INTELLIGENT ELECTRONIC APPLIANCE SYSTEM AND METHOD

• US 20070053513A1
• Filed: 08/29/2006
• Published: 03/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hoffberg Family Trust 2, Blanding Hovenweep LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC), STEVEN M. HOFFBERG 2004-1 GRAT
• Original Assignee: STEVEN M. HOFFBERG 2004-1 GRAT
• Inventors: Hoffberg, Steven
• Granted Patent: US 7,974,714 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 380/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/103 Static body considered as a whole, e.g. static pedestrian or occupant recognition
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4318 by altering the content in the rendering process, e.g. blanking, blurring or masking an image region image enhancement or restoration in general G06T5/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/475 End-user interface for inputting end-user data, e.g. personal identification number [PIN], preference data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only

Abstract

An intelligent electronic appliance preferably includes a user interface, data input and/or output port, and an intelligent processor. A preferred embodiment comprises a set top box for interacting with broadband media streams, with an adaptive user interface, content-based media processing and/or media metadata processing, and telecommunications integration. An adaptive user interface models the user, by observation, feedback, and/or explicit input, and presents a user interface and/or executes functions based on the user model. A content-based media processing system analyzes media content, for example audio and video, to understand the content, for example to generate content-descriptive metadata. A media metadata processing system operates on locally or remotely generated metadata to process the media in accordance with the metadata, which may be, for example, an electronic program guide, MPEG 7 data, and/or automatically generated format. A set top box preferably includes digital trick play effects, and incorporated digital rights management features.

Claims

1. A digital tights management method, comprising the steps of:

(a) receiving a media stream having visual or audio content;

(b) determining a physical environment of presentation;

(c) distorting the media stream to alter the media in accordance with the physical environment of operation such that a presentation device signal differs from a nominal media stream, to include a watermark, and wherein the environment of operation compensates for at least a portion of the distortion; and

(d) presenting the distorted media stream,

wherein a copy of the distorted media stream is degraded in environments different than the determined physical environment of presentation, and the copy is traceable.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of defining a minimum level of distortion;

and distorting the media stream to meet the minimum level.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein a video content is distorted.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said distorting comprises introducing a pseudorandom component into the media stream in a manner resistant to filtering.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein said method is performed within an apparatus which forms part of the physical environment of operation.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the apparatus produces intrinsic acoustic emissions.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein an intrinsic acoustic emission from the apparatus is controlled in accordance with the media stream, such that the sound in the physical environment is a composite of presented distorted media stream and the intrinsic acoustic emission, and wherein the environment of operation compensates and intrinsic acoustic emission together compensate for at least a portion of the distortion.

8. A data storage device, comprising:

(a) said data storage device comprising an acoustic emission source, producing an acoustic emission during data storage operations;

(b) a controllable transducer, separate from said acoustic emission source; and

(c) a control system, controlling said acoustic emission source and said transducer, to reduce a perceived acoustic disturbance from said data storage device during data storage operations, said control system cooperating with said a media rendering system such that at least a portion of the sounds defined by media rendered by the media rendering system are generated by at least one of the acoustic emission source and said transducer.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said data storage device comprises a rotating data storage medium and a positionable data read head on an electromagnetic actuator.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein said data storage device comprises a rotating magnetic disk storage system.

11. The device according to claim 8, wherein said data storage device comprises a rotating optical disk storage system.

12. The device according to claim 8, wherein said controllable transducer comprises a piezoelectric transducer.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein said controllable transducer comprises an electromagnetic transducer.

14. The device according to claim 8, wherein said controllable transducer comprises an electroacoustic transducer operating on a dynamic mass.

15. The device according to claim 8, wherein said controllable transducer comprises a low frequency, high amplitude, narrowband transducer and a broadband, low amplitude transducer.

16. The device according to claim 8, wherein said control system controls said actuator to produce an acoustic signature corresponding to a compensation capability of said controllable transducer.

17. The device according to claim 8, wherein said control system controls said actuator and said controllable transducer simultaneously based on a model of said data storage device.

18. A noise abatement method for an enclosed consumer electronic system producing acoustic emissions, having at least one ventilation port, comprising:

(a) measuring an acoustic emission at the ventilation port; and

(b) emitting an acoustic signal to compensate for the acoustic emission at the ventilation port.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the noise emissions are generated by a fan, and wherein the compensating acoustic signal is emitted by an acoustic speaker.

20. The method according to claim 18, wherein the noise emissions are generated by an electromechanical actuator, and wherein the compensating acoustic signal is emitted by an electrovibrational transducer mounted on a member transmitting vibrations associated with said electromechanical actuator.

21. The method according to claim 18, wherein the consumer electronic system has an audio output for reproducing an audio portion of a media signal, wherein a representation of the acoustic signal is transmitted through the audio output.

22. The method according to claim 18, wherein the consumer electronic system has an audio output for reproducing an audio portion of a media signal, and a separate noise abatement transducer, wherein a signal to the noise abatement transducer is dependent on a signal communicated through the audio output.