Multimedia broadcasting, broadcast services for cell phone and other users and modified SIM card and related means for enabling such broadcast reception

• US 7,054,660 B2
• Filed: 06/24/2002
• Issued: 05/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Paperless Interactive Newspaper LLC
• Original Assignee: Paperless Interactive Newspaper LLC
• Inventors: Lord, Frank H.
• Primary Examiner(s): WASHINGTON, ERIKA ALISE
• Application Number:
  US10/481,497
• Publication Number:
  US 20040209649A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,436 Days
• Field of Search: 455/558, 455/418, 455/419, 455/3.02
• US Class Current: 455/558
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/06 Selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS]; Services to user groups; One-way selective calling services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/40 for selective distribution or broadcast
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices

Abstract

Preferred embodiments enable cell phone users to plug in a novel SIM card and receive a multimedia broadcast of their choice, television, celebrity broadcast calls, newspapers, games, video and the like, without initializing with a service provider. Adapters can provide additional cell phone communication channels enabling a user to talk on the phone while receiving a broadcast into storage or to quickly receive a broadcast over multiple channels. Cell phone TV flicker can be inhibited by receiving over multiple channels. Each channel can be controlled or activated by its own SIM card. Novel product-specific SIM cards are provided to enable reception of specific broadcasts.

Claims

1. A computerized cell phone capable of telephone communication on a cellular phone system, the cellular phone system having a transmitter-receiver providing broadcast transmissions of large data files, each broadcast transmission being simultaneously receivable by multiple enabled cell phone users in range of the transmitter receiver, the cell phone comprising a removable electronic accessory device provided with a machine-readable electronic key and having the ability to receive the broadcast transmission from the cellular phone system, wherein the cell phone is capable of receiving large data files and wherein the electronic key enables reception of the broadcast transmission without initialization with the cellular phone system.

2. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the cell phone has sufficient memory for storage of large data files and wherein the electronic accessory device comprises a SIM card.

3. A computerized cell phone according to claim 2 having a slot to accommodate the SIM card wherein the SIM card is received into the slot in the cell phone and has a laminar configuration with a beveled corner to orient the card in the cell phone.

4. A computerized cell phone according to claim 2 wherein the SIM card can enable SIM card-compatible cell phones to receive broadcasts via at least one broadcast-specific phone number and is retrofittable to provide broadcast reception capability to SIM card-compatible cell phones that lack broadcast reception capability.

5. A computerized cell phone according to claim 4 wherein the SIM card comprises user identification data and user preferences for configuration of the cell phone for broadcast reception.

6. A computerized cell phone according to claim 2 wherein the SIM card comprises a processor one or more programs and random-access memory user data and a product interface, optionally a phone number to provide access to one or more specific broadcasts enabled by the SIM card.

7. A computerized cell phone according to claim 2 wherein multiple such broadcast access numbers are provided on a single SIM card.

8. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the cell phone comprises a foldable screen.

9. A computerized cell phone according to claim 8 wherein the foldable screen comprises a multimedia viewing screen, wherein the screen is divided into two or more foldable sections the foldable sections being viewable as one screen when opened.

10. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the receiving devices comprise a software or firmware product interface capable of recognizing and enabling reception of the broadcast without initializing.

11. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the computerized cell phone comprises user-controllable writable memory and control software to control the memory and the reception of broadcasts and in that the control software can store or not store an incoming broadcast according to choices made by the cell phone user.

12. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the electronic accessory device is readable by and mechanically cooperative with the computerized cell phone and is receivable in or attachable to the computerized cell phone.

13. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the electronic key comprises a personal broadcast key which enables the reception of at least one specified channel for a defined period of time.

14. A computerized cell phone according to claim 13 wherein the personal broadcast key comprises a private code and the specific broadcast to be enabled comprises a public code, the private and public codes being cooperative to unlock the receiving device to process the specific broadcast for viewing, listening and/or storage by the viewer.

15. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein a function key is programmed to provide one-button access and display of a specific channel or channels.

16. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the SIM card is tunable to permit the user to select a desired broadcast from two or more broadcasts.

17. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the SIM card has multiple telephone numbers or recognition codes and wherein one of the multiple numbers is the user'"'"'s personal cell phone number for receiving cell phone calls and at least a second number or codes is used for receiving multimedia broadcasts.

18. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the cell phone comprises a multi-line adapter to add one or more lines to the cell phone.

19. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 comprising an extensible screen to facilitate the reading of large data files and/or newspapers, television, films or multimedia data.

20. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 comprising a cell phone receiver module that is built into or plugged onto a television receiver to enable the received cellular broadcasts to be played on the television receiver wherein optionally the cell phone receiver can output to the antenna input of the television receiver and has pass-through connections permitting a conventional terrestrial, satellite or cable TV signal to be used.

21. Control software for a computerized cell phone as claimed in claim 1 comprising procedures to control storage and reception of received broadcast data files permitting the user to store or alternatively not store, to play or display, and optionally to edit, an incoming broadcast according to choices made by the computer user optionally from an incoming broadcast menu of available multimedia data.

22. A computerized cell phone according to claim 1 wherein the machine-readable electronic key is a telephone number.

23. A cellular phone system comprising a transmitter-receiver providing broadcast transmissions of large data files and multiple computerized cell phones according to claim 1 to receive the broadcasts.

24. A cellular phone system according to claim 23 wherein one or more of the cell phones communicates with a computer, the computer providing one or more of data-processing capability, file storage, playback, display and/or audio.

