(12)
`
`United States Patent
`White et a].
`
`(54) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
`COMMUNICATING SELECTED
`INFORMATION TO AN ELECTRONIC
`DEVICE
`
`_
`(75) Inventors: Russell W- White’ A115“? TX (Us);
`Kevin R. Imes, P?ugerville, TX (US)
`(73) Assignee: A?inity Labs, LLC, Austin, TX (US)
`( * ) Not1ce:
`Subject to any d1scla1mer, the term of this
`patent is extended or adjusted under 35
`U.S.C. 154(b) by 0 days.
`(21) Appl. NO.Z 09/537,812
`(22) Filed:
`Mar. 28, 2000
`
`_
`
`_
`
`_
`
`_
`
`_
`
`(56)
`
`(51) Int- 0-
`(2006.01)
`H04Q 7/20
`(52) US. Cl. ................ .. 455/556.1; 455/66.l; 455/573;
`455/557
`(58) Field of Classi?cation Search ........... .. 455/412.1,
`455/414.1, 556.1, 3.01, 3.03, 3.04, 410, 411,
`455/414-2, 4143, 517, 41-2, 5562, 66-1,
`455/572, 571, 93, 99, 557; 709/217, 218,
`709/219, 228, 203; 379/447, 419; 705/26
`See application ?le for complete search history.
`References Cited
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`4,807,292 A
`2/1989 Sorscher
`4,905,272 A
`2/1990 Van de Mortel et a1.
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`5,594,779 A
`1/1997 Goodman ................ .. 455/3.04
`5,694,120 A * 12/1997 Indekeu et a1. .......... .. 340/7.23
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`5,870,680 A
`2/1999 Guerlin et a1.
`5,900,564 A *
`5/1999 Kurakake ............... .. 84/477 R
`5,940,767 A
`8/1999 Bourgeois et a1.
`5,953,005 A *
`9/1999 Liu ....................... .. 715/500.1
`5,953,657 A
`9/1999 Ghisler
`
`500
`
`k/V
`
`US007187947B1
`
`(10) Patent N0.:
`(45) Date of Patent:
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`1/2000 Bottum .................... .. 370/913
`6,014,569 A *
`2/2000 Farris et a1. .............. .. 455/412
`6,029,064 A *
`5/2000 Buchheim
`6,061,306 A
`7/2000 Kato et a1. ................ .. 455/556
`6,088,730 A *
`6,144,848 A * ll/2000
`235/379
`6,167,253 A * 12/2000 Farris et a1. .............. .. 455/412
`
`(Continued)
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`0 898 378
`* 2/1999
`
`EP
`
`_
`(Continued)
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`US. Appl. No. 60/167,179, ?led Nov. 23, 1999.
`_
`(Commued)
`Primary Examinerilean Gehn
`(74) Attorney, Agent, or FirmiBaker Botts, LLP; Roger J.
`pulghum
`(57)
`
`ABSTRACT
`
`Disclosed are a system and method for communicating
`selected information to an electronic device. The disclosed
`system may include a digital engine operable to maintain
`data representing the selected information in a digital for
`mat. In some embodiments, the digital engine may be
`communicatively coupled to a graphical user interface that
`alloWs a user to identify the selected information. The
`system may also include a communication engine commu
`nicatively coupled to the digital engine, the communication
`engine may be operable to Wirelessly communicate the data
`representing the selected information to an electronic
`device.
`
`42 Claims, 9 Drawing Sheets
`
`501
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 1
`
`

`

`US 7,187,947 B1
`Page 2
`
`U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
`
`3/2001 Logan et a1. .......... .. 715/501.1
`6,199,076 B1 *
`5/2001 Looney er 31-
`6232539 B1
`5/2001 Ito .......................... .. 455/3.06
`6,236,832 B1 *
`5/2001 Jadoul
`6,240,297 B1
`6/2001 Fritsch ..................... .. 713/171
`6,247,130 B1 *
`9/2001 Lee
`6,292,440 B1
`6,314,094 B1 * 11/2001 Boys ........................ .. 370/352
`6,339,706 B1 *
`1/2002 Tillgren et a1.
