35 results about "Personal communicator" patented technology

A system and method for facilitating and enhancing substantially real-time interpersonal communication over a network such as the Internet, the method comprising at least the steps of facilitating data communication between at least a primary user and at least a secondary user, both the primary user and each secondary user being in communication with the network through a computing system, the data communication including at least communication of video data, audio date or text data. In one embodiment, the present invention is a computer application directed towards interpersonal communications which allows a user to access, communicate and log in to a pre-determined Internet web site. Once logged in, the application allows a user to view other users of the application, allows a user to create a new room or electronic meeting area, join an existing room or electronic meeting area created by another user, or utilize an online, real time video, audio and / or text conferencing program to communicate with one or more other users on the same web site. The present invention does not require the user to download any specialized software, platform specific software or application specific software.

Systems for connecting telecommunications infrastructure lines to telephones, handsets, computers, telecopy machines and other end user interfaces or consumer electronics devices in a residence or business. Systems according to the present invention include Network Control Units which form the center of a star topology and which communicate via RF link with Wireless Access Units and handsets. Wireless Access Units feature an interface, such as, for example, a standard telephone jack, for accommodating a telephone, a fax machine, a compute modem or other device. Computers or other devices may also be accommodated by Wireless Access Units having other physical and virtual interfaces, including, for instance, serial ports or network interfaces. The Wireless Access Units may also be digital to accommodate ISDN or any other digital standard. Wireless control / monitoring accessories may also be employed to communicate with the Network Control Unit and provide additional functionality such as entrance monitoring, baby monitoring, HVAC control and other services. Personal Communication Links provide wireless handset and speakerphone services. The Personal Communication Links include independent talk / listen paths from the unit to the Network Control Unit. In addition, each Personal Communication Link includes circuitry for automatically adjusting from high-volume / high-microphone sensitivity for speakerphone operation to low-volume / low-microphone sensitivity for conventional handset operation.

Methods for consumers to pay at the point of sale by using a personal communicator (30) to wire transfer funds (1364) out of their bank (40) account. The communicator (30) is coupled to, and exchanges signals with a reciprocating communicator (1350) of the seller, which in turn is coupled (1356) to the seller's bank (60). This way the money is transferred as an EFT payment code (1364) directly from the buyer's bank (40) to the seller's bank (60), where it may be considered direct deposited, without processing delays. Devices also include vending machines that can receive payment this way. Bank computers are provided with systems and software for enabling the above. The bank computers are accessible by telephone lines, and work with cooperating banks by exchanging signals, for transferring the funds. The seller's bank (60) generates a payment confirmation code (1368) that is ultimately transmitted to the seller's satisfaction for releasing the goods at the point of sale.

Methods for consumers to pay at the point of sale by using a personal communicator to wire transfer funds out of their bank account. The communicator is coupled to, and exchanges signals with a reciprocating communicator of the seller, which in turn is coupled to the seller's bank. This way the money is transferred as an EFT payment code directly from the buyer's bank to the seller's bank, where it may be considered direct deposited, without processing delays. Devices also include vending machines that can receive payment this way. Bank computers are provided with systems and software for enabling the above. The bank computers are accessible by telephone lines, and work with cooperating banks by exchanging signals, for transferring the funds. The seller's bank generates a payment confirmation code that is ultimately transmitted to the seller's satisfaction for releasing the goods at the point of sale.

Methods and systems compiles communication fragments based on user chosen variables to create a communication. The communication, can be immediately displayed to the user for approval, may be manipulated real-time by selecting amongst a collection of variables to arrive at the final communication. An exemplary system gathers personal information and profile information from users of the communication service. This information is used when compiling a communication to allow for more customized and personalized communications. Information is used by an empirical database to gain intelligence on which communication has the highest likelihood of satisfying a receiver for a particular communication type. These communications, with the highest likelihood of success, are recommended by the communication service to potential senders of communication.

