WO2007073357A1

WO2007073357A1 - A system and method for communicating data

Info

Publication number: WO2007073357A1
Application number: PCT/SG2006/000406
Authority: WO
Inventors: Cheh Ngee Goh
Original assignee: Cheh Ngee Goh
Priority date: 2005-12-22
Filing date: 2006-12-22
Publication date: 2007-06-28

Abstract

There is provided a system for communicating data. The system includes a data locating module to locate data of pre-determined content (the data being accessible via a network), a data consolidation module to obtain and consolidate the data into a package located by the data locating module; and at least one data presentation module for presentation of the data package. Preferably, the data presentation module may operate when a user submits a request to either the data consolidation module or the data presentation module to obtain data. The data locating module may operate either at predetermined times or when a specific action occurs. It is preferable that the data presentation module is part of a device such as, for example, a television set, a computer and a portable digital device. The data transmitted between the modules may be encrypted. Corresponding methods of requesting data and transmitting data are also disclosed.

Description

A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING DATA

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to the communication of data, particularly in relation to a system and method for communicating data.

BACKGROUND

In the present information age, techno-savvy people can easily gain access to the Internet to seek data from any genre of their preference, but non-techno- savvy people may be averse to the Internet and can only have access to newspapers, listen to the news as they are broadcast in the radio, or watch the news as shown on the television. In this regard, the non-techno-savvy only receive a broad spectrum of information and not the specific information that they are interested in. It is apparent that the non-techno-savvy are missing out on information that may be of interest to them. Techno-savvy people also face another problem, which is the overload of data available to them. When an Internet search engine is used, there is usually a large number of options provided when seeking data. Given the large number of options available, it is inevitable that even the techno-savvy are missing out on information that may be of interest to them. It is apparent that people, regardless of their aptitude for technology, do not get specifically get the data they seek, despite the fact that such information is available both online and in traditional broadcast.

Another problem that exists when seeking information relates to the presentation of the data. Email, client pull, and server push mechanisms are some examples of data transmission to a client computer. However, there are limitations for these examples in relation to how data is presented in client devices. The aforementioned examples cannot dynamically obtain image data from a number of data sources and subsequently send the data to the client devices. Furthermore, there is little or no control by a user over the order of sequence, the interleaving, the spatial positioning, and audio co-ordination of different data types. The user using existing email systems to receive and view multi-media data requires access to a client device containing a software program configured to playback the multi-media data. It is necessary for the user to invoke various applications just to view the multi-media data. Even though the Blackberry service and its devices overcome the inconvenience of invoking various applications to view the multi-media data, the service still cannot enable the display of multi-media data on any client device.

At the current moment, the most common form of presenting multi-media data is through television. However programmes are broadcast according to a fixed schedule and if the user is not available at the time of broadcast, the programme will be missed. Programme schedules are thus not flexible to a user's personal schedule. In order to overcome such a problem, various devices and services have emerged. One of these devices is a video recording device, either in the form of an analogue video recorder on magetic- based tapes or in the form of a digital video recorder using magnetic discs and/or a hard disc drive to store the programmes. Another similar device cum service in the US is the device and service from TiVo. Similarly, video on demand, through a network, allows subscribers to request a programme at any time. However, the aforementioned services have limitations. First, there must be a cable that runs to the place where you want to view the programme. Second, there must be a service provider that provides the service (eg. TiVo).

Picture frames have traditionally been used to display photo images. There are now picture frames that are actually electronic displays using Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) screens. These frames are able to display different images. It has become convenient to vary the images for display, and has made it unnecessary to cause the physical size of the image to fit the frame size as many of such devices are able to do automatic size adjustment. Some of these devices even have audio playback capability. However, there are also limitations for such devices. These digital picture frames do not have the ability to dynamically obtain image data from a networked data source. There is a similar device disclosed in published application WO0142953 but that device also discloses a severe limitation as the frame display has an IP address, so the digital images in the data source can only be downloaded to that IP address.

As a result of these disadvantages, the current communication tools are not ideal for everyone. An enhanced solution is sought with the present invention.

