Method and apparatus for providing an audio visual e-mail system
US6252588A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Jun 16, 1998 |
| Grant date | Jun 26, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 16, 2018 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG06F9/451
- WIPO fieldComputer technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
An audio visual e-mail system and method are presented. The audio visual e-mail system of the invention reduces the complexity of sending and receiving audio visual e-mail messages to a level that allows a user to send and receive audio visual e-mail with a minimum of inconvenience. The prior art paradigm of selecting e-mail addresses from a list of long and complex e-mail addresses is replaced by selecting a thumbnail image of the intended recipient. Instead of trying to guess the identity of the sender of an e-mail message, an e-mail message created according to the invention is automatically "signed" by a thumbnail image of the sender. Instead of sending long written descriptions that are prone to misunderstanding and difficult to read, the sender of an e-mail message according to the invention can send a photo of the object to be described together with a verbal, audio description. In one embodiment, a user uses a television-type remote control as a command interface to create audio visual messages containing a picture, a verbal description in the user's own words, and a thumbnail portrait of the user.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.