`455/419
`6,401,085 B1 *
`6/2002 Gershman et a1.
`..... .. 707/4
`6,407,750 B1 *
`6/2002 Gioscia et a1.
`345/716
`6,418,138 B1 *
`7/2002 Cerf et a1.
`.. 370/352
`6,420,975 B1
`7/2002 DeLine et a1.
`6,496,205 B1 * 12/2002 White et a1. .............. .. 345/824
`6,496,692 B1* 12/2002 Shanahan
`455/418
`6,509,716 B2* 1/2003 Yi ............ ..
`. 320/115
`6,510,210 B1 *
`1/2003 Baughan
`379/90 01
`6,516,466 B1 *
`2/2003 Jackson .... ..
`455/3.01
`6,526,335 B1 *
`2/2003 TreyZ et a1. ..
`. 701/1
`6,587,835 B1 *
`7/2003 Treyz et a1. ................ .. 705/14
`6,591,085 B1
`7/2003 Grady
`6,671,715 B1
`12/2003 Langseth et al
`6,721,710 B1 *
`4/2004 Lueck et a1. ........... .. 369/59.21
`6,741,980 B1
`5/2004 Langseth et a1.
`6,772,212 B1
`8/2004 Lau et a1.
`6,788,528 B2
`9/2004 Enners et a1.
`6,792,263 B1
`9/2004 Kite
`6,792,615 B1
`9/2004 Rowe er a1
`6,907,112 B1 *
`6/2005 Guedalia et a1. ....... .. 379/88.17
`6,915,272 B1 *
`7/2005 Zilliacus et a1. ............ .. 705/26
`
`6,956,833 B1 * 10/2005 Yukie et a1. .............. .. 370/352
`6,975,835 B1
`12/2005 Lake et a1.
`2002/002302g A1
`2/2002 Quarendon et a1‘
`2002/0046084 A1* 4/2002 Steele et al. ................ .. 705/14
`2003/0008646 A1>1<
`V2003 Shanahan
`' 455/418
`2004/0078274 A1 *
`4/2004 Aarnio ...................... .. 705/26
`Zoos/0010633 A1>1<
`V2005 Shanahan """"""""""" “ 709/200
`2005/0049002 A1
`3/2005 Whitet et a1.
`Zoos/0054379 A1>1<
`3/2005 Cao et a1‘ """"""""" “ 455/556‘1
`NOS/0096018 A1
`5/2005 White et a1‘
`
`FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
`10-173737
`* 6/1998
`1999-024210
`* 3/1999
`1999-0033726
`* 5/1999
`98/19480
`* 5/1998
`99/43136
`* 8/1999
`00/38340
`* 6/2000
`
`JP
`KR
`KR
`WO
`WO
`WO
`
`OTHER PUBLICATIONS
`US. Appl. No. 09/234,259, ?led Jan. 20, 1999.
`“Philips PSA [128MAX,” PC Authority Reviews, May 1, 2003, 1
`pg.
`“Sony Network Walkman NW-MS70D,” PC Authority Reviews,
`Oct. 8, 2003, 1 pg.
`“Targa TMU-401,” PC Authority Reviews, Oct. 8, 2003, 1 pg.
`“Targa TMU-604,” PC Authority Reviews, Oct. 8, 2003, 1 pg.
