Computerized Information and Display Apparatus

Abstract

Apparatus useful for obtaining and displaying information. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a wireless network interface, touch screen input and display device, and speech processing apparatus configured to receive user speech input and enable performance of various tasks via a remote entity, such as obtaining desired information relating to a desired entity or organization In one implementation, user touch input on the input and display device is converted to spatial or geographic coordinates, and imagery relating to those coordinates is provided to the user on the same device.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 .- 40 . (canceled) 
     
     
         41 . Computerized information and display apparatus, comprising:
 a wireless network interface;   processing apparatus in data communication with the wireless network interface;   a capacitive touch screen input and display device;   a data interface in data communication with the processing apparatus and configured to transfer data between the computerized information and display apparatus and a portable electronic device placed in data communication with the data interface; and   a storage apparatus comprising at least one computer program, said at least one computer program being configured to, when executed:
 obtain digitized speech generated based on speech received from a user, the digitized speech relating to an organization or entity which the user wishes to locate; and 
 access a network entity via the wireless network interface in order to obtain data relating to the location of the organization or entity, the obtained data based at least in part on the digitized speech; 
 receive at least a portion of the obtained data relating to the location via the wireless network interface; and 
 cause display on the capacitive touch screen input and display device of the location, the display based at least in part on the received at least portion of data; 
   wherein the display further comprises provision of at least a map graphic showing the location including other organizations or entities proximate thereto, and the computerized information system is further configured to:
 receive a user touch input via the capacitive touch screen input and display device relating a particular location on a screen of the capacitive touch screen input and display device; 
 cause conversion of a coordinate of the user touch input to an actual geographic location; and 
 cause display, on the capacitive touch screen input and display device, of an image relating to the actual geographic location. 
   
     
     
         42 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 41 , wherein the image comprises image data generated by one or more cameras disposed at the actual geographic location. 
     
     
         43 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 42 , wherein at least a portion of the map graphic comprises graphical image data that has been transmitted to computerized information apparatus by a networked server apparatus via the wireless interface, the at least portion of the map graphic selected by the network server apparatus based at least on the digitized speech. 
     
     
         44 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 43 , wherein the computerized information and display apparatus further comprises a graphics co-processor in data communication with the processing apparatus and configured to cooperate therewith to render at least a portion of the map graphics on the capacitive touch screen input and display device. 
     
     
         45 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 44 , wherein the computerized information and display system is further configured to generate a plurality of interactive hyperlinks displayed on the touch screen input and display device, the plurality of hyperlinks configured to each, when selected by the user, access a universal resource locator (URL) associated with an internet web server, and obtain information from the web server via the wireless network interface for display on the touch screen input and display device, at least one of the plurality of hyperlinks enabling access of information particularly relating to the actual geographic location or its immediate surroundings. 
     
     
         46 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 45 , wherein the actual geographic location comprises a location within a building or structure, and said immediate surroundings are also within the building or structure. 
     
     
         47 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 46 , wherein the organization or entity, and other organizations or entities proximate thereto, are each also within the building or structure. 
     
     
         48 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 42 , wherein the image data generated by one or more cameras disposed at the actual geographic location comprises digital video image data streamed substantially in real time. 
     
     
         49 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 48 , wherein the digital video image data streamed substantially in real time comprises digital image data that (i) has been transmitted wirelessly to the computerized information and display system, and (ii) digitally compressed before said wireless transmission using a digital data compression algorithm, so as to reduce wireless transmission bandwidth requirements. 
     
     
         50 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 49 , wherein the digital video image data streamed substantially in real time comprises digital image data that (i) has been transmitted wirelessly to the computerized information and display system, and (ii) digitally compressed before said wireless transmission using a digital data compression algorithm, so as to reduce wireless transmission bandwidth requirements. 
     
     
         51 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 42 , wherein the image data generated by one or more cameras disposed at the actual geographic location comprises a plurality of images taken by respective ones of a plurality of the cameras. 
     
     
         52 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 51 , wherein the computerized information and display apparatus is further configured to display at least two of the plurality of images taken by respective ones of a plurality of the cameras simultaneously on the capacitive input and display device. 
     
     
         53 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 52 , wherein the image data generated by one or more cameras disposed at the actual geographic location comprises digital video image data that (i) has been transmitted wirelessly to the computerized information and display system, and (ii) digitally compressed before said wireless transmission using a digital data compression algorithm, so as to reduce wireless transmission bandwidth requirements. 
     
