Patent Application
20150046447
1. Field of Invention
The present application relates to a multimedia player device. More particularly, the present application relates to a controlling method of the multimedia player device capable of loading multimedia files from a memory card.
2. Description of Related Art
A multimedia player is popular in many applications, because it has functions such as playing audio files, playing video files, displaying digital photo files, etc. In order to extend storage space on the multimedia player, the multimedia player usually equips with a connection slot for interconnecting with an external storage unit, e.g., a memory card. The memory card is not a fixed component of the multimedia player. Users may keep their multimedia files into several different memory cards. When a user want to play other files stored in another memory card, the user may unplug the current memory card and insert the target memory card into the multimedia player.
There may be many multimedia files stored in each of memory cards. When a user inserts a memory card into the multimedia player, the user is required to assign which multimedia files in the inserted memory card should be played now. The user may not remember which file of the multimedia files has been played in the last time. In some cases, the user may always play specific files (e.g., some files at high priority in alphabetical order) when some other files have not been played even once. Therefore, a controlling method is required to manage the multimedia player while playing multimedia files from external sources.
An aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a controlling method of a multimedia player device. The multimedia player device is capable of playing plural multimedia files from plural memory cards. The controlling method comprising: when a memory card of the memory cards is connected to the multimedia player device, determining if there is a corresponding log file corresponding to the connected memory card; if the log file exists, creating a playlist comprising at least part of the plural multimedia files according to the log file; and, playing the multimedia files according to the playlist from the connected memory card.
Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a multimedia player device comprising a connection interface, a database and a processing unit. The connection interface is configured for electrically connected with different memory cards. The database is configured for storing log files respectively corresponding to the memory cards which have been connected with the connection interface. The processing unit is electrically connected with the connection interface and the database. When one of the memory cards is connected to the connection interface and the log file corresponding to the connected memory card exists, the processing unit creating a playlist according to the existed log file to play the multimedia files from the connected memory card.
The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description of the embodiments, with reference made to the accompanying drawings as follows:
Reference is made to
In the embodiment of
As shown in
Afterward, step S102 is executed for determining if a log file corresponding to the connected memory card exists in the database 240 of the multimedia player device 200. For example, if the memory card 340 is connected with the multimedia player device 200, no log file corresponding to the connected memory card 340 exists in the multimedia player device 200, and then the controlling method perform steps S104 to S106.
Step S104 is executed for playing the multimedia files 342 from the connected memory card. Based on a media type (e.g., an audio file, a video file or a photo file) of the multimedia files 342, the processing unit 260 plays the multimedia files 342 on the display unit 270 and/or through the speaker unit 280. Afterward, step S106 is executed for creating a new log file by the processing unit 260 for recording which multimedia files 342 from the connected memory card 340 has been played so far (i.e., establishing a list of the played multimedia files) on the multimedia player device 200. Therefore, the log file could be treated as a playing history record of the multimedia files 342.
On the other hand, if it is the memory card 310, 320 or 330 being connected with the multimedia player device 200, the log file LFa, LFb or LFc corresponding to the connected memory card 310, 320 or 330 does exist in the multimedia player device 200, and then the controlling method perform steps S108 to S116, so as to play the multimedia files from the connected memory card 310, 320 or 330 according to the existed log file LFa, LFb or LFc respectively.
Step S108 is executed for loading the existed log file LFa, LFb or LFc (corresponding to the connected memory card 310, 320 or 330) and creating a playlist comprising at least part of the plural multimedia files according to the log file. In this embodiment, the processing unit 260 creates the playlist according to the existed log file for playing the multimedia files from the connected memory card 310, 320 or 330. The playlist is created by excluding any multimedia file from the connected memory card and has been played on the multimedia player device. In other words, the playlist include the multimedia files have not been played on the multimedia player device.
Each log file (e.g., the existed log file LFa, LFb, LFc or aforesaid new log file) corresponding to each memory card records an identification (ID) of the multimedia player device, an ID of the memory card, file names of the multimedia files (from the memory card and has been played on the multimedia player device) and/or additional information of the multimedia files has been played. The additional information can be information of a played file size, a total file size and/or a played count.
