Patent Application
20050086601
The present invention relates to a portable file-playing control device and method, and more particularly to a portable computer-file playing control device and method allowing data of a computer to be played by a playing apparatus.
Conventionally, for presentation purpose, a notebook computer was used to show the data stored therein via a playing apparatus such as a projector. In most cases, the data are just played rather than edited in situ. Therefore, hardly complicated program is required to be executed by the computer, so it is effort-inefficient to carry a cumbersome notebook computer with the speaker for just displaying the stored data. For alleviating the speaker's burden while achieving the similar purpose, a portable computer-file playing control device was developed to previously download data from the computer at a first place and then have the data to be displayed via the playing apparatus at a second place. A schematic functional block of a conventional portable computer-file playing control device is shown in
Please refer to
When the presentation is to be performed, a data output socket 22 of the portable computer-file playing control device 1 is made in communicate with the playing apparatus 14 via an image-output line 13, as shown in
While playing, the image files stored in the nonvolatile memory 11 are sequentially outputted to the playing apparatus 14. Therefore, in spite the image files can be selectively played by operating the buttons 16 and 17 of the remote controller 15 as mentioned above, no non-selected image files between a first selected file and a second selected file can be exempted from being played. For example, as shown in
Since the conventional portable computer-file playing control device 1 includes many sockets for power cord connection, battery box connection, image input and image output, respectively, the manufacturing process and cost will be inefficient. Aside from, the socket identification and connection operation are not user-friendly.
Further, because of different aspect ratios and resolutions occurring between frames of the computer system where the image files are inputted and the playing device where the image files are outputted, the frames shown by the playing device might be partially cut off.
Therefore, the present invention provides a portable computer-file playing control device having a reduced count of sockets.
The present invention also provides a portable computer-file playing control device, which processes the frame specification of the image files into that suitable for the playing apparatus.
The present invention further provides a computer-file storing and playing method for easily locating the desired frames.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, a portable file-playing control device comprises a housing; an input connector common to data input and power input, disposed in and partially exposed from the housing for coupling to a data source in a data-input state and coupling to a power source in a data-output state; a memory disposed in the housing for storing therein data received from the data source via the input connector; and an output connector disposed in and partially exposed from the housing for coupling to a playing apparatus in the data-output state.
Preferably, the portable file-playing control device further comprises a command interface manipulated to have the data in the memory played by the playing apparatus in a designated sequence.
In an embodiment, the data stored in the memory includes a plurality of file folders, which are browsed via the playing apparatus by manipulating forward and/or backward buttons of the command interface, and freely selected to be played by the playing apparatus by actuating a selection button of the command interface.
Preferably, the command interface is a remote controller.
In an embodiment, the portable file-playing control device further comprises a data transmission line for coupling the input connector to the data source and a power transmission line for coupling the input connector to the power source. Preferably, the same transmission line is used as the signal transmission line in the data-input state and used as the power transmission line in the data-output state. The input connector asserts a response-requesting signal when coupled to the transmission line, and the data-output state is determined if the input connector receives no response correspondingly in a predetermined period.
In an embodiment, the input connector is a USB-compatible connector and includes two signal pins and two power pins. The two signal pins are floating in the data-output state.
Alternatively, the input connector is a USB-compatible or an IEEE 1394-compatible connector.
For example, the power source can be a battery box or an alternate-to-direct current voltage converter.
Preferably, the memory is a nonvolatile memory.
In an embodiment, the portable file-playing control device is built therein a format conversion device for scaling down and framing the graphic-file data received from the data source in the data-output state.
A second aspect of the present invention relates to a file storing and playing method. The method comprises steps of storing a plurality of file folders in a portable file-playing control device; communicating the portable file-playing control device with a playing apparatus; and freely selecting one of the file folders to be played by the playing apparatus via a command interface.
Preferably, the file storing and playing method further comprises a step of previewing the file folders before making selection.
In an embodiment, the file folders are previewed as a list of the plurality of file folders, and freely selected to be played through the list by manipulating the command interface. If each of the file folders is built to include a plurality of framed graphic files by a computer system and stored into the portable file-playing control device, the file folders can be previewed as a thumbnail containing index graphic files of the file folders with reduced sizes.
In an embodiment, if the selected file folder consists of a plurality of data files, the plurality of data files are played in sequence via the forward button or the backward button of the command interface.
Preferably, the file storing and playing method further comprises a step of indicating end of data files in the selected file folder.
In an embodiment, the file storing and playing method further comprises a step of playing the first data file of another file folder next to the selected file folder by actuating the forward button when the last data file of the selected file folder is being played.
In an embodiment, the file storing and playing method further comprises a step of displaying the thumbnail for the user to make further selection among the file folders by actuating the backward button when the first data file of the selected file folder is being played.
Preferably, each of the file folders is built to include a plurality of data files by a computer system and stored into a memory of the portable file-playing control device in a manner that all of the data files start at different sectors of the memory. More preferably, adjacent two of the data files are stored in the memory optionally with filling bytes therebetween so that the starting byte of the latter one of the two data files is stored at the starting position of a specified sector.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a file storing and playing method comprises steps of: storing a plurality of data files in a memory of a portable file-playing control device in a manner that starting bytes of the data files are respectively stored at starting positions of different sectors of the memory; and communicating the portable file-playing control device with a playing apparatus to have the data files played by the playing apparatus.