SUMMARY

In a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for communicating data. The system includes a data locating module to locate data of pre-determined content (the data being accessible via a network), a data consolidation module to obtain and consolidate the data into a package located by the data locating module; and at least one data presentation module for presentation of the data package. Preferably, the data presentation module may operate when a user submits a request to either the data consolidation module or the data presentation module to obtain data. The data locating module may operate either at pre-determined times or when a specific action occurs. It is preferable that the data presentation module is part of a device such as, for example, a television set, a computer and a portable digital device. The data transmitted between the modules may be encrypted.

It is advantageous that the pre-determined content is determined by a user profile. The user profile may include parameters such as, for example, user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download or any combination of the aforementioned.

It is preferable that the data consolidated in the data consolidation module is converted to a single data format for presentation by the data presentation module. Advantageously, the data may be from a source such as, for example, free, paid, restricted or any combination of the aforementioned. The data may include text, still images, moving images, audio signals and any combination of the aforementioned.

It is advantageous that the data presentation module presents data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic. The data presentation module may include a component that provides a physical location of the data presentation module. It is also beneficial that the data consolidation module includes a tracking function for recording download trails of the data package. The data locating module may also provide suggestions for data locations in accordance with the user profile. The data locating module may preferably provide a log with information such as, for example, what data has been downloaded, what data is ready to be downloaded, who has downloaded what data, or any combination of the aforementioned. The data consolidation module may preferably be able to perform tasks like filtering data and indexing data packages.

In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for presenting data. The method includes locating data of pre-determined content with a data locating module (the data being accessible via a network), obtaining and consolidating the data of pre-determined content into a package of data with a data consolidation module; and presenting the package of data with a data presentation module when a request (to either the data consolidation module or the data presentation module) to present data is received. The pre-determined content may preferably be determined by a user profile where the user profile includes parameters such as, for example, user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download or any combination of the aforementioned. The method may further including tracking a download trail for the data package. The data transmitted between the various modules may be encrypted if necessary.

It is possible for the consolidated data to be converted to a single data format for subsequent presentation. The data may be drawn from a source that is free, paid, restricted or any combination of the aforementioned. Advantageously, the data may be selected from the group consisting of text, still images, moving images, audio signals or any combination of the aforementioned. The data locating module may locate data either at predetermined times or when a specific action occurs.

It is advantageous that the data presentation module presents data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic. The data presentation module may preferably be part of a device such as, for example, a television set, a computer or a portable digital device.

In a final aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for transmitting data. The method includes locating data of pre-determined content with a data locating module (the data being accessible via a network); obtaining and consolidating the data of pre-determined content into a package of data with a data consolidation module; and transmitting the package of data for presentation with a data presentation module when a request to present data is received by either the data consolidation module or the data presentation module.The pre-determined content may preferably be determined by a user profile, the user profile including parameters such as, for example, user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download or any combination of the aforementioned. The method may further include tracking a download trail for the data package.

The consolidated data may preferably converted to a single data format for subsequent presentation. The data may be from a source that is free, paid, restricted or any combination of the aforementioned. The data may preferably be text, still images, moving images, audio signals or any combination of the aforementioned. It is advantageous that the data is located by the data locating module either at pre-determined times or when a specific action occurs. The data transmitted between the modules may be encrypted.

It is advantageous that the data presentation module presents data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic. The data presentation module may preferably be part of a device like a television set, a computer or a portable digital device.

DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

In order that the present invention may be fully understood and readily put into practical effect, there shall now be described by way of non-limitative example only preferred embodiments of the present invention, the description being with reference to the accompanying illustrative drawings.

Figure 1 shows an overview of a communication system of the present invention.

Figure 2 shows a process flow for a method for presenting data in the present invention. Figure 3 shows a process flow for a method for transmitting data in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The drawings and the following discussion are intended to provide a brief, general description of a suitable environment in which the present invention may be implemented. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the invention may be practiced with other computer system configurations, including handheld devices, multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics, network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, and the like.

Referring to Figure 1 , there is provided a system 20 for communicating data. The system 20 includes a data locating module 22 to locate data of pre- determined content, the data being accessible via a network. The data locating module 22 act as a server, hosting interaction applications such as, for example, Skype, MSN messenger, Yahoo! messenger, QQ, and the like. The server may be a cluster of machines geographically distributed to provide adequate support globally.

