382 results about "Internet appliance" patented technology

An Internet appliance, comprising, within a single housing, packet data network interfaces, adapted for communicating with the Internet and a local area network, at least one data interface selected from the group consisting of a universal serial bus, an IEEE-1394 interface, a voice telephony interface, an audio program interface, a video program interface, an audiovisual program interface, a camera interface, a physical security system interface, a wireless networking interface; a device control interface, smart home interface, an environmental sensing interface, and an environmental control interface, and a processor, for controlling a data transfer between the local area network and the Internet, and defining a markup language interface communicated through a packet data network interface, to control a data transfer or control a remote device.

The present invention discloses a central certificate management system for thin client devices in data networks and has particular applications to systems having a large number of the thin clients serviced by a proxy server through which the thin clients communicate with a plurality of secure server computers over a data network. According to one aspect, the present invention provides a certificate management module that causes the server device to manage digital certificates for each of the thin client devices. To minimize the latency of obtaining certificates for each of the thin client devices, the certificate management module reserves a fixed number of free certificates signed by a certificate authority and their respective private keys in a certificate database and frequently updates the free certificate according to a certificate updating message. Whenever a user account is created for a thin client device, the certificate management module fetches one or more free certificates from the certificate database and associate the fetched certificates to the created account and meanwhile the certificate management module creates new free certificates with the certificate authority to fill in the certificate database. Apart from the tradition of obtaining certificates locally in client devices that normally have sufficient computing power, the present invention uses the computing resources in a server device to carry out the task of obtaining and maintaining certificates asynchronously in the proxy server and further. These and other features in the present invention dramatically minimize the demands for computing power and memory in thin client devices like mobile devices, cellular phones, landline telephones or Internet appliance controllers.

An interactive visitor self-registration system for visitors to museums or other public sites using a digital computer or internet appliance device and a touchscreen monitor, which accesses a dedicated website, through a global computer network such as the Internet. It focuses on gathering information regarding residence of visitors as well as the information gathered by a traditional paper guest book. The system is searchable by visitors and by site staff. The information gathered by the system is stored on a dedicated website. A second, administration website, also password protected with an unpublished web address can be used by Site Administrators to customize the looks and options of their specific visitor self-registration system. Additionally, there is a public website which is accessible via the Internet which stores travel information for every signer to the system who logs on with his or her email address. These visitors can track their own travel via a map displayed on the website and be linked to the website for the sites they visit.

A networked computer system has a plurality of servers and a plurality of distributed clients, which may be devices or computers. Each client has a boot operating system (OS). Upon startup, the boot OS in each client automatically initiates a connection to one of the servers via the Internet. The boot OS can detect the type of medium (e.g., cable modem, DSL) to which the client is connected. The server automatically downloads a base OS and dynamically configures a suite of applications on the client without running the standard installation programs. One included application is an Internet telephony application, allowing a user to plug a standard telephone into the client appliance or computer, pick up the telephone, and automatically dial out using long distance Internet telephony. Optionally, the server may download a plurality of operating systems that are automatically initiated to run concurrently on the client. The clients use a random access memory (RAM) caching technique. A first portion of each OS or application is downloaded at startup and maintained in the client RAM, containing the files needed to launch the OS or application. If the client processes a request for an OS or application program file not in the client's RAM, the requested file is automatically downloaded from the server.

A system is disclosed that facilitates web-based a virtually ubiquitous network interface is created by obtaining user profile information from a user and activity information from a user device, storing the user profile information and activity information in a database, providing access to the database from any Internet enabled device with appropriate security clearance for altering the database, receiving permission from the user to allow a third party to access the user profile, providing the third party access to a public subset of the user profile, receiving and storing content from the third party, and synchronizing the database and an Internet enabled device. The system responds to unsolicited updates from Internet enabled devices such as gas meters, electrical meters and household appliances to keep a user profile current.

An in-vehicle device data communicates with Internet based data processing resources for the purpose of transacting e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business. The in-vehicle device and the Internet based data processing resources can effectuate a wide variety of e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business including accessing auto part databases, warranty, customer, and other remote databases. In addition, e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business transactions can include vehicle security and vehicle service management, data communicating Internet based radio, audio, MP3, MPEG, video, and other types of data. Furthermore, e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business transactions can include interactive advertising, promotional offers, coupons, and supporting other remote data communications.

The in-vehicle device can also include functionality for remote monitoring of vehicle performance, data communicating and accessing remote Internet based content and data, and effectuating adjustments and control of vehicle operation. Remote monitoring and control of vehicle operation can be by way of an Internet based data processing resource and can include engine control system programming and setting adjustment, vehicle monitoring, and transmission of vehicle telemetry and metric data. Vehicle telemetry and metric data can include global positioning system (GPS) data, vehicle operational data, engine performance data, and other vehicle data.