The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods to wirelessly pay for purchases, electronically interface with financial accounting systems, and electronically record and wirelessly communicate authorization transactions using Personal Digital Assistant (“PDA”) (also referred to as Personal Intelligent Communicators (PICs), and Personal Communicators), palm computers, intelligent handheld cellular and other wireless telephones, and other personal handheld electronic devices configured with infrared or other short range data communications (for referential simplicity, such devices are referred to herein as “PDA's”). The present invention further provides apparatus, firmware, software programs and computer-implemented methods for making service and / or sale service charge payments for credit card charges, debit card charges, electronic cash transfers, ticket and other like financial transactions and for other types of transactions, such as for electronic coupons, where the amount of the transaction is for a small amount of money, such as, for example, less than $5.00.

A portable personal communicator includes a body portion and a flip element having a built-in display. The body portion includes either a telephone keypad or a second display. The personal communicator functions as a radiotelephone, and can also transmit and receive non-voice data messages. Input keys on the flip element are provided proximate to the flip element display so that software-definable functions performed by the keys can be indicated on the display adjacent to the respective keys.

There is provided a communication device for mixing effects data with real communication data. The communication device comprises a receiving element configured to receive real communication data, a first analog-to-digital converter (ADC) configured to convert real communication data to digitized real communication data, an effects data storage containing the effects data, a first mixer configured to mix the digitized real communication data with the effects data and generate first enhanced data, and a coder configured to packetize the first enhanced data to generate packetized data, and transmit the packetized data over a communication line. The communication device may be a phone, and the real communication data may be audio or video data, and the effects data maybe background effects audio or video data.

The invention proposes a portable intelligent wireless hand disk (pwsHDD) capable of directly switching data with a portable wireless multimedia device (without intervention of a computer or a user) by a wireless communication method, preferably by a short range wireless communication method. The pwsHDD provides big convenience for the user, and reduces a system cost, the pwsHDD will be an ideal common storage platform of the multimedia device. A pwsHDD handset combines the pwsHDD and the handset, becomes a personal communication, computing and storing centre.

The present invention provides a method and apparatus to restore the operating system of a personal internet communicator (PIC) to a “known good” operational state in the event of a catastrophic failure. In an embodiment of the invention, the hard drive of the personal internet communicator is organized in three partitions: 1) a partition for the operating system and related files; 2) a user data partition; and 3) a “restore” partition. The restore partition is hidden by modifying the type of partition that can be detected by the user or any operating system. Upon a catastrophic failure, the system can be returned to an operational state by performing a sector-by-sector restoration to copy an image of the operating system and related system files back to the operating system partition. In various embodiments of the invention, the PIC system state is continuously monitored by a “registry sniffing” routine that maintains a file containing data corresponding to the system state of the PIC. Subsequent to copying the operating system to the OS partition, as discussed above, the system state parameter file is used to modify the operating system to place the PIC in the configuration that existed prior to the catastrophic failure.

Systems and methods for processing personal communications wherein one embodiment comprises a communication processing system which has a data processing system that receives communications from a user. The data processing system authenticates the received communications, selects one of a plurality of actions for processing the communication item, and processes the communication item according to the selected action. The communication includes one or more communication items which may be voice data, text data, or some other form of information. The data processing system may receive communications from devices such as cellular phones and may also transmit generated results to users' phones. The processing performed by the system may, for example, include storing, forwarding or distributing communication items to multiple recipients, converting them to text, using them to generate reminders, and so on. Generated results may be transmitted to the original caller, transmitted to other recipients, stored for later access, etc.

A security control system for personal communication terminals includes: a terminal registration agent for registering information on a personal communication terminal of a worker or visitor present within a security area into a terminal security control server and a zone notification node for providing the information of the personal communication terminal that has entered a control zone covered by the zone notification node in the security area when the personal communication terminal moves to the control zone. The system further includes the terminal security control server for installing a security control software module in the personal communication terminal, configuring computing resources and components permitted within the control zone based on a security control policy and zone information, and providing the configured computing resources and components to the personal communication terminal.

