Digital picture frame having communication capabilities

• US 9,286,027 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2008
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Carney, Patrick, Temple, Sinclair, Small, Andrea
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lin, Chun-Nan
• Application Number:
  US12/937,234
• Publication Number:
  US 20110128242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,895 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-184, 709/217, 707/705, 455/566
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• 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 1/1643 the display being associated to a digitizer, e.g. laptops that can be used as penpads details related to the relative motion of the display enclosure with respect to the body enclosure, e.g. to move between laptop and tablet PC configuration G06F1/1615
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1647 including at least an additional display G06F1/1692 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• 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 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1694 the I/O peripheral being a single or a set of motion sensors for pointer control or gesture input obtained by sensing movements of the portable computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1698 the I/O peripheral being a sending/receiving arrangement to establish a cordless communication link, e.g. radio or infrared link, integrated cellular phone details of antennas disposed inside a computer H01Q1/2266
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00127 Connection or combination of a still picture apparatus with another apparatus, e.g. for storage, processing or transmission of still picture signals or of information associated with a still picture
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00129 with a display device, e.g. CRT or LCD monitor with a television apparatus H04N1/00283; arrangements for control of display devices G09G
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00442 Simultaneous viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. using a mosaic display arrangement of thumbnails
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00453 arranged in a two dimensional array
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00458 Sequential viewing of a plurality of images, e.g. browsing or scrolling

Abstract

A digital display device for displaying content associated with multiple sets of sources of content is described herein. The digital display device includes a display configured to provide at least a first display region and a second display region. The digital display device further includes a communication component configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a telecommunications network and a storage component configured to store a mapping of sources of content to the first and second display regions. The digital display device also includes a routing component that automatically routes content associated with the first and second sets of sources for display on at least one of the first and second display regions. The first and second display regions display the content substantially simultaneously.

Claims

1. A digital display device for the display of content associated with a plurality of content sources, the digital display device comprising:

a display configured to provide a plurality of display regions for displaying content from a plurality of content sources,

wherein each content source is an electronic device,

wherein the content includes digital images, audio or video, and

wherein at least two of the plurality of content sources have an individual associated with each content source;

a communication component configured to receive signals from a telecommunication network,

wherein the signals contain content associated with the plurality of content sources;

a storage component configured to store associations as a mapping between the content sources and the display regions,

wherein each of the content sources is associated with at least one display region, and

wherein display of content from the at least one content source can be rotated or moved among display regions associated with the at least one content source; and

a routing component coupled to the communication component, the storage component, and the display, wherein the routing component is configured for;

analyzing received content to identify a source of the received content;

accessing the storage component to determine a display region associated with the identified source of the received content; and

routing the received content to the determined display region for display,

wherein the content of each of the determined display regions is displayed, and

wherein the received content is displayed automatically in the determined display region that is mapped to the identified content source,

the communication component further being configured so that, in response to a user selection of a first display region, the communication component;

initiates a real-time communication session with a first individual who is associated with the content source of the selected first display region, and

while the real-time communication session is active with the first individual, and in response to a subsequent user selection of a second display region apart from the first display region, the communication component adds a second individual who is associated with the content source of the selected second display region to the active real-time communication session,

such that the first individual and the second individual share the same real-time communication session with the user.

2. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the storage component is further configured to store the received content.

3. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the received content includes at least one of a still image, a moving image, and text.

4. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the communication component is further configured to receive wireless signals from a telecommunication network.

5. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the digital display device is associated with an identifier, and wherein the received content is sent by the sources of content to the identifier.

6. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein at least one source of content is associated with a subscriber of the telecommunication network.

7. The digital display device of claim 1, further comprising a user interface component configured to allow a user to specify at least one content source of the plurality of content sources.

8. The digital display device of claim 1, wherein the display comprises a first display panel corresponding to the first display region and a second display panel corresponding to the second display region.

