Interactive communications appliance

• US 7,818,400 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2004
• Issued: 10/19/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. (VTech Holdings Ltd.)
• Inventors: Brown, Matthew, Sward, Jen, Wood, Michael C.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jackson; Blane J
• Application Number:
  US10/950,350
• Publication Number:
  US 20050107031A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,217 Days
• Field of Search: 455/7, 455/18, 455/41.2, 455/500, 455/68, 455/74, 455/556.1, 455/575.1, 455/90.1, 455/3.03, 455/3.04, 455/3.05, 455/3.06, 455/88, 455/557, 709/212, 709/219, 709/227
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 5/00 Electrically-operated educational appliances working with questions and answers G09B7/00; simulators G09B9/00; advertising or displaying in general G09F
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

An interactive communications appliance for broadcasting personalized information is disclosed. The interactive communications appliance comprises a transceiver for receiving personalized information transmitted via a wireless link. A memory stores the personalized information and an audio device broadcasts the personalized information to a user.

Claims

1. An interactive communications appliance for broadcasting personalized information, the interactive communications appliance comprising:

(a) a processor;

(b) a transceiver for receiving personalized information transmitted from a client computer via a wireless link, the transceiver being operatively coupled to the processor, wherein the personalized information is received based on a user profile, and further wherein the processor is configured to combine the personalized information with pre-recorded, reuseable data that is personalized to a user;

(c) a memory for storing the personalized information, the memory being operatively coupled to the processor; and

(d) an audio device for broadcasting the combined pre-recorded, reusable data and personalized information,

wherein the personalized information is received by the client computer from a server computer via a communication medium.

2. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 further comprising an alarm.

3. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 wherein the audio device is a speaker.

4. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 further comprising an input device, wherein the input device comprises a button.

5. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 wherein the personalized information comprises at least one of sports information, educational information, weather information, and TV programming information.

6. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 wherein the memory comprises code for creating a personalized schedule for the user.

7. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 further comprising a time display.

8. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 wherein the communication medium comprises the Internet.

9. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 wherein the transceiver is adapted to transmit information to a second transceiver operatively coupled to the client computer.

10. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 wherein the memory stores the pre-recorded, reuseable data that is personalized to a user.

11. A system for broadcasting personalized information to a user, the system comprising:

the interactive communications appliance of claim 1, wherein the transceiver is a first transceiver;

a second transceiver communicating with the first transceiver via the wireless link;

the client computer operatively coupled to the second transceiver; and

the server computer in communication with the client computer.

12. The system of claim 11 further comprising a user profile database.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the pre-recorded, reuseable data that is personalized to a user is stored on the client computer.

22. The interactive communications appliance of claim 1 wherein the user profile includes data fields relating to a user'"'"'s age, preferred learning modes, and favorite sizes and shapes.

14. A method for broadcasting personalized information, the method comprising:

(a) providing a user profile for a user to a server computer;

(b) receiving personalized information based on the user profile at a client computer from the server computer via a communication medium;

(c) combining the personalized information with pre-recorded, reuseable data that is personalized to a user; and

(d) transmitting the combined personalized information and pre-recorded, reusable data from the client computer to an interactive communications appliance via a wireless link for storage,

wherein the personalized information is thereafter broadcasted to the user.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein obtaining personalized information is based on information that is appropriate for the user'"'"'s age.

16. The method of claim 14 wherein the communication medium comprises the Internet.

17. The method of claim 14 wherein an alarm sounds prior to broadcasting the personalized information.

18. The method of claim 14 wherein the method further comprises preselecting one or more radio channels on the interactive communications appliance for broadcasting at predetermined times.

19. The method claim 14 wherein the personalized information comprises one or more of sports information, educational information, weather information, TV programming information, and music.

20. The method of claim 14 further comprising creating the user profile.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein the wireless link is a radio frequency link.

23. A method for broadcasting personalized information, the method comprising:

(a) providing a user profile for a user to a server computer;

(b) uploading a text message to the server computer;

(c) receiving personalized information based on the user profile at a client computer from the server computer via a communication medium, wherein the receiving personalized information includes receiving the text message;

(d) transmitting the personalized information from the client computer to an interactive communications appliance via a wireless link for storage, wherein the personalized information is thereafter broadcasted to the user; and

(e) converting the text message to audio data, wherein the personalized information that is broadcasted to the user includes the audio data.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the interactive communications appliance comprises an animatronic figurine that appears to speak when the personalized information is broadcasted to the user.