`* cited by examiner
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 2
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`Sheet 1 0f 9
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
`
`100
`\
`
`101
`
`Communication
`Digital
`Engine H Engine
`102
`
`103
`
`Electronic
`
`Device Q
`
`FIG. 1
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 3
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`Sheet 2 0f 9
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
`
`FIG. 2
`
`Access Selectable
`Information
`
`Select Information
`
`i
`I
`4;
`I (3
`
`Maintain
`Information
`
`Initiate
`Communication of
`Information
`
`200
`
`201
`
`202
`
`203
`
`204
`
`205
`
`Present
`Information via
`Network Browser
`
`Receive User Input
`
`Store Reference
`
`Communicate
`off-line
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 4
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`Sheet 3 0f 9
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
`
`FIG. 3
`
`300
`
`301
`
`Communication
`Module
`
`Processor
`Module
`
`302
`
`Storage Medium
`303
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 5
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`Sheet 4 0f 9
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
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`SONOS 1017 - Page 6
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`Sheet 5 0f 9
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
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`SONOS 1017 - Page 7
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
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`US 7,187,947 B1
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`SONOS 1017 - Page 9
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 9
`
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`Sheet 8 of 9
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
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`SONOS 1017 - Page 10
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 10
`
`

`

`U.S. Patent
`
`Mar. 6, 2007
`
`Sheet 9 0f 9
`
`US 7,187,947 B1
`
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`
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`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 11
`
`

`

`1
`SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
`COMMUNICATING SELECTED
`INFORMATION TO AN ELECTRONIC
`DEVICE
`
`TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
`The present disclosure relates in general to the ?eld of
`Wireless communication, and more particularly to a system
`and method for communicating selected information to an
`electronic device.
`BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
`
`The ?rst commercial radio stations in the United States
`began operation around 1920. Today, there may be as many
`as 12,000 radio stations in the United States programming in
`several distinct formats. When broadcasting their respective
`signals, these radio stations often use an analog signal,
`Which may be modulated based on frequency or amplitude.
`Frequency modulated (FM) radio appears to be the dominant
`entertainment medium While amplitude modulated (AM)
`radio seems to be a popular outlet for neWs and information.
`Unfortunately, analog radio may be unable to provide the
`sound quality and consistency that radio listeners desire. As
`such, several broadcasting related companies have begun to
`consider a movement to digital radio. Unlike analog radio
`reception, digital radio reception may be able to provide
`compact disk (CD) quality sound While remaining virtually
`immune to interference. Being immune to interference may
`result in reducing static groWls or ‘multipath’ echoes, echoes
`caused by signal re?ections olf buildings or topographical
`features.
`Some countries, like Canada and many European coun
`tries, may choose to have digital radio operate in a single
`digital radio band such as the L-band betWeen 1452*1492
`megahertz (MHZ). This band Would alloW the reception of
`both terrestrially and satellite-originated signals. By com
`parison, FM radio typically operates betWeen 88 and 108
`MHZ While AM radio typically operates betWeen 0.525 and
`1.705 MHZ. Neither of these bands alloWs for easy trans
`mission via satellite.
`Canada proposed using the L-Band for digital radio as
`early as 1992. Several countries throughout the World have
`since agreed to use the L-Band for digital radio With one
`notable exception. It appears the United States has chosen
`not to operate its digital radio Within the L-Band. In the
`United States, the L-Band may already be committed for
`military uses. Apparently, the United States plans to adopt a
`system called in-band on-channel, or IBOC, Which ?ts
`Within the AM and FM frequencies.
`IBOC technology may offer some advantages over
`L-Band transmissions. For example, there may be no need
`for neW spectrum allocations. There may be backWard and
`forWard compatibility With existing AM and FM systems on
`both the transmitter and receiver sides, and there may be a
`loW-investment upgrade to digital systems. Unfortunately, a
`Workable IBOC solution is yet to be seen though technology
`may someday make IBOC digital radio commercially pos
`sible.
`Even if an IBOC solution becomes commercially avail
`able in the United States, IBOC digital radio may suffer from
`several shortcomings. For example, there may global stan
`dardiZation problems. Though the United States favors
`IBOC, the European and Canadian communities seem to
`favor L-Band making the establishment of a global standard
`dif?cult.
`
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`US 7,187,947 B1
`
`2
`SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
`
`In accordance With teachings of the present disclosure, a
`system and method for communicating selected information
`to an electronic device are disclosed that provide signi?cant
`advantages over prior developed systems. The disclosed
`embodiments alloW a radio listener to create a personal
`playlist and to listen to this playlist in a Wireless atmosphere
`While enjoying CD quality sound.