The data locating module 22 may perform a function of locating data either at pre-determined times, or when a specific action occurs (for example, when a request for data is received, when new data is made available, when email is received, when paid data is ready for download, when advertisements are scheduled to be broadcast and the like). In this regard, when additional sources of relevant data become available, the user need not know about it, as only the data locating module 22 needs to be updated as the data locating module may be operated by a requisite service provider. The data locating module 22 may also provide a log with information such as, for example, what data has been downloaded, who has downloaded what data, what data is ready to be downloaded or a combination of the aforementioned.

The pre-determined content may be determined by a user profile. The user profile may include parameters such as, for example, user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download and any combination of the aforementioned. The user profile may be usable for commercial purposes, where relevant commercial information such as advertisements and announcements may be forwarded to the user by advertisers. The data may be, for example, text, still images, moving images, audio signals and any combination of the aforementioned. It should be noted that text includes email while audio signals include voice messages. The data locating module 22 may also provide suggestions to the user for data locations in accordance with the user profile. The suggestions may be made to the user through a user interface (possibly graphical based) which the user interacts with and is able to make desired selections.

Figure 1 denotes the various types of repositories that may be referred to in subsequent sections of the description. Commercial repository 24 primarily refers to advertisement stores that provide commercials to be included for download into user devices. Paid/restricted MM repository 26 primarily refers to all multi-media (MM) data, including pay-per-view entertainment (like films, sports, and the like), personalized news/information items, educational courses, and any other data that may have aspects relating to digital rights management and is not freely available for personal consumption. Private MM repository 28 primarily refers to email and private deposit of data of a user. There can be different data repositories who sell data content and manage the content. These repository managers may "contact" the data locating module 22 whenever new data is uploaded. It is preferable that contributors to the Private MM repositories 28 provide audio or text entries to their data. This allows for a better description of their data to the user when their data is played back subsequently.

The system 20 also includes a data consolidation module 30 to obtain and consolidate the data into packages, the data located by the data locating module 22. It should be noted that each package may be organized into a portal for the user's access at a particular URL. The data consolidation module 30 may obtain data from the various aforementioned data repositories in accordance with direction from the data locating module 22, the data locating module 22 operating in accordance with the parameters defined in the user profile. The data locating module 22 may provide the requisite internet URLs to the data consolidation module 30. The download may contain additional information such as, for example, the nature of the data, the manner the data is presented, and constraints imposed on the data such as, for example, a number of times it may presented, a time limit for data usage and so forth. The data consolidation module 30 may access the URLs, and on completion of data download, the data consolidation module 30 is correspondingly updated. Using the data locating module 22 may aid a user in downloading desired data in advance, doing away with the hassle of renting content like DVDs and overcoming bandwidth constraints.

The data consolidation module 30 may include a facility to enable conversion of the consolidated data into a single data format for presentation by the data presentation module. The conversion may generally be, for example, text to audio, HTML to audio, audio to audio, video to audio, video to video and so forth. The single data format may be solely audio such as, for example, mp3, wma, ogg, mid, wav and the like. Alternatively, the single data format may be video, such as, for example, avi, wmv, mp4 and so forth. The data consolidation module 30 may also include a tracking component to keep a record of a download trail of the packages. The stored record may be used for commercial purposes as a higher frequency of download for a particular package denotes higher demand of that particular package. The data consolidation module 30 may be able to filter data by parsing the collected data to categorize, itemize, and organize the data into packages and removing data deemed unwanted by the user. Indexing of the data packages may also be performed by the data consolidation module 30.