The invention comprises a method and apparatus used to establish a communication link via selection of a graphic of a person or group overlaid on a map, such as via use of a communication aircraft or satellite without timely knowledge by a caller, without lookup, of the called person's or group's identity and / or phone number. Communication is aided by personal communicators worn and / or carried by the caller and person or group called. The established communication is optionally and preferably supplemented with a local representation of the environment, such as terrain, natural resources, available man-made resources, identification of teams, weather, visibility, and / or competing elements. The communication link is optionally integrated into a firefighting command and control system, a friend network, a company group, and / or for a team so time is not spent looking up a phone number.

The invention provides a stranger communication system which comprises at least two pieces of communication terminal equipment, a background management system, a database server and a network server, wherein any two pieces of communication terminal equipment communicate with each other by using user IDs allocated to the communication terminal equipment; one piece of communication terminal equipment is used for transmitting a user ID, an opposite user ID and communication information to the background management system; the communication information is transmitted to the database server for backup by the background management system; the opposite user ID, the communication information and communication limiting conditions are compared, and if the communication limiting conditions of transmitting the communication information to the opposite user ID are not met, the communication information is transmitted to the communication terminal equipment corresponding to the opposite user ID through the network server, and thus communication can be achieved, otherwise, a failure instruction is fed back to the communication terminal equipment. By adopting the stranger communication system, even if communication parties do not know any existing communication mode of each other, communication can be achieved through ID accounts, and meanwhile, privacy of personal communication modes can be not exposed.

Methods for consumers to pay at the point of sale by using a personal communicator to wire transfer funds out of their bank account. The communicator is coupled to, and exchanges signals with a reciprocating communicator of the seller, which in turn is coupled to the seller's bank. This way the money is transferred as an EFT payment code directly from the buyer's bank to the seller's bank, where it may be considered direct deposited, without processing delays. Devices also include vending machines that can receive payment this way. Bank computers are provided with systems and software for enabling the above. The bank computers are accessible by telephone lines, and work with cooperating banks by exchanging signals, for transferring the funds. The seller's bank generates a payment confirmation code that is ultimately transmitted to the seller's satisfaction for releasing the goods at the point of sale.

A communication structure for both personal communication services and broadly disseminated communication services is described. The communication structure includes a communication unit having telecommunication capability enabling a user of the communication structure to communicate to a remote individual. The communication structure also including multiple displays capable of displaying text, image, video data and further including non-digital advertising surfaces for displaying static images and a speaker system for broadcasting messages. The multiple displays and non-digital advertising surfaces allowing for communication with individuals within visual range of the communication structure. The multiple displays having synchronization capability, allowing for coordination of the text, image and video data displayed. The communication structure being connectable to other communication structures and the multiple displays of the multiple communication structures also having synchronization capability. The multiple displays, non-digital advertising surfaces and speaker system providing a communication platform for widespread dissemination of advertisements and other messages.

A method and apparatus for detecting whether an object is in the vicinity of a device, the method comprising: generating a measurement signal; driving an output acoustic transducer of the device with the measurement signal; monitoring the input acoustic transducer to detect the measurement signal; The change determines that an object is near the device. The device may include a cellular telephone, a mobile telephone such as a personal communication device. When the device comprises a mobile phone, the determining step can be used to verify that hands-free operation can be entered, and / or can be used to set the volume of a signal driving a loudspeaker, and / or can be used to select, modify or adjust audio processing techniques. The determination step can also be used to automatically switch from the hands-free operating mode to the handheld operating mode. The monitoring and determining step includes the steps of operating a plurality of adaptive filters in parallel at different step sizes on the same input data to produce first and second impulse response estimates, respectively, and calculating the difference between the first and second impulse response estimates The value is compared with a threshold value.