The in-vehicle device can also wirelessly data communicate with a communication interface device (COM device) or an Internet appliance. Such COM devices or Internet appliances can data communicate wirelessly with an in-vehicle device and simultaneously data communicate in a wired or wireless mode of operation to Internet based data processing resources, and to other data processing resources.

An in-vehicle device data communicates with Internet based data processing resources for the purpose of transacting e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business. The in-vehicle device and the Internet based data processing resources can effectuate a wide variety of e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business including accessing auto part databases, warranty, customer, and other remote databases. In addition, e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business transactions can include vehicle security and vehicle service management, data communicating Internet based radio, audio, MP3, MPEG, video, and other types of data. Furthermore, e-mail, e-commerce, and e-business transactions can include interactive advertising, promotional offers, coupons, and supporting other remote data communications.

The in-vehicle device can also include functionality for remote monitoring of vehicle performance, data communicating and accessing remote Internet based content and data, and effectuating adjustments and control of vehicle operation. Remote monitoring and control of vehicle operation can be by way of an Internet based data processing resource and can include engine control system programming and setting adjustment, vehicle monitoring, and transmission of vehicle telemetry and metric data. Vehicle telemetry and metric data can include global positioning system (GPS) data, vehicle operational data, engine performance data, and other vehicle data.

The in-vehicle device can also wirelessly data communicate with a communication interface device (COM device) or an Internet appliance. Such COM devices or Internet appliances can data communicate wirelessly with an in-vehicle device and simultaneously data communicate in a wired or wireless mode of operation to Internet based data processing resources, and to other data processing resources.

A system, method and apparatus dedicated to accessing certain aspects of the Internet. The system includes a hardware device having a display and firmware associated with the display. The firmware includes a web browser and an operating system, configured to automatically connect to a datacenter server using the web browser, and to receive a frameset template from the datacenter, the frameset including frames, wherein each frame includes a preset content locator, upon boot of the operating system. The data center server may have preconfigured framesets with assigned content locators, and be configured to transmit one or more of the framesets to the device. Each frame may include content from transmitted from a different internet server upon boot of the operating system.

In some embodiments, the invention involves adding a capability for a platform owner or administrator to ensure that the firmware is only executed in an owner-authorized fashion, such as with signed components managed by a security processor. Embodiments may extend the Core Root of Trust for Measurement (CRTM), via use of a cryptographic unit coupled to the security processor in a mobile Internet device (MID) as a Root-of-Trust for Storage (RTS) Storage Root Key (SRK), into a unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI) Platform Initialization (PI) image authorization and boot manager. Other embodiments are described and claimed.

A small sensor surface designed to control a smart phone or Mobile Internet Device (MID). The sensor surface may be mounted on the side of the proposed device in a position where a user's thumb or finger naturally falls when holding the device in his/her hand. The sensor surface is simultaneously convex and concave, providing both visual and physical cues for the use of the sensor surface. The sensor may include capacitive sensing, optical sensing and pressure sensing capabilities to interpret thumb gestures into device control.

Public wireless communications will increasingly extend into wireless LAN (WLAN) environments in order to meet the ubiquitous access, high data rate, and local services demands of future Internet appliances. By relying on IP-level services mechanisms, the Public Access Mobility LAN (PAMLAN) can simultaneously support different air interfaces, franchises for multiple services providers, and a multi-segment LAN environment including handoffs. The PAMLAN supports virtual operator LANs representing different network services providers, authorization and accounting mechanism, support of multiple air interfaces, and local IP mobility. A router associated with each base station realizes this highly distributed IP networking environment, and a QoS-enabled switched Ethernet core supports virtual networks and QoS services.

An arrangement for disabling suitably equipped mobile devices senses at least one of: acceleration, jerk, velocity, position, orientation relative to a vehicle location trend, and orientation of a direction of motion. Position and orientation sensing elements are becoming increasingly prevalent in mobile devices, be they cell phones, smart phones, portable Internet devices, portable wireless devices, mobile Internet devices, Portable Navigation Devices (PND), iPhones, tablet computers, iPads, or Portable Digital Assistants (PDA). Although the operation of which while driving is illegal in many jurisdictions, mobile devices continue to be used by drivers of motor vehicles. Common perception is that it is dangerous to divide one's attention to activities other than the task of operating motor vehicles, while driving. The present invention discloses a device and method of exploiting intricacies of vehicle movement trends by processing to sufficient fidelity as to permit extraction an indication of location with respect to vehicle, of a navigating portable wireless device and temporarily disable. The disclosure teaches use of at least one of: acceleration, jerk, velocity with sufficient fidelity, and differentiation of position updates with sufficient fidelity.