`According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a
`system incorporating teachings of the present invention may
`include a digital engine operable to maintain data represent
`ing the selected information in a digital format. In some
`embodiments, the digital engine may be communicatively
`coupled to a graphical user interface that alloWs a user to
`identify the selected information. The system may also
`include a communication engine communicatively coupled
`to the digital engine, the communication engine may be
`operable to Wirelessly communicate the data representing
`the selected information to an electronic device.
`The Wireless communication may involve communicating
`via a cellular communications netWork. The cellular com
`munications netWork may be, for example, the global system
`for mobile communications netWork (GSM), Which may
`operate around 1.8 GHZ or 1.9 GHZ. The cellular commu
`nications netWork may also involve, for example, the code
`division multiple access netWork (CDMA). In some embodi
`ments, the Wireless communication may involve
`communicating via a high-speed, loW-poWer microWave
`Wireless link. For example, the Wireless link may include a
`Bluetooth link, Which may operate around 2.4 GHZ.
`According to another aspect of the present invention, a
`system for communicating selected information to an elec
`tronic device is disclosed. The system includes a digital
`engine operable to maintain data associated With selected
`audio information and a communication engine communi
`catively coupled to the digital engine, the communication
`engine operable to initiate Wireless communication of the
`data to the electronic device.
`According to another aspect of the present invention, a
`method for communicating selected audio information to an
`electronic device is provided. The method includes main
`taining data associated With the selected audio information
`using a digital engine, and initiating Wireless communica
`tion of the data to the electronic device.
`According to another aspect of the present invention, an
`electronic device for receiving selected audio information
`via Wireless communication is provided. The device
`includes a communication module operable to receive Wire
`less communication of the selected audio information, a
`storage medium operably coupled to the communication
`module, the storage medium operable to store the selected
`audio information, and a processor module coupled to the
`communication module, the processor module operable to
`process the received selected audio information.
`According to another aspect of the present invention, a
`method for communicating selected audio information to an
`electronic device is provided. The method includes present
`ing information associated With audio information Within an
`interface associated With a communication netWork, receiv
`ing an input from a user identifying the selected information,
`maintaining data associated With the selected audio infor
`mation using digital engine, and initiating Wireless commu
`nication of the data to the electronic device.
`
`SONOS 1017 - Page 12
`
`

`

`3
`According to a particulariZed aspect of the present inven
`tion the interface operates in a browsing environment and
`the Wireless communication operates outside the browsing
`environment.
`Other technical advantages Will be apparent to those of
`ordinary skill in the art in vieW of the folloWing speci?ca
`tion, claims, and draWings.
`BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
`A more complete understanding of the present embodi
`ments and advantages thereof may be acquired by referring
`to the folloWing description taken in conjunction With the
`accompanying draWings, in Which like reference numbers
`indicate like features, and Wherein:
`FIG. 1 depicts a general system for Wirelessly communi
`cating selective information to an electronic device in accor
`dance With one aspect of the present invention;
`FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a method of Wire
`lessly communicating selected information to an electronic
`device;
`FIG. 3 illustrates an electronic device operable to receive
`selected audio information in accordance With the teachings
`of the present invention;
`FIG. 4 illustrates a graphical user interface (GUI) for
`displaying selectable audio information according to one
`aspect of the present invention;
`FIG. 5A illustrates a portable radio system having a mount
`for an electronic device according to one embodiment of the
`present invention;
`FIG. 5B illustrates automobile console having a mount for
`coupling an electronic device according to one aspect of the
`present invention;
`FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a system for com
`municating voice mail messages using email according to
`one embodiment of the present invention;
`FIG. 7 illustrates a How chart for providing voice email
`messages according to one embodiment of the present
`invention;
`FIG. 8 illustrates a How diagram of a method for provid
`ing selected audio information to an electronic device
`according to one embodiment of the present invention; and
`FIG. 9 illustrates an automobile console having a mount
`for an electronic device according to one embodiment of the
`present invention.
`DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE
`INVENTION
`The conceptual groundWork for the present invention
`includes Wirelessly communicating selective information to
`an electronic device. According to one aspect, a user may
`interact With the Internet to select information, such as audio
`information, and Wirelessly communicate the selected infor
`mation to an electronic device. The electronic device
`receives the information via a Wireless communications
`netWork and processes the information accordingly. In a
`particulariZed form, a user may select information from an
`Internet Website operable to alloW selectivity of audio infor
`mation such a songs, on-line radio stations, on-line broad
`casts, streaming audio, or other selectable information.
