Abstract: Autorun functionality is incorporated into a portable device such as a flash drive, a wireless adapter, a communication adapter, or any USB peripheral device. The portable device is connectable to a computing device (e.g. USB). The portable device may act as a security key to protect software or data running on the computing device from unauthorized use. At least part of the protected software or data may be stored in a protected memory component of the portable device which is not accessible by the user. Upon connecting the integrated circuit memory device to the computing device, the at least part of the protected software or data may run automatically on the computing device to enable the function of the protected software or data; whereby the user may run the protected software or data on the computing device while the portable integrated circuit memory device remains connected to the computing device.

Abstract: Building a track for a computer game, including: enabling a player of the computer game to generate the track using a controller used to play the computer game, wherein the track is generated from a point of view of the player steering the controller; and laying out the track behind the player steering the controller.

Abstract: Smart phones are herein disclosed and enabled. The smart phones include a graphical user interface, a touch sensitive screen, a digital camera, a wireless communication unit compatible with Bluetooth® and/or IEEE802.11 standards, and an Internet browsing application. The user may install additional applications to the smart phones. In one example, the smart phones may connect wirelessly to a Bluetooth® wireless audio output device. To setup wireless connection, the smart phone provides an interface over the touch sensitive screen to initiate wireless discovery, discovers one or more wireless devices for user selection, and locks a wireless communication connection between the smart phone and the selected wireless audio output device for wireless output of the audio content. A password or code may be required for connection. A security key may be stored in the smart phones to facilitate future connections. The smart phones also may support IEEE802.11 standards for direct wireless communication.

Abstract: An Internet-Phone as a smart phone may include a touch sensitive screen, an operating system, a graphical user interface, an image acquisition application, a messaging application, a document application, an e-mail application, an Internet browsing application, and an application for playing audio content. The Internet-Phone may provide an application programming interface (API) to support applications. A user of the Internet-Phone can install additional applications. The Internet-Phone may further include one or more wireless communication units with a radio frequency controller compatible to IEEE802.11 and Bluetooth® standards. In some examples, the Internet- Phone may include wireless synchronization of data or software with other wireless devices on a common network. In other examples, the Internet-Phone may include streaming or transferring of digital content to a wireless controller box, a wireless TV, or a wireless printer over the air.

Abstract: Wireless synchronization of data and software components over IEEE802.11 standard(s) are herein disclosed and enabled. An information apparatus, which includes a wireless communication unit compatible with IEEE802.11, may access a wireless local area network (WLAN). To setup the wireless synchronization, the user connects the information apparatus to a wireless output device over a wired connection (e.g., USB) and selects the wireless output device. Information associated with the wireless output device is saved in the mobile information apparatus for enabling wireless synchronization. Next, the user connects the mobile information apparatus to the WLAN, and, depending on the availability of the wireless output device in the network, the information apparatus may lock a wireless connection to the wireless output device for wireless synchronization.

Abstract: A mobile information apparatus for wireless digital media transfer and sharing in a wireless digital home or a wireless digital enterprise are disclosed. In a wireless ecosystem, the mobile Information apparatus may be smart phones, Internet Pads or information Pads. Other wireless devices maybe televisions, display screens, smart media players or controllers, printers, or other information apparatus. The disclosed mobile information apparatus may include a wireless communication unit or a graphical user interface, and may provide searching and discovering wirelessly other wireless devices, selecting by a user a discovered wireless device. Once a wireless connection is established with a discovered wireless device, wireless streaming, wireless display, or wireless printing to the selected wireless device may be enabled. Authentication using security keys may be added for digital security. The digital content may be compressed before transmitting to the selected wireless device over the wireless connection.

Abstract: Mobile device methods for enabling pervasive wireless digital media communication. A wireless digital media ecosystem may include a mobile Information apparatus such as a smart phone, an internet or information Pad, and may further include other wireless devices such as televisions, media players, media output controllers, printers, projectors, and another information apparatus. This disclosure teaches adding a wireless communication unit to the mobile information apparatus for digital media access, sharing, and transferring with the wireless communication unit. The mobile information apparatus may further perform wireless discovery and may establish a wireless connection to one or more wireless output devices such as the television. Authentication using security keys may be added for digital security. Digital content may be encoded and compressed at the mobile information apparatus prior to transferring to the one or more wireless output devices over the established wireless connection.

Abstract: Output system device methods for rendering digital content accessed over the Internet, the method includes providing security or authentication information to one or more servers over the Internet, providing payment or subscription information to the one or more servers over the Internet, selecting a reference to digital content, and providing, to the one or more servers, a content object that includes a reference or pointer to the digital content. Subsequently, an output system device receives, from the one or more servers over the Internet, the digital content corresponding to selected reference or pointer to the digital content for rendering at the rendering engine of the output system device.

Abstract: Server applications and systems for rendering digital content received from an information apparatus, the systems including a server, one or more server applications enabling multiple concurrent users to log on and access the one or more server applications in separate and protected sessions, and an output device. The server may receive a content object that includes digital content and instructions for manipulating the digital content. The server may further receive one or more job objects including at least one of authentication information, payment information, and subscription information. The server may generate an output data related to the output job, and send the output data for rendering at the output device. The systems may send a confirmation related to the output of digital content to the information apparatus. The systems may also store digital content at a server node over the Internet for use by the information apparatus.