When the plurality of data files are data blocks included in a file folder, the file folder preferably further includes a file header ahead of the data blocks.
Preferably, filling bytes are optionally provided between the file header and one of the data blocks next to the file header.
Preferably, the file header includes a plurality of indices and optional filling bytes between adjacent two of the indices so that starting bytes of the indices are stored at starting positions of storage units of the memory.
Preferably, filling bytes are optionally provided between adjacent two of the data files.
The present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
The present invention will now be described more specifically with reference to the following embodiments. It is to be noted that the following descriptions of preferred embodiments of this invention are presented herein for purpose of illustration and description only; it is not intended to be exhaustive or to be limited to the precise form disclosed.
Please refer to
The input connector 31, for example, can be an USB-compatible connector. Accordingly, the data transmission line 421 and power transmission line 422 can be both USB transmission lines. The respective connectors 431 and 432 of the data and power transmission lines 421 and 422 are both engageable in shape and compatible in pin configuration with the input connector 31. Moreover, the same USB transmission line can be used as the data transmission line 421 in the data-input state and used as the power transmission line 422 in the data-output state. For sharing the transmission line in both states, the input connector asserts a response-requesting signal when coupled to the transmission line. If the input connector receives timely response from the opposite connector of the transmission line, it means that the transmission line is serving as a signal transmission line, and it is now in the data-input state. On the contrary, the transmission line being the power transmission line and the state being the data-output state are determined if the input connector receives no response correspondingly in a predetermined period.
A standard USB transmission line includes two signal pins D− and D+ and two power pins Vbus and GND, as illustrated in
Please refer to FIGS. 4A˜4C again. In each of these embodiments, the file-playing control device 3 is built therein a format conversion device 70 between the memory 32 and the output connector 33. The data to be stored into the memory 32 of the file-playing control device 3 are first converted from the originally edited program files, e.g. in MICROSOFT® POWERPOINT® format, into a plurality of data files, e.g. image or graphic files in JPEG format, by the computer system 41. The image files, before being outputted from the memory 32 to the playing apparatus 47 via the output connector 33, are processed by the format conversion device 70. The format conversion device 70 works for scaling down and framing the image data so that the frame specification of the image files can be converted into that suitable to be played by the playing apparatus. Alternatively, the image data can be scaled down and framed before being transmitted from the data source to the portable file-playing control device. In this case, no format conversion device is required in the portable file-playing control device.
In addition to image files, the data can also be audio data files, video data files or any other digital files suitable to be played by the playing apparatus.
The file-playing control device 3 further include a command interface 34 to be manipulated by the user so that the data can be played by the playing apparatus in a designated sequence. The command interface, for example, can be a remote controller with a forward button 341, a backward button 342 and a selection button 343. While a following data file is played by pushing the forward button 341 once, a preceding data file is played by pushing the backward button 341 once. As exemplified in
Hereinafter, how the desired data file is selected according to the present invention will be described with reference to
Following the data file F13, the user may want to select another data file in another file folder. In this case, what the user should do is to push the backward button 342 until the first data file F11 in the file folder Pm+1 is passed Then, the list 60 will be entered so that the user can make another selection as mentioned above. Alternatively, if it is the data file in the file folder Pm+2 next to the file folder Pm+1 to be selected, the user can just push the forward button 341 until the last data file F14 in the file folder Pm+1 is passed. Then, the first data file F21 in next file folder Pm+2 will be reached, and any of the data files in the file folder Pm+2 can be selected in a similar way to the above. For facilitating the operations of the user, it is preferred that a visible, audible or any other kind of prompt is given to indicate that the first or the last data file has been reached.
For recording necessary information, it is preferred that each file includes a file header of the data blocks included therein. For example, the file header contains information such as file header ID (4 bytes), version number of file header format (4 bytes), file header length (4 bytes), data block count (4 bytes), sub-header number (4 bytes), distance between the start of the file header and the first sub-header (4 bytes), contents of sub-headers (16 bytes for each). On the other hand, each of the sub-headers is used as an index and consists of sub-header ID (2 bytes), data block sequence number (2 bytes), sector number between the data block and file header (4 bytes), data block length (4 byte) and reserved bytes (4 bytes). Since the most effective access length of a general dynamic random access memory (DRAM) is 16 bytes, filling bytes are preferably provided before the first sub-header so that the starting byte of each of the first and the following sub-headers is located at the beginning of each 16-byte address section. In this way, the sub-headers can be readily and effectively accessed. Likewise, in order to quickly locate each single data block, the data blocks are preferably stored in the memory 32 in a manner that all data blocks start at different sectors of the file system over the memory and stored from starting positions of respective sectors. For achieving this purpose, filling bytes are optionally provided between the last sub-header and the first data block and between every adjacent two of the data blocks so that the starting byte of each single data block is stored at the starting position of a specified sector. Taking a general hard disc drive for an example, each sector includes an address space of 512 bytes.
It is apparent from the above description that the present invention provides a modified portable file-playing control device which has reduced count of connectors to simplify the structure. In addition, the portable file-playing control device according to the present invention is capable of playing image files with scaled down and framed features so as to prevent from the improper frame-cutting problem. By well arranging the data files in a systematic way, e.g. classifying the data files into file folders, and allowing the data files to be freely selected, the work such as presentation can proceed efficiently. Moreover, the special file storing and playing method of the present invention makes the access of the data files efficiently.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiment. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar structures.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 092129204 | Oct 2003 | TW | national |
