Data processing: artificial intelligence – Knowledge processing system
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-10
2003-09-09
Starks, Jr., Wilbert L. (Department: 2121)
Data processing: artificial intelligence
Knowledge processing system
C706S047000, C706S050000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06618714
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method and system for recommending electronic component connectivity configurations to users of electronic components as well as other information such as enhancements and accessories, and, more particularly, the present invention relates to methods and systems for providing information relating to audiovisual (AV) components and their accessories to a user.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
At present, the popularity of electronic components for personal and professional use is on the rise. In particular, home/office entertainment equipment, which may include these electronic components, is becoming more prevalent and at the same time more and more complex. One reason for this increased complexity is due, in part, to the increasing number and variety of electronic components now available to an average consumer (or user). In particular, to name a few, there are general purpose computers and computer systems, AM/FM stereo tuners/receivers, phonograph players, amplifiers, pre-amplifiers, loud speakers, including, center channel speakers, subwoofers, surround sound systems, compact disc (CD) players, Mini Disc™ (MD)
1
players, digital versatile disc (DVD) players, DAT recorder/players, tape cassette recorder/players, VCR's, conventional big screen and high definition (HD) televisions, cable and satellite dish signal sources, set top Internet systems, computer control systems, TIVO™ (an MPEG-based storage of television programs without the need for a VCR), and the like.
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Mini Disc™ is a trademark of Sony Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.
In addition, a user may be confronted with multiple brand names from which to choose, numerous models offered by each company, wide variations among the types of components to combine, compatibility or incompatibility among existing and new equipment, compatibility or incompatibility among present and future interface technology, such as analog and digital, COAX, RCA jacks, optical ports, etc. All of this equipment is referred to hereinafter collectively as electronic components or electronic equipment, with a subset being audiovisual (AV) components or equipment, and related accessories.
It is not difficult to imagine that many users of electronic equipment may have difficulty connecting together each and every piece of the above-mentioned equipment. It is desirable to have most, if not all, of the equipment or components connected together, at least in an adequate configuration, so that the equipment performs in accordance with its intended purpose. It also is desirable to take full advantage of most, if not all, of the features made available by each component, without running afoul of incompatibilities between components. For instance, with respect to AV components, a DVD player may have optical input and output ports but the receiver may have only RCA jacks. Therefore, although it would seem most desirable to use the optical inputs and outputs of the DVD player, the user would instead have to use the RCA jacks to accommodate the receiver.
At present, to aid in configuring desired components together, users are resigned to reviewing product manuals for each component, contacting representatives from each vendor of each component, or getting assistance from other users of the same or similar components. Product manuals usually provide little, if any, specific connectivity configuration diagrams, such as wiring configurations, of a user's entire system components. One vendor may not have the information of the other vendors' components, which information may be needed to facilitate proper connection. This may be true especially where a user has old and outdated components combined with new or state of the art components and/or components from different vendors. Finally, the user may have to spend an inordinate amount of time determining the component configuration or worse yet have to rely on other users with the same or less knowledge than the user regarding connecting a system together.
As a result, a user is left with a rat's nest of wiring and input/output connectivity configurations, or options and diagrams that may need to be understood to achieve a working electronic component system.
In addition to the aforesaid difficulties, users of such electronic equipment may desire other information relating to such equipment. For instance, a user may currently own or intend to purchase certain equipment and may desire to know whether the equipment he or she is purchasing is considered to be top-of-the-line or just merely middle-range. The user also may want to determine which components are compatible, or better yet, work best with other components. Finally, the user may desire a “one-stop-shopping” experience and be able to have his or her electronic component system needs analyzed to determine the best combination of components, given certain user parameters. In addition, the user may want to know about the entire range of accessories available for a particular component.
Accordingly, there is a need for a method and system that provides a way of receiving such information about the user's current and prospective components and provides an appropriate component connectivity configuration to that user. In addition, upon receipt of personal information from the user, there is a need to provide additional suggestions and recommendations to persuade the user to buy enhancements, upgrades, additional or related equipment, as well as related merchandise such as peripherals, video cassettes, tape cassettes, CD's, DVD's, Mini Discs™, and the like.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-implemented method for presenting recommended electronic component connectivity configurations to a user. A preferred embodiment of this aspect of the present invention includes (a) providing a user interface display for displaying data representing at least a group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (b) receiving data representing a user-selected subset of electronic components from the group of predetermined user-selectable electronic components, (c) retrieving from a memory storage device attributes associated with each electronic component of the user-selected subset of electronic components, (d) comparing the data representing the user-selected subset of electronic components and the associated attributes to determine a suitable electronic component connectivity configuration, and (e) presenting data representing the electronic component connectivity configuration to the user. Desirably, the electronic components being represented comprise audiovisual (AV) components.
Preferably, the method according to this preferred embodiment includes providing a graphical user interface display for displaying graphical data. More preferably, the method includes presenting graphical representations of electronic component connectivity configurations of the user-selected subset of electronic components. Most preferably, the step of presenting graphical representatives of electronic component connectivity configurations includes displaying representations of electrical wires or signal cables (with certain wires being labeled) to show the connections among appropriate connectors on each electronic components of the user-selected subset of electronic components.
Desirably, this preferred embodiment further comprises (a) receiving personal information from the user, (b) analyzing the personal information in conjunction with the user-selected subset of electronic components, and (c) presenting recommendations of additional information, such as additional or different components or accessories, to the user. Preferably, this desired method includes forwarding information to the user relating to certain electronic components, other than those selected by the user in the user-selected subset of electronic components. Most preferably, the personal information is selected from a group consisting of user demographic dat
Lerner David Littenberg Krumholz & Mentlik LLP
Sony Corporation
Starks, Jr. Wilbert L.
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