Abstract:
System, apparatus and methods of information processing comprising receiving a request to execute an application on a configurable platform, receiving parameters corresponding to an emulation architecture for execution of the application, generating the emulation architecture according to the parameters for execution on the configurable platform, reconfiguring the configurable platform for execution of the application on the emulation architecture, and executing the application on the emulation architecture on a reconfigured configurable platform that is operative to execute the emulation architecture.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS  
       [0001]     This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/693,666 entitled “CLIENT-SIDE INFORMATION PROCESSING SYSTEM AND METHODS,” filed Mar. 29, 2007, which is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from Provisional Application No. 60/744,052 filed Mar. 31, 2006. The entire contents of both applications are incorporated herein by reference. 
     
    
     FIELD  
       [0002]     The present disclosure relates generally to information processing, and in particular but not exclusively, relates to a system, apparatus and methods for custom configuration of electronic user devices.  
       BACKGROUND  
       [0003]     Communications between electronic devices have improved in recent years. Communication networks are well known in the computer communications field. By definition, a network is a group of computers and associated devices that are connected by communications facilities or links. Network communications can be of a permanent nature, such as via cables, or can be of a temporary nature, such as connections made through telephone or wireless links. Networks may vary in size, from a local area network (“LAN”), consisting of a few computers or workstations and related devices, to a wide area network (“WAN”), which interconnects computers and LANs that are geographically dispersed, to a remote access service, which interconnects remote computers via temporary communication links. An internetwork, in turn, is the joining of multiple computer networks, both similar and dissimilar, by means of gateways or routers that facilitate data transfer and conversion from various networks. A well-known abbreviation for the term internetwork is “internet.” As currently understood, the capitalized term “Internet” refers to the collection of networks and routers that use the Internet Protocol (“IP”), along with higher-level protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (“TCP”) or the Uniform Datagram Packet (“UDP”) protocol, to communicate with one another.  
         [0004]     Current products and systems for the production, delivery and manipulation of multi-media and communications are:  
         [0005]     Too Specialized:  
         [0006]     For example, x86 processor style computers (“PCs”), Macintoshes (“Macs”), Console game devices and the like generally share similar hardware and a display devices. However, each has its own special purpose. The PC is recognized for its processing power, multi-tasking, and the wide range of applications that are only available for the PC. On the other hand, Macs are thought of as superior than the PC from a graphic artist&#39;s point of view; they are better and faster in rendering and graphic visualization. Likewise, game devices are often specialized not only for games but only for its specific type of games. Another example is the remote control, often there a special remote for every device in the household. Users often get tired of having so many remotes around the house. They may buy a multi-device remote, but then find that the multi-device remote is too complicated and simply end up with one more remote and more clutter.  
         [0007]     Fragmented:  
         [0008]     For example, if a user prepares a document on the Mac using Word Perfect, then they cannot use it on the PC (and vice versa) unless they have the right conversion software. Similarly, there are the differences between graphics signals on Macs and PCs. Likewise there may be further differences, including: I/O formats, files extensions, and the like. What is applicable for one system is not applicable to the other. In another example, the user may have a computer but cannot watch TV on the computer monitor because the computer has no TV tuner. The user is presented with the dilemma of whether to buy a TV tuner to enable his device or not, and often the decision has been to ignore the upgrade opportunity and avoid the hassle.  
         [0009]     Bundled:  
         [0010]     For example: when a user buys Microsoft Office, they might need Word or Excel, but end up paying for more applications that they never needed or wanted such as Access, Front page, Publisher because they are bundled with Word and Excel, thereby providing a non-value added product to buyer at their own expenses.  
         [0011]     Redundant:  
         [0012]     For example, having a DVD player and remote for each of the following devices in most of households: stand alone TV, home theatre, PC, Mac, Game device, etc.  
