Digital photographic display device

• US 7,978,376 B2
• Filed: 11/21/2005
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sbc Knowledge Ventures, L.P.
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Harrison, Donna M., Divine, Abha S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Park; Chan S
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen; Allen H
• Application Number:
  US11/284,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20070081196A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,059 Days
• Field of Search: 358/302, 455/566, 725/134, 379/142.17, 345/418, 345/619, 345/643, 348/143
• US Class Current: 358/302
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/166 related to integrated arrangements for adjusting the position of the main body with respect to the supporting surface, e.g. legs for adjusting the tilt angle
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/576 associated with a pictorial or graphical representation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6033 for providing handsfree use or a loudspeaker mode in telephone sets arrangements for preventing acoustic echo H04M9/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/62 Constructional arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00281 with a telecommunication apparatus, e.g. a switched network of teleprinters for the distribution of text-based information, a selective call terminal details of transmission H04N1/00095; establishing a communication with one of a facsimile machine or another apparatus sharing a single line H04N1/32704; interfacing cordless telephone terminals with an accessory to increase the functionality of user interface H04M1/72409
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00302 with a telephonic apparatus, e.g. telephone answering machine or videotex terminal H04N1/00307 takes precedence; telephonic communication H04M
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/23 Reproducing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0089 Image display device

Abstract

A digital photographic display frame includes a processor, a communication module responsive to the processor, and a touch screen display. The touch screen display is responsive to the processor to display a digital photographic image and to provide a touch screen number pad interface. The processor is configured to initiate a voice-over-internet protocol (VoIP) telephone call via the communications module in response to a number entered via the touch screen number pad interface.

Claims

1. A digital photographic display frame comprising:

a processor;

a non-transitory tangible memory including instructions that are executable by the processor;

a communication module responsive to the processor; and

a touch screen display, the touch screen display responsive to the processor to display a digital photographic image and to provide a touch screen number pad interface, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to;

provide a graphical user interface at the touch screen display to enable associating a first time of day with a first digital photographic image and to store a table including the first time of day and a reference to the first digital photographic image and a second time of day and a second reference to a second digital photographic image to enable the touch screen display to display the first digital photographic image at the first time of day and to display the second digital photographic image at the second time of day, the first digital photographic image different from the second digital photographic image;

receive a third digital photographic image in a first format via the communication module;

convert the third digital photographic image from the first format to a second format that is compatible with the touch screen display in response to determining that the first format is incompatible with the touch screen display;

associate an audio message with a fourth digital photographic image, wherein when the fourth digital photographic image is displayed, the audio message is played;

display a text message that is associated with at least one of a particular time of day, a fifth digital photographic image, and a particular caller identifier;

display a second text message in response to receiving an alert message from a remote calendar system;

initiate a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) telephone call via the communication module in response to a number entered via the touch screen number pad interface; and

replace a sixth digital photographic image that is displayed at the touch screen display with a seventh digital photographic image, the seventh digital photographic image associated with the number entered via the touch screen number pad interface; and

a security interface capable of being coupled to a security system that includes at least a camera, wherein the touch screen display is operable to switch from displaying one of a plurality of digital photographic images to displaying image data from the camera in response to at least one of a pressing of a doorbell button, a detection of motion, and a user selected query, wherein the plurality of digital photographic images includes at least one of the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh digital photographic images.

2. The digital photographic display frame of claim 1, wherein the non-transitory tangible memory further includes a set of digital photographic images.

3. The digital photographic display frame of claim 2, wherein a digital photographic image of the set of digital photographic images is associated with incoming call information.

4. The digital photographic display frame of claim 2, wherein the non-transitory tangible memory further includes an address book, and wherein at least one entry of the address book includes a phone number.

5. The digital photographic display frame of claim 4, wherein the touch screen display is further configured to enable selection of an entry of the address book to initiate an outgoing call.

6. The digital photographic display frame of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to store the image data and a timestamp associated with the image data at the non-transitory tangible memory.

7. The digital photographic display frame of claim 1, further comprising replacing the digital photographic image with an eighth digital photographic image in response to receiving incoming telephone call data.

8. The digital photographic display frame of claim 1, further comprising a speaker, the processor configured to provide an audio signal to the speaker, the audio signal associated with the voice-over-IP telephone call.

9. The digital photographic display frame of claim 1, further comprising a microphone, the processor configured to receive an audio signal from the microphone.