25. A cellular phone system according to claim 24 wherein one or more of the cell phones comprises cell phone functionality embodied in an internal, or external wireless receiver card installed in a computer, optionally a desktop or laptop computer.

26. A removable electronic accessory device for a computerized radiotelephone receiver capable of telephone communication on a cellular radiotelephone system and of receiving cellular phone broadcast transmissions, the accessory device being encoded with a machine-readable electronic key, optionally a telephone number, wherein the electronic accessory device comprises a SIM card, the SIM card can enable a SIM card-compatible cell phone to receive broadcasts via at least one broadcast-specific phone number and is retrofittable to provide broadcast reception capability to a SIM card-compatible cell phone lacking broadcast reception capability and wherein the electronic key enables reception of broadcast transmission of large data files by the radiotelephone system without initialization.

27. An accessory device according to claim 26 wherein the radiotelephone receiver comprises a cell phone.

28. An accessory device according to claim 27 wherein the SIM card is received into a slot in the back of the cell phone and has a laminar configuration with a beveled corner to orient the card in the cell phone.

29. An accessory device according to claim 27 wherein the SIM card provides storage for large data files and carries multiple broadcast access numbers.

30. An accessory device according to claim 27 wherein the SIM card comprises a processor, one or more programs, random-access memory, user data, a product interface and a phone number to provide access to one or more specific broadcasts enabled by the SIM card.

31. An accessory device according to claim 27 wherein multiple such broadcast access numbers are provided on a single SIM card.

32. A method of broadcasting, the method comprising:

a) employing a terrestrial or satellite cell phone transmitter to transmit large data files from a cellular phone system to a population of cell-phone-equipped users wherein each said user cell phone has;

i) a removable electronic accessory device provided with a machine-readable electronic key enabling reception of the broadcast communication; and

ii) the ability to receive the broadcast communication from the cellular phone system without initializing with the cell phone system;

b) distributing the electronic key to the users prior to broadcasting the large data files and by one or more broadcasts from an individual said terrestrial or satellite transmitter being simultaneously receivable by any one of the cell-phone equipped users within signal range.

33. A method according to claim 32 wherein multiple channels are broadcast simultaneously to individual receivers within range of the transmitter.

34. A method according to claim 32 comprising the broadcast being made to and received by users who have previously received an electronic key to authorize reception of a particular broadcast or broadcast channel or channels.

35. A method according to claim 32 comprising the electronic key being supplied by a service or content provider and wherein each receiving cell phone comprises an electronic personal broadcast key which is unique to an individual user and enables reception of a specific broadcast channel or channels or content of a specific channel for a defined period of time, the defined period of time optionally being the duration of a show or an event.

36. A method according to claim 32 comprising a service or content provider distributing SIM cards to cell phone users through retail, wholesale, mail order or Internet channels.

37. A method according to claim 36 comprising the service or content provider coding a respective broadcast transmission to be accessible by the electronic key embodied in the SIM cards distributed so that particular SIM cards are associated with a particular broadcast or broadcast service and optionally are distinctively marked, packaged and/or promoted for that purpose.

38. A method according to claim 32 comprising multiple types of SIM cards being available for multiple services and comprising a user being able to choose the service by choosing an appropriate SIM card.

39. A method according to claim 38 comprising the user inserting the chosen SIM card in their cell phone selecting one of multiple available broadcast-specific phone numbers and receiving the chosen broadcast sent out by the service provider.

40. A method according to claim 32 wherein the broadcast comprises a text message, a celebrity phone call, multimedia content, television, video, sound, music, newspapers, computer games, or one or more stories or combinations of any two or more of said broadcasts.

41. A method according to claim 32 comprising users receiving broadcasts without requiring an initializing exchange with the service provider.

42. A method according to claim 32 comprising employing a tunable SIM card to enable the cell phone to receive data regarding available programming and/or channels or events wherein the user can use the data to select the broadcast of their choice.

43. A method according to claim 32 comprising the cell phone users connecting with the multimedia broadcast-receiving numbers without having to initialize with the service provider, the broadcast or broadcasts being receivable by enabled users within the transmission range, a broadcast phone number or recognition code being associated with a specific broadcast or broadcast channel so that all users within the transmission range can employ the same phone number or recognition code to receive the broadcast and transmitting the broadcast to multiple users within the transmission range simultaneously, enabling the users to all receive the digital multimedia broadcast information transmitted by the cell phone service provider at the same time.

44. A method according to claim 32 comprising employing a multi-channel SIM card to enable receiving of multiple broadcasts simultaneously.

45. A method according to claim 32 comprising embedding a personalized message or other communication in a broadcast and targeting the message to be received only by a specific user, optionally by encoding the message in the broadcast.

46. A receiver-enabled computer comprising a cell phone capable of telephone communication on a cellular phone system, the cellular phone system having a transmitter-receiver providing broadcast transmissions of large data files, each broadcast transmission being simultaneously receivable by multiple enabled cell phone users in range of the transmitter receiver, the cell phone having the ability to receive broadcast transmissions from the cellular phone system and communicate the received transmissions to the computer and comprising a removable electronic accessory device provided with a machine-readable electronic key and, wherein the cell phone is capable of receiving large data files and wherein the electronic key enables reception of the broadcast transmission without initialization with the cellular phone system.

47. A receiver-enabled computer according to claim 46 wherein the computer provides one or more of data-processing capability, file storage, playback, display and/or audio.

48. A receiver-enabled computer according to claim 46 wherein one or more of the cell phones comprises cell phone functionality embodied in an internal, or external wireless receiver card installed in a computer, the computer optionally being a desktop or laptop computer.