The system 20 also includes at least one data presentation module 32 for presentation of the data obtained and consolidated into a package by the data consolidation module 30. The data presentation module 32 usually operates when the user submits a request to obtain the data. The user may submit the request to either the data consolidation module 30 or the data presentation module 32. The data presentation module 32 may be part of a device, such as, for example, a television set, a computer or a portable digital device. The television set may be of the type such as, for example, CRT, LCD, plasma, projection and the like. It is desirable, but not necessary for the portable digital device to have a display screen. This is because the packaged data may be in audio form only, and there are no images to be shown. It should be noted that image data presented by the data presentation module 32 may be reproduced in hardcopy by coupling the data presentation module 32 to a printing device. The data presentation module 32 may include a component that provides a physical location of the data presentation module, such as, for example, a GPS module. This may enable automatic localization of the data presentation module in accordance with the physical/geographical location. Automatic localization may affect the manner that the packages are presented by the data presentation module 32. It is preferable that the data consolidation module 30 is coupled remotely to the data presentation module 32. The data consolidation module 30 may be hosted on at least one server. The data locating module 22 may also be hosted on at least one server which may or may not be the same server hosting the data consolidation module 30. The server may be a cluster of machines geographically distributed to provide adequate support globally. The data presentation module 32 may present data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic. The logic takes in the instruction from an instruction store, and determines the way the different types of data are presented. For example, the presentation of data may be free from advertising material if the user paid for the download (but advertising material may still make an appearance at predetermined moments). Similarly, the logic may dictate that advertising material be sandwiched between data at a rate of one instance per five frames if the data was from a private repository 28. The advertising material may also be located at a periphery of a main display coupled to the data presentation module 32. The logic may also control the duration of display of the advertising material, the frequency of advertising material renewal and so forth. The logic behind the presentation manner of the advertising material is primarily based on the user profile. The logic may also be dependent on the localisation settings. The logic may be applied such that the advertising material may be more user focused and consequently, more effective.

Referring to Figure 2, there is shown a method 40 for presenting data of predetermined content as per a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Firstly, a user submits a request for data (42). The user may submit the request to either a data consolidation module or a data presentation module. The data presentation module may be part of a device, such as, for example, a television set, a computer or a portable digital device. The data consolidation module may be coupled remotely to the data presentation module. The data consolidation module may be hosted on at least one server. The server may be a cluster of machines geographically distributed to provide adequate support globally. A data locating module may also be hosted on at least one server which may or may not be the same server hosting the data consolidation module. Subsequent to the submission of the request for data, the module receiving the request may determine a user's preferred mode of operation. If the user prefers an "Instant" mode, a package of data consolidated in accordance with the user's user profile is immediately drawn from the data consolidation module and presented on the data presentation module (41 ).

In this "Instant" mode, the package of data is drawn at an earlier occasion from various types of repositories (the data being accessible via a network) either at pre-determined times, or when a specific action occurs (for example, when a request for data is received, when new data is made available, when email is received, when paid data is ready for download, when advertisements are scheduled to be broadcast and the like). It should be noted that the package of data may be decrypted prior to presentation on the data presentation module. This mode may be suitable for users who do not wish to wait for the package of data.

The data presentation module may present data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic. The logic takes in the instruction from an instruction store, and determines the way the different types of data are presented. For example, the presentation of data may be free from advertising material if the user paid for the download (but advertising material may still make an appearance at predetermined moments). Similarly, the logic may dictate that advertising material be sandwiched between data at a rate of one instance per five frames if the data was from a private repository. The advertising material may also be located at a periphery of a main display coupled to the data presentation module. The logic may also control the duration of display of the advertising material, the frequency of advertising material renewal and so forth. The logic behind the presentation manner of the advertising material is primarily based on the user profile. The logic may be applied such that the advertising material may be more user focused and consequently, more effective.

The pre-determined content may be determined by a user profile. The user profile may include parameters such as, for example, user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download and any combination of the aforementioned. The user profile may be usable for commercial purposes, where relevant commercial information such as advertisements and announcements may be forwarded to the user. The data may be, for example, text, still images, moving images, audio signals and any combination of the aforementioned. It should be noted that text includes email while audio signals include voice messages.

For users who are either not constrained by time or prefer the most updated data to be presented on their data presentation module, a "Long" mode may be suitable for such users. The user's preference for "Instant" or "Long" mode may either be defined in the user's profile or may be chosen whenever the user desires data to be presented. If the module receiving the request for data determines that the user has selected the "Long" mode, the data locating module may be activated (44). The data locating module then instantly determines whether there are any new downloads (of pre-determined content based on the user's profile) from the various types of repositories (46). If no new downloads are available, a package of data consolidated in accordance with the user's user profile is immediately drawn from the data consolidation module and presented on the data presentation module (41). It should be noted that the package of data may be decrypted prior to presentation on the data presentation module.