`Upon selecting the audio information, information or data
`associated With the selected audio information is Wirelessly
`communicated to an electronic device. The electronic device
`may then be used to process the selected audio information.
`In this manner, a user may receive selective audio informa
`tion via a Wireless electronic device.
`
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`US 7,l87,947 B1
`
`4
`In one form, the electronic device may be operable to
`communicate With an individual’s automobile audio system.
`A user may select audio information utiliZing a personal
`computer With access to a Website operable to display
`selectable audio information. The selected audio informa
`tion may then be Wirelessly communicated to the electronic
`device associated With an automobile’s audio system. There
`fore, upon receiving the selected audio information, a user
`may access and play the received audio information utiliZing
`the electronic device in association With the automobiles
`audio system.
`The present invention is not limited to communicating
`only audio information. One skilled in the art can appreciate
`that other types of information, such as video, textual, etc.
`may be communicated utiliZing the systems and methods
`disclosed herein Without departing from the spirit and scope
`of the present invention. Additionally, it Will be understood
`that information may be formatted in a plurality of Ways at
`different phases of communication Without losing the under
`lying content of the selected information. For example, an
`audio ?le may be formatted, segmented, compressed, modi
`?ed, etc. for the purpose of providing or communicating the
`audio invention. Therefore, the term ‘audio information’ or
`‘information’ is used in a general sense to relate to audio
`information in all phases of communication.
`FIG. 1 depicts a general system for Wirelessly communi
`cating selective information to an electronic device in accor
`dance With one aspect of the present invention. The system,
`illustrated generally at 100, includes a digital engine 101
`coupled to a communications engine 102. Communications
`engine 102 is remotely coupled to an electronic device 103.
`Digital engine 101 may be directly or indirectly coupled to
`storage device 105 operable to store information.
`Digital engine 101 maintains information or data associ
`ated With selected information in a digital format. The
`information may be stored Within storage device 105 or
`other storage devices operable to maintain data or informa
`tion associated With the selected information. Communica
`tions engine 102 is communicatively coupled to digital
`engine 101 and operable to Wirelessly communicate the
`selected information to electronic device 103.
`During operation, audio information may be selected by
`a user utiliZing a personal computer or other devices oper
`able to communicate With an information netWork. Digital
`engine 102 is operable to maintain information associated
`With the selected audio information. For example, the infor
`mation could be several songs or titles con?gured as an
`audio ?le and formatted in a digital format such as an MP3
`?le, Wave ?le, etc. The maintained information may also be
`a reference to a netWork location Where an audio ?le may be
`stored, a netWork location Where a netWork broadcast of
`audio information may be located, etc. or other netWork
`locations having information associated With the selected
`audio information. Therefore, digital engine 101 may main
`tain a plurality of different types of information or data
`associated With the selected audio information. System 100,
`utiliZing communication engine 102, may Wirelessly com
`municate data or information associated With the selected
`audio information to electronic device 103 thereby provid
`ing Wireless communication of selected information to an
`electronic device operable to receive Wireless communica
`tions.
`In one embodiment, digital engine 101 may be used in
`association With an Internet Website con?gured to provide
`access to selectable information. The Internet Website oper
`ably associated With digital engine 101 alloWs a user to
`select information to be Wirelessly communicated to elec
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`tronic device 103 utilizing a network environment. The
`Internet Website may include several different types of
`information related to audio information. FIG. 4, described
`in greater detail beloW, illustrates one embodiment of pro
`viding an Internet Website for displaying selectable audio
`information. For example, the Internet Website may include
`music and/or artist search engines, playlists, top 10 charts,
`artists by genre, and other information associated With audio
`information. A user may select information associated With
`the audio information and digital engine 101 can maintain
`the information or data associated With the selected infor
`mation in a digital format. Communications engine 102
`coupled to digital engine 101 may Wirelessly communicate
`data associated With the selected audio information to elec
`tronic device 103. Therefore, a user may access and select
`audio information via an Internet Website and Wirelessly
`communicate the data to an electronic device. As such,
`system 100 advantageously alloWs for Wireless communi
`cation of selected audio information to electronic devices
`that may be remotely located from a conventional terrestrial
`communication netWork.