         [0013]     Require High Demand on the Literacy Level to Operate:  
         [0014]     For example, the PC has been around for over 25 years and using the PC might sound like a trivial task for people who have a good literacy level and who overcame the fear of using the PC. However, many people still do not know how to use their PC even if they own one. It is common to still see ads to teach people the elementary steps on how to use the PC or the Mac. Similarly, since all devices do not operate in the same way, the amount of Instruction&#39;s Manuals and the need to become their bookkeepers is a hassle for users.  
         [0000]     Short Life Cycle and High Replacement Rate:  
         [0015]     For example, each game device (X-Box, Game Cube, Play Station, etc. . . . ) has its own special I/O format, therefore the user has to buy different game devices for different games, and within short period games software producers develop a new game with different specs, thus forcing the user to buy new game device, etc.  
         [0016]     Difficult to Use and to Maintain:  
         [0017]     For example, many users have to buy a new computer almost every 3-5 years because the new applications require more capabilities than their current computers which cause financial burdens users and more stress on the environment.  
         [0018]     This situation has resulted in an extensive waste of resources and the generation of hazardous waste, e.g., monitors, disc drives, circuit boards, etc.  
         [0019]     Another problem is the generation of information barriers between those in the know and the rest of the population which exacerbates the so-called “digital divide.” 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0020]     Non-limiting and non-exhaustive embodiments are described with reference to the following figures, wherein like reference numerals refer to like parts throughout the various views unless otherwise specified.  
         [0021]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating a communications network including multiple processing nodes and communications with multiple geographic locations in an embodiment.  
         [0022]      FIG. 2A  is a block diagram illustrating a representative set of devices coupled to a platform in an embodiment.  
         [0023]      FIG. 2B  is a block diagram illustrating a representative set of user devices coupled to a communications network in an embodiment.  
         [0024]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram illustrating a platform in an embodiment.  
         [0025]      FIG. 4A  is a flow diagram illustrating the flow of operation of the platform in an embodiment.  
         [0026]      FIG. 4B  is a flow diagram outlining the flow of operation of the platform in an embodiment.  
         [0027]      FIG. 4C  is a flow diagram outlining the flow of operation of the platform in an embodiment.  
         [0028]      FIG. 4D  is a flow diagram outlining the flow of operation of the platform in an embodiment.  
         [0029]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram outlining the flow of operation of the platform in an embodiment.  
         [0030]      FIG. 6  is a flow diagram outlining the flow of operation of the platform in an embodiment. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
       [0031]     The detailed description that follows is represented largely in terms of processes and symbolic representations of operations by conventional computer components, including a processor, memory storage devices for the processor, connected display devices and input devices. Furthermore, these processes and operations may utilize conventional computer components in a heterogeneous distributed computing environment, including remote file Servers, computer Servers and memory storage devices. Each of these conventional distributed computing components is accessible by the processor via a communication network.  
         [0032]     Reference is now made in detail to the description of the embodiments as illustrated in the drawings. While embodiments are described in connection with the drawings and related descriptions, there is no intent to limit the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein. On the contrary, the intent is to cover all alternatives, modifications and equivalents. In alternate embodiments, additional devices, or combinations of illustrated devices, may be added to or combined without limiting the scope to the embodiments disclosed herein.  
         [0033]     Some example embodiments that address one or more of the problems identified above include embodiments that offer an adaptable long life cycle platform with the capabilities of executing multiple applications simultaneously and is easy to use without the demand for a high literacy level while incorporating the recognition of limited income factors.  
         [0034]     That platform can be reconfigurable in multiple ways to replace the “dedicated for use” ones and thus accommodating various applications without the need for new “dedicated products.” Using such a platform may reduce current product disposal rates and levels by means of shifting the paradigm of having to produce “dedicated hardware” to sell software.  
         [0035]     Additionally it may be possible to increase the software product development efforts (instead of the short-lived hardware) that provide the true “value added” for the user as well as the manufacturers. Including enhancing “product sharing” abilities worldwide.  
         [0000]     Some embodiments may also be capable of standardizing delivery structures and adapting to the upcoming ones by design. This delivery adaptability may be accomplished by providing:  
         [0000]    
       
         
           
              (1) User Reconfigurable interactive platform—Multiple user platform interfaces such as a personal assistant (avatar), and cognitive communication with the user through speech processing and artificial intelligence, keyboard, remote control, etc.  
