Computer monitor receiver

• US 7,667,733 B1
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2003
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: David L. Oswald
• Original Assignee: David L. Oswald
• Inventors: Oswald, David L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Philippe; Gims S
• Application Number:
  US10/622,938
• Time in Patent Office: 2,412 Days
• Field of Search: 348/151, 348/161, 725/28, 725/30, 725/127, 725/95, 709/224, 709/229, 399/8, 434/308, 345/738
• US Class Current: 348/151
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4113 PC
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43615 Interfacing a Home Network, e.g. for connecting the client to a plurality of peripherals home Audio Video Interoperability [HAVI] data switching networks H04L12/2805
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43637 involving a wireless protocol, e.g. Bluetooth, RF or wireless LAN [IEEE 802.11] arrangements for wireless networking or broadcasting of information in indoor or near-field type systems H04B10/114
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44231 Monitoring of peripheral device or external card, e.g. to detect processing problems in a handheld device or the failure of an external recording device configuring of peripheral devices in general G06F9/4411; reporting information sensed by appliance or service execution status of appliance services in a home automation network H04L12/2823; monitoring the status of connected device in data switched networks H04L43/0817
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/38 Transmitter circuitry for the transmission of television signals according to analogue transmission standards H04N5/14 takes precedence

Abstract

A computer monitor receiver for monitoring children'"'"'s internet usage. The computer monitor receiver includes a video tap assembly operationally coupled between a video output and a video display device of an information handling system for routing a monitoring video signal, a signal transmission assembly for conditioning the monitoring video signal for transmission through a propagation channel, a receiver assembly for conditioning a signal received through the propagation channel and a video presentation device for displaying a real time substantially identical image of the video provided to a user being monitored.

Claims

1. A remote video computer monitoring system for use with computing systems, comprising:

a video tap assembly for tapping a video signal routed from a video output of a computer to a monitor, said video tap assembly splitting off a portion of the video signal while allowing a second portion of the video signal to pass through to the monitor;

a transmitter assembly operationally coupled to said video tap assembly, said transmitter assembly propagating said portion of the video signal as a propagated signal; and

a monitoring assembly for receiving said propagated signal and presenting a visual representation of the video signal to a user;

wherein said monitoring assembly further comprises;

a receiver assembly for receiving said propagated signal from said transmitter assembly;

a demodulator assembly operationally coupled to said receiver assembly for demodulating said propagated signal into a received signal; and

a video output operationally coupled to said demodulator assembly for facilitating routing of received signal to a video display means;

wherein said video display means further comprises a video display unit selected from the group of video display units consisting of a television, a video monitor, a computer monitor, and a personal data assistant (PDA);

wherein said monitoring assembly facilitates radio frequency reception.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a receiver ac blocking assembly operationally coupled to said receiver assembly, said receiver ac blocking assembly facilitating reception through household electrical lines.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said receiver assembly being for demodulating said propagated signal from telephone lines on a non-interference basis with telephone signaling.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said receiver assembly being for demodulating said propagated signal from catv lines on a non-interference basis with catv signaling.

5. A method of remotely monitoring children'"'"'s internet usage comprising:

providing a video tap device couplable to an information handling system between a video output and a video display device, said video tap allowing a video signal from the information handling system to pass through said video tap substantially unimpeded while providing a monitoring video signal which is substantially identical to the video signal presented to the video display device;

providing a propagation channel;

providing a signal transmission assembly for conditioning said monitoring video signal for transmission through said propagation channel, said signal transmission assembly being operationally couplable to said propagation channel;

providing a receiver assembly operationally couplable to said propagation channel;

providing a video presentation means operationally couplable to said receiver assembly, said video presentation means converting a signal received from said receiver assembly into a presentation of video information substantially identical to the video signal presented to the video display device by the information handling system;

coupling said video tap assembly between the video output of the information handling system and the video display device;

coupling said video tap assembly to said signal transmission assembly;

coupling said signal transmission assembly to said propagation channel;

coupling said receiver assembly to said propagation channel;

coupling said receiver assembly to said video presentation means; and

visually observing said video presentation means whereby internet access of a user utilizing the information handling system may be monitored by a monitoring user.

6. The method of claim 5, further including providing a pair of blocking assemblies, each one of said blocking assemblies being operationally coupled to an associated one of said signal transmission assembly and said receiver assembly, each one of said pair of blocking assemblies being for facilitating coupling said signal transmission assembly and said receiver assemblies to said propagation channel when said propagation channel also routes other signals unassociated with said system.

7. The method of claim 5, further including a securing means for inhibiting unauthorized observation of said monitoring video signal.

8. A remote video computer monitoring system for monitoring video signals sent from a computer to a display monitor, the system comprising:

a video tap assembly configured to monitor an original video signal sent from a video output of a computer to a first display monitor to cause the first display monitor to display video images, the video tap assembly being configured to produce a secondary video signal corresponding to the original video signal while allowing the original video signal to pass through to the display monitor;

a transmitter assembly operationally coupled to said video tap assembly in a manner suitable to receive said secondary video signal from said video tap assembly, and said transmitter assembly being configured to propagate the secondary video signal as a propagated signal; and

a monitoring assembly configured to receive the propagated signal at a location remote from the transmitter assembly, the monitoring assembly producing a video output representative of the original video signal such that the video output produces video images on a second display monitor corresponding to the video images displayed on the first display monitor.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the transmitter assembly and monitoring assembly include means for transmitting and receiving the propagated signal therebetween wirelessly over free space.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the transmitter assembly and monitoring assembly include means for transmitting and receiving the propagated signal therebetween through household alternating current (AC) power wires.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein said transmitter assembly further comprises:

a modulator for impressing said portion of the video signal upon a carrier signal; and

a transmitter operationally coupled to said modulator to facilitate propagation to said monitoring assembly.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said transmitter assembly produces radio frequency propagation of said propagated signal.

13. The system of claim 11, further comprising an ac blocking assembly operationally coupled to said transmitter, said ac blocking assembly facilitating transmission of said propagated signal through household electrical lines.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein said transmitter assembly modulates said propagated signal and propagates said propagated signal through telephone lines on a non-interference basis with telephone signaling.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein said transmitter assembly modulates said propagated signal and propagates said propagated signal through catv lines on a non-interference basis with catv signaling.

16. A system for monitoring computer usage, comprising:

a computer having a video output producing a first video signal;

a first display monitor configured to receive the first video signal and display video images from the first video signal; and

a video tap assembly connecting the computer and the first display monitor and configured to pass the first video signal from the computer to the first display monitor, the video tap assembly being configured to produce a second video signal capable of producing on a second display monitor video images substantially identical to the video images produced on the first video display monitor;

a transmitter assembly operationally coupled to said video tap assembly in a manner suitable to receive said secondary video signal from said video tap assembly, and said transmitter assembly being configured to propagate the second video signal as a propagated signal; and

a monitoring assembly configured to receive the propagated signal at a location remote from the transmitter assembly, the monitoring assembly producing a video output representative of the first video signal such that the video output produces video images on a second display monitor corresponding to the video images displayed on the first display monitor.

17. The system of claim 16 additionally comprising a second video display operationally coupled to the monitoring assembly to receive the video output of the monitoring assembly to produce video images corresponding to the video images displayed on the first display monitor.