Portable personal radio system and method

• US 6,993,290 B1
• Filed: 02/11/2000
• Issued: 01/31/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 02/11/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Wistron Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Lu, Qi, Gebis, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Pablo N.
• Application Number:
  US09/502,923
• Time in Patent Office: 2,181 Days
• Field of Search: 455/414, 455/32.1, 455433-434, 455/445, 455/461, 455/466, 455/426, 455/517, 455/554, 455 45- 46, 455 41- 42, 455/186.1, 455/186.2, 455/5.1, 455/6.3, 455/62.1, 455/150.1, 455/151.1, 455/507, 455524-525, 455/152.1, 455/41.4, 370310-313, 370349-352, 370/401, 709206-207, 709217-218, 709/227, 348 6- 7
• US Class Current: 455/45
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/59 for emergency or urgency
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/46 for recognising users' preferences
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/66 for using the result on distributors' side

Abstract

An information handling system includes a content database for storing content, a receiver for receiving information relating to a subscriber personal profile including subscriber content preferences, a text-to-audio converter coupled to the database for converting textual content to audio content, a content controller for selecting and mixing content from the content database according to the content preferences, a modulator coupled to the text-to-audio converter for modulating audio content to provide audio-modulated signals, and a transmitter coupled to the database for transmitting the content to a remote subscriber unit via a wireless link.

Claims

1. An information handling system, comprising:

a content database for storing content, wherein the content is organized into at least one channel;

means for receiving information relating to a subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise preferences for at least one preferred channel within the at least one channel and a specification of a way that content from the at least one preferred channel is combined;

a content controller for selecting content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

means for mixing content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the means for mixing content comprise alert mixing means for interrupting information from a default channel with information from a first channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

a modulator for modulating audio content to provide audio-modulated signals; and

a transmitter coupled to the content database and to the means for mixing content for transmitting mixed content from the at least one preferred channel to a remote subscriber unit via a wireless link.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is a radio-frequency transmitter.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter operates under an analog cellular telephone protocol.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the transmitter operates under a digital cellular telephone protocol.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the subscriber content preferences are provided by a user of the remote subscriber unit via the wireless link, thereby identifying personal preferences.

6. The system of claim 1 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise music.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise information relating to a stock market.

8. The system of claim 1 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise information relating to sports.

9. The system of claim 1 further comprising personalized channel mixing means for allowing a user of the remote subscriber unit to specify the way that content from the at least one preferred channel is combined when transmitted by the transmitter.

34. The system of claim 1, further comprising a client radio system comprising a text-to-audio converter for converting textual content to audio content.

10. An information handling system, comprising:

a content database for storing content, wherein the content is organized into at least one channel;

means for receiving information relating to a subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise preferences for at least one preferred channel within the at least one channel;

a content controller for selecting content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

means for mixing content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences;

a modulator for modulating audio content to provide audio-modulated signals;

a transmitter coupled to the content database and to the means for mixing content for transmitting mixed content from the at least one preferred channel to a remote subscriber unit via a wireless link; and

personalized channel mixing means for allowing a user of the remote subscriber unit to specify the way that content from the at least one preferred channel is combined when transmitted by the transmitter,

wherein the personalized channel mixing means comprise alert mixing means for the user to specify updates of specified information from a first channel to be transmitted by interrupting information from a default channel being transmitted.

11. An information handling system, comprising:

a content database for storing content, wherein the content is organized into at least one channel;

means for receiving information relating to a subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise preferences for at least one preferred channel within the at least one channel;

a content controller for selecting content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

means for mixing content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences;

a modulator for modulating audio content to provide audio-modulated signals;

a transmitter coupled to the content database and to the means for mixing content for transmitting mixed content from the at least one preferred channel to a remote subscriber unit via a wireless link; and

personalized channel mixing means for allowing a user of the remote subscriber unit to specify the way that content from the at least one preferred channel is combined when transmitted by the transmitter,

wherein the personalized channel mixing means comprise constant mixing means for the user to specify that mixed information from multiple channels be transmitted to be played simultaneously at the remote subscriber unit.

35. The system of claim 11, wherein a subset of the mixed information from multiple channels is sent to one of a plurality of speakers.

12. A method for a personal radio system comprising the steps of:

storing content that is organized into at least one channel;

receiving information relating to a subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise preferences for at least one preferred channel within the at least one channel and a specification of a way that content from the at least one preferred channel is combined;

selecting content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

mixing content from the at least one preferred channel into a stream of data according to the subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the mixing content comprises interrupting information from a default channel with information from a first channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

modulating audio content to provide audio-modulated signals; and

transmitting the stream of data for receipt by a user unit via a wireless medium for audio rendering to a user of the user unit.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising converting the content from text to audio and modulating a carrier signal with the audio for transmission to the user.

14. The method of claim 12 further comprising transmitting a radio-frequency signal with the audio to the user.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising transmitting a signal with the audio using an analog cellular telephone protocol.

16. The method of claim 12 further comprising transmitting a signal with the audio using a digital cellular telephone protocol.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise music.

18. The method of claim 12 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise information relating to a stock market.

19. The method of claim 12 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise information relating to sports.

20. The method of claim 12 wherein the at least one channel comprises a plurality of channels and wherein the method further comprises allowing the user to specify the way that the content from the plurality of channels is combined when delivered to the user.

21. The method of claim 20 further comprising allowing the user to specify updates of specified information to be presented to the user by interrupting a default channel being presented to the user.

22. The method of claim 20 further comprising allowing the user to specify that combined information from multiple channels of information be presented simultaneously to the user.

36. The method of claim 22, wherein a subset of the combined information from multiple channels is sent to one of a plurality of speakers.

23. A computer-readable medium for a personal radio system comprising the instructions for:

storing content that is organized into at least one channel;

receiving information relating to a subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise preferences for at least one preferred channel within the at least one channel and a specification of a way that content from the at least one preferred channel is combined;

selecting content from the at least one preferred channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

mixing content from the at least one preferred channel into a stream of data according to the subscriber personal profile comprising subscriber content preferences, wherein the instructions for mixing content comprises instructions for interrupting information from a default channel with information from a first channel according to the subscriber content preferences;

modulating audio content to provide audio-modulated signals; and

transmitting the stream of data for receipt by a user unit via a wireless medium for audio rendering to a user.

24. The medium of claim 23 further comprising instructions for converting the content from text to audio and modulating a carrier signal with the audio for transmission to the user unit.

25. The medium of claim 23 further comprising instructions for transmitting a radio-frequency signal with the audio to the user unit.

26. The medium of claim 23 further comprising instructions for transmitting a signal with the audio using an analog cellular telephone protocol.

27. The medium of claim 23 further comprising instructions for transmitting a signal with the audio using a digital cellular telephone protocol.

28. The medium of claim 23 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise music.

29. The medium of claim 23 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise information relating to a stock market.

30. The medium of claim 23 wherein the subscriber content preferences comprise information relating to sports.

31. The medium of claim 23 wherein the at least one channel comprises a plurality of channels and wherein the medium further comprises instructions for allowing the user to specify the way that information from different channels is combined in the transmitted stream of data.

32. The medium of claim 31 further comprising instructions for allowing the user to specify updates of specified information to be presented to the user by interrupting the default channel being presented to the user.

33. The medium of claim 31 further comprising instructions for allowing the user to specify that content from multiple channels of information be presented simultaneously to the user.