Patent Application
20060274905
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to audio sound effects and, more particularly, to providing audio sound effects on a portable media device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, portable media players have user input devices (buttons, dials, etc.) and a display screen for user output. Sometimes the display screen updates as user inputs are provided via the user input devices, thereby providing visual feedback to users regarding their user input. However, the display screen does not always provide visual feedback and the user is not always able to view the display screen to receive the visual feedback. Still further, some portable media players do not include a display screen. Portable media players can also provide auditory feedback as user inputs are provided via the user input devices. For example, to provide auditory feedback for a rotation user input, the iPod® media player, which is available from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif., outputs a “click” sound using a piezoelectric device provided within the media player.
Unfortunately, however, users often interact with media players while wearing earphones or headphones. In such case, the users will likely not be able to hear any auditory feedback, such as “click” sounds from a piezoelectric device. Moreover, the user might also be listening to audio sounds via the earphones or headphones when the user interaction occurs. Consequently, any users interaction with the media player while wearing earphone or headphones will be without the advantage of auditory feedback. The lack of auditory feedback degrades the user experience and renders the media player less user friendly.
Thus, there is a need for improved techniques to facilitate auditory feedback on portable media players.
The invention pertains to techniques for presenting sound effects at a portable media device. The sound effects can be output as audio sounds to an internal speaker, an external speaker, or both. In addition, the audio sounds for the sound effects can be output together with other audio sounds pertaining to media assets (e.g., audio tracks being played). In one embodiment, the sound effects can serve to provide auditory feedback to a user of the portable media device. A user interface can facilitate a user's selection of sound effect usages, types or characteristics.
The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, system, device, apparatus (including graphical user interface), or computer readable medium. Several embodiments of the invention are discussed below.
As a method for providing auditory feedback to a user of portable media device, one embodiment of the method includes at least the acts of: outputting first audio data pertaining to a digital media asset to an audio output device associated with the portable media device; detecting an event at the portable media device; and outputting second audio data after the event has been detected, the second audio data pertaining to a sound effect associated with the event that has been detected, the second audio data being output to the audio output device.
As a method for outputting a sound effect from an external speaker associated with a portable media device, one embodiment of the method includes at least the acts of: determining whether a sound effect is to be output to the external speaker; identifying sound effect data for the sound effect to be output; retrieving the identified sound effect data; mixing the identified sound effect data with audio data being output, if any, to produce mixed audio data; and outputting the mixed audio data to the external speaker.
As a method for providing auditory feedback to a user of portable media device, one embodiment of the method includes at least the acts of: detecting an event at the portable media device; determining whether device feedback is enabled; producing an auditory feedback at the portable media device in response to the event when it is determined that the device feedback is enabled; determining whether earphone feedback is enabled; and producing an auditory feedback at one or more earphones coupled to the portable media device in response to the event when it is determined that the earphone feedback is enabled.
As a portable media device, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: an audio output device; a first memory device for storing a plurality of sound effects; computer program code for determining when to output at least one of the sound effects; and a processor for determining when to output at least one of the sound effects and for processing the at least one of the sound effects to produce output sound effect data for the audio output device.
As a graphical user interface for a media device adapted to provide auditory feedback, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: a list of auditory feedback options; and a visual indicator that indicates a selected on of the auditory feedback options. The media device thereafter provides auditory feedback in accordance with the selected one of the auditory feedback options.
As a computer readable medium including at least computer program code for outputting a sound effect from an external speaker associated with a portable media device, one embodiment of the invention includes at least: computer program code for determining whether a sound effect is to be output to the external speaker; computer program code for identifying sound effect data for the sound effect to be output; computer program code for retrieving the identified sound effect data; computer program code for mixing the identified sound effect data with audio data being output, if any, to produce mixed audio data; and computer program code for outputting the mixed audio data to the external speaker.
Other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
The invention will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:
The invention pertains to techniques for presenting sound effects at a portable media device. The sound effects can be output as audio sounds to an internal speaker, an external speaker, or both. In addition, the audio sounds for the sound effects can be output together with other audio sounds pertaining to media assets (e.g., audio tracks being played). In one embodiment, the sound effects can serve to provide auditory feedback to a user of the portable media device. A user interface can facilitate a user's selection of sound effect usages, types or characteristics.
The invention is well suited for audio sounds pertaining to media assets (media items), such as music, audiobooks, meeting recordings, and other speech or voice recordings.
The improved techniques are also resource efficient. Given the resource efficiency of these techniques, the improved techniques are also well suited for use with portable electronic devices having audio playback capabilities, such as portable media devices. Portable media devices, such as media players, are small and highly portable and have limited processing resources. Often, portable media devices are hand-held media devices, such as hand-held audio players, which can be easily held by and within a single hand of a user.