In an embodiment, the log file LFa includes the ID of the memory card 310, the file name of the multimedia file 312a and the additional information of the multimedia file 312a; the log file LFb includes the ID of the memory card 320, the file names of the multimedia files 322a, 322b and 322c and the additional information of the multimedia files 322a, 322b and 322c; and, the log file LFc includes the ID of the memory card 330, the file names of the multimedia files 332a and 322b and the additional information of the multimedia files 332a and 332b.
In another embodiment, each log file may be record in a format of [SYSTEMa—FILE—FILE_info] in which SYSTEMa is an ID of the multimedia player device 200, FILE is the file name/file ID of the played multimedia file, and the FILE_info can be a file size of the played multimedia file. For example, the log files existed on the multimedia layer device 200 can includes:
Step S110 is executed for determining if all of the multimedia files from the connected memory card 310, 320 or 330 have been played.
If there is a multimedia file which has not been played yet, step S114 is executed for playing such the multimedia files according to the playlist. In an example, if the memory card 310 is connected to the multimedia player device 200, step S114 is achieved by excluding the multimedia file 312a has been played on the multimedia player device 200, and playing the multimedia files 312b, 312c, 312d or 312e have not been played. In another example, if the memory card 320 is connected to the multimedia player device 200, step S114 is achieved by excluding the multimedia file 322a, 322b and 322c has been played on the multimedia player device 200, and playing the multimedia files 322d or 322e have not been played. In another example, if the memory card 330 is connected to the multimedia player device 200, step S114 is achieved by excluding the multimedia file 332a and 332b has been played on the multimedia player device, and playing the multimedia files 332c, 332d or 332e have not been played.
On the other hand, if all multimedia file on the connected memory card has been played already, step S112 is performed for replaying the multimedia files from the connected memory card in sequence. Step S112 can be achieved by re-playing the multimedia files from the connected memory card in sequence started from the earliest played multimedia file, or by re-playing the multimedia files from the connected memory card in sequence started from a multimedia file with the lowest played count according to the corresponding log file.
After step S112 or S114, step S116 is performed for re-producing the log file corresponding to the connected memory card. For example, the file name and additional information (e.g., the played count, the played file size, etc) of the multimedia files has been played are required to be revised after step S112 or S114.
Furthermore, according to a file type of the multimedia files, the played count can be generated in different ways in this disclosure. Firstly, when the multimedia files are audio files, the played count of each audio file is accumulated after the audio file is completely played. Secondly, when the multimedia files are photo files, the played count of each photo file is accumulated after the photo file is displayed. Thirdly, when the multimedia files are video files and the video file is not completely played, the terminated position, or the played file size of each video file can be recorded in this case; and, the played count of each video file will be accumulated after the video file is completely played.
In aforesaid embodiments, the log files are stored in the database 240 in the multimedia player device 200. However, this disclosure is not limited to this way. In another embodiment, the log files can be stored in each memory card 310˜340 and loaded by the processing unit 260 via the connection interface 220.
For example, when the log files are stored in each memory card 310˜340, the log files can be configured for recording information about that each multimedia file on the memory card (310, 320, 330 or 340) has been played on different multimedia player devices. In this case, when there is a multimedia player device is connected with the memory card 310, 320, 330 or 340, the multimedia player device can generate a playlist according to the log files in the memory card 310, 320, 330 or 340, and the log files shows which multimedia files has been played on the multimedia player device before.
Reference is made to
On the other hand, if step S124 detects that a multimedia file is played again on the multimedia player device, step S126 is performed for resetting the retention period of the multimedia file which is just played.
In practices, step S120 and the following steps (e.g., steps S122, S124, S126, etc) is not limited to be executed after step S118. In another embodiment, step S120 and the following steps can be executed periodically and automatically by the multimedia player device 200.
Based on aforesaid embodiments, this disclosure provides the controlling method for the multimedia player device, such that the multimedia player device can easily recognize the newly-inserted memory card and play the multimedia files have been played before (or with the fewest played count). Even when the memory card is temporarily removed from the multimedia player device, the log file corresponding to the memory card can keep the records till the next connection.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the present application without departing from the scope or spirit of the application. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the present application cover modifications and variations of this application provided they fall within the scope of the following claims.
