Abstract:
In one aspect of the invention, a network server is provided. The server includes a computer configured to host a web site for sharing images posted to the web site across a network. The server also includes a housing having a first cover, a second cover, and a spine. The spine connects the first and second covers in the manner of a book. The computer is mounted to the housing, for example at one or more surfaces of the covers or the spine, to provide the visual appearance of a book for the server.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    The present invention relates generally to a portable device for storing, transporting, and sharing multimedia information over a computer network. In particular, it relates to an easy-to-use multimedia network server that provides the portability, familiarity, and visual appearance of a book, more particularly, a photo album or binder.  
         BACKGROUND  
         [0002]    Consumer electronic devices for capturing, creating, or editing multimedia content, including digital cameras, scanners and home computers, are well known. The convenience, increasing affordability, and evolving performance quality of these devices has led to a growing acceptance of multimedia as a means of communicating information, including text, graphics, video, animation, and sound.  
           [0003]    Devices for sharing multimedia content directly with others are well known. For example, multimedia can be stored and displayed on a home personal computer (PC) using suitable software programs. One of the disadvantages of such a system is that individuals must come to the home PC to view the images residing thereon because these computers are generally heavy and bulky and are not easily transportable. Alternatively, multimedia content can be displayed on a portable computer, commonly referred to as a laptop or notebook computer. In addition, digital content representative of text and images contained in a printed book can reside and be displayed on an electronic book. A disadvantage of these systems is that the portable computer or electronic book must travel to the intended viewing audience. Moreover, screens for these devices are often limited in size and cannot show digital images to the best advantage. Electronic books are further disadvantaged by the limited type of multimedia content format that can be displayed.  
           [0004]    It is also known that a computer can be connected to a network of computers, including a local area network (LAN) or the worldwide network of computers known as the Internet, to allow multimedia content stored thereon to be shared with remote users. Additionally, the worldwide web allows for graphical web pages to be programmed and transmitted over the Internet. For example, commercial web sites that offer a user the ability to upload and store multimedia content on a remote server away from the user are known. These web sites also allow this multimedia content to be shared with other users accessing the Internet at different locations. Among the disadvantages of a commercial web site is the limited space available to each user, the lack of privacy, the inability to support individual design enhancements, and limited security options.  
           [0005]    Alternatively, it is known to set up a local web server using a home PC or a laptop for sharing digital content via a website. However, such a system is costly, difficult, and time-consuming to program, and requires specialized expertise to administer. It is further known to utilize a dedicated, Internet-ready computer, such as the Servio Personal Server from Memora Corp., as a web server appliance to share digital content with selected groups of individuals over the Internet. However, these dedicated servers are often costly and intimidating to the average consumer, especially to the computer novice. Most importantly, all of these local web servers lack the appeal of a printed book, conventional photo album, or binder, which help impart to the consumer a true sense of ownership of the printed images or records stored therein.  
           [0006]    In the area of consumer electronic products, there continues to be a need for a simple, secure, affordable, and portable server for storing and sharing multimedia content across a network that approximates the experience of owning a book, photo album, or binder.  
         SUMMARY  
         [0007]    In one aspect of the invention, a network server is provided. The server includes a computer configured to host a web site for sharing images posted to the web site across a network. The server also includes a housing having a first cover, a second cover, and a spine. The spine connects the first and second covers in the manner of a book. The computer is mounted to the housing, for example at one or more surfaces of the covers or the spine, to provide the visual appearance of a book for the server.  
           [0008]    In another aspect of the invention, a network server having the visual appearance of a book is provided. The server includes a computer configured to share multimedia content across a network. The server also includes a housing having a first cover, a second cover, and a spine. The spine connects the first and second cover. The computer is mounted to the housing, for example at one or more surfaces of the covers or the spine.  
           [0009]    In yet another aspect of the invention, the network server includes a computer having web server software. The server also includes a housing having a first cover, a second cover, and a spine connecting the first and second cover in the manner of a book. The computer is mounted to the housing, for example at one or more surfaces of the covers or the spine, to provide the visual appearance of a book for the server. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    [0010]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a portable network server in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the server of FIG. 1;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 3 is a is a block diagram of a computer of the server of FIG. 1;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the server of the server of FIG. 1;  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 5 is another exploded view showing simulated pages for the server of FIG. 1;  
         [0015]    [0015]FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing an operating system and application programs executing on the server of FIG. 1;  
         [0016]    [0016]FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a network architecture using the server of FIG. 1; and  
         [0017]    [0017]FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another network architecture using the server of FIG. 1.  