If new downloads are available from the various types of repositories, the data consolidation module then obtains and consolidates the data into a package of data (48). The types of repositories have already been described earlier in relation to Figure 1. The data obtained by the consolidation module may be encrypted (50) and compressed (52) by the consolidation module, or the data may already be provided by the repository in a secure compressed format. The user profile may also include parameters to determine whether the downloaded data is encrypted or compressed according to the user's preference. Encryption is generally used when data security is an issue while compression is generally applied where data transmission/reception bandwidth is an issue. The data consolidation module may convert the consolidated data into a single data format for storage (54) and subsequent presentation by the data presentation module (41 ). The conversion may generally be, for example, text to audio, HTML to audio, audio to audio, video to audio, video to video and so forth. The single data format may be solely audio such as, for example, mp3, wma, ogg, mid, wav and the like. Alternatively, the single data format may be video, such as, for example, avi, wmv, mp4 and so forth. The data consolidation module may also track download trails of the data packages. The stored record may be used for commercial purposes as a higher frequency of download for a particular package denotes higher demand of the package. The data consolidation module may also filter data by parsing the collected data to categorize, itemize, and organize the data into packages and removing data deemed unwanted by the user. Indexing of the data packages may also be performed by the data consolidation module.

Referring to Figure 3, there is shown a method 60 for transmitting data of predetermined content as per a preferred embodiment of the present invention. Firstly, a request for data is received (42). The request may be submitted to either a data consolidation module or a data presentation module. The data presentation module may be part of a device, such as, for example, a television set, a computer or a portable digital device. The data consolidation module may be coupled remotely to the data presentation module. The data consolidation module may be hosted on at least one server. The server may be a cluster of machines geographically distributed to provide adequate support globally. A data locating module may also be hosted on at least one server which may or may not be the same server hosting the data consolidation module. Subsequent to the submission of the request for data, the module receiving the request may determine a user's preferred mode of operation. If the user prefers an "Instant" mode, a package of data consolidated in accordance with the user's user profile is immediately transmitted from the data consolidation module (61 ).

In this "Instant" mode, the package of data is drawn at an earlier occasion from various types of repositories (the data being accessible via a network) either at pre-determined times, or when a specific action occurs (for example, when a request for data is received, when new data is made available, when email is received, when paid data is ready for download, when advertisements are scheduled to be broadcast and the like). It should be noted that the package of data may be decrypted at a subsequent time prior to presentation on the data presentation module. This mode may be suitable for users who do not wish to wait for the package of data.

For users who are either not constrained by time or prefer the most updated data to be presented on their data presentation module, a "Long" mode may be suitable for such users. The user's preference for "Instant" or "Long" mode may either be defined in the user's profile or may be chosen whenever the user desires data to be presented. If the module receiving the request for data determines that the user has selected the "Long" mode, the data locating module may be activated (64). The data locating module then instantly determines whether there are any new downloads (of pre-determined content based on the user's profile) from the various types of repositories (66). If no new downloads are available, a package of data consolidated in accordance with the user's user profile is immediately drawn from the data consolidation module and transmitted (61).

If new downloads are available from the various types of repositories, the data consolidation module then obtains and consolidates the data into a package of data (68). The types of repositories have already been described earlier in relation to Figure 1. The data obtained by the consolidation module may be encrypted (70) and compressed (72) by the consolidation module, or the data may already be provided by the repository in a secure compressed format. The user profile may also include parameters to determine whether the downloaded data is encrypted or compressed according to the user's preference. Encryption is generally used when data security is an issue while compression is generally applied where data transmission/reception bandwidth is an issue. The data consolidation module may convert the consolidated data into a single data format for storage (74) and subsequent transmission (61 ). The conversion may generally be, for example, text to audio, HTML to audio, audio to audio, video to audio, video to video and so forth. The single data format may be solely audio such as, for example, mp3, wma, ogg, mid, wav and the like. Alternatively, the single data format may be video, such as, for example, avi, wmv, mp4 and so forth. The data consolidation module may also track download trails of the data packages. The stored record may be used for commercial purposes as a higher frequency of download for a particular package denotes higher demand of the package. The data consolidation module may also filter data by parsing the collected data to categorize, itemize, and organize the data into packages and removing data deemed unwanted by the user. Indexing of the data packages may also be performed by the data consolidation module.

