Patent Application
20070260808
The invention is described below in the appended claims, which are read in view of the accompanying description including the following drawings, wherein:
a illustrates the interface of the portable storage device and the personal computer of
b illustrates the interface of the portable storage device and the digital television of
The invention summarized above and defined by the claims below may be better understood by referring to the present detailed description of embodiments of the invention. This description is not intended to limit the scope of claims but instead to provide examples of the invention. Described first is one embodiment with reference to both the individual elements of the assembly and an exemplary method of its use. Described next are variations of this embodiment, such variations remaining within the scope of the invention.
Portable storage device 28 includes a flash memory 42, a wireless remote control receiver 44, a USB-compatible connector plug 46, and a processor 48. Wireless remote control receiver 44 is configured to receive signals from wireless remote control transmitter 34 and to forward the signals to processor 48. Upon receipt of these signals, processor 48 directs the management of flash memory 42 and sends control and content signals to connector plug 46 for use by digital television 32. Processor 48 also directs content signals between connector plug 46 and memory 42, and, when appropriate, processor 48 also reformats the data stored in memory 42.
Accordingly, portable storage device 28 is constructed by: configuring memory 42 to be operative to store multi-media data and protocol information; configuring remote control receiver 36 to be operative to receive remote control signals and to direct the signals to processor 48; configuring processor 48 to be operative to retrieve multi-media data from memory 48 as directed by the remote control signals; and further configuring processor 48 to be operative to cause the portable storage device 28 to output the retrieved multi-media data in a format consistent with the protocol information.
The present disclosure uses the term “processor” in a general fashion to represent hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof that effects processing and controls elements as described herein. As discussed, the processor controls the conversion of data to different formats and the transfer of data between elements. The processor may include known central processing units and controllers.
Portable storage device 28 becomes a remotely controllable media distribution device. Its operation is now explained with reference to
Portable storage device 28 obtains digital content data from personal computer 30. The digital content data may reside on a hard disk drive of personal computer 30 or on a DVD inserted into a DVD drive. Alternatively, personal computer 30 may be linked through a network, such as the Internet, to a provider of digital content data.
To effect data transfer from personal computer 30 to portable storage device 28, the user begins by connecting portable storage device 28 to personal computer 30 as shown in
The user then opens a setup application on personal computer 30. [Step S2.] The setup application may be preloaded or accessible through a network, such as the Internet. If the setup program is preloaded, it may reside either on personal computer 30 or on portable storage device 28. Using the setup application, the user selects programs intended to be played later on digital television 32. [Step S3.] The selected programs may include movies and/or sporting events. The user also indicates to the setup application the model and the make of digital television 32. [Step S4.] The setup application then identifies corresponding protocol information either from the setup application's own memory or from an outside source, such as the Internet. Based on the user's selections, the setup application transfers content data corresponding to the programs and protocol information corresponding to digital television 32 to portable storage device 28.
Upon conclusion of the digital data transfer, the user disconnects portable storage device 28 from personal computer 30 and then connects it to digital television 32 as shown in
In the present embodiment, upon connection of portable storage device 28 to digital television 32, processor 48 receives power and generates signals for digital television 32 to display a menu informing the user of the options for which stored digital content data to play. The user selects the desired digital content data using remote control transmitter 34, which interacts with portable storage device 28 as follows:
The menu displayed on digital television 32 lists both the options for which stored digital content data to play and control options, such as “play,” “rewind,” “fast-forward,” “stop,” and “pause.” For each option displayed, the menu indicates a corresponding key or key combination on the keypad of remote control transmitter 34. The key or key combination indicated are those that ordinarily have no effect on digital television 32 when read by remote control receiver 36 affixed directly thereon. Instead, the signals are received by remote control receiver 44 of portable storage device 28 to control the playing on digital television 32 of digital content data stored in portable storage device 28.
The user selects a program to play by pressing the corresponding key or key combination on remote control transmitter 34. [Step S6.] Accordingly, remote control transmitter 34 sends signals to remote control receiver 44 on portable storage device 28. Processor 48 converts the stored digital content data into the appropriate protocol and then sends the data to digital television 32 for playing. If no such conversion is necessary, the processing only transfers the stored data to digital television 32. At any time, the user may perform other control operations (for example, “pause”) by pressing corresponding key or key combination on remote control transmitter 34.
Some users may prefer that, for the majority of the time that the program plays on digital television 32, the menu displayed initially for selecting the program would not remain visible on the screen. Accordingly, the processor can clear the menu after a predetermined short period of inaction. To restore the menu later, a single key or key sequence may be reserved, so the user would need to “memorize” no more than one key sequence. Alternatively, the processor may be designed to restore the menu when any key is pressed.