`Electronic device 103 may be con?gured in a plurality of
`Ways for receiving Wireless communication of selected
`audio information. In one embodiment, electronic device
`103 may be operable as a component con?gured to receive
`a cellular signal comprising the selected information com
`municated by the communication engine. For example, a
`device having a cellular modem may be operable to receive
`the information at speci?ed intervals. Upon receiving the
`information the electronic device may process the received
`information. Electronic devices are described in more detail
`beloW and may include a network radio, a modular device,
`an audio system, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a
`cellular phone, or other electronic devices operable to
`receive information Wirelessly communicated by communi
`cation engine 102.
`Communications engine 102 may be operable to Wire
`lessly communicate selected information to electronic
`device 103 in a plurality of Ways. The present invention
`advantageously alloWs for several different embodiments of
`Wirelessly communicating selected audio information to
`electronic device 103 and is not limited to any speci?c
`con?guration described beloW.
`Several different types or combinations of Wireless com
`munication may be realiZed by the present invention. Com
`munications engine 102 may be operable to Wirelessly
`communicate the selected information from a information
`netWork, such as the Internet, to an electronic device oper
`able to receive Wireless communications. In one embodi
`ment, communications engine 102 may comprise a conduit
`to interface information With a Wireless communication
`netWork. The conduit may con?gure the information located
`Within the information netWork into a format operable to be
`transmitted via Wireless communication. For example, a
`Wireless device may be operable to receive packets of
`information having a speci?c siZe and in a speci?c format.
`In such an embodiment, communications engine 102 could
`format the information into a desirable format for Wirelessly
`communicating the information to electronic device 103.
`Several types of Wireless communication may be used by
`communications engine 102 to communicate the selected
`information to an electronic device. Communications net
`Works such as GSM, Digital Satellite communication, SB,
`Radio bands, DRC, SuperDRC or other systems or types of
`transmission such as TDMA, CDMA, spread spectrum, etc.
`or frequencies such as betWeen about 1.7 GHZ and 2.0 GHZ
`may be realiZed by the present invention for communicating
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`information or data representing the selected audio infor
`mation to electronic device 103.
`In one embodiment, the selective information may be
`communicated using a digital broadcast signal. Digital
`broadcast includes providing information via a signal such
`as AM, FM, and the like. Digital information may be
`included or encoded as a sub-carrier Within the broadcast
`signal and received by electronic device 103. A digital
`sub-carrier may include a selective bandWidth of frequencies
`for a speci?c radio station (i.e. 6 MHZ for FM). The selective
`information may be Wirelessly communicated to electronic
`device 103 utiliZing a communication engine 102 operable
`to communicate the selective information via a digital FM
`signal. In this manner, selective information may be com
`municated Within digital FM sub-carriers to an electronic
`device operable to receive the information. For example, a
`user may subscribe to communicate the information via an
`FM sub-carrier and receive the selective data through Wire
`less communication via a speci?ed FM sub-carrier.
`In one embodiment, the selected information may be
`formatted and transmitted to achieve a desirable transmis
`sion rate. For example, conventional systems may transmit
`information at a speed of 10 kilobits per second. Therefore,
`for 1 megabyte of information to be communicated to an
`electronic device, a transmission time of approximately 800
`seconds may be required. The present invention may alloW
`for a relative increase in transmission speed by removing the
`requirement that information be communicated asynchro
`nously to an electronic device. For example, conventional
`Wireless communication utiliZe a speci?ed frequency to
`communicate information in tWo directions (i.e., cellular
`phones). As such, information is communicated across a
`channel in an asynchronous manner to provide a continuous
`audio signal to the recipient. The present invention advan
`tageously alloWs for signals to be transmitted to an elec
`tronic device in a less than asynchronous manner. For
`example, if a user selected a song to be Wirelessly commu
`nicated to an electronic device, system 100 could commu
`nicate the information in a less than asynchronous manner
`alloWing the selected information to be transmitted effi
`ciently thereby decreasing the overall doWnload time for the
`selected audio information.
