Distributed processing, storage, and transmision of multimedia information

Abstract

A system and method for communicating and processing data. A home computer unit engages in two-way communication with a mobile unit over a communication path having a wireless portion. The home computer unit receives a signal from the mobile unit over the communication path. The signal comprises a request by the mobile unit for information from the home computer unit. The home computer unit extracts the requested information from a data source. If the extracted requested information does not satisfy a bandwidth constraint relating to the communication path or does not fit within available memory of the mobile unit, then the home computer unit restructures the requested information into downsized information such that the downsized information satisfies the bandwidth constraint and fits within the available memory of the mobile unit. Then, the home computer unit transmits the downsized information to the mobile unit over the communication path.

What is claimed is:  
     
         1 . A system for communication and processing of data, comprising a home computer unit and a mobile unit, 
 wherein the home computer unit is adapted to engage in two-way communication with the mobile unit over a communication path,    wherein a portion of the communication path is wireless,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to receive at least one signal sent by the mobile unit to the home computer unit over the communication path,    wherein the at least one signal comprises a request by the mobile unit for information from the home computer unit,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to extract the requested information from a data source, and    wherein if the extracted requested information does not satisfy a bandwidth constraint relating to the communication path or does not fit within available memory of the mobile unit, then: 
 the home computer unit is adapted to effectuate a restructuring of the extracted requested information into downsized information such that the downsized information satisfies the bandwidth constraint and fits within the available memory of the mobile unit, and  
 the home computer unit is adapted to transmit the downsized information to the mobile unit over the communication path.  
   
     
     
         2 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the communication path that is wireless includes the entire communication path.  
     
     
         3 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the portion of the communication path that is wireless is shorter than a portion of the communication path that is not wireless.  
     
     
         4 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the bandwidth constraint comprises a real-time bandwidth constraint.  
     
     
         5 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal comprises a specification of the bandwidth constraint.  
     
     
         6 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one signal comprises a specification of the available memory of the mobile unit.  
     
     
         7 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the data source comprises at least one database external to the home computer unit.  
     
     
         8 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the data source comprises an Internet.  
     
     
         9 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the data source comprises a source of video data.  
     
     
         10 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the restructuring comprises an intra-modality restructuring of a modality of the requested information.  
     
     
         11 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality that includes a video modality.  
     
     
         12 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality that includes a graphics modality.  
     
     
         13 . The system of  claim 10  wherein the modality includes a visual modality, wherein the visual modality includes an image, and wherein the intra-modality restructuring includes generation of layered mosaics from a portion of the image.  
     
     
         14 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality, wherein the visual modality includes an image, and wherein the intra-modality restructuring includes cartoonification of a portion of the image.  
     
     
         15 . The system of  claim 14 , wherein the cartoonification comprises a smoothing of an attribute of the portion of the image, and wherein the attribute is at least one of color, brightness, and texture.  
     
     
         16 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality, wherein the visual modality includes an image, and wherein the intra-modality restructuring includes iconification of a portion of the image.  
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the modality includes an audio modality.  
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 10 , wherein the modality includes a text modality  
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the restructuring comprises a cross-modality restructuring of a first modality into a second modality.  
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 19 , wherein the first modality comprises a visual modality, and wherein the second modality comprises a text modality.  
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the visual modality includes a video modality.  
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein the visual modality includes a graphics modality.  
     
     
         23 . The system of  claim 1 , wherein the home computer unit is adapted to determine a modality of the downsized information by use of a multimedia dictionary having a reference content entry that is mapped into a compact content entry, wherein the extracted requested information relates to the reference content entry, and wherein the downsized information relates to the compact content entry.  
     
     
         24 . A method for communicating and processing data, comprising 
 providing a home computer unit;    engaging, by the home computer unit, in two-way communication with a mobile unit over a communication path, wherein a portion of the communication path is wireless;    receiving, by the home computer unit, at least one signal sent by the mobile unit to the home computer unit over the communication path such that the at least one signal comprises a request by the mobile unit for information from the home computer unit;    extracting, by the home computer unit, the requested information from a data source, wherein if the extracted requested information does not satisfy a bandwidth constraint relating to the communication path or does not fit within available memory of the mobile unit, then: 
 restructuring, by the home computer unit, the extracted requested information into downsized information such that the downsized information satisfies the bandwidth constraint and fits within the available memory of the mobile unit, and  
 transmitting, by the home computer unit, the downsized information to the mobile unit over the communication path.  
   
     
     
         25 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the portion of the communication path that is wireless includes the entire communication path.  
     
     
         26 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the portion of the communication path that is wireless is shorter than a portion of the communication path that is not wireless.  
     
     
         27 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the bandwidth constraint comprises a real-time bandwidth constraint.  
     
     
         28 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one signal comprises a specification of the bandwidth constraint.  
     
     
         29 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the at least one signal comprises a specification of the available memory of the mobile unit.  
     
     
         30 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the data source comprises at least one database external to the home computer unit.  
     
     
         31 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the data source comprises an Internet.  
     
     
         32 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the data source comprises a source of video data.  
     
     
         33 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the restructuring comprises an intra-modality restructuring of a modality of the requested information.  
     
     
         34 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality that includes a video modality.  
     