     
         54 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 41 , wherein the computerized information and display system is further configured to generate a plurality of interactive hyperlinks displayed on the touch screen input and display device, the plurality of hyperlinks configured to each, when selected by the user, access information obtained from a universal resource locator (URL) associated with an internet web server, the accessed information obtained from the web server via the wireless network interface for display on the touch screen input and display device, the accessed information associated with at least one of the plurality of hyperlinks particularly relating to the actual geographic location or its immediate surroundings. 
     
     
         55 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 54 , wherein the actual geographic location comprises a location within a building or structure, and said immediate surroundings are also within the building or structure. 
     
     
         56 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 55 , wherein the organization or entity, and other organizations or entities proximate thereto, are each also within the building or structure. 
     
     
         57 . Computerized information and display apparatus, comprising:
 an IEEE-Std. 802.11 compliant wireless network interface;   a central processing apparatus in data communication with the wireless network interface;   a graphics processing apparatus in data communication with the central processing apparatus;   a capacitive touch screen input and display device in data communication with the central processing apparatus;   a data interface in data communication with the central processing apparatus and configured to transfer data between the computerized information and display apparatus and a portable electronic device placed in data communication with the data interface; and   a storage apparatus in data communication with at least the central processing apparatus and comprising at least one computer program, said at least one computer program being configured to, when executed:
 produce a digitized representation of speech generated from speech received from a user, the received speech consisting of only a name or part of a name of an organization or entity which the user wishes to locate; and 
 access a network entity via at least the wireless network interface in order to obtain data relating to the location of the organization or entity, the obtained data based at least in part on the digitized representation of speech; 
 receive at least a portion of the obtained data relating to the location via the wireless network interface; and 
 cause display on the capacitive touch screen input and display device of the location, the display comprising a map graphic showing the location and including other organizations or entities, the map graphic rendered at least in part by the graphics processor apparatus based on at least the received at least portion of data; and 
 wherein the computerized information system is further configured to:
 receive a user touch input via the capacitive touch screen input and display device relating a particular location on the map graphic; 
 cause conversion of a coordinate of the user touch input to at least one geographic or spatial coordinate; and 
 cause display, on the capacitive touch screen input and display device, of an image relating to the at least one geographic or spatial coordinate, the image comprising digital image data generated by one or more camera apparatus disposed in proximity to a physical location of the at least one geographic or spatial coordinate such that the physical location can be seen in the image. 
 
   
     
     
         58 . Computerized information and display apparatus, comprising:
 an IEEE-Std. 802.11 compliant wireless network interface;   a central processing apparatus in data communication with the wireless network interface;   a graphics processing apparatus in data communication with the central processing apparatus;   a capacitive touch screen input and display device in data communication with the central processing apparatus;   a data interface in data communication with the central processing apparatus and configured to transfer data between the computerized information and display apparatus and a portable electronic device placed in data communication with the data interface; and   a storage apparatus in data communication with at least the central processing apparatus and comprising at least one computer program, said at least one computer program being configured to, when executed:   produce a digitized representation of speech generated from speech received from a user, the received speech consisting of only a name or part of a name of an organization or entity which the user wishes to locate; and   access a network entity via at least the wireless network interface in order to obtain data relating to a location of the organization or entity, the location being inside of a building, the obtained data based at least in part on the digitized representation of speech;   receive at least a portion of the obtained data relating to the location via the wireless network interface; and   cause display on the capacitive touch screen input and display device of the location, the display comprising a map graphic showing the location and including other organizations or entities within the building, the map graphic rendered at least in part by the graphics processor apparatus based on at least the received at least portion of data; and
 wherein the computerized information system is further configured to:
 receive a user touch input via the capacitive touch screen input and display device, the user touch input relating a particular location on the map graphic; 
 cause conversion of the user touch input to a geographic or spatial location using a conversion algorithm operative to run on the central processor apparatus; 
 wirelessly receive digital image data generated by two or more camera apparatus disposed in proximity to the geographic or spatial location, the received digital data comprising two or more images having been compressed by a digital compression algorithm prior to wireless transmission thereof so as to reduce wireless transmission bandwidth requirements, the two or more images showing at least partly different views of the geographic or spatial location; and 
 cause display, on the capacitive touch screen input and display device, of the two or more images, the two or more images being displayed within one or more display windows, the one or more display windows displayed contemporaneous with the map graphic. 
 
   
     
     
         59 . The computerized information and display apparatus of  claim 58 , wherein the two or more images comprise at least first and second images of spatially contiguous regions of the geographic or spatial location, and are displayed contiguous with each other on the capacitive touch screen input and display device in a relationship that maintains such spatial contiguity.