Visual messaging system for high-speed networks

• US 6,774,767 B2
• Filed: 08/15/2001
• Issued: 08/10/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: RMG Enterprise Solutions, Inc. (RMG Networks Holding Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Symon Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Hooks, Kevin, Odom, Chuck
• Primary Examiner(s): Lieu, Julie
• Application Number:
  US09/930,560
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075158A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,091 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.02, 340/286.01, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 345/328, 345/723, 345/327, 455/3--, 455/4.1, 455/5.1, 455/6.3
• US Class Current: 340/286.02
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/147 using display panels

Abstract

The present invention provides a visual messaging device for use with a high speed network. The message data is communicated to the network by a remote device, such as a computer or server. The visual messaging device includes a network interface circuit that receives the message data from the network and arranges it in a memory unit in usable form (packets) for use by a processor at the high network speed. The processor includes a central processing unit (CPU) and is a multi-tasking device, which sequences the messages in real time for display by the display device according to programmed instructions stored or provided to the visual messaging device. A display driver activates and deactivates the visual elements, such as individual LEDs, according to the processor'"'"'s instructions. The various elements of the visual messaging device communicate in real time over a common data bus. The network may be a local area network, wide area network or the internet. A first memory stores the available messages from the receiver in a selected format for use by said processor and a second memory stores programs or programmed instructions. A common data bus provides two-way communications means for the processor, memories, network interface and the display driver. The processor provides status reports of the messages to the remote unit at the network speed.

Claims

1. A messaging device for displaying messages in response to data constituting said messages transmitted by a remote system over a high speed network at a predetermined network data rate constituting a certain bandwidth of the network, said messaging device comprising:

(a) a visual display device having a plurality of discrete display elements;

(b) at least one memory in the visual display device;

(c) a network interface within said visual messaging device for receiving said data transmitted by the remote system and for storing such received data in packets in the at least one memory at said network data rate without reducing the bandwidth of the high speed network;

(d) a processor within said visual messaging device, said processor adapted to retrieve the data packets from the at least one memory, processing the retrieved data packets according to one or more programs associated with the at least one processor to build the messages for display on said visual display device, said processor further adapted for storing the built messages in the at least one memory in a select order in substantially real time;

(e) a display driver for retrieving said built messages from the at least one memory in said select order, said display driver in response to said built messages activating and deactivating said visual display device to display said messages; and

(f) thereby enabling the visual messaging device to receive, process and display on the visual display device messages transmitted by the remote system substantially in real time.

2. The visual messaging device according to claim 1, wherein said processor determines a plurality of parameters relating to the messages and transmits said parameters to the remote system at substantially the network data rate.

3. The messaging device according to claim 1, wherein the processor builds the messages as bit maps for display.

4. The messaging device according to claim 1, wherein the high speed network is selected from a group consisting of (i) a local area network;

(ii) a wide area network; and

(iii) the Internet.

5. The messaging device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of discrete display elements are selected from a group consisting of (i) light emitting diodes, (ii) a liquid crystal device;

and (iii) a fiber display device.

6. The messaging device according to claim 1 further comprising one or more communication buses for providing communication among the processor, at least one memory, network interface and the display driver.

7. The messaging device according to claim 2, wherein said parameters are selected from a group consisting of (i) a message displayed by the visual display device;

(ii) a configuration of the message displayed by the visual display device;

(iii) a message to be displayed by the visual display device; and

(iv) a time sequence of the messages.

8. The messaging device according to claim 1, wherein the visual display device, the network interface, the processor, and the memory form an integral unit.

9. A method of providing messages on a messaging device, said messages transmitted by a remote system over a high speed network at a predetermined network data rate constituting a certain bandwidth of the network, the method comprising:

(a) providing a visual display device for displaying visual messages transmitted by said remote system;

(b) providing at least one memory in at least one memory unit for storing messages transmitted by the remote system and messages processed by a processor;

(c) receiving said messages transmitted by the remote system and storing such received messages in data packets in the at least one memory at substantially the network data rate without reducing the bandwidth of the high speed network;

(d) retrieving and processing the data packets from the at least one memory according to one or more programs to build messages for display on said visual display device and storing the built messages in the at least one memory in a selected order at substantially the network data rate; and

(e) retrieving the built messages from the at least one memory and in response thereto activating and deactivating the visual display device to display said built messages thereon in said select order, wherein said retrieving, processing, and display on the visual display device messages transmitted by the remote system are performed in real time.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the visual display device includes a plurality of discrete display elements selected from a group consisting of (i) light emitting diodes;

(ii) a liquid crystal device; and

(iii) a fiber display device.

11. The method of claim 9 further comprising determining a plurality of parameters of the messages and communicating said parameters to said remote system over the high speed network.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said high speed network is selected from a group consisting of (i) a local area network;

(ii) a wide area network; and

(iii) the Internet.

13. A messaging system for displaying messages data substantially in real time comprising:

(a) a remote unit transmitting messages over a high speed network at a selected network data rate;

(b) a visual messaging device coupled to the remote unit via a data communications medium;

(c) at least one memory in the visual display device;

(d) a network interface within said visual messaging device for receiving said data transmitted by the remote system and for storing such received data in packets in the at least one memory at said network data rate without reducing the bandwidth of the high speed network;

(e) a processor within said visual messaging device, said processor adapted to retrieve the data packets from the at least one memory, processing the retrieved data packets according to one or more programs associated with the processor to build the messages for display on said visual display device, said processor further adapted for storing the built messages in the at least one memory in a select order substantially in real time;

(f) a display driver for retrieving said built messages from the at least one memory in said select order, said display driver in response to said built messages activating and deactivating said visual display device to display said messages; and

(g) thereby enabling the visual messaging device to receive, process and display on the visual display device messages transmitted by the remote system substantially in real time.

14. The messaging system according to claim 13, wherein the remote unit is a computer and the data communications medium is a local area network.

15. The messaging system according to claim 13, wherein the processor provides a plurality of status reports about the messages to said remote unit over said data communication medium substantially at the selected network data rate.

16. The messaging system according to claim 13, wherein said selected data rate exceeds 1 megabit per second.

17. The messaging system according to claim 13, wherein a display rate of the visual display device substantially determines the rate of display of messages on said visual display device.

18. The messaging system according to claim 13, wherein the visual display device includes a plurality of discrete elements selected from a group consisting of (i) light emitting diodes;

(ii) a liquid crystal device, and (iii) a fiber display device.