Multimedia computer and television apparatus

• US 6,373,503 B1
• Filed: 08/21/1998
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 02/22/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lumenati, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Lumenati, Inc.
• Inventors: Perkes, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Application Number:
  US09/125,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20020054020A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 345/327, 345/329, 345/333, 345/342, 345/718, 348/552, 455/6.3, 709/202, 709/203, 709/229
• US Class Current: 715/718
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/00 Control arrangements or circuits for visual indicators common to cathode-ray tube indicators and other visual indicators image data processing or generation, in general G06T
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/006 Details of the interface to the display terminal specific for a display terminal using a CRT G09G1/167; using a flat panel G09G3/2096; circuits for interfacing with colour displays G09G5/04
• 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 5/44 Receiver circuitry for the reception of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A multimedia computer and television apparatus (10) includes a dual mode monitor portion (20) adapted to display either or both a TV broadcast signal or computer (data) signal, connected to a computer portion (30) configured for both Internet access and television broadcast reception, and a remote control portion (40) adapted to control the computer portion (30) and monitor portion (20).

Claims

1. A multimedia computer and television apparatus comprising:

a triple mode monitor portion adapted to display either or both a TV broadcast signal or computer (data) signal, the TV broadcast signal being displayed by itself in a first mode, the computer signal being displayed by itself in a second mode, both the TV broadcast signal and the computer signal being displayed on the monitor portion in a third mode;

a computer portion connected to said monitor portion and configured for both Internet access and television broadcast reception; and

a remote control portion adapted to control said computer portion and said monitor portion,

wherein said remote control portion is operable to set said monitor portion to one of said first, second and third modes, and

wherein said monitor portion operates in said first mode to display said television broadcast signal even when said computer portion is turned off.

2. The multimedia computer and television apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said remote control portion comprises:

a remote control alphanumeric keyboard; and

a remote control pointing device,

wherein, upon operation of said remote control alphanumeric keyboard, a first control signal is sent to said computer portion from said remote control portion, and

wherein upon operation of said remote control pointing device, a second control signal is sent to said computer portion from said remote control portion.

3. The multimedia computer and television apparatus as set forth in claim 2, wherein said computer portion includes an IR receiver and wherein said remote control portion includes an IR transmitter, and

wherein the first and second control signals are sent over-the-air from said IR transmitter to said IR receiver.

4. The multimedia computer and television apparatus as set forth in claim 3, wherein said remote control pointing device includes at least one of a mouse, a touchpad, and a trackball.

5. The multimedia computer and television apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said monitor portion is configured to receive, on a first input port, a television signal having a television horizontal frequency at a first horizontal scanning frequency,

wherein said monitor portion is configured to receive, on a second input port, a computer signal having a computer signal horizontal frequency at a second horizontal scanning frequency different from said first horizontal scanning frequency, and

wherein said monitor portion is configured to sense, based on a horizontal scanning frequency of an input signal received from said computer portion on one of said first and second input ports, whether said input signal is said television signal or is said computer signal, and to provide a video output on a display of said monitor portion at a corresponding monitor scanning frequency for said input signal.

6. The multimedia computer and television apparatus as set forth in claim 5, wherein said first input port is a VGA 15-pin input port, and wherein said second input port is a 75-ohm cable input port.