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0018]    Referring now to the drawings and initially to FIGS. 1 and 2, a portable network server for storing, transporting, and sharing multimedia content over a computer network, according to the present invention, is indicated generally at  10  resting upright on a resting surface  2 . The server  10  has an open position shown generally in FIG. 1 and a closed position shown generally in FIG. 2.  
         [0019]    The server  10  includes a housing  12  and a computer  14 . The housing  12  further includes a first cover  16  and a second cover  18 , which are connected by a spine  20  in the manner of a book. Preferably, the covers  16  and  18  and the spine  20  also have a laminated construction for the housing  12  to resemble the appearance of a book.  
         [0020]    In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, for example, the covers  16  and  18  and the spine  20  have a laminated construction for the housing  12  to resemble the appearance of a photo album. This construction includes a base-supporting layer of relatively rigid material, such as cardboard or plastic, covered by an outer layer of decorative vinyl material or other synthetic resinous material to resemble the appearance of a leather-bound photo album. Also, a layer of synthetic foam material could be sandwiched between the base-supporting cardboard layer and the decorative outer layer to maintain the feel of a leather-bound photo album. In addition, the inner surface of the base-supporting layer could be covered with at least one layer of vinyl, paper, fabric, or any other type of material suitable for a printed photo album cover.  
         [0021]    However, it should be understood that other types of laminated construction for the covers  16  and  18  and the spine  20  could be used for the housing  12  to resemble, for example, the appearance of a metal, wood, or fabric covered photo album. Moreover, those skilled in the art will recognize that the housing  12  could be representative of other types of books, including but not limited to binders for keeping different types of records, such as tax records, medical records, etc.  
         [0022]    The computer  14  is generally illustrated at FIG. 3. It should be understood that this diagram is merely an illustration and should not limit the scope of the claims herein. The computer  14  includes a processor or CPU  24  capable of operating a web server, including but not limited to a StrongARM, ×86, or Pentium™ microprocessor from Intel, a K-6, Duron™, or Athlon™ microprocessor from AMD, or the Power PC™ processor from IBM. In addition, the computer  14  includes a BIOS  26 , memory storage  28 , for example random access memory (RAM), and an integrated network interface  30  for connecting to a network, such as an Ethernet network, via a network port  31 . The Ethernet network contemplated is a type of communication network that complies with IEEE 802.3 networking standard, but the invention could use other types of networking standards. The computer  14  also includes a power circuit  32  for receiving electrical power from an external power supply via a power connector  33 .  
         [0023]    Preferably, the CPU  24 , BIOS  26 , memory  28 , network interface  30 , network port  31 , power circuit  32 , and power connector  33  are located onboard a single board computer (SBC)  22 , for example a GE8010 PC/104 CPU Module manufactured by Global America Inc. of New Hampshire, USA, equipped with an Intel Pentium™ 266 MHz CPU, up to 128 MB SDRAM SODIMM Memory Module, an EIDE-PCI hard disk interface and a 10/100 MB Ethernet network interface.  
         [0024]    The computer  14  also has a hard disk  34 . Preferably, the hard disk  34  could be any IDE type hard disk having a capacity sufficiently large to store a library of multimedia content, for example 20 GB or greater. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that other suitable types of hard disk could be used to store multimedia content. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the hard disk  34  is physically separate from the SBC  22 . The hard disk  34  is connected to an integrated hard disk interface (not shown) on the SBC  22  for communication therewith via a ribbon cable or connector (not shown) conforming to the IDE standard.  
         [0025]    Referring next to FIG. 4, the computer  14  also includes a protective enclosure  36  for receiving and shielding the other components thereof, including the hard disk  34  and the SBC  22  having onboard the CPU  24 , BIOS  26 , memory  28 , network interface  30 , network port  31 , power circuit  32 , and power connector  33 . Preferably, the protective enclosure  36  is an approximately rectangular box having overall dimensions generally less than the first cover  16  of the housing  12 . The protective enclosure  36  is formed from sheet metal, although those skilled in the art will recognize that other suitable materials such as aluminum could be used.  
