Printer with audio or video receiver, recorder, and real-time content-based processing logic

• US 8,077,341 B2
• Filed: 03/30/2004
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/25/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Hull, Jonathan J., Graham, Jamey, Hart, Peter E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Baker, Charlotte M
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODRIGUEZ, LENNIN R
• Application Number:
  US10/813,846
• Publication Number:
  US 20050068567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,814 Days
• Field of Search: 358/1.15, 358/1.14, 358/400, 348/571, 348/465, 455/404.1, 340/505
• US Class Current: 358/1.18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00291 with receiver circuitry television receiver circuitry per se H04N5/44
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00294 for printing images at a television receiver

Abstract

A system and method for monitoring events from a media stream and triggering an action in response to detected events. The action is preferably based on information relating to the event received by the system. The system can generate a paper document that reflects some aspects of the detected event such as a summary describing the event. The system can also generate a network message (e.g., email or paging call) in response to the detected event. In other embodiments, the system stores multimedia in memory in response to the detected event. The system can also generate an audio on a speaker or a video on a video display system attached to the printer based on the detected event.

Claims

1. A printer for printing time-based media from a broadcast media feed, the printer comprising:

a broadcast media receiver for receiving and outputting the broadcast media feed of time-based media;

a content-based processing logic coupled to the broadcast media receiver for monitoring the broadcast media feed of time-based media to detect an occurrence of an event within the broadcast media feed, the content-based processing logic processing the broadcast media feed to generate an electronic representation and a printable representation of the broadcast media feed responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event, the printable representation and the electronic representation including a time of occurrence of the event, a graphical representation of the event and a barcode linking the graphical representation to a corresponding segment of a recorded media feed describing the event;

a first output device in communication with the content-based processing logic to receive the electronic representation, the first output device automatically producing a corresponding electronic output from the received electronic representation of the broadcast media feed responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event; and

a second output device in communication with the content-based processing logic to receive the printable representation, the second output device automatically producing a corresponding printed output from the received printable representation of the broadcast media feed responsive to the generation of the printable representation.

2. The printer of claim 1, wherein the printed output is generated in a video paper format.

3. The printer of claim 1, wherein the printed output is generated in an audio paper format.

4. The printer of claim 1, wherein the electronic representation including the graphical representation of the event comprises an email message.

5. The printer of claim 1, wherein the corresponding electronic output comprises at least one selected from the group consisting of a network message, audio related to the broadcast media feed, a modified web page comprising information related to the event, and video related to the broadcast media feed.

6. The printer of claim 5, wherein the network message comprises an email message.

7. The printer of claim 5, wherein the network message comprises a paging message.

8. The printer of claim 1, wherein the content-based processing logic is user-programmable to indicate the event to be monitored.

9. The printer of claim 1, wherein the content-based processing logic is user-programmable to indicate a response to be generated.

10. The printer of claim 1, wherein the content-based processing logic extracts data from a web page responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

11. The printer of claim 1, wherein the content-based processing logic extracts data from the broadcast media feed responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

12. The printer of claim 11, wherein the content-based processing logic extracts closed caption text from the broadcast media feed.

13. The printer of claim 11, wherein the content-based processing logic extracts key frames from a video feed.

14. The printer of claim 1, further comprising the content-based processing logic broadcasting a video feed responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

15. The printer of claim 1, further comprising the processing logic broadcasting an audio feed on a speaker responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

16. The printer of claim 1, wherein the broadcast media feed comprises live media feed.

17. The printer of claim 1, further comprising a media recorder for recording the broadcast media feed.

18. The printer of claim 1, wherein the event comprises a coded signal embedded in the broadcast media feed.

19. The printer of claim 18, wherein the coded signal corresponds to an emergency alert system (EAS) alert.

20. The printer of claim 18, wherein the coded signal corresponds to a national weather service (NWS) alert.

21. The printer of claim 18, wherein the coded signal corresponds to an emergency broadcast system (EBS) alert.

22. The printer of claim 18, further comprising a decoder for decoding the coded signal.

23. The printer of claim 18, wherein the coded signal comprises a digital data embedded in the broadcast media feed.

24. The printer of claim 18, wherein the coded signal comprises a tone sequence embedded in the broadcast media feed.

25. The printer of claim 1, wherein the event comprises an appearance of an image in the broadcast media feed.

26. The printer of claim 1, wherein the broadcast media feed comprises an audio stream.

27. The printer of claim 1, wherein the broadcast media feed comprises a video stream.

28. The printer of claim 1, wherein the media receiver comprises a receiving means selected from a group of an antenna, a satellite dish, and a cable line.

29. The printer of claim 1, wherein the media receiver is adapted to receive media signals at multiple frequencies simultaneously.

30. The printer of claim 1, wherein the event comprises an occurrence of a specified sound in the broadcast media feed.

31. A method for printing time-based media from a broadcast media feed, the method comprising:

receiving the broadcast media feed of time-based media;

monitoring the broadcast media feed of time-based media to detect an occurrence of an event within the broadcast media feed;

processing the broadcast media feed to generate an electronic representation of the broadcast media feed and a printable representation of the broadcast media feed responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event, the printable representation and the electronic representation including a time of occurrence of the event, a graphical representation of the event and a barcode linking the graphical representation to a corresponding segment of a recorded media feed describing the event;

responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event, automatically generating a corresponding electronic output from the electronic representation of the broadcast media feed; and

responsive to the generation of the printable representation, automatically generating a corresponding printed output from the printable representation of the broadcast media feed.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising generating an email message from the electronic representation of the broadcast media feed.

33. The method of claim 31 further comprising generating a network message responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

34. The method of claim 31 further comprising defining the event to be monitored.

35. The method of claim 31 further comprising extracting data from a web page responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

36. The method of claim 31, wherein processing the broadcast media feed comprises extracting closed caption text from the media feed.

37. The method of claim 31, wherein processing the broadcast media feed comprises extracting key frames from a video feed.

38. The method of claim 31 further comprising broadcasting a video feed responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

39. The method of claim 31 further comprising broadcasting an audio feed responsive to detecting the occurrence of the event.

40. The method of claim 31 further comprising further comprising decoding a coded signal in the broadcast media feed.