10. The digital photographic display frame of claim 1, further comprising a decorative wooden frame surrounding the touch screen display, wherein the decorative wooden frame is replaceable with a second decorative wooden frame.

11. A digital photographic display frame device comprising:

a processor;

a display screen to display a digital image;

a non-transitory tangible memory including instructions that are executable by the processor, wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to;

provide a graphical user interface at the display screen to enable associating a first time of day with a first digital image and to store a table including the first time of day and a reference to the first digital image and a second time of day and a second reference to a second digital image to enable the display screen to display the first digital image at the first time of day and to display the second digital image at the second time of day, the first digital image different from the second digital image;

receive a third digital image in a first format;

convert the third digital image from the first format to a second format that is compatible with the display screen in response to determining that the first format is incompatible with the display screen;

associate an audio message with a fourth digital image, wherein when the fourth digital image is displayed, the audio message is played;

display a text message that is associated with at least one of a particular time of day, a fifth digital image, and a particular caller identifier;

display a second text message in response to receiving an alert message from a remote calendar system;

display a sixth digital image at the display screen and replace the sixth digital image with a seventh digital image when the seventh digital image is associated with outgoing call data;

a decorative frame around the display screen, the decorative frame configured to be hung on a wall;

a voice-over-internet-protocol (VoIP) telephone module responsive to the processor; and

a security interface capable of being coupled to a security system that includes at least a camera, wherein the display screen is operable to switch from displaying one of a plurality of digital images to displaying image data from the camera in response to at least one of a pressing of a doorbell button, a detection of motion, and a user selected query, wherein the plurality of digital images includes at least one of the first, the second, the third, the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, and the seventh digital images.

12. The digital photographic display frame of claim 11, wherein the display screen includes a touch screen display configured to display a number pad interface.

13. A digital photographic display frame comprising:

a processor;

a display device to display a digital image;

a non-transitory tangible memory accessible to the processor, the non-transitory tangible memory to store instructions that are executable by the processor;

a voice-over-internet-protocol telephone module accessible to the processor;

a speaker responsive to the processor; and

a microphone accessible to the processor,

wherein the instructions are executable by the processor to;

provide a graphical user interface at the display device to enable associating a first time of day with a first digital image and to store a table including the first time of day and a reference to the first digital image and a second time of day and a second reference to a second digital image to enable the display device to display the first digital image at the first time of day and to display the second digital image at the second time of day, the first digital image different from the second digital image;

receive a set of digital images;

determine whether at least one digital image of the set of digital images is in a first format that is incompatible with the display device;

convert the at least one digital image from the first format to a second format that is compatible with the display device;

store the set of digital images at the non-transitory tangible memory;

store data at the non-transitory tangible memory associating a third digital image from the set of digital images with outgoing call data;

replace the at least one digital image with the third digital image when the outgoing call data is received;

associate an audio message with a fourth digital image, wherein when the fourth digital image is displayed, the audio message is played;

display a text message that is associated with at least one of a particular time of day, a fifth digital image, and a particular caller identifier; and

display a second text message in response to receiving an alert message from a remote calendar system; and

a security interface capable of being coupled to a security system that includes at least a camera, wherein the display device is operable to switch from displaying one of a plurality of digital images to displaying image data from the camera in response to a detected event, wherein the plurality of digital images includes at least one of the first, the second, the third, the fourth, and the fifth digital images.

14. The digital photographic display frame of claim 13, wherein the non-transitory tangible memory further includes instructions executable by the processor to implement answering machine functionality, the non-transitory tangible memory configured to store audio messages associated with the answering machine functionality.

15. The digital photographic display frame of claim 13, wherein the display device includes a touch screen display.

16. The digital photographic display frame of claim 15, wherein the non-transitory tangible memory further includes instructions executable by the processor to provide a number pad interface configured to receive numerical input on the touch screen display.

17. The digital photographic display frame of claim 13, wherein the non-transitory tangible memory is configured to store data associating a sixth digital image with a particular set of incoming call data.

18. The digital photographic display frame of claim 13, wherein the detected event includes at least one of a pressing of a doorbell button, a detection of motion, and a user selected query.

19. The digital photographic display frame of claim 18, wherein the display device is configured to display the digital image based on an orientation of the decorative frame.

20. The digital photographic display frame of claim 13, further comprising a clock, wherein the display device is responsive to the clock to display a seventh digital image based on a date associated with the clock.