Embodiments of the invention are discussed below with reference to
The application 102 is, for example, a software application that operates on the computing device. The application 102 has access to audio data 104 and sound effect data 106. The application 102 can utilize the audio data 104 when the application 102 desires to output the audio data 104. The sound effect data 106 can represent audio sounds pertaining to sound effects that can be utilized by the computing device. For example, the sound effects may correspond to sounds (actual or synthetic) for mouse clicks, button presses, and the like. The sound effect data 106 is audio data and can be stored in a wide variety of formats. For example, the sound effect data 106 a can be simply Pulse Coded Modulation (PCM) data or can be encoded data, such as MP3 or MPEG-4 format. PCM data is typically either raw data (e.g., a block of samples) or formatted (e.g., WAV or AIFF file formats).
The application 102 controls when a sound effect is to be output by the audio system 100. The application 102 also understands that it may or may not already be outputting audio data 104 at the time at which a sound effect is to the output. In the embodiment shown in
In addition, the application 102 produces an audio channel 110 and a mixer channel 112. The audio channel 110 is a virtual channel over which the application 102 can send audio data 104 such that it can be directed to an audio output device. For example, the audio output device can be a speaker that outputs the corresponding audio sounds. In addition, the application 102 can utilize a mixer channel 112 to output sound effects to the audio output device. The mixer channel 112 and the audio channel 110 can be mixed together downstream (see
The audio output process 200 begins with a decision 202 that determines whether an audio play request has been issued. For example, an audio play request can be issued as a result of a system action or a user action with respect to the audio system. When the decision 202 determines that an audio play request has been issued, audio data is output 204 to an audio channel. By outputting the audio data to the audio channel, the audio data is directed to an audio output device, namely, a speaker, wherein audible sound is output.
Following the operation 204, or following the decision 202 when an audio play request has not been issued, a decision 206 determines whether a sound effect request has been issued. When the decision 206 determines that a sound effect request has been issued, then sound effect data is output 208 to a mixer channel. The mixer channel carries other audio data, such as audio data pertaining to sound effects (sound effect data). The mixer channel allows the sound effect data to mix with the audio data on the audio channel. After the sound effect data has been output 208 to the mixer channel, or directly following the decision 206 when a sound effect request has not been issued, the audio output processed 200 turns to repeat the decision 202 and subsequent operations so that subsequent requests can be similarly processed.
It should be understood that often audio data is output for a longer duration than is any sound effect data, which tends to be of a shorter duration. Hence, during the output of the audio data to the audio channel, sound effect data for one or more sound effects can be output to the mixer channel and this combined with the audio data.
The audio channel 302 receives audio data 306 that is to be output by the audio processing system 300. After the audio data 306 passes through the audio channel 302, it is provided to a mixer 380. The mixer channel 304 receives sound effect data 310. After the sound effect data 310 has passed through the mixer channel 304, it is provided to a mixer 308. The mixer 308 serves to combine the audio data from the audio channel 302 with the sound effect data 310 from the mixer channel 304. The combined data is then supplied to a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) 312. The DAC 312 converts the combined data to an analog audio output. The analog audio output can be supplied to an audio output device, such as a speaker.
The audio mixing process 400 begins with a decision 402 that determines whether a sound effect is to be output. When the decision 402 determines that a sound effect is not to be output, then the audio mixing process 400 awaits the need to output a sound effect. For example, the decision 206 of the audio output process 200 illustrated in
Once the decision 402 determines that a sound effect is to be output, a desired sound effect to be output is determined 404. Here, in one embodiment, the audio system can support a plurality of different sound effects. In such an embodiment, the audio system needs to determine which of the plurality of sound effects is the desired sound effect. The sound effect data for the desired sound effect is then retrieved 406.
A decision 408 then determines whether audio data is also being output. When the decision 408 determines that audio data is also being output, audio characteristics for the audio data being output are obtained 410. In one implementation, the audio characteristics pertain to metadata corresponding to the audio data being output. The sound effect data is then modified 412 based on the audio characteristics. In one embodiment, the audio characteristics can pertain to one or more of: audio resolution (e.g., bit depth), sample rate, and stereo/mono. For example, the audio resolution for the sound effect data can be modified 412 to match the audio resolution (e.g., bit depth) of the audio data. As another example, the sample rate for the sound effect can be modified 412 based on the sample rate of the audio data. In any case, after the sound effect data has been modified 412, the modified sound effect data is then mixed 414 with the audio data. Thereafter, the mixed audio data is output 416. As an example, the mixed audio data can be output 416 to an audio output device (e.g., speaker) associated with the audio system.
