US20070208911A1 - Media player with instant play capability - Google Patents

Media player with instant play capability Download PDF

Info

Publication number
US20070208911A1
US20070208911A1 US11/746,548 US74654807A US2007208911A1 US 20070208911 A1 US20070208911 A1 US 20070208911A1 US 74654807 A US74654807 A US 74654807A US 2007208911 A1 US2007208911 A1 US 2007208911A1
Authority
US
United States
Prior art keywords
media
data store
based data
recited
disk
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
US11/746,548
Inventor
Jeffrey Robbin
Ned Holbrook
Steven Bollinger
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Apple Inc
Original Assignee
Apple Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Apple Inc filed Critical Apple Inc
Priority to US11/746,548 priority Critical patent/US20070208911A1/en
Publication of US20070208911A1 publication Critical patent/US20070208911A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Images

Classifications

    • GPHYSICS
    • G11INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11BINFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B20/00Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
    • G11B20/10Digital recording or reproducing
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/26Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
    • G06F1/32Means for saving power
    • G06F1/3203Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
    • GPHYSICS
    • G06COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06FELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/26Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
    • G06F1/32Means for saving power
    • G06F1/3203Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
    • G06F1/3234Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
    • G06F1/325Power saving in peripheral device
    • G06F1/3268Power saving in hard disk drive
    • GPHYSICS
    • G11INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11BINFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B19/00Driving, starting, stopping record carriers not specifically of filamentary or web form, or of supports therefor; Control thereof; Control of operating function ; Driving both disc and head
    • G11B19/02Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
    • GPHYSICS
    • G11INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11BINFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/102Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers
    • G11B27/105Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers of operating discs
    • GPHYSICS
    • G11INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11BINFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B27/00Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/10Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
    • G11B27/34Indicating arrangements 
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/432Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk
    • H04N21/4325Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk by playing back content from the storage medium
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N21/00Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
    • H04N21/40Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
    • H04N21/43Processing of content or additional data, e.g. demultiplexing additional data from a digital video stream; Elementary client operations, e.g. monitoring of home network or synchronising decoder's clock; Client middleware
    • H04N21/443OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
    • H04N21/4436Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00Details of television systems
    • H04N5/76Television signal recording
    • H04N5/78Television signal recording using magnetic recording
    • H04N5/781Television signal recording using magnetic recording on disks or drums
    • GPHYSICS
    • G11INFORMATION STORAGE
    • G11BINFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
    • G11B2220/00Record carriers by type
    • G11B2220/20Disc-shaped record carriers
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N5/00Details of television systems
    • H04N5/76Television signal recording
    • H04N5/907Television signal recording using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories
    • HELECTRICITY
    • H04ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
    • H04NPICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
    • H04N9/00Details of colour television systems
    • H04N9/79Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording
    • H04N9/80Transformation of the television signal for recording, e.g. modulation, frequency changing; Inverse transformation for playback
    • H04N9/82Transformation of the television signal for recording, e.g. modulation, frequency changing; Inverse transformation for playback the individual colour picture signal components being recorded simultaneously only
    • H04N9/8205Transformation of the television signal for recording, e.g. modulation, frequency changing; Inverse transformation for playback the individual colour picture signal components being recorded simultaneously only involving the multiplexing of an additional signal and the colour video signal
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02DCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
    • Y02D10/00Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
    • YGENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
    • Y02TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
    • Y02DCLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
    • Y02D30/00Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
    • Y02D30/50Reducing energy consumption in communication networks in wire-line communication networks, e.g. low power modes or reduced link rate

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to media devices and, more particularly, to playing of media on media devices.
  • Media players are becoming more popular these days. Of particular popularity are portable media players such as MP3 players or DVD players.
  • Media players operate to play media items for their user that are stored within the media players.
  • the media items are most commonly audio items (e.g., songs) but could also be video items (e.g., DVDs).
  • an MP3 player will store various audio items internally on a storage disk.
  • the audio item When the user makes a selection to play one of the stored audio items, the audio item must first be loaded into semiconductor memory (i.e., Random-Access Memory) before the audio item begins to be played.