              (2) Remote host for operations, controls and interface services, etc.—Remote hosts for storing authentication, various multi-media applications, platforms emulation software, firewalls, user&#39;s non-private profiles, e.g. region of residence, selected applications and its frequency etc., general applications, e.g., e-banking, e-medical, e-shopping, e-entertainment, etc.  
              (3) Artificial Intelligence engine at the remote hosts for processing gathered data to assist delivering most relevant services to the users.  
              (4) Intelligent center including Artificial Intelligence engine coupled with the operation and control center, remote hosts, and communicates with user&#39;s platform.  
              (5) Networks between and among the above components, e.g., networks between the remote hosts and the users of the platform for providing the users with various multi-media applications, platform emulation software and additional storage and processing capabilities, etc.  
           
         
       
     
         [0041]     One exemplary embodiment of such a processing system  100  is illustrated in  FIG. 1 . The processing system  100  includes several components, a control and operations facility  101 , a communication network  102 , a plurality of intermediate processing nodes  104 , and a plurality of geographic regions  110 . Each region includes a plurality of households and different properties. Each household  106  includes a user device  108  that is coupled to a plurality of electronic devices used by an end user or consumer. The communication network  102  provides a choice of communication media including a private network, high bandwidth networks (cable network, DSL, T1 and the like), public switched telephone network (“PSTN”), satellite network or Internet, etc. Each geographic region  110  covers a distinct geographic area and includes a plurality of households and the information processing requirements of each household are provided through the plurality of intermediate processing nodes  104  and enabled by communication through communication network  102  to and from the control and operations facility  101 . The control and operations facility  101  includes multiple components with multiple functions, an example of these components are: a remote host server  120  that provides for the computing and information processing requirements of each user device  108  provided in each household, an Artificial Intelligence engine  122  for storing and processing end user-platform interactions and for assisting in data analysis, information retrievals, information extractions, etc., and an Intelligence center services host  124  for assisting the user through cognitive interaction dialogs with avatars and/or interactions with real personal assistants through audio, video, email or any other forms of human interactions, expansion host server  126  that provides the end user temporarily with additional processing power and/or extra storage capabilities which can be temporary or for longer periods depending on user needs. Search engine component  128  coupled with the Artificial Intelligence engine, data and information system  130  for storing users&#39; non private profiles and relevant information, and application remote hosts  132  for providing the users with multimedia software applications, emulation and simulation software, speech processing applications, email, etc. The aforementioned components communicate with each other as well as with other components. The communication network  102  provides communication between intermediate processing nodes  104  and the central and operation faculty  101 . The plurality of intermediate processing nodes  104  are provided so that each intermediate node is assigned a geographic region  110  to which information messages are passed back and forth between the control communications facility  101  and the plurality of user devices  108  provided in each household  106 . The plurality of intermediate nodes may be assigned to handle the information processing requirements for each geographic region and the control and operations facility  101  will insure adequate load balancing and redistribution of processing capabilities between and among intermediate processing nodes to support the processing required in each distinct geographic region  110 .  
         [0042]      FIG. 2  provides a more detailed view of a portion of an embodiment of processing system  100  that includes a communication network  102  that communicates through intermediate node  104  to an illustrative embodiment of a household  106 . Household  106  includes a platform in an exemplary embodiment. Platform  108  communicates with a plurality of household electronic and consumer devices. Among the internal household devices to which the platform  108  may communicate are DVDs and VCR controllers  200 , laptop computer  202 , digital cameras  204 , Mac computer  206 , TVs or televisions  208 , desk top computer  210 , display devices  212 , multimedia systems  214 , and a plurality of handheld computing devices  216  (e.g., blackberry, blueberry handheld computers).  
