Method and apparatus for distributing picture mail to a frame device community

摘要

A frame device has a display region (e.g., an LCD) surrounded with a border region modeled to resemble a traditional picture frame. Each frame device is connected to an interconnection fabric to obtain image data from a repository and then display that data according to criteria established by an authorized user. The data repository is populated with image data via the image collection process. A user may specify filter criteria which establishes what network addresses (e.g., picture mail address) are authorized to populate the data repository. The filter criteria and other information such as the behavior characteristics of each frame device are established and/or managed via a user interface.

主权项

1. A digital display apparatus having an integrated housing, said integrated housing comprising:
an image display region on an outside surface of said integrated housing; a memory in an inside of said integrated housing, said memory comprising a plurality of image data files, security information comprising authentication information for a first remote server system and a unique identifier for said digital display apparatus, and a current version of onboard software; a processor configured to control the display of image data from said plurality of image data files in said image display region in accordance with said onboard software in said inside of said integrated housing; communication circuitry configured to engage a network medium in said inside of said integrated housing under the control of said processor; wherein said onboard software comprises: an image display function configured to obtain image data from said plurality of image data files in said memory for rendering in said image display region a remote connection function configured to automatically initiate communications with said first remote server system across said network medium, said remote connection function further configured to send a request for image data to said first remote server system after initiating said communications and to receive in response to said request for image data a set of data from said first remote server system comprising one or more image data files; an authentication function configured to authenticate said first remote server system prior to accepting said set of data from said first remote server system; a software update function configured to obtain an updated version of said onboard software from said server and to replace said current version of said onboard software in said memory with said updated version.