Abstract: An output device for providing output service to a mobile information apparatus without requiring a device specific output driver installed at the mobile information apparatus. The wireless output device may include an operating system, a wireless communication unit for radio frequency communication, a display screen, and a user interface over the display screen, the output device may include features for installing one or more application software at the output device for expanding the capabilities of the output device, registering the output device with a control point over a network and providing an identification of the output device for enabling one or more mobile information apparatuses to transmit output data to the output device. Subsequent to registering the output device and providing the identification information of the output device, the output device receives output data associated with the identification information from the mobile information apparatus for rendering.

Abstract: A wireless method for Internet access and a phone calling method is disclosed. Each method uses a portable communication device that is plug connectable to an external port of a computing device for enabling the computing device Internet access, Internet sharing, and or phone calling. Upon plug connecting the portable communication device to the computing device, a software application running at the computing device is enabled by employing at least in part a protected data stored in the portable communication device. In a first exemplary application, the portable communication device enables wireless communication and Internet access to the computing device. In a second exemplary application, the portable communication device enables phone calling from the computing device and facilitates installation of a phone calling software running at the computing device upon plug connecting the communication device to the computing device.

Abstract: A portable communication device plug connectable to an external port of a computing device for enabling the computing device access to a variety of services such as Internet access, Internet sharing and phone calling. Upon plug connecting the portable communication device to the computing device, a software application running at the computing device is enabled by employing at least in part a protected data stored in the portable communication device. In one exemplary application, the portable communication device enables wireless communication and Internet access to the computing device by plug connecting the communication device to the computing device. In a second exemplary application, the portable communication device enables phone calling from the computing device and facilitates installation of a phone calling software running at the computing device upon plug connecting the communication device to the computing device.

Abstract: Autorun functionality is incorporated into an integrated circuit memory device such as any USB peripheral, which has a memory component interfaced to a USB microcontroller. This provides autorun of one or more executables or application installers from a memory component with a USB interface without an intermediate hardware-based autorun feature. USB peripheral devices internally include a USB microcontroller that performs the functionality associated with identifying the device to a host computing device, such as a personal computer. Autorun firmware is embedded into the USB microcontroller. The autorun firmware enables autorun of an installable or executable application stored on the memory component of the USB device. The firmware acts as bridge component translating all commands and interactions between a host PC and the memory component.

Abstract: An output system for rendering digital content received over a network that includes the Internet. The output system may include a television and an audio output device among others. The output system may provide security or authentication information and payment or subscription information to one or more servers over the Internet, the security or authentication information for enabling access of digital content to the output system. The output system further may provide one or more output content objects that may include a reference or a pointer to the digital content to the one or more servers over the Internet and the output system thereafter may receive the referenced digital content over the Internet. The output system may include an output controller for decoding the digital content and for applying at least a digital imaging operation on the digital content, and may include a rendering engine for rendering the processed digital content.

Abstract: Pervasive output capability is provided so that an information apparatus can pervasively output digital content to an output device regardless of the processing power, display screen size and memory space of the information apparatus. This allows small mobile devices with limited display, processing power, and memory to be able to output a digital document (e.g., PDF, HTML, PowerPoint etc) in its full original richness, without resorting to downsizing, truncating, reducing, clipping or otherwise altering the original document.

Abstract: An electronic system and method of pervasive output allow an information apparatus to output data content conveniently to virtually any output device. One method includes establishing a communication channel between the information apparatus and an output device and receiving at the information apparatus over the communication channel an attributes corresponding to the output device. The output device may then be selected at the information apparatus based at least in part on the attributes. The data content is delivered to the output device for rendering.

Abstract: Pervasive output capability is provided so that an information apparatus can pervasively output digital content to an output device. A data output system for rendering at an output device output content managed from an information apparatus includes means for obtaining a document object relating to the output content managed from the information apparatus and means for obtaining an output device object with one or more attributes corresponding to the output device. The document object and the output device object are provided to a server application that is operated on a server that is distinct from the information apparatus and the output device and that generates output data employing at least partly the document object and the output device object. The output data is then provided to the output device for rendering the output content. An output system providing output service over a network. The output service enables an information apparatus to pervasively output digital content to an output device.

Abstract: Anonymous voice communication between a first station and a second station is facilitated by providing an interface that allows input of a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations. A reference code associated with the transaction is generated, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and the address of the second station for voice communication. The reference code is supplied to the first station, and a voice communication request and the reference code are received from the first station. The reference code is used to recover said address and a channel for voice communication is opened between said first and second stations. Voice communication can thereby be established between the first and second stations without providing the address of the second station to the first station. A controlling apparatus providing communication service between two parties over the Internet, without revealing personal or security information between the two parties.

Abstract: Anonymous voice communication between a first station and a second station is facilitated by providing an interface that allows input of a transaction specification from at least one of the first and second stations. A reference code associated with the transaction is generated, there being a defined relationship between the reference code and the address of the second station for voice communication. The reference code is supplied to the first station, and a voice communication request and the reference code are received from the first station. The reference code is used to recover said address and a channel for voice communication is opened between said first and second stations. Voice communication can thereby be established between the first and second stations without providing the address of the second station to the first station. Communication between two parties or stations over a packet data network such as the Internet may be enabled without revealing private information such as an address.