On the other hand, when the decision 408 determines that audio data is not being output, sound effect data is output 418. Here, since there is no audio data being output, the sound effect data can be simply output 418. If desired, the sound effect data can be modified before being output 418, such as to change audio resolution or sample rate conversion. Here, the output 418 of the sound effect data can also be provided to the audio output device. Following the operations 416 and 418, the audio mixing process 400 is complete and ends.
The audio processing system 500 also includes a mixer channel 510. The mixer channel 510 receives sound effect data that is to be output. Since the audio processing system 500 can process audio data of various bit depths, sample rates, and other criteria, the mixer channel 510 can serve to modify the sound effect data. One benefit of providing the mixer channel 500 with conversion or adaptation capabilities is the ability to modify in the audio characteristics of the sound effect data. By doing so, the sound effect data does not have to be stored by the audio system for a large number of different audio formats. Indeed, for efficient use of storage resources, only a single file for each sound effect need be stored. As needed, sound effect data can have its audio characteristics altered so as to closely match those of the audio data also being output by the audio processing system 500. In this regard, the mixer channel 500 can include a bit depth converter 512, a channel count adapter 514, and a sample rate converter 516. The bit depth converter 512 can convert the bit depth (i.e., resolution) of the sound effect data. As one example, if the sound effect data has a bit depth of eight (8) bits, the bit depth converter 512 could change the bit depth to sixteen (16) bits. The channel count adapter 514 can modify the sound effect data to provide mono or stereo audio components. The sample rate converter 516 converts the sample rate for the sound effect data. To assist the mixer channel 510 in converting or adapting the audio characteristics, the audio characteristics from the audio data provided to the audio channel 502 can be provided to the mixer channel 510, so as to inform the mixer channel 510 of the audio characteristics of the audio data in the audio channel 502.
The modified sound effect data output by the mixer channel 510 is supplied to the mixer 508. The mixer 508 adds or sums the decoded audio data from the audio channel 502 with the modified sound effect data from the mixer channel 510. The results of the mixer 508 is mixed audio data that is supplied to a buffer 518. The mixed audio data is digital data stored in the buffer 518. The audio processing system 500 also includes a Digital-to-Analog Converter (DAC) 520. The DAC 520 receives the mixed audio data from the buffer 518, which is digital data, and converts it into an analog audio output. The analog audio output can be supplied to an audio output device, such as a speaker.
Although the audio processing system 500 illustrated in
The media player 700 also includes a user input device 708 that allows a user of the media player 700 to interact with the media player 700. For example, the user input device 708 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, etc. In one implementation, the user input device 708 can be provided by a dial that physically rotates. In another implementation, the user input device 708 can be implemented as a touchpad (i.e., a touch-sensitive surface). In still another implementation, the user input device 708 can be implemented as a combination one or more physical buttons and well as a touchpad. Regardless of how implemented, as the user interacts with the user interface device 708, a piezoelectric device 724 can provide auditory feedback to the user. For example, the piezoelectric device 724 can be controlled by the processor 702 to emit a sound in response to a user action (e.g., user selection or button press). Still further, the media player 700 includes a display 710 (screen display) that can be controlled by the processor 702 to display information to the user. A data bus 711 can facilitate data transfer between at least the file system 704, the cache 706, the processor 702, and the CODEC 712.
In one embodiment, the media player 700 serves to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs) in the file system 704. When a user desires to have the media player play a particular media item, a list of available media items is displayed on the display 710. Then, using the user input device 708, a user can select one of the available media items. The processor 702, upon receiving a selection of a particular media item, supplies the media data (e.g., audio file) for the particular media item to a coder/decoder (CODEC) 712. The CODEC 712 then produces analog output signals for a speaker 714. The speaker 714 can be a speaker internal to the media player 700 or external to the media player 700. For example, headphones or earphones that connect to the media player 700 would be considered an external speaker. The speaker 714 can not only be used to output audio sounds pertaining to the media item being played, but also to output sound effects. The sound effects can be stored as audio data on the media player 700, such as in file system 704, the cache 706, the ROM 720 or the RAM 722. A sound effect can be output in response to a user input or a system request. When a particular sound effect is to be output to the speaker 714, the associated sound effect audio data can be retrieved by the processor 702 and supplied to the CODEC 712 which then supplies audio signals to the speaker 714. In the case where audio data for a media item is also being output, the processor 702 can process the audio data for the media item as well as the sound effect. In such case, the audio data for the sound effect can be mixed with the audio data for the media item. The mixed audio data can then be supplied to the CODEC 712 which supplies audio signals (pertaining to both the media item and the sound effect) to the speaker 714.