         [0043]      FIG. 2B  provides yet another exemplary embodiment of the information processing system. In this Figure, communication network  102  and then communicates with intermediate node  104  to a household  106  through a communication device  212  which is coupled to router  214  which is in turn coupled to a household local area network  216 . Each of the plurality of household consumer devices are coupled to local area network  216  to facilitate information transfer and necessary processing of user request and control center commands to the user device  218 . As shown in this Figure, electronic device  202  (laptop computer) includes an embedded module that is an embodiment of the user device  218 . Likewise, television  208  includes an embedded user device  218  along with embedded user devices  218  included in the other illustrative embodiments of electronic devices such as DVD, VCR recorder  200  and multimedia system  214 . In this configuration of the information processing system there is no centralized user device  108  but rather a plurality of embedded modules including the capabilities of user device  108  which modules have been embedded in each of a plurality of electronic devices available for use by a household end user. This is a representative example of a decentralized embodiment and thereby facilitates custom configuration of each electronic user device and each embedded user device to the specific needs of the end user.  
         [0044]      FIG. 3  includes a block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the user platform  108 , having hardware components: a memory  300 , a BIOS  302 , circuit activation  304 , emulation component  306 , users authentication and devices info  308 , application parameters  310 , application dispatch component  312 , operating system  314 , memory controller  316 , hard drive  318 , plurality of modems  320 , processing components  322 , a resident Artificial Intelligence engine  324 , a plurality of plug-in docs  326 , a tuners component  328  which contain a cable-ready and NTSC analog tuner, and digital tuner/demodulator/MPEG decoder circuit to receive analog and DTV on the platform and on an analog/digital display device, and for recording DTV broadcast on the hard drive, AaGraphics Processing Unit or GPU for graphic rendering  330 , utility component  332 , video Card/sound card  334 , Security system component  336 , Input/output component  338 , a data component  340 , applications modules component  342 , a reconfigurable component  344 , and a network interface component  346 . Network interface component  346  includes a network interface controller  348  coupled to a network interface  350 . Each of the components is coupled together in the computing architecture as shown in  FIG. 3 . A brief description of each component&#39;s function is presented below: Memory  300  stores various components such as:  
         [0045]     BIOS  302  is stored on the flash memory on the motherboard and its main function is to load the proper operating system and to manage the interfaces of the major hardware components, e.g., the hard drive  318  with the operating system  314 . Circuit activation program  304  is executed by processing components  322  to configure hardware circuits in a desired configuration using the reconfigurable component  344  to enable the execution of desired platform emulation or a desired selected application. The platform emulation  306  stored in memory  300  represents previously executed platform emulations and parameters required by the processing components  322  to execute a previously stored and executed platform emulation  306 .  
         [0046]     Authentication program  308  authenticates household users, the device and the location of the device and the user based on additional information gathered by input-output component  338 .  
         [0047]     The application parameters  310  stored in memory  300  are comprised of application specific parameters and emulation parameters. Application parameters are received by input-output component  338  and stored in memory  300  after a user makes a selection for a particular application.  
         [0048]     Application dispatch program  312  is executed by processing components  322  if the selected application is not stored in the user device  108  on hard drive  318 . Application dispatch program  312  upon execution issues a request to a remote host server and control and operations facility  101  to retrieve the application from a plurality of stored applications on the remote host server, the retrieved application is thereafter stored in hard drive  318 . The application dispatch program  312  is also used to issue requests to the remote host server and central and operations facility  101  to generate application specific emulations or platform emulations that are to be used and executed on the user device  108  to support the execution of the selected application made by the end use of an electronic devices such as a laptop computer  202 , a television set  208  or multimedia system  214 . Application dispatch program  312  will issue a request to have the remote host server and control and operations facility  101  generate a new platform emulation when the processing components  322  determines based on the selected application that the required hardware platform or platform emulation is not stored in hard drive  318  or in memory  300 . The request to have a platform emulation generated includes a set of application parameters and an emulation specific request; both the parameters and the emulation specific request are provided to the remote host server for the generation of desired platform emulation. After generation of the platform emulation, the remote host server downloads the platform emulation to the user device  108  and it is thereafter stored on hard drive  318 . The remote host server downloads both the platform emulation and the emulation parameters required for execution of the platform emulation in a manner that supports execution of the selected application made by an end user of an electronic device.  
