Patent Application
20140270201
The present invention relates generally to audio accessories, such as headphones that can be connected to a media player or other electronic device.
A wide variety of electronic devices are available for consumers today and as a result consumers often possess more than one electronic device. Each electronic device may have particular capabilities suited for unique uses, and as a result the consumer may transition from one device to another throughout the day. As an example, a consumer may use a cellular phone connected to head phones to listen to an audio book during their drive to the gym. Once arriving at the gym, the consumer may wish to transition the head phones to a smaller media player for their workout. However, during this transition the consumer may have to find the audio book they were listening to on the new electronic device and search for the place they left off. Such transitions may result in consumer annoyance and detract from a desired seamless experience.
Embodiments of the invention pertain to audio accessories for use with a variety of electronic devices. In some embodiments the audio accessories connect to a media player using a wired and/or wireless input channel. The audio accessory may receive both audio input and meta data associated with a media asset on the media player. Circuitry within the audio accessory may be equipped to store at least some of the meta data in memory and to receive a current play position of the media asset on the media player. The circuitry may have a clock unit that can be used to independently track the current play position of the media asset on the media player.
The audio accessory may be further configured to detect a disconnect event between the accessory and the media player. After the disconnect event, the circuitry within the audio accessory may retrieve the independently tracked current play position from the clock unit and store it in its memory. In some embodiments, the audio accessory may be equipped with a temporary power supply to supply power to the circuitry after the disconnect event.
When the audio accessory is connected to a new media player, the accessory may transmit some of the meta data to the new media player. In some embodiments, the new media player may receive a media asset identification and a current play position. The new media player may then load the identified media asset and initiate it from the stored current play position. Thus, the audio accessory may provide a user with a seamless experience when transitioning from one media player to another.
To better understand the nature and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the following description and the accompanying figures. It is to be understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration only and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the scope of the present invention.
Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to accessories for electronic devices. While the present invention can be useful to produce accessories for a wide variety of electronic devices, some embodiments of the invention are particularly useful for producing audio accessories that enable a more seamless transition from one media player to another, as described in more detail below.
A media asset (e.g., song, movie, audio book) may be stored on media player 150 and played for the user through audio accessory 100. Input channel 310 may be configured to receive an audio signal and meta data from media player 150 corresponding to the media asset. In some embodiments, at least one speaker element 315 may be coupled to input channel 310 to receive the audio signal from media player 150 and convert the audio signal to audible audio content for the user. In further embodiments input channel 310 may include a first audio input channel configured to receive a left channel audio signal from media player 150 and a second audio input channel configured to receive a right channel audio signal from the media player. The audio accessory may include a left ear speaker element 105a (see
Audio accessory 100 may further include a computer-readable memory 320 and circuitry 340 configured to receive meta data corresponding to the media asset. Memory 320 may be any type of memory including non-volatile memory that can retain information without power. In some embodiments, memory 320 may be a flash memory or a ferroelectric random access memory. Circuitry 340 may be configured to store at least some of the meta data in computer-readable memory 320. In some embodiments the meta data may include an identification of the media asset on media player 150, while in further embodiments the meta data may include a play list, play position or any other meta data associated with the media asset. In other embodiments the meta data may include the status of the media asset on the media player (e.g., current play position, pause, skip forward, skip backward). In some embodiments, the current play position of the media asset may be communicated to audio accessory 100 through input channel 310, and circuitry 340 may be used to independently track the current play position of the media asset. More specifically, once media player 150 transmits the current play position to circuitry 340, circuitry 340 may track the current play position of the media asset independent from media player 150. In some embodiments, the current play position of a particular media asset may be transferred only once to audio accessory 100 when the media asset is started, while in other embodiments media player 150 may transmit the current play position at a regular time intervals. In further embodiments, the current play position of a media asset may be transferred to audio accessory 100 when the media asset is paused, stopped, forwarded, rewound or otherwise manipulated by the user on the media player.
Circuitry 340 may further be configured to detect a disconnect event between media player 150 (see
In some embodiments, audio accessory 100 may be subsequently connected to a different media player 250 (see
Circuitry 340 may include a clock unit 430 for independently tracking the current play position of the media asset on media player 150, 250. Clock unit 430 may include various designs, as discussed in more detail below. Clock unit 430 may be electrically connected to a control unit 410. Control unit 410 may perform the instructions of a computer program by performing the basic arithmetical, logical, input/output operations of the system and communicate with media players 150, 250 through input channel 310. More specifically, control unit 410 may transfer data into and out of computer-readable memory 320 and employ clock unit 430 to independently track the current play position of a media asset.
