Integrated digital media projection and personal digital data processing system

• US 7,908,303 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2007
• Issued: 03/15/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Xylon LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Intellectual Ventures Holding 32 LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Merritt, Edward, Fein, Gene S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong; Leslie
• Application Number:
  US11/733,587
• Publication Number:
  US 20080256453A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,435 Days
• Field of Search: 707/558, 707/733, 707/734, 707/784, 707/999.107, 707/758, 707/913, 707/914, 707/951, 725/34, 725/141, 725/142, 725/152, 725/153, 725/145, 709/203, 709/219
• US Class Current: 725/100
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/252 Processing of multiple end-users' preferences to derive collaborative data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44224 Monitoring of user activity on external systems, e.g. Internet browsing
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4661 Deriving a combined profile for a plurality of end-users of the same client, e.g. for family members within a home user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4668 for recommending content, e.g. movies
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3141 Constructional details thereof details not peculiar to the presence of an electronic spatial light modulator G03B21/14
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/913 Multimedia
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/915 Image

Abstract

Disclosed is a projector and data processing method and system for recommending digital media content to a user. The method and system gather statistics about the preferences of the user and/or compare the user to population data to create recommendations in accord with the preferences of the population. The population data may be qualified by demographics or other factors classifying the user. Sources of the digital media content include radio broadcast television broadcast, global computer network content, email, and personal organizing software/programs.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a digital projector configured to be powered by an alternative energy source;

a storage device contained within the digital projector, wherein the storage device is configured to store user-action information associated with user-selected digital media content; and

a computing component configured to;

retrieve the user-action information;

determine a computer-recommended digital media content by comparing digital media content in a database located remotely from the digital projector with the user-action information;

retrieve the computer-recommended digital media content from the database; and

forward the computer-recommended digital media content to the digital projector when the digital projector is not projecting the user-selected digital media content.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing component is further configured to determine the computer-recommended digital media content in accordance with preferences of general populations sharing demographics associated with the stored user-action information.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the computer-recommended digital media content comprises a television broadcast.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing component is further configured to:

compile the computer-recommended digital media content; and

provide a graphical display of a schedule of the computer-recommended digital media content to the digital projector.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing component is further configured to:

log the retrieved computer-recommended digital media content to determine content viewing habits; and

determine recommended programming based on the content viewing habits.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital projector comprises one or more audio speakers.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the digital projector comprises a digital light projection (DLP) display.

8. The system of claim 6, further comprising a portable screen.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the computing component is further configured to retrieve the computer-recommended digital media content via a wireless communication.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the digital projector comprises a surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED).

11. The system of claim 1, further comprising an input unit configured to input the user-selected digital media content projected by the digital projector.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the input unit comprises voice activation.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the user-action information comprises an accumulation of past user-selections of digital media content.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the alternative energy source comprises a hand crank, solar energy source, or wind energy source.

15. A method comprising:

compiling user-action information related to user-selected digital media content, wherein the user-action information is stored in a digital projector;

evaluating the user-action information by comparison with a collection of digital media content maintained remotely from the digital projector in a computer network;

retrieving, in response to evaluating the user-action information, one or more recommendations from the collection of digital media content;

forwarding the one or more recommendations to the digital projector when the digital projector is not projecting the user-selected digital media content; and

powering the digital projector with an alternative energy source.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

accessing demographic data on preferences of general populations;

determining similar digital media content from the collection of digital media content in accordance with the preferences of the general populations; and

displaying titles of the one or more recommendations having the similar digital media content.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein displaying titles of the one or more recommendations comprises displaying titles of one or more videos.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising presenting a schedule of transmission of the similar digital media content.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising projecting the one or more recommendations when the digital projector is not projecting the user-selected digital media content.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising obtaining the user-action information from voice commands related to the user-selected digital media content.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising retrieving the one or more recommendations via a wireless communication.

22. The method of claim 15, further comprising projecting the one or more recommendations onto a portable screen.

23. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

logging the retrieved one or more recommendations to determine content viewing habits; and

determining recommended programming based on the content viewing habits.

24. The method of claim 15, wherein the recommendations are determined according to a content match rate between the user-action information and the collection of digital media content.

25. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

retrieving the one or more recommendations from the collection of digital media content; and

projecting the one or more recommendations from the digital projector.

26. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

accessing collaborative data based on preferences of third-party users; and

determining similar digital media content from the collection of digital media content in accordance with the preferences of the third-party users.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising:

obtaining demographic information about the user; and

comparing the demographic information with the collaborative data , wherein the similar digital media content is determined, based in part, on the comparison.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising:

identifying the similar digital media content that is recommended by the third-party users who have viewed the user-selected digital media content; and

inferring preferences of the user based on the recommendations of the third-party users.

29. A digital projector comprising:

means for compiling viewing preference information related to user-selected digital media content;

means for storing the viewing preference information, wherein the means for storing is located in the digital projector;

means for evaluating the viewing preference information by comparison with a collection of digital media content maintained remotely from the digital projector;

means for receiving, in response to evaluating the viewing preference information, one or more selections from the collection of digital media content;

means for logging the received one or more selections to determine content viewing habits;

means for determining recommended programming based on the content viewing habits;

means for forwarding the recommended programming to the digital projector when the digital projector is not projecting the user-selected digital media content; and

means for powering the digital projector with an alternative energy source.

30. The digital projector of claim 29, wherein the user-selected digital media content comprises social calendaring items.

31. The digital projector of claim 29, wherein the user-selected digital media content comprises work calendaring items.

32. The digital projector of claim 29, further comprising:

means for determining if the recommended programming requires a fee; and

means for requesting payment of the fee before projecting the recommended programming.

33. The digital projector of claim 29, wherein the means for storing comprises means for storing the collection of digital media content remotely from the digital projector.