     
         35 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality that includes a graphics modality.  
     
     
         36 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the modality includes a visual modality, wherein the visual modality includes an image, and wherein the intra-modality restructuring includes generation of layered mosaics from a portion of the image.  
     
     
         37 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality, wherein the visual modality includes an image, and wherein the intra-modality restructuring includes cartoonification of a portion of the image.  
     
     
         38 . The method of  claim 37 , wherein the cartoonification comprises a smoothing of an attribute of the portion of the image, and wherein the attribute is at least one of color, brightness, and texture.  
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the modality comprises a visual modality, wherein the visual modality includes an image, and wherein the intra-modality restructuring includes iconification of a portion of the image.  
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the modality includes an audio modality.  
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 33 , wherein the modality includes a text modality  
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the restructuring comprises a cross-modality restructuring of a first modality into a second modality.  
     
     
         43 . The method of  claim 42 , wherein the first modality comprises a visual modality, and wherein the second modality comprises a text modality.  
     
     
         44 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the visual modality includes a video modality.  
     
     
         45 . The method of  claim 43 , wherein the visual modality includes a graphics modality.  
     
     
         46 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the restructuring comprises utilizing a multimedia dictionary having a reference content entry that is mapped into a compact content entry, wherein the extracted requested information relates to the reference content entry, and wherein the downsized information relates to the compact content entry.  
     
     
         47 . The method of  claim 24 , wherein the restructuring comprises determining which downsized information to generate by the restructuring, said determining comprising: 
 ascertaining, by the home computer unit, N permissible downsized information possibilities, wherein N is at least 1;    if N=1 then determining that the ascertained permissible downsized information possibility is the downsized information to generate by the restructuring;    if N>1 then 
 sending a query signal by the home computer unit to the mobile unit over the communication path, wherein the query signal comprises a request of a selection by the mobile unit of a preferred downsized information from the N permissible downsized information possibilities such that the preferred downsized information will be generated by the restructuring, and  
 receiving by the home computer unit a query return signal from the mobile unit over the communication path, wherein the query return signal specifies the preferred downsized information.  
   
     
     
         48 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the restructuring comprises determining which downsized information to generate by the restructuring, said determining comprising: 
 ascertaining, by the home computer unit, N permissible downsized information possibilities M 1 , M 2 , . . . , and M N  respectively having a size in bits of B 1 , B 2 , . . . , and B N , wherein N≧1;    if N=1 then determining that M 1  is the downsized information to generate by the restructuring;    if N>1 then selecting M k  as the downsized information to generate by the restructuring, wherein k is one of 1, 2, . . . , and N such that B k  is a minimum of B 1 , B 2 , . . . , and B N .    
     
     
         49 . The system of  claim 24 , wherein the restructuring comprises determining which downsized information to generate by the restructuring, said determining comprising: 
 ascertaining, by the home computer unit, N permissible downsized information possibilities M 1 , M 2 , . . . , and M N  respectively having a size in bits of B 1 , B 2 , . . . , and B N , wherein N≧1;    if N=1 then determining that M 1  is the downsized information to generate by the restructuring;    if N>1 then selecting M k  as the downsized information to generate by the restructuring, wherein k is one of 1, 2 , . . . , and N such that B k  is a maximum of B 1 , B 2 , . . . , and B N .    
     
     
         50 . A multimedia dictionary having reference content entries which are mapped into compact content entries, 
 wherein the multimedia dictionary is coupled to a home computer unit,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to engage in two-way communication with a mobile unit over a communication path,    wherein a portion of the communication path is wireless,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to receive at least one signal sent by the mobile unit to the home computer unit over the communication path,    wherein the at least one signal comprises a request by the mobile unit for information from the home computer unit,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to extract the requested information from a data source,    wherein if the extracted requested information does not satisfy a bandwidth constraint relating to the communication path or does not fit within available memory of the mobile unit, then the home computer unit is adapted to effectuate a restructuring of the extracted requested information into downsized information such that the downsized information satisfies the bandwidth constraint and fits within the available memory of the mobile unit, and    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to transmit the downsized information to the mobile unit over the communication path,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to determine a modality of the downsized information by use of the multimedia dictionary,    wherein the extracted requested information relates to a first reference content entry of the reference content entries of the multimedia dictionary, and    wherein the downsized information relates a first compact content entry of the compact content entries of the multimedia dictionary such that the first reference content entry is mapped into the first compact content entry.    
     
     
         51 . A system for communication and processing of data, comprising a home computer unit, 
 wherein the home computer unit is adapted to engage in two-way communication with a mobile unit over a communication path,    wherein a portion of the communication path is wireless,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to receive at least one signal sent by the mobile unit to the home computer unit over the communication path,    wherein the at least one signal comprises a request by the mobile unit for information from the home computer unit,    wherein the home computer unit is adapted to extract the requested information from a data source, and    wherein if the extracted requested information does not satisfy a bandwidth constraint relating to the communication path or does not fit within available memory of the mobile unit, then: 
 the home computer unit is adapted to effectuate a restructuring of the extracted requested information into downsized information such that the downsized information satisfies the bandwidth constraint and fits within the available memory of the mobile unit, and  
 the home computer unit is adapted to transmit the downsized information to the mobile unit over the communication path.