Method, system and computer readable medium for providing an output signal having a theme to a device in a short distance wireless network

• US 6,909,878 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2002
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 08/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: IXI Mobile (R&D) Ltd. (IXI Mobile, Inc.)
• Inventors: Haller, Amit, Haparnas, Ziv
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Lee
• Application Number:
  US10/224,749
• Publication Number:
  US 20040203368A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,036 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/412.1, 455/418, 455/419, 455/420, 455/566, 455/567, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 455/11.1, 455/426.1, 455/426.2, 370/338
• US Class Current: 455/41.3
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/04 specially adapted for terminals or networks with limited capabilities; specially adapted for terminal portability
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/06 specially adapted for file transfer, e.g. file transfer protocol [FTP]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/303 Terminal profiles
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/02 including a Bluetooth interface

Abstract

A method, system, and computer readable medium allows a user to select an output signal for device/terminal in short distance wireless network. In embodiments of the present invention, the output signal is a ring tone, alarm, background image, vibration signal, font type, or portion of a motion picture. In embodiments of the present invention, a system comprises a first and second device, in a short distance wireless network, generating a first and second output signal. A cellular device generates a first and a second short-range radio signals responsive to a cellular signal from a cellular network. The cellular signal includes a first multimedia file for the first device and a second multimedia file for the second device. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first multimedia file and second multimedia file are thematically related. In an embodiment of the present invention, a processing device is coupled to the cellular network and stores the first and second multimedia files. In an embodiment of the present invention, a user selects a theme on a device or at a web site in order to change the output signals in the short distance wireless network. In an embodiment of the present invention, the output signals are changed periodically without user intervention. In still a further embodiment of the present invention, promoters or users pay a telecommunication network provider for conveniently and safely changing the output signals.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a first device to provide a first output signal responsive to a first short-range radio signal;

a second device to provide a second output signal responsive to a second short-range radio signal; and

a cellular device to generate a first cellular signal that identifies a first type of device of the first device and a second type of device of the second device, and generate the first and the second short-range radio signals responsive to a second cellular signal, wherein the second cellular signal includes a first multimedia file used to generate the first output signal and a second multimedia file used to generate the second output signal, and wherein a first content of the first multimedia file and a second content of the second multimedia files are thematically related, and wherein the first type of device and second type of device are different.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a cellular network to provide the first and second cellular signal; and

,

a processing device, coupled to the cellular network, to store the first multimedia file associated with the first type of device and the second multimedia file associated with the second type of device, wherein the first and second types of devices are stored in a device type field in a user database.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first and the second multimedia files are downloaded at a predetermined time to the first and second devices respectively in response to a user preference stored in the user database.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first output signal is selected from a group consisting of an alarm generated responsive to an event, a ring tone, a background image, a vibration signal, a video, a font type in a graphics user interface, at least a portion of a sound track of a motion picture, at least a portion of a musical work, and at least a portion of an audio/visual work and the second output signal is selected from the group excluding the selection of the first output signal from the group.

5. A method, comprising:

selecting a theme for a short-range radio network having a plurality of devices;

determining respective device types for the plurality of devices, wherein the determining includes generating a first cellular signal identifying a plurality of device types of the plurality of devices; and

,

outputting a respective plurality of output signals from the respective plurality of devices, wherein the plurality of output signals are related to the theme.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the selecting includes a user selecting the theme at a website.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the selecting includes a user selecting the theme from a menu having a plurality of themes, wherein a plurality of multimedia files associated with each theme in the plurality of themes are stored in a processing device coupled to the short-range radio network by a cellular network and downloaded to the plurality of devices by a second cellular signal in response to the selecting.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein the outputting includes transferring a plurality of files include a first multimedia file for a first type of device in the plurality of devices, a second multimedia file for a second type of device in the plurality of devices and a third multimedia file for a third type of device in the plurality of devices, wherein the first type of device, the second type of device and the third type of device are different.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein the determining includes determining respective device types for the plurality of devices, by a processing device coupled to the short-range radio network by a cellular network, and transferring a plurality of respective files to the plurality of respective devices by the processing device and a cellular device in the plurality of devices.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein transferring occurs at a predetermined time in response to a user preference stored in a user database of the processing device.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the transferring occurs during non-peak times.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein transferring occurs at a predetermined time in response to a user preference stored in a user database of the processing device and a promotional event.

13. An article of manufacturer, including a computer readable medium, comprising:

a short-range radio software component to generate a short-range radio signal to generate a first output signal from a first device in the short distance wireless network, responsive to a theme message;

a multimedia software component;

an application software component to generate a second output signal from a second device in the short distance wireless network, responsive to the multimedia software component and the theme message; and

,

a cellular software component to receive a first cellular signal, from a cellular network and transmit a second cellular signal identifying a first and second device type of the first and second devices, wherein the first and the second output signals have a theme.

14. A method, comprising;

selecting a theme by a user for a short-range radio network having a plurality of devices;

determining whether to alter the respective output signals of the plurality of devices responsive to the theme;

querying, by a processing device coupled to a cellular network, a cellular device for the types of devices in the plurality of devices;

generating a first cellular signal indicating the types of devices in the plurality of devices;

retrieving respective multimedia files for the plurality of devices;

transferring the respective multimedia files to a cellular device by a second cellular signal; and

transferring the respective multimedia files from the cellular device to the plurality of devices by short-range radio signals.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

charging the user based on the type and number of multimedia files transferred.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein transferring the respective multimedia files occurs at a predetermined time in response to a user preference stored in a user database of the processing device.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the transferring occurs during non-peak cellular times.

18. The method of claim 14, transferring the respective multimedia files occurs at a predetermined time in response to a user preference stored in a user database of the processing device and a promotional event.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the promotional event is a release of a motion picture.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein the processing device includes a user database to store the types of devices in the short range radio network and a user preference.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the processing device further includes a change plan.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the processing device further includes the respective multimedia files stored with a plurality of multimedia files for different device types associated with a plurality of respective themes, wherein the theme is included in the plurality of themes.