In some embodiments, circuitry 340 may be electrically powered by input channel 310 and may also include a temporary power supply 420. In other embodiments, circuitry may be powered by an internal power storage device (not shown) or the bus used to power microphone element 350 (see
In some embodiments, input channel 310 may be wired and electrically coupled to media player 150, 250 with example audio plug connectors illustrated in
Standard audio plugs are available in three sizes according to the outside diameter of the plug: a 6.35 mm (¼″) plug, a 3.5 mm (⅛″) miniature plug and a 2.5 mm ( 3/32″) subminiature plug. The plugs include multiple conductive regions that extend along the length of the connectors in distinct portions of the plug such as the tip, sleeve and one or more middle portions or “rings” located between the tip and sleeve, resulting in the connectors often being referred to as TRS (tip, ring and sleeve) connectors. Other electrical connectors, including optical connectors or proprietary connectors, such as the reversible 8-pin connector manufactured by Apple, may be used in further embodiments.
Referring now to clock unit 430 in
An example inductor-capacitor type oscillator may work as follows. If a charged capacitor is connected across an inductor, charge will start to flow through the inductor, building up a magnetic field around it and reducing the voltage on the capacitor. Eventually all the charge on the capacitor will be gone and the voltage across it will reach zero. However, the current will continue, because inductors resist changes in current. The energy to keep it flowing is extracted from the magnetic field, which will begin to decline. The current will begin to charge the capacitor with a voltage of opposite polarity to its original charge. When the magnetic field is completely dissipated the current will stop and the charge will again be stored in the capacitor, with the opposite polarity as before. Then the cycle will begin again, with the current flowing in the opposite direction through the inductor. The charge flows back and forth between the plates of the capacitor, through the inductor. The oscillation frequency is determined by the capacitance and inductance values. The resonant output may be used by the control unit to track time.
An example resistor-capacitor type oscillator may work as follows. A resistor connects to a current source. Current from the resistor flows into a capacitor, building electric charge in it. The rate of charge depends on the values of both the resistor and capacitor. Large resistances will lower the current and make the capacitor charge more slowly. A larger capacitor takes longer to charge. The capacitor charges on a logarithmic curve. An electronic switch called a comparator detects the voltage rising across the capacitor as it charges. When the voltage passes a critical threshold, the comparator causes the capacitor to discharge its current. For most oscillators, the discharge is nearly instant compared to the charge time. The resistor still feeds current to the capacitor, so it charges again until the comparator discharges it. This charge-discharge cycle produces a voltage waveform across the capacitor, called a saw-tooth wave. The saw-tooth wave may be used by the control unit to track time.
An example crystal type oscillator may work as follows. A regular timing crystal contains two electrically conductive plates, with a slice or tuning fork of quartz crystal sandwiched between them. During startup, the circuit around the crystal applies a random noise AC signal to it, and purely by chance, a tiny fraction of the noise will be at the resonant frequency of the crystal. The crystal will therefore start oscillating in synchrony with that signal. As the oscillator amplifies the signals coming out of the crystal, the crystal's frequency will become stronger, eventually dominating the output of the oscillator. Natural resistance in the circuit and in the quartz crystal typically filter out all the unwanted frequencies. The crystal oscillator circuit sustains oscillation by taking a voltage signal from the quartz resonator, amplifying it, and feeding it back to the resonator. The rate of expansion and contraction of the quartz is the resonant frequency, and is determined by the cut and size of the crystal. The resonant output may be used by the control unit to track time.
An exemplary simplified process 700 operating an audio accessory in accordance with embodiments described herein, is depicted in
In step 715 at least some of the transmitted meta data from the media player is stored in the computer-readable memory of the audio accessory. In some embodiments the stored meta data may include the name of the media asset, an media asset identification, a playlist identification a current play position of the media asset, a storage location of the media asset a play time of the media asset or any other data associated with the media asset. In step 720 the clock unit within the audio accessory may be synchronized with the current play position of the media asset on the media player. More specifically, the clock unit may use the current play position of the media asset on the media player to track the current play position of the media asset, independent of the media player, as the media asset is played. In some embodiments, when a new media asset (song) is started from its beginning, the current play position tracked within the audio accessory is set to zero. As the media asset is played, clock unit 430 tracks the current play position of the media asset, independent of the media player. In further embodiments, the current play position of the media asset may be repeatedly sent to the audio accessory separated by a time interval. More specifically, the clock unit 430 may independently track the current play position of the media asset, however the clock unit may be repeatedly updated with a current play position sent from the media player. In other embodiments, the starting play position of the media asset may be sent to the audio accessory when the media asset is started and the play position may only be updated when the user makes a play status change such as stop, pause, fast-forward, rewind or any other change to the play position of the media asset as discussed below. In step 725 the audio accessory may detect a disconnect event where the audio accessory is no longer connected to the media player. In some embodiments this may include unplugging a connector, while in other embodiments a wireless connection may be lost. If a disconnect event is detected, the process proceeds to step 735 where circuitry within the audio accessory is configured to retrieve the current play position of the media asset from the clock unit and store it in computer-readable memory within the audio accessory. Some embodiments may have a temporary power supply as part of the audio accessory to supply power for this operation after a disconnect event.
