Wireless digital picture display frame

• US 6,717,567 B1
• Filed: 01/07/1998
• Issued: 04/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Salvador, Anthony C., Bowden, George R. III, Skarbo, Rune A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Shankar, Vijay
• Application Number:
  US09/004,710
• Time in Patent Office: 2,281 Days
• Field of Search: 345/698, 345/699, 345/2, 345/87, 345/656, 345/666, 345/327, 345/328, 348/12, 348/13, 348/17, 348/207, 348/14.01, 348/14.02, 348/794, 434/322, 358/909.1
• US Class Current: 345/104
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1423 controlling a plurality of local displays, e.g. CRT and flat panel display
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2380/06 Remotely controlled electronic signs other than labels
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/2092 Details of a display terminals using a flat panel, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto suitable for both CRT and flat panel G09G5/003; specific for a CRT G09G1/165

Abstract

A wireless digital picture display frame is disclosed. The display frame includes a wireless receiver that operates to receive a digital picture, a flat-panel display that operates to render the digital picture, and a processor that operates to control the receiving and rendering of the digital picture. The display frame further includes a frame with constructs that encircle the flat panel display, and form a housing to house the enumerated components. The digital picture may be a digital painting/graphics rendition or a digital photograph.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of frames, each of the plurality of frames having a frame body, the frame body shaped, dimensioned, and having the appearance of a conventional still picture frame, a wireless receiver disposed inside the frame body to receive a digital picture, a display co-located with the wireless receiver and framed by the frame body to render the digital picture, a processor coupled with the wireless receiver and the display, and disposed inside the frame body to control the receiving and rendering of the digital picture, and a unique identifier to uniquely identify each of the plurality of frames; and

a remote source to provide digital picture information to each of the plurality frames, and provide appropriate unique identifiers with the digital picture information to allow selective configuration of the pictures displayed by the plurality of frames, the selective configuration including uniquely identifying intended recipients of the digital picture information among the plurality of frames using the unique identifiers; and

a non-volatile memory coupled with the wireless receiver to store the digital picture.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the appropriate unique identifiers are provided at the beginning of transmission.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame body comprises hanging features to hang the frame.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the frame body comprises support features for surface placement of the frame.

5. A method, comprising:

distributing a plurality of frames, each of the plurality of frames having a frame body shaped, dimensioned, and having the appearance of a conventional still picture frame, receiving a digital picture from an external source using a wireless receiver disposed inside the frame body, rendering the digital picture using a display co-located with the wireless receiver and framed by the frame body, and uniquely identifying each of the plurality of frames using a unique identifier; and

providing digital picture information to each of the plurality frames using a remote source, and providing appropriate unique identifiers with the digital picture information to allow selective configuration of the pictures displayed by the plurality of frames, the selective configuration including uniquely identifying intended recipients of the digital picture information among the plurality of frames using the unique identifiers.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the digital picture comprises at least one of the following:

a digital painting, a digital graph, and a digital photograph.

7. The method of claim 5, further comprises storing the digital picture using a non-volatile memory coupled with the wireless receiver.

8. The method of claim 5, further comprises providing the unique identifiers at the beginning of transmission.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of frames, each of the plurality of frames having a frame body, the frame body shaped, dimensioned, and having the appearance of a conventional still picture frame, a wireless receiver disposed inside the frame body to receive a digital picture, a display co-located with the wireless receiver and framed by the frame body to render the digital picture, a processor coupled with the wireless receiver and the display, and disposed inside the frame body to control the receiving and rendering of the digital picture, and a unique identifier to uniquely identify each of the plurality of frames; and

a remote source to provide digital picture information to each of the plurality frames, and provide appropriate unique identifiers with the digital picture information to allow selective configuration of the pictures displayed by the plurality of frames, the selective configuration including uniquely identifying intended recipients of the digital picture information among the plurality of frames using the unique identifiers.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a non-volatile memory coupled with the wireless receiver to store the digital picture.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the non-volatile memory comprises at least one the following:

a block erasable flash memory, an electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), and a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) memory.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the digital picture comprises at least one of the following:

a digital painting, a digital graph, and a digital photograph.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor comprises at least one of the following:

an 8-bit or more microcontroller, a 16-bit or more digital signal processor, and a 32-bit or more general purpose microprocessor.