  • semiconductor memory i.e., Random-Access Memory
  • the described embodiments relate to a media player and a method for operating a media player.
  • a method for conserving power in a battery powered media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor-based data store having a faster access time than does the disk-based data store, and wherein the disk-based data store consumes more power than does the semiconductor-based data store is described.
  • the method is carried out by performing at least the operations of retrieving a first portion of an identified media item from the semi-conductor based data store, wherein media data for the identified media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including the first portion and remaining portions, the remaining portions being different than and not including the first portion, playing the first portion without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store, transferring substantially all of the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store, and de-activating the disk-based data store after substantially all of the remaining portions have been transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player.
  • a method of selectively activating the disk-based data store in a portable media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor based data store is described. The method is carried out by performing at least the following operations: receiving a media item selection wherein media data for the selected media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including a first portion and remaining portions that are different than and do not include the first portion, activating the disk-based data store and accessing at least the first portion, playing the first portion retrieved from the disk-based data store without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store, transferring the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store concurrent with the playing of the first portion, and de-activating the disk-based data store after the remaining portions are transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player.
  • computer program product executable by a processor for conserving power in a battery powered media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor-based data store having a faster access time than does the disk-based data store, and wherein the disk-based data store consumes more power than does the semiconductor-based data store is described.
  • the computer program product includes at least computer code for retrieving a first portion of an identified media item from the semi-conductor based data store, wherein media data for the identified media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including the first portion and remaining portions, the remaining portions being different than and not including the first portion, computer code for playing the first portion without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store, computer code for transferring substantially all of the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store, computer code for de-activating the disk-based data store after substantially all of the remaining portions have been transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player, and computer readable medium for storing the computer code.
  • a consumer electronics product in still another embodiment, includes at least a first storage device that stores a plurality of media items, a user input device that enables a user of the consumer electronics product to select a particular media item from the plurality of media items, a second storage device capable of storing at least one of the media items having substantially faster access than does the first storage device and a processor operatively connected to the first storage device the user input device and the second storage device.
  • the processor retrieves and plays a first portion of the media data directly from the first storage device while concurrently initiating background loading of subsequent portions of the media data for the particular media item from the first storage device into the second storage device. Once substantially all the subsequent portions of the media data have been loaded, the processor de-activates the first storage device thereby substantially reducing power consumption of the consumer electronic product.
  • the invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, system, device, apparatus, or computer readable medium.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a media player according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of media play processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of media data retrieval processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of data access processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing according to another embodiment of the invention.
  • the invention relates to a media player and a method for operating a media player.
  • a media program is able to substantially immediately begin playing after a media play selection has been made.
  • the media program is able to start playing even before the media program has been substantially or completely loaded from disk storage into semiconductor memory (i.e., cache memory).
  • the loading of the media program into semiconductor memory is performed in a background process without disturbing the playing of the media program.
  • the disk storage is able to be aggressively “powered off” when not being accessed, thereby enhancing battery life when being battery powered.
  • the invention is particularly suitable for use with portable media players.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a media player 100 according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • the media player 100 includes a processor 102 that pertains to a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of the media player 100 .
  • the media player 100 stores media data pertaining to media items in a file system 104 and a cache 106 .
  • the file system 104 is, typically, a storage disk or a plurality of disks.
  • the file system typically provides high capacity storage capability for the media player 100 .
  • the media player 100 also includes a cache 106 .
  • the cache 106 is, for example, Random-Access Memory (RAM) provided by semiconductor memory.
  • RAM Random-Access Memory
  • the relative access time to the cache 106 is substantially shorter than for the file system 104 .
  • the cache 106 does not have the large storage capacity of the file system 104 .
  • the file system 104 when active, consumes more power than does the cache 106 .
  • the power consumption is particularly important when the media player 100 is a portable media player that is powered by a battery (not shown).
  • the media player 100 also includes a user input device 108 that allows a user of the media player 100 to interact with the media player 100 .
  • the user input device 108 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, etc.
  • the media player 100 includes a display 110 (screen display) that can be controlled by the processor 102 to display information to the user.