9. A digital display device for displaying content associated with a plurality of content sources, the digital display device comprising:

a touchscreen display configured to provide a plurality of display regions,

wherein each of the display regions is configured to display content from an associated content source,

wherein each content source is an electronic device, and

wherein the content includes digital images, audio or video;

a communication component configured to transmit and receive signals to and from a telecommunication network from the plurality of content sources;

a storage medium configured to store a mapping of content sources to associated display regions,

wherein each of the content sources is associated with at least one of the display regions;

a router coupled to the communication component, the storage medium, and the touchscreen display, the router configured to;

analyze received content to identify a content source;

access the storage medium to determine a display region that is mapped to the identified content source; and

automatically route the received content to the determined display region, wherein the received content is displayed automatically in the determined display region that is mapped to the identified content source; and

a real-time communication component coupled to the communication component and configured to establish a multi-way real-time communication session with the multiple individuals in response to a selection of the display region associated with the at least one content source associated with multiple individuals.

10. The digital display device of claim 9, wherein the content associated with the plurality of content sources includes at least one of an image, a moving image, and text.

11. The digital display device of claim 9, further comprising a camera configured to capture at least one of an image and moving images and provide at least one of the image and the moving images to the communication component for transmittal by signals to the telecommunication network.

12. The digital display device of claim 9, wherein the communication component is further configured to transmit and receive wireless signals over the telecommunication network.

13. The digital display device of claim 9, further comprising a user interface component that is configured to allow a user to specify at least one of the plurality of content sources.

14. The digital display device of claim 9, wherein the touchscreen display comprises a touchscreen display panel corresponding to one of the display regions.

15. The digital display device of claim 9, further comprising:

an audio input component coupled to the communication component and configured to capture sound for transmittal by signals to the telecommunication network; and

an audio output component coupled to the communication component and configured to generate sound corresponding to signals received from the telecommunication network,

wherein the real-time communication session includes a voice communication session that includes the captured and generated sound.

16. The digital display device of claim 9, further comprising:

an audio input component coupled to the communication component and configured to capture sound for transmittal by signals to the telecommunication network;

an audio output component coupled to the communication component and configured to generate sound corresponding to signals received from the telecommunication network, and

a camera coupled to the communication component and configured to capture at least one of an image and moving images and provide at least one of the image and the moving images to the communication component for transmittal by signals to the telecommunication network,

wherein the real-time communication session includes a video communication session that includes at least one of the image and the moving images.

17. The digital display device of claim 9, wherein the real-time communication session includes a text communication session.

18. An electronic display device for displaying content associated with a plurality of sources, the electronic display device comprising:

means for receiving signals from a telecommunication network, the signals containing content associated with a plurality of sources,

wherein each source is an electronic device, and

wherein the content includes digital images, audio or video;

means for transmitting signals via the telecommunication network;

means for identifying the electronic display device to the telecommunication network;

a display segmented into a plurality of regions for automatically displaying received content associated with the plurality of sources, wherein;

each of the plurality of regions is associated with at least one of the plurality of sources,

display of content from the at least one source can be rotated or moved among display regions associated with the at least one source,

each of the plurality of regions displays source-associated content, and

the content in each of the plurality of display regions is associated with an entity; and

means for initiating a real-time communication session over the telecommunication network with a first entity that is associated with the content in a first region selected by a user, and while the real-time communication session with the first entity is still active, adding a second entity to the active real-time communication session when a second region apart from the first user-selected region is subsequently selected by the user,

wherein the added second entity is associated with the content in the selected second region, and

wherein the first and second entities are thereby being joined in the same real-time communication session.

19. The electronic display device of claim 18, wherein the content associated with the plurality of sources includes at least one of an image, a moving image, and text.

20. The electronic display device of claim 18, further comprising:

means for capturing sound for transmittal by signals to the telecommunication network; and

means for generating sound corresponding to signals received from the telecommunication network,

wherein the real-time communication session includes a voice communication session including the captured and generated sound.

21. The electronic display device of claim 18, further comprising:

means for capturing sound for transmittal by signals to the telecommunication network;

means for generating sound corresponding to signals received from the telecommunication network, and

means for capturing at least one of an image and moving images;

wherein the real-time communication session includes a video communication session including at least one of the image and the moving images.

22. The electronic display device of claim 18, wherein the real-time communication session includes a text communication session.

23. The electronic display device of claim 18, further comprising means for capturing at least one of an image and a moving image for transmittal by signals to the telecommunication network.

24. The electronic display device of claim 18, wherein at least one of the plurality of sources is associated with a subscriber of the telecommunication network.

25. The electronic display device of claim 18, further comprising means for allowing a user to specify at least one of the plurality of sources.