/1998
• Issued: 06/26/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Zentek Technology, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Zentek Technology, Inc.
• Inventors: Dawson, John
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl, Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hailu, Tadesse
• Application Number:
  US09/098,362
• Time in Patent Office: 1,106 Days
• Field of Search: 345/339, 345/440, 345/302, 345/331, 345/329, 345/330, 345/332, 707/10, 709/206, 709/245, 709/204, 709/237, 709/200
• US Class Current: 715/752
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

An audio visual e-mail system and method are presented. The audio visual e-mail system of the invention reduces the complexity of sending and receiving audio visual e-mail messages to a level that allows a user to send and receive audio visual e-mail with a minimum of inconvenience. The prior art paradigm of selecting e-mail addresses from a list of long and complex e-mail addresses is replaced by selecting a thumbnail image of the intended recipient. Instead of trying to guess the identity of the sender of an e-mail message, an e-mail message created according to the invention is automatically “signed” by a thumbnail image of the sender. Instead of sending long written descriptions that are prone to misunderstanding and difficult to read, the sender of an e-mail message according to the invention can send a photo of the object to be described together with a verbal, audio description. In one embodiment, a user uses a television-type remote control as a command interface to create audio visual messages containing a picture, a verbal description in the user'"'"'s own words, and a thumbnail portrait of the user.

Claims

1. A method of performing e-mail messaging comprising:

coupling an audio recording device to a television set and a telephone line connection;

recording an audio message using said audio recording device;

selecting a self image using a set up self image menu wherein said selecting comprises;

coupling a visual recording device to said television set and said telephone line connection;

recording at least one self image using said visual recording device;

displaying at least one visual icon, wherein each visual icon is associated with one of said self images, and wherein one of said visual icons comprises an active icon;

displaying the self image associated with said active icon;

choosing one of said self images to be said selected self image;

displaying a plurality of images of potential e-mail message recipients other than said self;

selecting at least one of said images of potential recipients;

automatically associating said selected at least one of said images of potential recipients and said selected self image with an e-mail message to be delivered, wherein said e-mail message to be delivered comprises said audio message;

transmitting said e-mail message to be delivered and said automatically associated self image to an e-mail address associated with said at least one image of said potential recipient;

upon receipt of said e-mail message by a recipient, automatically displaying said transmitted self image as a signature for said received audio message.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

recording a visual message using said visual recording device;

wherein said e-mail message comprises said audio message and said visual message.

3. A method of performing e-mail messaging comprising:

coupling a recording device to a telephone line connection;

recording a message using said recording device;

selecting a self image using a set up self image menu wherein said selecting comprises;

displaying at least one visual icon, wherein each visual icon is associated with one of said self images, and wherein one of said visual icons comprises an active icon;

displaying the self image associated with said active icon;

choosing one of said self images to be said selected self image;

displaying a plurality of visual depictions of potential message e-mail recipients other than a sender;

selecting at least one of said visual depictions of potential recipients;

automatically associating said selected at least one of said visual depictions of potential recipients and said selected self image with an e-mail message to be delivered, wherein said e-mail message comprises said recorded message;

transmitting said e-mail message to be delivered and said automatically associated self image to an e-mail address associated with said at least one visual depiction of said potential recipient;

upon receipt of said e-mail message by a recipient, automatically displaying said self image as a signature for said received recorded message.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

said e-mail message recipient other than a sender creating a database of said e-mail senders by performing the steps of;

obtaining said e-mail message wherein said email message comprises an e-mail address of said sender and said self image signature;

receiving a command from said recipient selecting at least one of said self image signatures of said received e-mails;

storing said self image signature in a database;

storing said e-mail address of selected sender in said database;

storing an association between said address and said self image signature in said database.

5. The method of claim 4, further comprising:

associating said plurality of visual depictions of potential e-mail recipients other than a sender, said self image signature, said e-mail addresses of said senders, and said associations between said addresses and said self image signature in said database.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein said self image signature is included in a header of said e-mail message.

7. The method of claim 3 wherein said recorded message comprises an audio message.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein said recorded message comprises a visual message.

9. The method of claim 3 wherein said recorded message comprises a visual message.

10. An apparatus for performing messaging comprising:

an audio recording device coupled to a television set and a telephone line connection;

a recorded audio message, recorded using said audio recording device;

a set up self image menu for selecting a self image comprising;

at least one visual icon associated with at least one self image, wherein one of said visual icons comprises an active icon;

a display of said self image associated with said active icon;

a self image selector for choosing one of said self images;

a plurality of images of potential message e-mail recipients other than said self;

a recipients selection device for selecting at least one of said images of potential recipients device for selecting at least one of said images of potential recipients;

an association engine for automatically associating said selected at least one of said images of potential recipients and said selected self image with an e-mail message to be delivered, wherein said e-mail message comprises said recorded audio message;

a transmitter for transmitting said e-mail message to be delivered and said automatically associated self image to an e-mail address associated with said at least one image of said potential recipient;

a signature display for automatically displaying said self image to a recipient as a signature for a received email upon receipt of said e-mail message.

11. A method for transmitting audio visual email comprising:

generating a first user-interface via a first controller coupled to a first display screen, said first controller having a first audio input/output interface;

presenting a first user-interface to a sending user via said first display screen, wherein said user-interface comprises a plurality of icons each representative of receiving users;

obtaining audio data from said sending user via said audio input/output interface;

obtaining a selection from said sending user of at least one receiving user from said plurality of icons wherein said selection enables said sending user to identify said at least one receiving users without requiring said sending user to have knowledge of an electronic mail address associated with said at least one receiving user;

sending message data comprising said audio data, text data, and an image representative of said sending user to said at least one receiving user via a data communication network coupled to said first controller;

receiving said message data at a second controller coupled to said data communication network wherein said second controller comprises a second audio input/output interface and a second display screen associated with said at least one receiving user;

displaying a second user-interface to said at least one receiving user via said second display screen wherein said second user-interface comprises said image representative of said sending user;

presenting said audio data portion of said message data to said at least one receiving user via said second audio input/output interface and said text data to said at least one receiving user when said at least one receiving user selects said image representative of said sending user, wherein said audio data and said text data are presented automatically without requiring said receiving user to identify an external application configured to play said audio data or display said text data.