Portable receiver and memory for remotely controlled presentations

Abstract

A computer peripheral connects to a host computer such as a PC to assist in a presentation. The peripheral includes a memory and receiver combined within a portable, lightweight housing. Presentation data is stored in the memory, while the receiver receives wireless signals from a handheld transmitter for paging through slides or other segments of the presentation using page up and page down instructions. The memory may be a USB hard drive, for example, or other portable storage media. The peripheral is connected to the host computer using a USB cable and an externally-accessible port in the housing, for example. A hub controller within the peripheral enables the memory and receiver to communicate with the externally-accessible port, thereby providing communication with the host computer.

1 . A computer peripheral, comprising: 
 a housing including an externally-accessible port for communicating with a host computer, said externally-accessible port being configured to couple the host computer to the computer peripheral;    a receiver within the housing for receiving a wireless signal from a transmitter and converting the wireless signal into an instruction for the host computer;    a memory within the housing for storing preloaded presentation documents, said preloaded presentation documents are uploaded to said computer peripheral at a first location; and    a micro controller within the housing for connecting the receiver and the memory to the externally-accessible port, whereby when said computer peripheral is plugged into the host computer, at a second location, said preloaded presentation documents are uploaded to said host computer.    
   
   
       2 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the externally-accessible port comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port.    
   
   
       3 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the wireless signal comprises a radio-frequency signal.    
   
   
       4 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the instruction comprises at least one of a page up and page down instruction.    
   
   
       5 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the instruction comprises an instruction for controlling presentation software running at the host computer.    
   
   
       6 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the instruction comprises at least one keyboard scan code.    
   
   
       7 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the data comprises presentation data.    
   
   
       8 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the memory comprises a Universal Serial Bus (USB) storage media.    
   
   
       9 . The computer peripheral of  claim 1 , wherein: 
 the micro controller comprises a hub controller.    
   
   
       10 . The computer peripheral of  claim 9 , wherein: 
 specified pins of the hub controller are coupled to the receiver and the memory, and to the externally-accessible port.    
   
   
       11 . The computer peripheral of  claim 10 , wherein: 
 the pins coupled to the receiver and the memory are assigned within the hub controller to downstream ports, and the pins coupled to the externally-accessible port are assigned within the hub controller to an upstream port.    
   
   
       12 . A computer peripheral, comprising: 
 a housing including an externally-accessible port for communicating with a host computer;    a receiver within the housing for receiving a wireless signal from a transmitter and converting the wireless signal into an instruction for the host computer for controlling presentation software running at the host computer;    a memory within the housing for storing preloaded presentation documents, said preloaded presentation documents are uploaded to said computer peripheral at a first location; and    a micro controller within the housing for connecting the receiver to the externally-accessible port to provide the instruction to the host computer, and for connecting the memory to the externally-accessible port to provide the preloaded presentation documents to the host computer at a second location when said computer peripheral is plugged into the host computer.    
   
   
       13 . The computer peripheral of  claim 12 , wherein: 
 the micro controller comprises a hub controller;    specified pins of the hub controller that are assigned within the hub controller to downstream ports are coupled to the receiver and the memory; and    specified pins of the hub controller that are assigned within the hub controller to an upstream port are coupled to the externally-accessible port.    
   
   
       14 . A computer peripheral, comprising: 
 a housing including an externally-accessible port for communicating with a host computer;    a receiver within the housing for receiving a wireless signal from a transmitter for controlling presentation software running at the host computer;    a memory within the housing for storing preloaded presentation documents used by the presentation software running at the host computer, said preloaded presentation documents are uploaded to said computer peripheral from a location remote from said host computer; and    a hub controller within the housing for connecting the receiver to the externally-accessible port, and for connecting the memory to the externally-accessible port; wherein:    specified pins of the hub controller that are assigned within the hub controller to downstream ports are coupled to the receiver and the memory; and    specified pins of the hub controller that are assigned within the hub controller to an upstream port are coupled to the externally-accessible port.    
   
   
       15 . A method for providing a portable presentation document comprising the step of: 
 uploading the presentation document to a computer peripheral at a first location;    storing the presentation document;    connecting the computer peripheral to a host computer at a second location;    downloading the presentation document to the host computer; and    transmitting thru the computer peripheral control instruction for the host computer from a wireless remote transmitter.