         [0049]     Operating system  314  and memory  300  may be any of a number of conventional operating systems or embedded real time operating systems for execution in the user device  108  with processing components  322 .  
         [0050]     Memory controller  316  is coupled to hard drive  318  and memory  300  and processes requests from the processing components  322  for access to applications or to access parameters or programs stored in memory  300 .  
         [0051]     Another exemplary embodiment of the user platform includes hard drive  318  which stores applications that were used previously by end users of the electronic devices.  
         [0052]     Plurality of modems components  320  provides Internet data connectivity at different rates such as 56K DSL, ISDN, Cable, etc.  
         [0053]     Processing components  322  provide the essential processing capability of the user device and are used to process requests based on application selections made by end users of electronic devices for execution of specific applications or the retrieval and execution of specific platform emulations to enable the execution of selected applications by users of the electronic devices. The processing components  322  will determine which electronic device the application will be displayed on based on the specific needs and characteristics of the target electronic device as determined by information provided by input output component  338 .  
         [0054]     Resident Artificial Intelligence engine  324  for analyzing and facilitating user-platform interactions, collecting and sorting data.  
         [0055]     The plurality of plug-in docs  326  is provided to received plug-in cartridges having application stored thereon for execution on specific electronic devices  
         [0056]     Tuners component  328  which contain a cable-ready and NTSC analog tuner, and digital tuner/demodulator/MPEG decoder circuit to receive analog and DTV on the platform and on a analog/digital display device, and for recording DTV broadcast on the hard drive,  
         [0000]     A Graphics Processing Unit or GPU  330  for graphic rendering,  
         [0057]     Utility component  332 , includes different functions such as problem diagnosis, dispatch request, and encryption and /decryption, etc., A router/processor for executing and sustaining in a “multi-task” mode multiple applications on capable devices is available in the household [i.e. assign desired configurations to operate simultaneously other household devices at different locations], and to facilitate the modular configurations to account for an expandable storage and processing capabilities when needed.  
         [0058]     Video card/Sound card  334 , assisting in the interaction with multimedia applications, Cognitive communication with the users through audio and video technology including speech recognition, animation and graphical illustrations.  
         [0059]     Security system component  336 , to provide enhanced security and authentication by including multidirectional microphones and cameras coupled with sensors fusion engine.  
         [0060]     Input/output component  338  is coupled to each of the plurality of electronic devices included in the household to enable the user device  108  to communicate with each device to determine and monitor each user&#39;s application selection on each of these devices.  
         [0061]     The data component  340  includes a storage capability to record each selection made by a user of an application to be executed on an electronic device and includes additional storage capabilities to record the frequency with which such applications are selected. Applications modules component  342 , including multimedia applications, emulation modules for emulating on demand various platforms thus reducing the demand on additional devices, etc.  
         [0062]     Reconfigurable component  344  includes a hardware component to enable the reconfiguration of embedded hardware circuitry to enable the execution of supplemental or advanced computing capabilities to enhance the use of the selected application desired by a user of an electronic device. In an embodiment, the reconfigurable component  344  is implemented as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA). In alternative embodiments, the reconfigurable component  344  is implemented as an electrically erasable and programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a partially-reconfigurable field programmable gate array (PRFPGA), or an electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM). Alternately, or in addition to hardware configurations, reconfigurable components  344  (or one or more other components within the user device  108 ) may also support one or more operating systems. The reconfigurable components  344  can also be optimized for energy consumption efficiency and speed depending on the processing requirements of requested emulation architectures and desired applications. In addition, reconfigurable components  344  enable features and attributes of the emulation architectures and user applications to be enable or disabled upon request.  
         [0063]     Network interface component  346  includes a network interface controller  348  coupled to a network interface  350 .  
         [0064]     Network interface controller  348  controls which type of interface the user device is coupled to for communication to and from the control and operations facility  101  and in the embodiment shown in  FIG. 2  the communication to and from each embedded electronic device.  