Whilst there has been described in the foregoing description preferred embodiments of the present invention, it will be understood by those skilled in the technology concerned that many variations or modifications in details of design or construction may be made without departing from the present invention.

Claims

1. A system for communicating data, including: a data locating module to locate data of pre-determined content, the data being accessible via a network; a data consolidation module to obtain and consolidate the data into a package located by the data locating module; and at least one data presentation module for presentation of the data package, the data presentation module operating when a user submits a request to obtain data.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the pre-determined content is determined by a user profile.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the user profile includes parameters selected from the group consisting of: user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download and any combination of the aforementioned.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the data consolidated in the data consolidation module is converted to a single data format for presentation by the data presentation module.

5. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data is from a source selected from the group consisting of: free, paid, restricted and any combination of the aforementioned.

6. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of: text, still images, moving images, audio signals and any combination of the aforementioned.

7. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data locating module operates either at pre-determined times or when a specific action occurs.

8. The system of claim 1 , wherein the user submits the request to either the data consolidation module or the data presentation module.

9. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data presentation module presents data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic.

10. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data consolidation module includes a tracking function for recording download trails of the data package

11. The system of claim 2, wherein the data locating module provides suggestions for data locations in accordance with the user profile.

12. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data presentation module includes a component that provides a physical location of the data presentation module.

13. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data consolidation module is able to perform tasks selected from the group consisting of: filter data and index data packages.

14. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data presentation module is part of a device selected from the group consisting of: a television set, a computer and a portable digital device.

15. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data locating module provides a log with information selected from the group consisting of: what data has been downloaded, what data is ready to be downloaded, who has downloaded what data, and any combination of the aforementioned.

16. The system of claim 1 , wherein the data transmitted between the modules is encrypted.

17. A method for presenting data, including: locating data of pre-determined content with a data locating module, the data being accessible via a network; obtaining and consolidating the data of pre-determined content into a package of data with a data consolidation module; and presenting the package of data with a data presentation module when a request to present data is received.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the pre-determined content is determined by a user profile.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the user profile includes parameters selected from the group consisting of: user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download and any combination of the aforementioned.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the consolidated data is converted to a single data format for subsequent presentation.

21. The method of claim 17, wherein the data is from a source selected from the group consisting of: free, paid, restricted and any combination of the aforementioned.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of: text, still images, moving images, audio signals and any combination of the aforementioned.

23. The method of claim 17, wherein data is located by the data locating module either at pre-determined times or when a specific action occurs.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein the request is submitted to either the data consolidation module or the data presentation module.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein the data presentation module presents data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic.

26. The method of claim 17, further including tracking a download trail for the data package.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein the data presentation module is part of a device selected from the group consisting of: a television set, a computer and a portable digital device.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein the data transmitted between the modules is encrypted.

29. A method for transmitting data, including: locating data of pre-determined content with a data locating module, the data being accessible via a network; obtaining and consolidating the data of pre-determined content into a package of data with a data consolidation module; and transmitting the package of data for presentation with a data presentation module when a request to present data is received.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the pre-determined content is determined by a user profile.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the user profile includes parameters selected from the group consisting of: user interests, preferred repositories, time to obtain data from the preferred repositories, passwords to access data from restricted repositories, payment instructions to purchase data from pay repositories, age of data suitable/rejected for download and any combination of the aforementioned.

32. The method of claim 29, wherein the consolidated data is converted to a single data format for subsequent presentation.

33. The method of claim 29, wherein the data is from a source selected from the group consisting of: free, paid, restricted and any combination of the aforementioned.

34. The method of claim 29, wherein the data is selected from the group consisting of: text, still images, moving images, audio signals and any combination of the aforementioned.

35. The method of claim 29, wherein data is located by the data locating module either at pre-determined times or when a specific action occurs.

36. The method of claim 29, wherein the request is submitted to either the data consolidation module or the data presentation module.

37. The method of claim 29, wherein the data presentation module presents data in a manner depending on a set of instruction interpretation logic.

38. The method of claim 29, further including tracking a download trail for the data package.

39. The method of claim 29, wherein the data presentation module is part of a device selected from the group consisting of: a television set, a computer and a portable digital device.

40. The method of claim 29, wherein the data transmitted between the modules is encrypted.