Wireless electronic libretto display apparatus and method

• US 6,760,010 B1
• Filed: 03/15/2000
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Figaro Systems Inc.
• Original Assignee: Figaro Systems Inc.
• Inventors: Webb, Geoffrey J. H.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kostak, Victor R.
• Application Number:
  US09/526,268
• Time in Patent Office: 1,574 Days
• Field of Search: 345/168, 345/165, 345/716, 345/730, 381/77, 381/80, 381/81, 844/70.R, 844/77.R, 434/308, 700/94, 709/203, 709/217-219, 714/746, 714/748, 714/758, 714/819, 725/78, 725/81, 455/3.06
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: A63J 5/10 Arrangements for making visible or audible the words spoken
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2370/16 Use of wireless transmission of display information
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/04 Electronic labels
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/004 by using forward error control H04L1/0618 takes precedence; coding, decoding or code conversion, for error detection or correction H03M13/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/0063 Single parity check
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 1/08 by repeating transmission, e.g. Verdan system H04L1/1858 and H04L1/189 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2001/0093 Point-to-multipoint

Abstract

An apparatus and method for the simultaneous presentation of a performance script or other commentary, dialogue or visual information available in the original language or multiple translations which can be selected by the user on portable wireless devices.

Claims

1. A wireless libretto display apparatus using one-way communications for transmitting and remotely displaying a predetermined sequence of graphic symbols simultaneously on a plurality of displays, the apparatus comprising:

a computer for storing said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols and for assembling said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols in a clause of symbols, said clause of symbols comprising;

control characters and a unique identifier for said clause of symbols; and

a first cyclical redundancy checksum generated from said clause of symbols;

a one-way transmission means for transmitting said clause of symbols on command and for transmitting said clause of symbols at least a second time;

a receiver means for receiving said clause of symbols, said receiver means comprising a second cyclical redundancy checksum to determine an accuracy of said clause of symbols from the first transmission or the at least second transmission, said receiver means further comprising a delay means for delaying displaying the graphic symbols on said plurality of displays for a predetermined period of time; and

said plurality of displays for simultaneously displaying said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols only once and only if the first transmission or the at least second transmission of said clause of symbols is accurate and each display from the plurality of displays displaying a blank screen if the clause of symbols in the first transmission or at least second transmission to said each display is inaccurate.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said receiver means and said display means comprise a single display unit.

3. The invention of claim 2 wherein said single display unit comprises a portable unit.

4. The invention of claim 1 wherein said receiver means and said display means further comprise a rechargeable battery.

5. The invention of claim 4 wherein said receiver means further comprises a battery recharger.

6. The invention of claim 1 wherein said transmission means comprises a plurality of transmitters.

7. The invention of claim 1 wherein said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols comprises UNICODE encoding.

8. The invention of claim 1 wherein said display means comprises a plurality of displays.

9. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a plurality of wireless libretto apparatuses, each comprising a different predetermined sequence of text.

10. The invention of claim 1 further comprising a first wireless libretto display apparatus for transmitting and remotely displaying a first predetermined sequence of graphic symbols in a first location and at least a second wireless libretto display apparatus for transmitting and remotely displaying at least a second predetermined sequence of graphic symbols in at least a second location.

11. A method for transmitting and remotely displaying a predetermined sequence of graphic symbols simultaneously on a plurality of displays using one-way communications, the method comprising the steps of:

a) storing the predetermined sequence of graphic symbols in a computer;

b) assembling the predetermined sequence of graphic symbols in a clause of symbols, wherein the step of assembling comprises the substeps of;

i) providing control characters and a unique identifier in each clause of symbols; and

ii) generating a first cyclical redundancy checksum from the clause of symbols;

c) transmitting the clause of symbols on command and transmitting the clause of symbols at least a second time with a one-way transmitter;

d) receiving the clause of symbols with a receiver comprising a second cyclical redundancy checksum, the receiving step further comprising delaying a step of displaying the predetermined sequence of graphic symbols on the plurality of displays for a predetermined period of time;

e) determining an accuracy of the clause of symbols by comparing the first cyclical redundancy checksum with the second cyclical redundancy checksum; and

f) simultaneously displaying on the plurality of displays the predetermined sequence of graphic symbols only once and only if the clause of symbols is accurate and each display from the plurality of displays displaying a blank screen if the clause of symbols in the first transmission or at least second transmission to the each display is inaccurate.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining further comprises the steps of waiting for a next clause of symbols transmission if the clause of symbols is not accurate.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising repeating steps a) through f) for a next predetermined sequence of graphic symbols.

14. The method of claim 11 wherein the step of determining further comprises ignoring a next clause of symbols transmission if the clause of symbols is accurate.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising encoding the predetermined sequence of graphic symbols in UNICODE.

16. A wireless infrared apparatus for remotely displaying a predetermined sequence of graphic symbols using one-way communications, the apparatus comprising:

a micro-computer for storing said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols and for assembling said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols in a clause of symbols, said clause of symbols comprising;

control characters and unique identifier for said clause of symbols; and

;

a first cyclical redundancy checksum generated from clause of symbols;

an infrared one way transmission means for transmitting said clause of symbols on command and for transmitting said clause of symbols at least a second time;

an infrared receiving means for receiving said clause of symbols transmitted the first and at least the second time and also comprising a second cyclical redundancy checksum to determine accuracy of said clause of symbols, said receiving means further comprising a delay means for delaying displaying the predetermined sequence of graphic symbols on a display for a predetermined period of time; and

the display for displaying the predetermined sequence of text if only once and only if said clause of symbols is accurate and displaying a blank screen if said clause of symbols in inaccurate.

17. The invention of claim 16 wherein said receiver means and said display means comprise a single display unit.

18. The invention of claim 17 wherein said single display unit comprises a portable unit.

19. The invention of claim 16 wherein said receiving means and said display further comprise a rechargeable battery.

20. The invention of claim 16 wherein said one-way transmission means comprises a plurality of transmitters.

21. The invention of claim 16 wherein said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols comprises UNICODE encoding.

22. A single character wireless apparatus for remotely displaying a predetermined graphic symbol using one-way communications, the apparatus comprising:

a computer for storing said predetermined graphic symbol and for assembling said predetermined graphic symbol in a clause of symbols, said clause of symbols comprising;

control characters and unique identifier for said clause of symbols; and

a cyclical redundancy checksum generated from clause of symbols;

a one-way transmission means for transmitting said clause of symbols on command and for transmitting said clause of symbols at least a second time;

at least one receiver means for receiving said clause of symbols, said receiver means also comprising a cyclical redundancy checksum to determine accuracy of said clause of symbols transmitted a first and at least a second time, said at least one receiver means further comprising a delay means for delaying displaying the predetermined graphic symbol on a least one display means for a predetermined period of time; and

the at least one display means for displaying said predetermined graphic symbol only once and only if said clause of symbols is accurate and displaying a blank screen if said clause of symbols in inaccurate.

23. The invention of claim 22 further comprises a plurality of single character wireless apparatuses arranged in a predetermined order.

24. The invention of claim 22 wherein said predetermined sequence of graphic symbols comprises UNICODE encoding.