         [0065]     Network interface  350 , each of its components is coupled in the computing architecture as shown in  FIG. 3 .  
         [0066]     Operation:  
         [0067]      FIG. 4A  is a flow diagram outlining the general flow of operation of the user device upon receiving a user application selection. In the embodiment shown in this figure, a user specifies a selection request for an application; however, in alternative embodiments the application selection can be received from the control and operation control facility  101 , and the platform itself if the application that has been selected is incompatible with or otherwise unable to be executed on the platform. In the latter case, the request received from the platform in the event the application is incompatible with the configuration of hardware circuits and soft circuits, will cause a reconfiguration of the hardware circuits, soft circuits or both to enable execution of the application on the platform. As shown in  FIG. 4A , user application selection request  400  initiates an internal process to determine whether the selected application is resident as shown at step  402 . If the application selected is resident on the user device  108  or in the alternative embodiment of an embedded module shown in  FIG. 2B  (module  218 ), then the user device  108  will determine whether the existing hardware and software platform is sufficient to execute the desired application as shown at step  404 . If the existing hardware and software architecture are sufficient to execute the application, then the user device  108  will execute the application as shown at step  406 . The results of the execution of the application will be displayed on the desired electronic device as shown at step  408 . The selection made by the user of the particular application will be identified added in the data component  340  in step  410  (and a remote device may also be updated as shown in step  550 ) and the user device  108  will enter into a wait state and continue to monitor for a new user application selection as shown at step  412  (see also step  512 ). In the event the application is not resident as determined by the analysis of step  402  then the user device  108  will proceed to obtain the required application as shown at step  438  (in  FIG. 4C ).  
         [0068]     In obtaining the desired application, the user device  108  may retrieve the application from hard drive  318  or activate the application dispatch program  312  and have it issue a request which will include application parameters  310  to have the remote host server in control and operations facility  101  find the application which will subsequently be downloaded by the remote host server to the user device  108 . As shown in  FIG. 4C , obtaining the application at step  438  initiates an internal process to determine whether the downloaded application requires emulation as shown in step  439 . If the application does not require emulation, then the device proceeds to determine if existing SW/HW are capable  404 , if capable it then proceeds to  406 , if not capable then it proceeds to  428 . In the event the application requires emulation, then the user device  108  will display emulation options on the electronic device for additional input from an end user as shown at step  440 . Input information is provided by the end user to select a specific or target emulation architecture as shown at step  442  and then the user device will then determine whether the emulation is available locally in its local memory as shown at decision step  444 . If the emulation is not available locally then a request will be made to retrieve application parameters as shown at step  416  and eventually execute the application on emulation platform at  426  followed by displaying results at  408 . The selection made by the user of the particular application will be identified and added in the data component  340  in step  410  and the user device  108  will enter into a wait state and continue to monitor for a new user application selection as shown at step  412 .  
         [0069]     In the event the emulation is available locally the platform emulation will be retrieved from memory and the emulation parameters required for its execution will be set to an active circuit emulation as shown at step  446 .  
         [0070]     In  FIG. 4D , after the emulation parameters are received from the generation of a platform emulation by the remote host server, those parameters are stored in the local memory as shown at step  450 . The processing components  322  will then perform an integrity check as shown at step  452  to ensure that the platform emulation functions as specified for the required hardware architecture needed by the selected application. The processing components  322  will also confirm the processing requirements of the application as shown at step  454  and then proceed to configure all circuits both hardware circuits and soft circuits for execution of the platform emulation as shown at step  456 . In an alternative embodiment, the platform circuits are configured based on one or more requirements specified in a reconfiguration request received from either the user or the control and operation facility  101  before any reconfiguration of the circuits based on the processing requirements of a selected application. The reconfiguration request can include specific configuration parameters for the hardware circuits as well as the soft circuits used for execution of emulation architectures. In yet a different embodiment, the reconfiguration of the circuits in the platform for an emulation architecture is performed according to requirements established by the user or control and operation facility  101  without an explicit reconfiguration request. In this instance, the requirements can be established in advance or on a preset basis.  
