Multimedia communicator

• US 8,830,963 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2007
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 1st Communications Inc.
• Original Assignee: 1st Communications Inc.
• Inventors: Lewis, Scott W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hamza, Faruk
• Assistant Examiner(s): GUADALUPE CRUZ, AIXA AMYR
• Application Number:
  US11/686,302
• Publication Number:
  US 20090296605A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,736 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 370/332
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5041 characterised by the time relationship between creation and deployment of a service
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/12 specially adapted for proprietary or special-purpose networking environments, e.g. medical networks, sensor networks, networks in vehicles or remote metering networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/51 Discovery or management thereof, e.g. service location protocol [SLP] or web services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/56 Provisioning of proxy services store-and-forward switching systems in data switching networks H04L12/54
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/06 including a wireless LAN interface
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/10 including a GPS signal receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/00 Services specially adapted for wireless communication networks; Facilities therefor
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/12 WLAN [Wireless Local Area Networks]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/18 Service support devices; Network management devices

Abstract

A multimedia communicator is disclosed. The multimedia communicator comprises a processing unit; and a storage device coupled to the processing unit. The multimedia communicator further includes a plurality of interfaces to allow the multimedia communicator to offer a user a plurality of services. The MMC which includes a microprocessor computing system may be located in a car, for example, or within a handset similar to handsets presently utilized for cell phones. The MMC may be connected to a WiFi Internet connection, a cellular network, a satellite radio or equivalent satellite network, or to other available wireless networks. Additionally, the MMC has the potential to interface with GPS signals as desired.

Claims

1. A multimedia communicator (MMC) comprising:

a processing unit;

a storage device coupled to the processing unit; and

at least one interface in communication with the processing unit to allow the multimedia communicator to offer a user a plurality of services;

wherein the MMC acts as a hybrid multimedia communicator in a hybrid environment, wherein a protocol of the hybrid multimedia communicator determines partnerships between one or more unique cellular providers resulting in a telephone protocol standard which is independent of individual WiFi or cellular providers;

wherein the hybrid multimedia communicator provides services at different levels of complexity comprising level 1 and level 2A;

wherein level 1 provides services at a lowest level of complexity including incoming information; and

wherein level 2A provides measurements from additional sensors comprising sensors installed on a vehicle or the MMC, wherein additional measurements are combined with information obtained from the incoming information to provide more localized services.

2. The multimedia communicator of claim 1 wherein the multimedia communicator is coupled to a plurality of databases which offer the different type of services.

3. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the databases are internal to the multimedia communicator.

4. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with multiple or redundant networks.

5. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with MMC Jr. client and R2R networks.

6. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with customized media insertion.

7. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with customized ad insertion.

8. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with optimizing services.

9. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with predictive/preference services/and autobilling services.

10. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with link services.

11. The multimedia communicator of claim 10 wherein the MMC is utilizing links services to obtain vendor locations.

12. The multimedia communicator of claim 10 wherein the MMC is utilizing links services to enable a transaction related to the vendor.

13. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with radio/Internet/media services received either from WiFi networks, satellite networks, and/or cellular networks, then rejoining the segmented packets of information, thereby overcoming the lack of contiguous signals and providing the user with a continuous playback uninterrupted by service disconnections.

14. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with Level 2B services.

15. The multimedia communicator of claim 14 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with GPS location information and other location services.

16. The multimedia communicator of claim 14 wherein Level 2B comprises new sensors provided to the vehicle by the multimedia communicator.

17. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator utilizes network centric functioning.

18. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator utilizes peer-to-peer functioning.

19. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized to provide coupons.

20. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized to provide faxes.

21. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the multimedia communicator is utilized with push technology to receive media and optimize information.

22. The multimedia communicator of claim 21 wherein the media comprises any and any combination of email, voice mail, music downloads and video downloads.

23. The multimedia communicator of claim 22 wherein the media optimization information is received from a network center.

24. The multimedia communicator of claim 23 wherein the multimedia communicator plays media from one of a self contained media player, a memory stick inserted therein, a music player connected thereto and a media cell phone connected thereto.

25. The multimedia communicator of claim 22 wherein the network center monitors the MMC in order to minimize the information required to communicate with the MMC.

26. The multimedia communicator of claim 25 wherein the network center timestamps files sent to the MMC and continuously downloads relevant information to the MMC based upon the timestamp files to update the MMC with the appropriate information.

27. The multimedia communicator of claim 2 wherein the MMC is utilized with global positioning functionality to provide a location finder service.

28. The multimedia communicator of claim 27 wherein the MMC user can locate other users'"'"' location via the location finder service and the network center.

29. The multimedia communicator of claim 28 wherein the location finder service is secure.

30. The multimedia communicator of claim 1 wherein the interfaces include any of and any combination of a WiFi connection/interface, uplink GPS/Traffic data connection/interface, cellular connection/interface, radio transmitter to radio transmitter (R2R) connection/interface, data services connection/interface, outside devices voice/location based services (LBC)/device connection/interface, subscriber database/Internet providers connection/interface, satellite network connection/interface, voice recognition protocol connection/interface, voice activated connection/interface, display connection/interface, linked services connection/interface, geographic links connection/interface, VoIP connection/interface, car cell phone connection/interface, and an outside providers services connection/interface.

31. The multimedia communicator of claim 1 wherein the multimedia may utilize a network function or a peer to peer function.

32. The multimedia communicator of claim 1 wherein the levels of complexity comprises level 2B wherein level 2B provides for new sensing elements.

33. The multimedia communicator of claim 1 wherein the services comprise any of or any combination of geography-based services, location-based services, radio services, video services, playback of audio, video and data programming, telephony services including intelligent roaming and optimized cost- and quality-efficient services, cellular services, WiFi services, traffic information services, weather information services, integrated database services such as integrated traffic and weather services, traffic safety services, military logistics services, stock information services, product ordering and purchasing services which may be integrated with preference-based services, billing services, optimization of cost and quality level of services, customized advertising services and customized media insertion services.

34. The MMC of claim 1, wherein the incoming information can be utilized by any of location services, weather services and traffic services.