If a disconnect event is not detected in step 725, the process continues to step 730. In step 730 if there was a play status change of the media asset such as fast-forward, rewind, pause, or other status change the process will proceed to step 720 where the clock unit in the accessory will be synchronized with the media asset. More specifically, if the user makes a play status change on the media player the media player may send an updated current play position to the audio accessory to be stored in memory. The clock unit may then be set to zero and used in conjunction with the current play position to track the current play position of the media asset from when the status change was made. For example, if a user is listening to a media asset and presses rewind then play, the media player may send an updated current play position to the audio accessory to be stored in memory. The clock unit may be simultaneously reset to zero and used to track how much play time has elapsed since the updated play position has been received and stored. Myriad other methods may be used to track the play position of the media asset without departing from the invention.
If, in step 730 there is no play status change, the process may proceed to step 760. In step 760, if a new media asset has been selected on the media player the process returns to step 710 where meta data associated with the new media asset is received by the audio accessory. If, however the same media asset continues to play, the process may hold and wait for a disconnect event at step 725, or the process may follow optional path 740 to step 720, resynchronizing the clock unit on a regular time interval. In step 720 the clock unit in the audio accessory may be resynchronized with the media player to ensure accurate time keeping by the clock unit. This resynchronization loop may occur repeatedly with a time interval separating the resynchronization events. For example, in various embodiments, resynchronization may occur every 10 seconds, every 30 seconds, every 60 seconds or at some other predetermined interval.
An example simplified process 800 operating an audio accessory in accordance with embodiments described herein, is depicted in
In step 815 the media player may proceed in accordance with user preferences that may be stored within the media player or with preferences that may be selected once communications are established between the media player and the audio accessory. More specifically, the user may preselect and store their preference in the media player to resume playback of a media asset that was last played through the audio accessory. Alternatively, once communication is established between the media player and the audio accessory, the user may be prompted by the media player to determine if the user wants to resume playback of a media asset that was last played through the audio accessory. In step 820, if the user preference is set to resume playback of a media asset last played on the audio accessory, then the process moves to step 830. However, if the user preference is not set to resume, then the process proceeds to step 860 and the media player performs a different function in accordance with the user preferences. If the process proceeds to step 830 the meta data from the last played media asset stored in the audio accessory memory is transferred to the media player. The media player may download the meta data using any communication protocol known for transferring data.
In step 840 the media player may use the meta data downloaded from the audio accessory to identify the media asset and the stored current play position. In some embodiments the media player may use meta data consisting of the name of the media asset, the location of the media asset and the stored current play position of the media asset when last played through the audio accessory. In some embodiments, the name of the media asset may simply be the name of the song and the name of the artist. In other embodiments software may assign a unique identification to each media asset and the unique identification may be the only meta data required to identify the media asset. Other meta data may also be downloaded from the audio accessory and employed by the media player such as, but not limited to a play list, a position in a play list, or any other information regarding the media asset. In step 850 the media player may acquire the media asset if it is not already stored in memory of the media player. In some embodiments the media player may acquire the media asset through a wireless or a wired communication link. Once the media asset has been loaded, or at least partially loaded into the memory of the media player, the media player may use the stored current play position and resume playback from that location. This process may provide the user with a seamless user experience when transitioning an audio accessory from one media player to another.
As an illustrative example of the process described in
It will be appreciated that the audio accessory, media players and media assets described herein are illustrative and that variations and modifications are possible. For instance, the media asset may be a movie, a video, an audio book or other media. The media asset may reside on the media player or may be a streaming or virtual media asset. The media player may be an MP3 player, smart phone, tablet computer, personal computer, laptop, vehicular audio system or any other device capable of playing media. For example, a user may be watching a movie on a laptop computer at home where they unplug the audio accessory and resume playback on a train from their smart phone. The audio accessory may be a set of headphones or may be any other type of accessory that interfaces with a media player. Further examples may include transferring an audio accessory from a tablet computer to a very small MP3 player where the MP3 player does not have wireless capability. In this example, because the MP3 player does not have wireless capability the only way it can determine the media asset and the last known play position of the media asset is by downloading it from the memory in the media asset.
In the foregoing specification, embodiments of the invention have been described with reference to numerous specific details that may vary from implementation to implementation. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. The sole and exclusive indicator of the scope of the invention, and what is intended by the applicants to be the scope of the invention, is the literal and equivalent scope of the set of claims that issue from this application, in the specific form in which such claims issue, including any subsequent correction.