         [0071]     The processing components  322  will continue their execution and create a backup or replication copy of the platform emulation as shown at step  458  and then proceed with the execution of the selected application on the platform emulation as shown at step  460 . Afterwards the results from the executed application will be displayed as shown at step  462  on the electronic device of choice by the end user and the selection made by the user of the particular application will be stored in the data component  340 . The data component  340  includes a data store for storing the frequency with which particular user applications are selected and the types of applications that are selected so that the control and operations facility will be able to determine the number of times particular applications are selected by end users in specific geographic regions and thereby shift or moderate information processing capabilities across its network of intermediate processing nodes and make available specific applications for specific geographic regions after learning or compiling additional data that enables the control and operations facility to learn the types of application usage patterns that are common to end users in specific geographic regions. After storing application selection data in step  464  the processing components  322  and the user device will then move into a wait state and continue monitoring for a new application selection as shown at step  466 .  
         [0072]     Returning to  FIG. 4A , in the event the application is resident but is incompatible with or cannot be executed on the existing hardware and software architecture as shown at step  404  then the process shown in flow diagram of  FIG. 4B  will be executed.  
         [0073]     If in decision step  414 , it is determined that hardware emulation is required, the processing components  322  will retrieve the application parameters from the input-output component  338  and store them in memory  300  as shown at step  416 . Afterwards the processing components  322  will execute the application dispatch program to issue a request as shown at step  418  to have a new platform emulation generated by remote host server in control and operations facility  101 . The platform emulation will be retrieved and downloaded from the control and operations facility  101  and stored on hard drive  318  in the user device along with emulation parameters to enable processing components  322  to successfully execute the platform emulation as shown at step  420 . After download of the platform emulation and its corresponding parameters, processing components  322  will perform a verification and a series of integrity checks on the platform emulation as shown at step  422 . Next, processing components  322  will create a backup of the platform emulation and its corresponding emulation parameters as shown at step  424  and then execute the application on the platform emulation as shown at step  426 . Processing will then cycle back to step  408 .  
         [0074]     Returning to step  414 , where the user device determines whether hardware emulation is required, if hardware emulation is not required then the processing components  322  will determine whether additional support software will be required or whether an upgrade to the supporting software will be required to properly execute the selected application as shown at step  428 .  
         [0075]     If an upgrade of the support software is required, the processing components  322  will retrieve the application parameters as shown in  430  and execute application dispatch program  312  to have a request sent to the remote host server and control an operation facility  101  as shown at step  432  to have support software generated by the remote host server which will subsequently be retrieved and downloaded as shown at step  434  to the user device. The processing components  322  in user device  108  will cycle back to step  406 .  
         [0076]     In the event a support software upgrade is not required, as determined in step  428 , the user device  108  will proceed to optimize the default software configuration for operation with the selected application, as shown in step  436  and cycle back to step  406 .  
         [0077]      FIG. 4C  includes a flow diagram of the application dispatch process executed by application dispatch program  312 . After executing the appropriate “soft circuits” included in the platform emulation, the emulation parameters will be stored in local memory  300  as shown in  FIG. 4D .  
         [0078]     The process shown in  FIG. 4D  will be executed to complete the storage of the emulation parameters in local memory  300  as shown at step  450 , to perform relevant integrity checks as shown at step  452  and to confirm the processing requirements of the desired application as shown at step  454 . The circuit configuration for the optimized platform emulation will be stored as shown at step  458  and the selected application program will be executed on the platform architecture as shown at step  460  and the results of the execution of this application will be displayed on the desired electronic device used by the end user as shown at step  462 . The user profile stored in the data component will be updated with additional information on the selected application program to correlate data on both the application selected and the frequency of selection made by the end user of a particular device in a particular household  106  is provided by step  464  (and a remote device may also be updated as shown in step  550 ). The user device will then return to a wait state and monitor for a new application selection as shown at step  466  (see also step  512 ).  