`In one embodiment, the selected information may be
`compressed and transmitted across the same frequency but
`at different phases thereby alloWing plural signals having
`different phases to be Wirelessly communicated to an elec
`tronic device. Therefore, the electronic device may be oper
`able to receive multiple phased signals and process the
`selective information accordingly.
`In one embodiment, the information may be Wirelessly
`communicated at a relatively sloW transmission rate. For
`example, a user may schedule When the selected audio
`information may be used by electronic device 103. The user
`may select several different audio tracks or songs to be
`transmitted to an electronic device associated With the user’s
`vehicle such that the user can listen to the user selected audio
`information during the drive home at the end of a Work day.
`Therefore, it may be desirable to utiliZe a sloWer transfer
`speed due to the extended amount of time available prior to
`actual use of the selected audio information. In this manner,
`communications netWorks having less or sloWer transfer
`rates may be used to Wirelessly communicate the selected
`audio information to the electronic device.
`In another embodiment, high speed Wireless communica
`tion netWorks may be used to communicate the selected
`audio information. For example, a user may Want to listen to
`an Internet broadcast of an Internet radio station. Therefore,
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`7
`high speed communication may be required to Wirelessly
`communicate or stream the selected audio information to an
`electronic device.
`In another embodiment, a hybrid of Wireless communi
`cation rates may be deployed depending on the requirements
`of the selected audio information and/or the electronic
`device. For example, the selected audio information may
`?rst be transmitted to the electronic device via high speed
`communication until enough information has been Wire
`lessly communicated and buffered into a memory device
`operably associated With the electronic device. Upon com
`municating a certain percentage of the selected audio infor
`mation, sloWer communication speeds may then be used to
`communicate additional selected audio information.
`Therefore, system 100 may be con?gured in a plurality of
`Ways to communicate selected information to electronic
`device 103. Digital engine 101 may be used to maintain data
`or information associated With the selected information and
`communication engine 102, communicatively coupled to
`digital engine 101, may Wirelessly communicate selected
`information to electronic device 103.
`FIG. 2 illustrates a block diagram of a method of Wire
`lessly communicating selected information to an electronic
`device. The method may be used in association With the
`system illustrated in FIG. 1 or other systems operable to
`utiliZe the method of FIG. 2.
`The method begins generally at step 200. At step 201
`selectable audio information may be accessed utiliZing a
`netWork communications device. For example, selectable
`audio information may be displayed at an Internet Website
`accessible by a personal computer. In another embodiment,
`the selectable information may be accessed utilizing a
`Wireless communications device such as, a cellular phone, a
`PDA device, or other devices operable to provide access to
`the selectable audio information. Upon accessing the select
`able information, the method proceeds to step 202 Where a
`user can identify or select audio information to be Wirelessly
`communicated to an electronic device. For example, a user
`may select an entire album to be Wirelessly communicated
`to a PDA device.
`Upon the user selecting the audio information, the method
`proceeds to step 203 Where the method maintains informa
`tion associated With the selected information. In one
`embodiment, the information may be an audio ?le, such as
`a Wave ?le, and MP3 ?le, etc. representative of the selected
`audio information. In another embodiment, a netWork loca
`tion that comprises a ?le representing the selected informa
`tion may be maintained. Another example may include a
`netWork location of a netWork broadcast of audio informa
`tion. Therefore, the method at step 203 may maintain several
`different types of information associated With the selected
`audio information.
`Upon maintaining information or data associated With the
`selected information, the method proceeds to step 204 Where
`the method Wirelessly communicates information associated
`With the selected information to an electronic device. For
`example, if an audio ?le associated With the selected audio
`information Was maintained, the method Would communi
`cate the audio ?le to the electronic device. In another
`embodiment, a link or netWork address broadcasting the
`selected audio information may be accessed and, at s