  • a data bus 111 can facilitate data transfer between at least the file system 104 , the cache 106 , the processor 102 , and the CODEC 112 .
  • the media player 100 serves to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs) in the file system 104 .
  • a user desires to have the media player play a particular media item, a list of available media items is displayed on the display 110 . Then, using the user input device 108 , a user can select one of the available media items.
  • the processor 102 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) 112 .
  • the CODEC 112 then produces analog output signals for a speaker 114 .
  • the speaker 114 can be a speaker internal to the media player 100 or external to the media player 100 . For example, headphones or earphones that connect to the media player 100 would be considered an external speaker.
  • the processor 102 controls the playing of the particular media item such that upon receiving the user's selection of the particular media item, the processor 102 immediately accesses the file system 104 or the cache 106 to retrieve an initial portion of the media data and supplies it to the CODEC 112 and thus begins playing the media item.
  • the initial portion is retrieved from the file system 104 .
  • the media data for the media item is loaded into the cache 106 such that once the media data has been loaded into the cache 106 , all remaining portions of the media data for the particular media item are retrieved from the cache 106 . Consequently, the media item is played almost substantially immediately following the user's selection because the initial portion is obtained immediately from the file system 104 and then subsequent portions are obtained from the cache 106 .
  • the cache 106 is loaded at the same time that the retrieval or playing of the initial portion of the media data occurs.
  • the file system 104 can be inactivated (e.g., placed in a low power mode) to save power consumption for the media player 100 .
  • the file system 104 By deactivating the file system 104 in this matter, battery life of the media player 100 is able to be significantly improved, assuming the media player 100 is a battery-operated device (portable device).
  • the media player is a portable computing device dedicated to processing media such as audio, video or images.
  • the media player 100 can be a music player (e.g., MP3 player), a game player, a video player, a video recorder, a camera, an image viewer 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.
  • the media player is a handheld device that is sized for placement into a pocket or hand of the user. By being handheld, the media player is relatively small and easily handled and utilized by its user.
  • the device 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 users hands, no reference surface such as a desktop is needed.
  • FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of media play processing 200 according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • the media play processing 200 is, for example, performed by the media player 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 .
  • the media play processing 200 initially begins with a decision 202 that determines whether a play selection has been made. When the decision 202 determines that a play selection has not been made, then the media play processing 200 awaits such a selection. In other words, the media play processing 200 is effectively invoked when a play selection is made. In any case, once the decision 202 determines that a play selection has been made, then a decision 204 determines whether the media data for the play selection is in a cache (e.g., cache 106 , FIG. 1 ). When the decision 204 determines that the media data is not in the cache, then the media data is retrieved 206 from a file system (e.g., file system 104 , FIG. 1 ).
  • a file system e.g., file system 104 , FIG. 1
  • the media data is retrieved 208 from the cache.
  • the media data it is preferable that the media data be retrieved from the cache because its access time is substantially shorter than that of the file system.
  • the file system is typically not needed, and thus it can be placed in a low power mode to reduce power consumption.
  • the media play processing 200 initiates 210 playing of the retrieved media data.
  • the retrieved media data can be directed to be played so that the media player produces multimedia output (e.g., audio) for its user.
  • multimedia output e.g., audio
  • only a portion of the media data is initially obtained and thus a decision 212 next determines whether there is more data to be retrieved.
  • the media play processing 200 returns to repeat the decision 204 and subsequent operations so that additional media data can be retrieved and played.
  • a decision 214 determines whether the file system is active. When the decision 214 determines that the file system is not active, then the file system is activated 216 .
  • activation refers to placing the file system in its normal operating mode, and an inactivated file system refers to a reduced-power operation mode.
  • the media data for the particular media item is loaded 218 into the cache.
  • the loading 218 occurs by this process while other operations are being performed in another process to retrieve and play at least an initial portion of the media data (operations 206 - 212 ).
  • the file system can be inactivated 220 to reduce power consumption.
  • the file system is not needed for a period of time, at least on the order of the duration of the media item being played, since the remaining amount of media data is now available within the cache.
  • the cache loading process is complete and ends. Further, once the cache loading process has completed, the next time the media play processing 200 performs the decision 204 , the result will be that all subsequent media data for the particular media item will be retrieved from the cache at operation 208 .
  • FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of media data retrieval processing 300 according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • the media data retrieval processing 300 is, for example, performed by a media device, such as the media device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 .
  • the media data retrieval processing 300 is performed or controlled by the processor 102 of the media device 100 shown in FIG. 1 .
  • the media data retrieval processing 300 begins with a decision 302 that determines whether more media data is needed.
  • the decision 302 pertains to the CODEC 112 requesting media data pertaining to a media item that is to be played by the media device 100 .
  • the CODEC 112 operates to buffer a short play duration of media data and thus periodically requests additional data from data storage provided by the media device 100 .
  • the media data retrieval processing 300 in effect, awaits the need (or request) for more media data.
  • a decision 304 determines whether the media data is available in the cache memory.
  • the cache memory can be the cache 106 illustrated in FIG. 1 .
  • a data block is retrieved from the cache memory.
  • the data block being retrieved 306 pertains to the next needed portion of the media data associated with the media item.
  • the file system is, for example, the file system 104 illustrated in FIG. 1 . More particularly, a read request is issued 308 to the file system to read a data block. The read request prepares the file system 104 (storage disk) for read/write access. For example, if the file system 104 is in an inactive (low-power) state, the read request can return the file system 104 to an active state. Typically, the storage disk is spinning and ready for read/write access when in the active state.
  • a decision 310 determines whether a cache loader is already running.
  • “running” of the cache loader means that the cache loader is active in loading media data into the cache memory.
  • the cache loader is activated 312 .
  • the operation 312 is bypassed. Following the operation 312 , as well as following the decision 310 when the cache loader is already running, a data block is retrieved 314 from the file system (storage disk).
  • the size of the data block being retrieved 314 is kept small so that the retrieval time from the file system is still relatively short (e.g., a few milliseconds) and so that retrieval times for other concurrent accesses to the file system (such as by the cache loader) are not significantly impeded and thus can be performed in a timely fashion.
  • the data block can have a reasonably small size, such as a size in the range of 32-256 kilobytes and more likely one of 32, 64, 128 or 256 kilobytes.
  • FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing 400 according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • the cache loader processing 400 is, for example, processing performed by the cache loader that is activated in operation 312 illustrated in FIG. 3 .
  • the cache loader processing 400 begins with a decision 402 that determines whether the storage disk is “on” (active).
  • the storage disk i.e., hard drive
  • the decision 402 could indicate whether the file system is active.
  • the storage disk is turned on 404 .
  • This is also referred to as “spinning-up” the storage disk. Access times to storage disks are considerably slower when the storage disk is not already on (spinning). “Spinning-up” the storage disk is a prerequisite to accessing data from the storage disk. Hence, the operations 402 and 404 cause the storage disk to be turned on 404 when not already turned on.
  • a data block is retrieved 406 from the file system.
  • a block of data pertaining to a particular media item is retrieved 406 from the file system 104 (storage disk).
  • the retrieved data block is then stored 408 to the cache memory.
  • the cache memory could be the cache 106 illustrated in FIG. 1 .
  • a decision 410 determines whether all of the data blocks for the file (i.e., media item) have been retrieved. When the decision 410 determines that all of the data blocks for the file have not yet all been retrieved, then the cache loader processing 400 returns to repeat the operation 406 and subsequent operations so that additional data blocks pertaining to the file (i.e., media item) can be retrieved 406 and stored 408 into the cache memory. Once the decision 410 determines that all of the data blocks for the file have been retrieved, then the cache loader is de-activated 412 . The cache loader is the process that is performing the cache loader processing 400 and thus, when de-activated 412 , the process that is performing the cache loader processing 400 can be closed. Additionally, the storage disk is then turned off 414 . When the storage disk is turned off 414 , the media device is able to conserve the energy or power it would otherwise use to keep the storage disk turned on.
  • the invention is well suited for implementation using multiple threads of execution, such as provided by a multi-threaded programming environment.
  • the media data retrieval processing 300 of FIG. 3 and the cache loader processing 400 can be implemented by separate threads.
