Information processing device

• US 6,952,713 B1
• Filed: 08/18/1999
• Issued: 10/04/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: van Gestel, Henricus A. W., Raaijmakers, Klaas K.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Viet D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Jinsong
• Application Number:
  US09/376,860
• Time in Patent Office: 2,239 Days
• Field of Search: 369/30.04, 369/30.18, 369/30.2, 369/30.4, 463 30- 32, 463/236, 709/236, 709/206, 709/202, 712/30, 712/31
• US Class Current: 709/202
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 15/0283 for data storage and retrieval

Abstract

The invention relates to an information processing device (1), including a user control unit (2) for the selection of units of primary information to be processed and functions to be invoked. The device also includes storage means (3) for storing the primary information. From the selections made by the user the device derives personalizing information concerning the use of the device and the primary information processed with the device. The personalizing information is stored separately and represents a history of the usage of the device, thus making the device more personalized to its owner.

Claims

1. An information processing device comprising:

a first storage device for storing units of primary information;

a user operable interface for making selections from the stored units of primary information to be processed and/or from functions to be invoked;

a second storage device;

a presentation device for presenting information; and

a personalizing processor configured for deriving, from said selections, personalizing information that includes information other than the mere fact that the selected units were selected, in order to store the derived personalizing information in the second storage device said processor being further configured to, in response to a unit of said stored units of primary information being processed;

a) retrieve, from the second storage device, a respective portion of the stored, derived, personalizing information; and

b) operate the presentation device to present the retrieved portion, the device including communication means for exchanging units of primary information with a similar information processing device, wherein the personalizing means is arranged to attach a personal tag to a unit of primary information to be sent to the similar information processing device, the personalizing means also being arranged to detach a personal tag from a received unit of primary information and store it as personalizing information in the second storage device.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the personalizing processor is configured to maintain a link between a respective unit of said primary information and a respective unit of the stored, personalizing information.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein the presenting, by the presentation device, of said retrieved personalizing information presents said respective unit of the personalizing information while said respective unit of said primary information is being processed.

4. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein the deriving serves to personalize stored units of primary information corresponding to said selections to form the derived personalizing information to be stored in the second storage device.

5. The information processing device of claim 4, wherein said second storage device is in communicative connection with said first storage device.

6. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein said second storage device is in communicative connection with said first storage device.

7. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein said personalizing information comprises an e-mail address.

8. The information processing device of claim 1, wherein said information processing device is a mobile device.

9. The information processing device of claim 1, configured as a consumer electronics device, and so as not to enable the stored, personalizing information to be erased from or altered on said second storage device, so that the second storage device is non-removable, and so that the first storage device is either removable by a user of said information processing device or, if non-removable, the units of primary information are erasable from the first storage device.

10. An information processing device comprising:

a first storage device for storing units of primary information;

a user operable interface for making selections from the stored units of primary information to be processed and/or from functions to be invoked;

a second storage device; and

a personalizing means for deriving personalizing information from said selections in order to store the personalizing information in the second storage device, the personalizing means being arranged to maintain a link between a respective unit of said primary information and a respective unit of the personalizing information, the information processing device being arranged to erase a respective unit of primary information in response to a user command, wherein the personalizing means is arranged to remove a link between the respective unit of primary information and a respective unit of personalizing information, and to preserve the storage of the respective unit of personalizing information in the second storage device.

11. A method for processing information, the method comprising the steps of:

storing of primary information;

selecting a portion of the primary information;

deriving personalizing information for the selected portion of the primary information so as to maintain a link between a respective unit of said primary information and a respective unit of the personalizing information;

storing of the personalizing information; and

erasing a respective unit of primary information in response to a user command by removing a link between the respective unit of primary information and a respective unit of personalizing information so as to preserve the storage of the respective unit of personalizing information in the second storage device.

12. The method of claim 11, further including the step of deriving a history of personalizing information, using two or more selected portions of primary information.

13. An information processing device comprising:

a memory for storing primary information;

an interface, wherein at least a portion of said primary information is selected; and

a processor that is operable to (1) process said portion of said selected primary information and (2) deriving personalizing information for said selection portion, said processor being arranged to maintain a link between a respective unit of said primary information and a respective unit of the personalizing information and, in erasing a respective unit of primary information in response to a user command, to remove a link between the respective unit of primary information and a respective unit of personalizing information so as to preserve the storage of the respective unit of personalizing information in the second storage device.

14. The information processing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable for storing the personalizing information in the memory.

15. The information processing device of claim 13, wherein the processor is further operable for deriving a history of personalizing information, using two or more selected portions of primary information.