An Internet audio appliance which receives audio content from a content provider via the Internet. In one embodiment, the Internet audio appliance plays the audio information data stream as it is received. In another embodiment, the audio information data stream is obtained at a convenient time, e.g., in the middle of the night, and stored in audio memory for later playback. A channel selector module allows a user to select from among a plurality of possible audio information sources available from various content providers on the Internet. In one embodiment, the channel selector module includes memory to store Internet access information (e.g., a phone number of an Internet service provider) and IP address information to identify the selected content provider. Based on the channel selected in the channel selector module, the Internet audio appliance automatically dials the IP server or other Internet access port, and requests from the selected content provider an audio information data stream corresponding to a desired subject, language, or other information. Channel memory locations may store any information necessary to access a content provider on the Internet, e.g., the telephone number of the Internet access port and/or an IP address of the selected content provider. In yet another embodiment, the Internet audio appliance includes a voice messaging system such as a telephone answering device (TAD). The TAD/Internet audio appliance accesses information when not in use. A central office may provide the desired Internet information to the TAD/Internet audio appliance or other telephone device so long as no incoming call requires use of the telephone line from the central office to the TAD/Internet audio appliance.

A Set Top Box or other client/server device including an Internet appliance which runs an application and operates under any of several operating systems. The Set Top Box boots from boot code stored, for example, in a ROM which permits a user to select an operating system and application. The Set Top Box contacts a Master Server and obtains a URL for download of the operating system and application. The URL is contacted and the application and operating system are downloaded. The Set Top Box operates under the operating system to run the application until another application is selected.

A mobile electronic apparatus in which various functions can be easily added without impairing the mobility and without making any change in the hardware. The mobile electronic apparatus is carried by its authorized user to perform various types of electrical information processing, and has an attachment part detachably attached to a main body of the apparatus for performing a predetermined function, which attachment part has an input/output section for inputting/outputting information. The apparatus also has an interface section for transferring input/output signals relating to the information between the attachment part and the main body. The invention is applicable in mobile electronic apparatus having an attachment part detachably attached thereto, internet appliances such as cell phones, mobile electronic information terminals, and PDAs.

A method and a system are described for directing a client to the most optimal, most available Web site or to the most optimal content in a distributed content environment, using an Internet Site Selector, which is an Internet appliance that optimizes the performance of domains hosted on mirrored, geographically distributed Web sites. The system includes various components including the Internet Site Selectors which co-locate with each Web site. The method comprises a number of steps including sending client requests to a primary or main site, redirecting by an Internet Site Selector coupled to the primary or main site the modified client requests to all other participating Internet Site Selectors. Several modes and deployments of the Internet Site Selectors, including geographic site selection, multiple Internet Site Selectors at each Web site, Internet Site Selector grouping, Internet Site Selectors in content routing are described.

An electronic controller for conducting trusted lightweight e-commerce transactions. A trusted transactional cache and the associated transactional protocol allow e-commerce transactions to be committed to a remote server extremely quickly and with little network overhead. The end-to-end transactions are completed is just a few seconds or less. The invention operates equally well on robust private networks as on unpredictable Internet or wireless networks. The transaction is automatically completed following a temporary communication failure with the central site or following a temporary local controller failure. The invention can advantageously be used in embedded Internet products such as fixed or mobile Internet kiosks, transactional terminals, and Internet Appliances.

An electronic controller for conducting trusted lightweight e-commerce transactions. A trusted transactional cache and the associated transactional protocol allow e-commerce transactions to be committed to a remote server extremely quickly and with little network overhead. The end-to-end transactions are completed is just a few seconds or less. The invention operates equally well on robust private networks as on unpredictable Internet or wireless networks. The transaction is automatically completed following a temporary communication failure with the central site or following a temporary local controller failure. The invention can advantageously be used in embedded Internet products such as fixed or mobile Internet kiosks, transactional terminals, and Internet Appliances.

Reduced Rayleigh backscattering effect enables a longer-reach optical access communication network-thus it eliminates significant costs. Furthermore, a wavelength to an intelligent subscriber subsystem can be dynamically varied for bandwidth on-Demand and service on-Demand. A software module renders intelligence (and context awareness) to a subscriber subsystem and an appliance. An object can sense/measure/collect/aggregate/compare/map and connect/couple/interact (via one or more or all electrical/optical/radio/electro-magnetic/sensor/bio-sensor communication network(s) within and/or to and/or from an object) with another object, an intelligent subscriber subsystem and an intelligent appliance utilizing an Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) and its subsequent versions.

A construction of a near-field communication (NFC) enabled intelligent micro-subsystem and/or intelligent appliance with key applications (e.g., an intelligent, location based and personalized social network and an intelligent, location based and personalized direct and peer-to-peer marketing) are also described.