Process and system for automatically transmitting audio/video content from an electronic device to desired recipient(s)

• US 7,840,203 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2007
• Issued: 11/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Edward M. Shin
• Original Assignee: Edward M. Shin
• Inventors: Shin, Edward M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Tu X
• Application Number:
  US11/731,498
• Publication Number:
  US 20080178251A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 455/3.06, 455/456.1, 455/457, 455/404.1
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 13/19621 Portable camera
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 25/016 Personal emergency signalling and security systems emergency non-personal manually actuated alarm activators G08B25/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/189 in combination with wireless systems selective distribution or broadcast in wireless communication networks H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/1895 for short real-time information, e.g. alarms, notifications, alerts, updates
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42202 environmental sensors, e.g. for detecting temperature, luminosity, pressure, earthquakes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/632 using a connection between clients on a wide area network, e.g. setting up a peer-to-peer communication via Internet for retrieving video segments from the hard-disk of other client devices broadcast-related systems characterised by transmission among terminal devices H04H60/80; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/185 from a mobile camera, e.g. for remote control

Abstract

A method and apparatus for the automatic acquisition and transmission of audio-video content by a portable wireless communications device, such as a cellular telephone, is provided. The transmission of audio-video content can be initiated locally by a user of the device, or remotely. Upon initiation, audio-video content is automatically captured, such as via a digital video camera circuit. The content is then automatically transmitted to one or more recipients. The content can be transmitted through the periodic transmission of emails, each containing an attachment with a segment of audio-video content, or via video streaming connections.

Claims

1. A portable communications device comprising:

a wireless transceiver capable of communicating data via a wireless communications network;

an audio-video content acquisition circuit; and

one or more microprocessors within the portable communications device executing software adapted to respond to a first user input by acquiring audio-video content from the audio-video content acquisition circuit and automatically transmitting the audio-video content to one or more predetermined recipients via the wireless transceiver; and

the one or more microprocessors are further configured to identify the predetermined recipients based on criteria including at least the location of the portable communications device.

2. A method of using a cellular telephone having an integrated digital camera and adapted for wireless communications using a cellular communications network, comprising the steps of:

receiving a predetermined user input by the cellular telephone to initiate an audio-video content recording and transmission operation;

recording one or more segments of audio-video data by the cellular telephone using the integrated digital camera; and

transmitting each segment of audio-video content, after it is recorded, via the cellular communications network, to one or more recipients, automatically and without requiring further user action; and

identifying the recipients based on criteria including at least the location of the cellular telephone.