Abstract: A display device configured to be mounted on a shelf includes a strip member sized to be mounted at a front end of the shelf, the strip member defining a front display area and a hollow interior, and a printed circuit board positioned within the hollow interior of the strip member. A button membrane is coupled to the front display area of the strip member, the button membrane defining a plurality of buttons, each of the buttons corresponding to a product located on the shelf behind the respective button, and each button being electrically coupled to the printed circuit board. A speaker is coupled to the printed circuit board, and the display device delivers an audio advertisement based on a selection by a user of one of the buttons.

Abstract: A multi-station audio distribution apparatus having at least two listening stations, a data control mechanism and a listening station interface mechanism disposed between the listening stations and the data control mechanism. Each of the listening stations has a user input in the form of a bar code scanner to enter an audio material selection and each has an audio output. The data control mechanism retrieves digitized audio material corresponding to each of the user's audio material selections. The listening station interface mechanism transfers the user's input from each of the listening stations to the data control mechanism, receives the digitized audio materials corresponding to each user's input from the data control mechanism, converts the digital audio materials to analog audio signals and transfers the analog audio signals to each of the respective listening stations for the audio output.

Abstract: A digital signage system and method for centralized management of digital media content with distributed display of the digital media content. The system includes a centralized data processing system having a database containing digital media content, the digital media content implementing a retail promotion having a specific start date, a specific end date, and identities of a number of distributed particular machines implementing the retail promotion; and a first network connection; a number of particular machines implementing the distributed display of the digital media content, each particular machine having a central processing unit, a display, and a memory storing the identity of the particular machine; a program executing in the memory; and a second network connection.

Abstract: A method of allowing a consumer to digitally mark portions of media content and later retrieve the marked portions uniquely keyed to that consumer, comprising the steps of: retrieving a sample of the media content; entering a unique identifier; keying the retrieved sample to the unique identifier; and at a later time, retrieving the sample by entering the unique identifier.

Abstract: A method for compressing digital content from a source, using a compression scheme selected from a group of available compression schemes, storing the compressed content at a central location, and retrieving the compressed content at a remote location.

Abstract: An apparatus and method allowing a consumer to digitally mark media content and later retrieve portions of the marked media content keyed to that consumer. The apparatus includes storage for the media content; a server computer accessing the media content storage; a workstation interacting with the server computer to allow the consumer to sample portions of the stored media content; a plurality of portable digital markers having a unique barcode; and a database containing the unique barcodes and references to the sampled portions of the stored media content.

Abstract: A universal compact disc (CD) player having the ability to decode and play an encoded audio file residing on a CD, regardless of the particular encoding algorithm used to encode the audio file, consists of: a spindle motor and optical pickup adapted to read the signal recorded on the CD; an amplifier to amplify the signal read by the pickup; a programmable digital signal processor adapted to decode the amplified signal under the direction of a decoding software program; a nonvolatile memory containing the decoding software program directing the operation of the digital signal processor; a program adapted to read the decoding software program from a memory card into the nonvolatile memory; a digital-to-analog converter to convert the decoded signal into an analog audio signal; and a speaker or headphones to convert the analog audio signal into sound.

Abstract: A method for compressing digital content from a source, using a compression scheme selected from a group of available compression schemes, storing the compressed content at a central location, and retrieving the compressed content at a remote location.

Abstract: A multi-station audio distribution apparatus having at least two listening stations, a data control mechanism and a listening station interface mechanism disposed between the listening stations and the data control mechanism. Each of the listening stations has a user input in the form of a bar code scanner to enter an audio material selection and each has an audio output. The data control mechanism retrieves digitized audio material corresponding to each of the user's audio material selections. The listening station interface mechanism transfers the user's inputs from each of the listening stations to the data control mechanism, receives the digitized audio materials corresponding to each user's input from the data control mechanism, converts the digital audio materials to analog audio signals and transfers the analog audio signals to each of the respective listening stations for the audio output.

Abstract: A multi-station video/audio distribution apparatus having at least two preview stations, a data control mechanism, a preview station interface mechanism disposed between the preview stations and the data control mechanism, and a video display interface mechanism disposed between the preview stations and the data control mechanism. Each of the preview stations has a user input in the form of a bar code scanner to enter a video material selection, an audio output and a video display. The data control mechanism retrieves digitized video and audio material corresponding to each of the user's video material selections.

Abstract: A universal compressed audio player having the ability to decode and play an encoded audio file residing in a music storage, regardless of the particular encoding algorithm used to encode the audio file, consists of: a music storage containing a compressed audio file to be decoded; a programmable digital signal processor adapted to decode the compressed audio file under the direction of a decoding software program; a nonvolatile memory containing the decoding software program directing the operation of the digital signal processor; a program adapted to copy the decoding software program from a memory card into the nonvolatile memory; a digital-to-analog converter to convert the decoded signal into an analog audio signal; and a speaker or headphones to convert the analog audio signal into sound.

Abstract: A method for compressing digital content from a source, using a compression scheme selected from a group of available compression schemes, storing the compressed content at a central location, and retrieving the compressed content at a remote location.