TellyMinder (Under Development)

The TellyMinder is a small desktop computer designed to fit into any entertainment center and display pre-defined messages on a television screen. TellyMinder has a web-based interface that allows the sender (loved ones, medical professionals, etc.) to enter messages (reminders, detailed instructions or video clips) and then schedule these messages to be displayed at a specified time. Messages can include reminders to take a specific medication at a given time, appointment confirmations, or a simple check-in to see how someone is doing.

Once the message is displayed, the recipient (such as the elderly or shut-ins) can confirm the receipt of the message. If the message receipt is not triggered within a specified timeframe, the sender would receive an e-mail alert to notify them of possible problems so the recipient can be contacted directly.

The TellyMinder will also have a web-cam option so sender can check in on the recipient and get visual feedback on the recipient’s status. Future options include the ability to connect monitoring equipment via TellyMinder’s wireless networking so vital information including heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen levels can be monitored in real time. This would also allow TellyMinder to trigger emergency services if the vital information falls to unsafe levels.

TellyMinder leverages significant intellectual property (IP) rights in the following areas:

  • User Interface Library that combines broadcast quality graphics, animation and streaming media
  • Intelligent networked media management system
  • Enhanced television synchronization implementation over a TCP/IP network
  • Store and forward streaming of MPEG video over TCP/IP networks

TellyMinder uses a synchronization mechanism based on XML that allows content delivered over the Internet to be coordinated with the display of broadcast television.  This dramatically improves the response time to the user, removing the objectionable download delays which can occur when information is requested over the Internet.

Software Architecture

The following are the core components of the TellyMinder software platform:

tmiGui – This layer of software developed for TellyMinder allows for the design of user interfaces that are television and entertainment centric.  Building on the technical team’s extensive knowledge of broadcast graphics design, a sophisticated user interface toolkit has been developed.

tmiApplicationManager – This software layer developed for TellyMinder provides the management features required by applications such as where windows should be located and how applications should start and stop.

Networked Media Management – TellyMinder has an integrated small and fast database and a newly designed sophisticated, but low maintenance media management system.

Linux Operating System – The Linux OS is the current operating system that TellyMinder is built upon, although all of the current application programming interfaces (APIs) in TellyMinder have been designed to be ported to alternate operating systems if the market dynamics dictate this is necessary.