Wireless digital picture display frame

• US 6,961,046 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2004
• Issued: 11/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Bowden, George R. III, Skarbo, Rune A., Salvador, Anthony C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US10/785,282
• Publication Number:
  US 20040174327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 616 Days
• Field of Search: 345 2- 3, 345/104, 345/204, 345/328, 345/146, 345/901, 348 12- 17, 348/207, 348 1401- 1402, 348/231, 348/794, 358/527, 360/2, 360/5, 361679-682, 369/14, 386 55- 69, 704/272
• US Class Current: 345/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/06 Remotely controlled electronic signs other than labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165

Abstract

A wireless digital picture display frame is disclosed. The display frame includes a wireless receiver that operates to receive a digital picture, a flat-panel display that operates to render the digital picture, and a processor that operates to control the receiving and rendering of the digital picture. The display frame further includes a frame with constructs that encircle the flat panel display, and form a housing to house the enumerated components. The digital picture may be a digital painting/graphics rendition or a digital photograph.

Claims

1. A system for displaying digital pictures, comprising:

a frame having a frame body, the frame body shaped, dimensioned, and having an appearance of a conventional still picture frame;

a wireless receiver disposed inside the frame body to receive pictures;

a display co-located with the wireless receiver and framed by the frame body to render the pictures;

a processor coupled with the frame, the processor to control the receiving and rendering of the pictures, and having a unique identifier to uniquely identify the frame; and

a remote source to provide picture information to the frame, and to provide the unique identifier with the picture information to allow selective configuration of the pictures, the selective configuration including uniquely identifying intended recipients of the picture information using the unique identifier, and

a non-volatile memory coupled with the wireless receiver to store the digital picture.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the unique identifier is provided at a beginning of a transmission.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the pictures comprise one or more the following digital paintings, digital graphs, and digital photographs.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the non-volatile memory comprises one or more of the following:

a block erasable flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) memory.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the processor comprises one or more of the following:

an 8-bit or more microcontroller, a 16-bit or more digital signal processor, and a 32-bit or more general purpose microprocessor.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame body comprises hanging features to hang the frame.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame body comprises support features for surface placement of the frame.

8. An apparatus for displaying digital pictures, comprising:

a frame having a frame body, the frame body shaped, dimensioned, and having an appearance of a conventional still picture frame;

a processor coupled with the frame, the processor to control receiving and rendering of pictures, and having a unique identifier to uniquely identify the frame;

a remote source to provide picture information to the frame, and to provide the unique identifier with the picture information to allow selective configuration of the pictures, the selective configuration including uniquely identifying intended recipients of the picture information using the unique identifier; and

a wireless receiver disposed inside the frame body to receive the pictures.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprises a display co-located with the wireless receiver and framed by the frame body to render the pictures.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprises a non-volatile memory coupled with the wireless receiver to store the pictures.

11. A method for displaying digital pictures, comprising:

distributing a frame having a frame body shaped, dimensioned, and having an appearance of a conventional still picture frame, the frame to receive and render pictures, wherein the receiving of the pictures is performed using a wireless receiver disposed inside the frame body;

controlling the receiving and rendering of the pictures using a processor coupled with the frame, the processor having a unique identifier to uniquely identify the frame; and

providing picture information to the frame via a remote source, and further providing the unique identifier with the picture information to allow selective configuration of the pictures, the selective configuration including uniquely identifying intended recipients of the picture information using the unique identifier.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprises providing the unique identifier at the beginning of transmission.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the rendering of the pictures is performed using a display co-located with the wireless receiver and framed by the frame body.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprises storing the pictures using a non-volatile memory coupled with the wireless receiver.