US 7,412,484 B1Granted

Customizable media player with online/offline capabilities

AssigneeLextron Systems, Inc.

InventorDan Kikinis

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An information dissemination system comprises an Internet-connected server adapted for gathering information from plural sources, and sorting the information according to subscriber preferences. The sorted information is transmitted via the Internet to a subscriber's Internet Appliance (IA) as electronic documents, where the documents are downloaded to a connected playback device. The playback device may be disconnected from the PC, and the information electronic documents rendered as speech to a speaker in the playback device by a text-to-speech system. In a preferred embodiment annotation is added at the Internet-connected server to control speech characteristics, such as inflection, upon playback. In some embodiments updates may be made by radio with the playback device disconnected from the IA.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A system for delivering emails to a user, comprising:

a network-connected server for receiving and processing the emails;
a data base at the network server for storing user preferences used by the network-connected server for processing the emails;
a wireless transmission facility in communication with the network-connected server, for transmitting the emails;
and
a portable playback device enabled for connection to a user computer and receiving the emails transmitted by the transmission facility and to display the emails as text to the user;
wherein the server transmits emails to the user computer for download to the portable device via the network while the device is connected to the user computer, and upon disconnection of the portable device from the user computer the server is instructed by signal sent from either the user computer or from the playback device that the user is now in the field, and the server transmits the emails directly to the portable device via the wireless transmission facility while the user is in the field.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/052,076Filed 16 Jan 2002 · division
Priority: 12 Jan 1998
Granted: 12 Aug 2008
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

H04L 67/59
Provisioning of proxy services: providing operational support to end devices by off-loading in the network or by emulation, e.g. when they are…
H04H 20/61
Arrangements specially adapted for specific applications, e.g. for traffic information or for mobile receivers: for local area broadcast, e.g.…
H04H 20/82
Wired systems: using signals not modulated onto a carrier
H04H 60/25
Arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linking to broadcast information or broadcast space-time; Broadcast-related systems:…

Family

Application09/005,562Parent of this division · filed 12 Jan 1998
Application09/558,698Parent of this division · filed 25 Apr 2000
US 6,055,566 AParent of this division
US 7,412,484 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

Timeline

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