Accessory with integrated display controlled by connected device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9125036-B2
Application number	US-201113301111-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 21, 2011
Priority date	Nov 21, 2011
Publication date	Sep 1, 2015
Grant date	Sep 1, 2015

Abstract

An accessory and method for displaying a data feed are described. A device interface of the accessory is configured to connect a processor with an external device and transfer a data feed from the external device to a display of the accessory. A memory stores computer executable instructions to instruct the processor to receive the transferred data feed via the device interface and to instruct the processor to provide the transferred data feed to the display. A user interface provides a user input in response to the transferred data feed to the processor and back to the external device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
a processor;
a device interface connected to the processor, said device interface configured to connect the processor with an external device and transfer a data feed, received by the external device from a network, from the external device to the processor;
a display connected to the processor and responsive to the processor to display the transferred data feed;
a memory connected to the processor and storing computer executable instructions to instruct the processor to receive the transferred data feed and to instruct the processor to provide the transferred data feed to the display, said processor configured to execute the instructions; and
a user interface connected to the processor to provide user input to the processor;
wherein the data feed includes a data stream that is a sequence of digitally encoded coherent signals; and
wherein the computer executable instructions further instruct the processor to receive the user input, to generate association data associating the received user input with at least a portion of the transferred data feed, to transfer the user input and the association data to the external device via the device interface, whereby the external device updates the data feed in response to the transferred user input and to the association data, and to receive the updated data feed.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor comprise:
a linking module to link the processor to a cellular device configured to connect with a cellular network;
a transfer module to transfer a user selected data feed from the cellular device to the processor after the processor is linked to the cellular device by the instruction module; and
an interaction module to receive user input provided by the user via the user interface, said received user input interacting with the transferred data feed displayed on the display, said interaction module further providing the received user input to an application executed by the cellular device.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein a plurality of communications protocols are stored in the memory and wherein the computer executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor comprise:
instructions to determine via the interface a communications protocol of a cellular device configured to connect with a cellular network; and
instructions to establish communication between the processor and the cellular device via the interface when one of plurality of communications protocols corresponds to a communications protocol of the cellular device.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the computer executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor comprise:
instructions to establish communication via the interface between the processor and a cellular device configured to connect with a cellular network;
instructions to transfer a user selected data feed from the cellular device to the processor;
instructions to buffer and format the transferred data feed; and
instructions to display on the display the buffered and formatted data feed.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the computer executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor comprise a computer readable medium having stored thereon:
instructions to receive user input by the processor via the user interface; and
instructions to transfer the user input to the cellular device via the interface, whereby an application on the cellular device responds to the transferred user input.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of:
the device interface comprises a docking connector;
the device interface comprises a wireless communications protocol; and
the user interface comprises a touch screen of the display.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a housing forming a unitary enclosure, wherein the processor, the device interface, the display, the memory, and the user interface are within the housing as integral components.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 :
wherein the device interface is configured to connect with a cellular device which is configured to connect with a cellular network;
wherein the transferred data feed provided by the processor to the display comprises a transferred first data feed from a first application executed by the cellular device;
wherein the device interface transfers a second data feed from a second application executed by the cellular device and received via the cellular network, to the processor, said display responsive to the processor for displaying the transferred second data feed; and
wherein the memory instructs the processor to receive the transferred second data feed via the device interface and instructs the processor to provide the transferred second data feed simultaneously multiplexed with the transferred first data feed to the display.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein a plurality of communications protocols are stored in the memory and wherein the computer executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor comprise:
instructions to determine via the interface a communications protocol of a cellular device configured to communicate with a cellular network; and
instructions to establish communication between the processor and the cellular device via the interface when one of plurality of communications protocols corresponds to a communications protocol of the cellular device.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the first and second data feeds each includes a plurality of entries, and the computer executable instructions instruct the processor to provide the transferred first data feed to an upper area of the display, and the transferred second data feed to a lower area of the display, such that a set number of entries for each of the transferred first and second data feeds is displayed in a list in the respective areas of the display, and further to remove an existing entry in the list and add a new entry to the bottom of the list when the first and second data feeds are updated.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 :
wherein the device interface is configured to connect with a first cellular device which is configured to connect with a cellular network;
wherein the transferred data feed provided by the processor to the display comprises a transferred first data feed from a first application executed by the first cellular device;
wherein the device interface transfers a second data feed, from a second application executed by a second cellular device and received via the cellular network, to the processor;
wherein the display is responsive to the processor for displaying the transferred second data feed, wherein the memory instructs the processor to receive the transferred second data feed via the device interface and instructs the processor to provide the transferred second data feed to the display, and wherein the processor multiplexes the first and second data feeds.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 wherein a plurality of communications protocols are stored in the memory and wherein the computer executable instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor comprise:
instructions to determine via the interface a communications protocol of at least one of the first cellular device and the second cellular device configured to connect with the cellular network; and
instructions to establish communication between the processor and the at least one of the first cellular device and the second cellular device via the interface when one of the plurality of communications prot

Assignees

• Tsampalis Ioannis
• Hardy Michael
• Saatchi Saeed
• Bucci Patrick
• Cellco Partnership Dba Verizon

Inventors

• Tsampalis Ioannis
• Hardy Michael
• Saatchi Saeed
• Bucci Patrick

Classifications

• H04W4/18 Primary

  Information format or content conversion, e.g. adaptation by the network of the transmitted or received information for the purpose of wireless delivery to users or terminals · CPC title

• H04W4/206

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04W4/21

  for social networking applications · CPC title