The media player 700 also includes a network/bus interface 716 that couples to a data link 718. The data link 718 allows the media player 700 to couple to a host computer. The data link 718 can be provided over a wired connection or a wireless connection. In the case of a wireless connection, the network/bus interface 716 can include a wireless transceiver.
In one embodiment, the media player 700 is a portable computing device dedicated to processing media such as audio. For example, the media player 700 can be a music player (e.g., MP3 player), a game player, and the like. These devices are generally battery operated and highly portable so as to allow a user to listen to music, play games or video, record video or take pictures wherever the user travels. In one implementation, the media player 700 is a handheld device that is sized for placement into a pocket or hand of the user. By being handheld, the media player 700 is relatively small and easily handled and utilized by its user. By being pocket sized, the user does not have to directly carry the device and therefore the device can be taken almost anywhere the user travels (e.g., the user is not limited by carrying a large, bulky and often heavy device, as in a portable computer). Furthermore, the device may be operated by the user's hands, no reference surface such as a desktop is needed.
The user input device 708 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, etc. (physical or soft implementations) each of which can be programmed to individually or in combination to perform any of a suite of functions.
As noted above, the audio system can be utilized to mix sound effects with player data such that the mixed audio can be output to an audio output device. The audio system can be system or user configurable as to sound effect processing. For example, a user may desire sound effects to be output to a particular audio output device of the audio system. As one example, the audio output device can be an in-device speaker. As another example, a user may desire sound effects to be output to a headphone (earphone) instead of or in addition to any in-device speaker.
A user or system can configure the audio system to provide a given sound effect, the device effect, via an audio output device. For example, if the audio output device is a piezoelectric speaker, the system can control the audio output device to provide the device effect that corresponds to the sound effect event that has been issued. For example, if the sound effect event issued was a “mouse click” event, then the device effect could be a click sound that is physically generated by an electrical control signal supplied to the piezoelectric speaker.
On the other hand, when the decision 904 determines that the device effect is not enabled, or following the activation 906 if the device effect was enabled, a decision 908 determines whether an earphone effect is enabled. Here, the system or user can configure the audio system to provide a sound effect to the user via one or more earphones coupled to the audio system. When the decision 908 determines that the earphone effect is enabled, then an earphone effect is activated 910. By activation 910 of the earphone effect, the appropriate sound effect is output to the user by way of the one or more earphones. As a result, should the user be wearing be earphones, the sound effect is able to be perceived in an audio manner by the user. Following the operation 910, or following the decision 908 when the earphone effect is not enabled, the sound effect event process 900 returns to repeat the decision 902 and subsequent operations so that additional sound effect events can be processed.
In one embodiment, the audio system makes use of a graphical user interface to assist the user with configuring audible sound effects. For example, the user may desire to have little or no sound effects active. On the other hand, when sound effects are these partial the active, the user may desire the sound effects be provided at an in-device speaker of the audio system. Alternatively, or in addition, the user may also desire sound effects to be provided in an audio manner via an earphone or headphone.
One example of a media player is the iPod® media player, which is available from Apple Computer, Inc. of Cupertino, Calif. Often, a media player acquires its media assets from a host computer that serves to enable a user to manage media assets. As an example, the host computer can execute a media management application to utilize and manage media assets. One example of a media management application is iTunes®, produced by Apple Computer, Inc.
The various aspects, embodiments, implementations or features of the invention can be used separately or in any combination.
The invention is preferably implemented by software, hardware or a combination of hardware and software. The invention can also be embodied as computer readable code on a computer readable medium. The computer readable medium is any data storage device that can store data which can thereafter be read by a computer system. Examples of the computer readable medium include read-only memory, random-access memory, CD-ROMs, DVDs, magnetic tape, optical data storage devices, and carrier waves. The computer readable medium can also be distributed over network-coupled computer systems so that the computer readable code is stored and executed in a distributed fashion.
The advantages of the invention are numerous. Different aspects, embodiments or implementations may yield one or more of the following advantages. One advantage of the invention is that processing resources required to implement audio sound effects can be substantially reduced. A media device that is highly portable can make use of audio sound effects. Another advantage of the invention is that sound effects can be output even while a media device is outputting other media (e.g., music). Another advantage of the invention is that the audio data for sound effects can be stored in a single formats and converted to other formats as appropriate to substantially match audio data of a media item being played. Still another advantage of the invention is that multiple sound effects can be output concurrently with substantial preservation of their intelligibility.
The many features and advantages of the present invention are apparent from the written description and, thus, it is intended by the appended claims to cover all such features and advantages of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, the invention should not be limited to the exact construction and operation as illustrated and described. Hence, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to as falling within the scope of the invention.