         [0026]    The protective enclosure  36  has a frame portion  38  and a top portion  40 . The frame portion  38  includes a base panel  42  and a first side panel  44 , second side panel  46  and third side panel  48 . The side panels  44 ,  46 , and  48  are formed integrally with the base panel  42 . The base panel  42  and side panels  44 ,  46 , and  48  have retention flanges  50  that define a plurality of threaded receiving holes  52 .  
         [0027]    The top portion  40  includes a cover panel  54  and a fourth side panel  56  integral with the cover panel. The cover panel  54  and fourth side panel  56  define a plurality of receiving holes  58  that correspond to the threaded receiving holes  52  defined by the flanges  50 . The top portion  40  is attached to the frame portion  38  using frame screws  60  inserted through the receiving holes  58  and secured within the threaded receiving holes  52 . It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the protective enclosure  36  could have other configurations suitable for receiving and shielding the other components of the computer  14 . For example, the frame portion  38  could include the base panel  42  and the four side panels  44 ,  46 ,  48  and  56 , while the top portion  40  includes the cover panel  54 .  
         [0028]    The SBC  22  and hard disk  34  must be secured to the protective enclosure  36  to prevent against undesired movement. Preferably the outer surface of the base panel  42  defines a plurality of countersink holes  62  drilled through the base panel for attaching the SBC  22  and hard disk  34 . In addition, the SBC  22  defines a plurality of corresponding mounting holes  64  drilled though the SBC. In order to securely attach the SBC  22  to the inner surface of the base panel  42 , a plurality of spacers  66  are positioned between the SBC  22  and the inner surface of the base panel  42  at locations corresponding to the holes  62  and  64 . The spacers  66  are formed from a rigid material, such as plastic or metal, and have suitable dimensions sufficient to prevent contact between the SBC  22  and the base panel  42 , for example a length of about ¼ inch. Each spacer  66  includes opposing hollow threaded ends, which are secured to the SBC  22  and the base panel  42  using mounting screws  68  inserted through the holes  62  and  64 . The mounting screws  68  are positioned in the countersink holes  62  such that the heads of the screws are recessed within the base panel  42 .  
         [0029]    Similarly, the hard disk  34  defines a plurality of threaded mounting holes  70  corresponding to base panel countersink holes  62  for attaching the hard disk  34  to the inner surface of the base panel  42 . Mounting screws  68  are positioned in the countersink holes  62  such that the screws  68  are secured within the corresponding threaded mounting holes  70  of the hard disk  34  and the heads of the screws  68  are recessed within the base panel  42 . The hard disk  34  is mounted proximate to the SBC  22  on the inner surface of the base panel  42  in order to minimize the footprint of the protective enclosure  36  and the computer  14 .  
         [0030]    In addition, the first side panel  44  defines a network port opening  72  and a power connector opening  74  for providing access to the network port  31  and power connector  33  respectively. In addition, the side panels  46  and  48  define a plurality of ventilation holes  80 . Preferably, the ventilation holes  80  are spaced evenly across side panels  46  and  48  to allow for convection air flow through the protective enclosure  36 . The distance between any two adjacent ventilation holes  80  is generally no less that about twice the diameter of a ventilation hole.  
         [0031]    In order for the server  10  to be representative of a photo album, the computer  14  is mounted to the housing  12 , as shown in FIG. 4. Preferably, the protective enclosure  36  of the computer  14  is mounted to the inner surface of the first cover  16  of the housing  12  using a plurality of adhesive tape portions  82 . This allows the housing  12  to support the computer  14  when the server  10  is positioned upright. For example, a double coated polyethylene foam tape manufactured by Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Company (commonly known as 3M) with a closed cell polyethylene foam carrier having a density of about 4 to 6 pounds/cubic foot and an acrylic of rubber adhesive could be used. The protective enclosure  36  of the computer  14  preferably is mounted approximately in the center of the first cover  16  such that when the server  10  is positioned upright on a resting surface  2 , as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, there exists a gap of at least about a ¼ inch between the protective enclosure  36  and the resting surface  2 . This arrangement permits adequate airflow through the ventilation holes  80  for the ventilation of the computer  14  when the server  10  is positioned upright. When the first cover  16  having the computer  14  mounted thereto and the second cover  18  are closed, as shown in FIG. 2, the server  10  has the appearance of a photo album. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other suitable arrangements for mounting the protective enclosure  36  of the computer  14  to the inner surface of the first cover  16  could be used, including arrangements using glue or screws to mount one or more portions of the enclosure  36  or portions of the computer  14  to one or more surfaces of the housing  12 .  