         [0079]      FIG. 5  is a flow diagram outlining the general flow of operation of the user device  108  upon turning on its power. The processor of user authentication module  308  coupled with system security component  336  initiates with the user a cognitive dialog as shown at step  500  which includes different interaction format, e.g. through a display device, audio, video, photo, thump print, etc. To authorize the user at step  502 , the user is given allocated a specific number of trials at  504  to get authorization; if exceeded, then processor  506  connects the user to the intelligence center  508  to provide the user with the diagnosis and recommendations as shown at  510 .  
         [0080]     If the user authorization is approved then the processing components  322  coupled with the artificial intelligence engine of the device  324  shown at step  514  interact with the user prompting him to enter his selection as shown at step  512 . The completion of the selection process at  512  initiates an internal processor included among the processing components  322  at step  516  to determine whether the selection is an application, or a platform, or both as shown in  FIG. 5 . The internal processor is then prompts the user to enter the name of the selected application at step  518  (selected platform at step  5181 ) or names of both at steps  518  and  5181 , which is then followed by activating various processes as outlined in  FIGS. 4   a - 4   d.    
         [0000]     Speech Processing:  
         [0081]     User interaction with the platform includes many types of forms and many types of devices, e.g. mouse, keyboard, microphone, and universal remote control. Each type of devices is colored coded with its own LCD display and with reciprocity and instant helper shown on the display device pursuing users who cannot read to be able to use the platform. When using microphones or equivalents then user sound/speech/voice-platform interaction is in the form of an interactive cognitive dialog and is driven by sound/speech/voice recognition system and an artificial intelligence engine. Flow diagram for its operation is shown in  FIG. 6 . User request is entered at step  600  and is analyzed in terms of voice/sound recognition and speech recognizer processors included among the processing components  322  at step  602 , this is followed by word extraction at  604  by using vocabulary and grammar model that is stored on application modules components  342 . In the meantime user sound/speech is analyzed by a speech phonic processor  322  at  618  which is followed by word extraction at  620  which is examined for its meaning and its consistency by the internal processors  322  and the artificial intelligence engine  324  as shown in  622 . This is followed by correlation and verification of extracted words at step  624  with the extracted words at  604 , which in turn is stored in user vocabulary database  340  at step  626 , which is used in phonic analysis for next user interaction sessions at step  618 . Extracted words at  604  are converted text form at  606 , which is used for meaning extraction at  608  by using semantic rules module stored at components  342 . This meaning is then analyzed by the internal processors  322 , artificial intelligence engine  324  at step  610  and accordingly a corresponding action is selected from the vocabulary and grammar model that is stored at the application model  342  and the speech data bank stored in the data component  340 , and is issued in text form at  612 , which is then converted to speech at  614  with the aid of a text to speech synthesizer module stored at the application components  342 . This speech is then transmitted to the user through a speaker, earphone, etc.  
         [0082]     Platform Universal Remote Control  
         [0083]     Platform universal remote control has multiple recognition and interaction capabilities in a consolidated and/or dedicated fashion, a limited example of which are remote mouse, phone, microphone, speaker, pointer devices, sound/speech/voice device, and all other capabilities such as operating the TV, DVD, etc. Each type of devices may be colored coded with its own LCD display and with reciprocity and instant helper shown on the display device pursuing users who cannot read to be able to use the platform. It is also capable of self charging or operating on batteries,  
         [0000]     Platform Architecture  
         [0084]     The platform is an applications transport platform analogous to a seaport/airport with the capabilities of receiving, shipping/landing and takeoff of multiple sorts of multi-media applications, while managing itself without subjecting the users to the frustration and the hassles of hardware/software limitations and updates.  
         [0085]     The disclosed architecture is designed to handle all types of traffic and loads through the use of currently available technology and technologies likely be developed in the future such as dual and multiple core circuits and is presently intended in doing so by introducing the use of stackable (shelves) locations to enhance the board circuitry capabilities and to manage the required activity level.  
         [0086]     Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the present invention. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein.