Patent ID: 8156244

Claim:
A method, comprising: powering on a plurality of digital picture frames in a digital frame network; for each operational frame in the plurality of digital picture frames, transmitting wireless signals to other frames in the digital frame network and receiving wireless signals from other operational frames in the digital frame network, using at least four linking transceivers that are placed in suitable locations within a perimeter of the frame and which are capable of transmitting and receiving data content; determining a topology of the plurality of digital picture frames in the frame network, where the topology is determined in each digital picture frame based on the signals received from other frames in the digital frame network; selecting a lead picture frame from among the plurality of digital picture frames by at least one of: automatic election based on an address of each digital picture frame, and setting a switch in the lead picture frame; gathering, by the lead picture frame, the topology information for the plurality of digital picture frames in the digital frame network; enabling an antenna in the lead picture frame and establishing a communication link between the lead picture frame and a remote client using the remote antenna; sending the digital picture frame topology information by the lead picture frame and to the client over the established communication link; receiving, in the client, the topology information from the lead picture frame over the established communication link and selecting, in the client, media content for display on a plurality of digital picture frames in the digital frame network, based on the received topology information; sending the media content for display from the client to the lead picture frame over the established communication link; receiving in the lead picture frame and from the client over the established communication link, media content for display on a plurality of destination digital picture frames in the frame network; and routing the received media content to the plurality of destination digital picture frames using router functionality, wherein each of the plurality of digital picture frames is equipped to support the router functionality, and the media content is routed to the destination digital picture frames using the router functionality in at least one of: the lead picture frame and a digital picture frame in the plurality of the digital picture frames.