As discussed above, the user practicing this embodiment of the present invention uses the remote control transmitter of the digital content player to play the digital data stored on the portable storage device. There is no need to obtain and operate an additional remote control transmitter. Thus user may copy a recorded program as digital data onto a UFD and then bring the UFD to digital content player in another room or in another person's home. The user only needs to know enough information about the digital content player to be able to load the appropriate protocol information.
The preceding description relates to one embodiment of the invention, and variations of this embodiment are within the scope of the invention. For example, USB-compatible connector plug 46 may be replaced with any other suitable connector for enabling the portable storage device to interface with the digital content player. Also, instead of implementing a digital television as the digital content player, a digital audio player may be implemented.
Additionally, instead of the portable storage device receiving protocol information from a personal computer, the protocol information could come from the digital content player. One way this may be achieved is to add an RFID reader to the portable storage device and an RFID tag to the digital content player (perhaps on the remote control transmitter). Upon sensing the RFID tag, the RFID reader would send signals to the processor that are indicative of the protocol.
The embodiment discussed initially specifies that the digital content data and the protocol information are provided by the same external source. However, the invention can be practiced by using different external sources for the digital content data and the protocol information. That can be useful when the user decides to erase the data corresponding to a recorded program to free space for another program. There may no need to erase also the protocol information. The user may also decide to obtain program data from another external source, such as from a personal computer in another home or in a public place.
In another embodiment, the user obtains the portable storage device already storing the protocol information corresponding to one or more protocols. The processor tries each protocol consecutively, until it finds a protocol that is operative with the particular digital content player connected at the time to the portable storage device.
In a further embodiment, a portable storage device without proper protocol information may be programmed to operate anyway, albeit with a reduced set of commands. More specifically, the portable storage device can be programmed to toggle between playing the digital content data and pausing the playing of said data. In this embodiment, the portable storage device responds to pairs of commands that cancel each other, for example, “mute on”/“mute off” or “volume up”/“volume down.” The portable storage device can be set to toggle when it detects a quick sequence of “mute on”/“mute off”/“mute on”/“mute off.”
Although the portable storage device could be programmed to toggle in response to only one pair of commands that cancel each other, instead of in response to two pairs as discussed above, the toggle feature would be more likely to be activated unintentionally by the user attempting to control the digital content player. For example, a user deciding which volume is the preferred volume does not want to pause the playing of the digital content data.
A portable storage device embodied by the present invention can even be programmed to play automatically in response the power it receives upon connection to a digital content player. The playing would begin even if there is no remote control transmitter available.
The embodiments discussed above include a processor as part of the portable storage device. However, some embodiments of the present invention do not need a processor in the portable storage device.
For example, one embodiment implements a personal computer to play digital content data stored in the memory of the portable storage device. The portable storage device is connected to the personal computer in an arrangement that is analogous to that shown in
One use for this embodiment is in households that do not position a personal computer immediately adjacent “living-room-type” furniture. Because the portable storage device is operated by remote control, the user may relax in comfortable living room furniture and play digital audio data using one of the household's existing remote control transmitters. The protocol information associated with the remote control transmitter can be loaded into the memory of the personal computer in a fashion analogous to the previously-discussed loading of protocol information into memories. Because many personal computers now in use do not have wireless remote control functionality, the portable storage device of this embodiment, having a memory and a wireless remote control receiver, can be especially useful.
The preceding discussion presents the use one of the household's existing remote control transmitters, and the remote control transmitter does not even need to be that of a digital content player. For example, with the proper protocol information, the portable storage device may be programmed to play in response to commands from a remote control transmitter that controls a household air conditioner.
Furthermore, the user has the option of designating a single remote control transmitter for use with the portable storage device. Thus, for the additional minor requirement of carrying a remote control transmitter with the portable storage device, the user would not need to continually reprogram the portable storage device for use with multiple digital content players. That is, if the user wants to play digital content data on a digital content player, it is not necessary to use only the remote control transmitter that the manufacturer provided as part of the digital content player.
Having thus described exemplary embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent that various alterations, modifications, and improvements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Alternations, modifications, and improvements of the disclosed invention, though not expressly described above, are nonetheless intended and implied to be within spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the foregoing discussion is intended to be illustrative only; the invention is limited and defined only by the following claims and equivalents thereto.
This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/746,653, filed May 8, 2006, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60746653 | May 2006 | US |