         [0032]    Referring next to FIG. 5, in an alternate embodiment, the server  10  includes a shell  84  having an outer surface that resembles the ridges of pages of a closed book. The shell  84  is formed from injection-molded foam or other appropriate plastic materials. Preferably, the shell  84  includes three panels having a U-shaped construction with overall dimensions slightly larger that the protective enclosure  36 , such that the shell  84  is capable of receiving the protective enclosure therein as shown in FIG. 5. The shell  84  also defines a shell network port opening and a shell power connector opening for providing access to the network port  31  and power connector  33  respectively and a plurality of shell ventilation holes corresponding to the ventilation holes  80 . The shell  84  is attached to the first cover  16  of the housing  12 , for example using glue or adhesive tape. The computer  14  is mounted to the cover  16  as described above such that side panels  44 ,  46 , and  48  of the frame portion  38  are substantially hidden from view by the shell  84 .  
         [0033]    In order to share multimedia stored on the server across a network, the server  10  further includes an operating system  90  and at least one application program  92 , as shown in FIG. 6.  
         [0034]    The operating system  90  includes one or more programs that control the operation of the computer and manage the allocation of resources. The application program  92  includes one or more software programs that perform a task desired by the user. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the operating system  90  includes the Linux operating system. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other operating systems compatible with the CPU  24  could be used, including but not limited or restricted to FreeBSD, QNX, Windows 98™, Windows 2000™, or Windows NT™.  
         [0035]    In addition, the application program  92  preferably includes web server software, for example the public domain Apache web server software, which enables the server to deliver web pages. The application program  92  also includes digital image processing applications that allow for manipulation and viewing of digital images or other multimedia authoring software applications. The application program  92  further includes networking software for configuring the server on a network using a network address, for example a dynamic DNS client and DHCP client software.  
         [0036]    In operation, a portable network server, according to the present invention, having the appearance of a photo album conveniently sits on a desktop or shelf, where it occupies minimal space. A user can simply connect the server to a computer network in order to share multimedia content stored thereon over the network, including text, graphics, video, animation, and sound. The user also can easily transport the server to a different physical location where it can be connected to another network.  
         [0037]    [0037]FIG. 7 illustrates a possible network architecture using a portable network server  10 , according to the present invention, such that a local area network is created with a minimal number of components necessary for accessing the server. The 2-node network illustrated in FIG. 7 uses a universal serial bus (USB) Ethernet adapter  102  to connect a PC  100  to the server  10  using a cross-over Ethernet cable. A user can then configure the server  10  and publish images and other multimedia to its website using a web browser running on the PC  100 .  
         [0038]    Alternatively, FIG. 8 illustrates a network architecture that uses a portable network server  10 , according to the present invention, to share multimedia content over a home network and over the Internet. The home network is a local area Ethernet network implementing the TCP/IP network protocol. The server  10  and a browser enabled PC  100  are connected to each other on the home network via a home router or gateway  104 . Internet connectivity is provided via a DSL modem, cable modem, or other communication device  106 , which is connected to the home router or gateway  104 . Using a browser enabled PC  100  residing on the home network or the Internet, a user can remotely create and administer a personalized website that is hosted on the server  10 . The user can publish multimedia content to the website from the PC  100  and display multimedia stored on the server  10  using the PC  100 . The user can selectively grant or deny permission to other users to view multimedia stored on the server  10  via the server website and to post their content to the server website from a remote browser location. The user can select whether to physically connect the server  10  to the Internet or to keep it on the home network only. In this manner, a user can easily and safely share a library of digital images or other multimedia content stored on the server  10  with family and friends.  
         [0039]    Although the invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific illustrative embodiments thereof, it is not intended that the invention be limited to those illustrative embodiments. Those skilled in the art will recognize that variations and modifications can be made without departing from the true scope and spirit of the invention as defined by the claims that follow. It is therefore intended to include within the invention all such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.