  • the processing shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 below can also pertain to other threads of execution.
  • FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of data access processing 500 according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • the data access processing 500 is, for example, performed by the operation 314 of the media data retrieval processing 300 shown in FIG. 3 or the operation 406 of the cache loader processing 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 .
  • the data access processing 500 operates to acquire 502 an access lock for access to the file system. Given that multiple different threads of execution can be seeking the same access lock to the file system, these different threads contend for acquisition of the access lock. Hence, the data access processing 500 could be delayed in the event that another thread presently holds the access lock. Nevertheless, per program or implementation design, each of the threads that may be utilizing the access lock do so only for a short duration of time (on the order of milliseconds).
  • a file position is set 504 .
  • the file position indicates a starting point in a file at which data is to be read.
  • a predetermined number of bytes of data can be read 506 from the file stored in the file system.
  • the predetermined number of bytes is also managed such that the block of data being read is rather small (e.g., 32, 64, 128 or 256 kilobytes) so that the access lock is not unavailable for an extended period of time.
  • the access lock is released 508 because the access to the file system is, at this point, completed. Hence, after the access lock is released 508 , the data access processing 500 is complete and ends.
  • FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing 600 according to another embodiment of the invention.
  • the cache loader processing 600 has features similar to the cache loader processing 400 illustrated in FIG. 4 .
  • the cache loader processing 600 is designed to provide efficient utilization of the storage disk in cases in which the file (i.e., media item) to be loaded in the cache memory exceeds the available capacity of the cache memory.
  • the cache loader processing 600 begins with a decision 602 that determines whether the storage disk (e.g., hard drive) is “on.” When the decision 602 determines that the storage disk is not “on,” then the storage disk is turned on 604 . Alternatively, when the decision 602 determines that the storage disk is already “on,” then the operation 604 is bypassed. In any case, a data block is then retrieved 606 from the file system. As an example, the retrieval 606 of the data block can be performed in accordance with the data access processing 500 discussed above with respect to FIG. 5 . Once the data block is retrieved from the file system, the retrieved data block is then stored 608 into the cache memory.
  • the storage disk e.g., hard drive
  • a decision 610 determines whether all of the data blocks for the file (i.e., media item) have been retrieved.
  • a decision 612 determines whether the cache memory has available space for another data block.
  • the cache loader processing 600 can return to repeat the operation 602 and subsequent operations so that at least one additional data block for the file (i.e., media item) can be retrieved and stored in the cache memory.
  • the storage disk is turned off 614 .
  • a decision 616 determines whether it is time to re-fill the cache memory.
  • the cache loader processing 600 awaits a more suitable time.
  • the decision 616 causes a delay in the cache loader processing 600 .
  • the delay can be a predetermined delay, or can be signaled based upon the amount of available space in the cache memory or the amount of data remaining to be played before additional data is needed.
  • the cache loader processing 600 returns to repeat the decision 602 and subsequent operations so that one or more additional data blocks can be retrieved from the file system and stored to the cache memory such that the data, when needed by other threads, is available in the cache memory for high-speed access.
  • the storage disk is turned off 618 .
  • the storage disk is turned off 618 because the file (i.e., media item) has been completely retrieved from the file system and thus the storage disk is no longer needed with respect to that media item.
  • the cache loader is then deactivated 620 because the file (media item) has been fully acquired and stored in the cache memory. Following the operation 620 , the cache loader processing 600 is complete and ends.
  • the media items of emphasis in several of the above embodiments where audio items are not limited to audio items.
  • the media item can alternatively, pertain to videos (e.g., movies) or images (e.g., photos).
  • the invention is preferably implemented by software, but can also be implemented in 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.
  • One advantage of the invention is that media items can be played by a media device almost immediately after a play selection is requested. Consequently, users tend to be less anxious and less frustrated because the delay imposed before initiating playing is able to be substantially reduced.
  • media data e.g., for audio playing
  • Another advantage of the invention is that power consumption is reduced by transferring data to a cache memory and deactivating a file system.

Abstract

A media player and a method for operating a media player are disclosed. A media program is able to substantially immediately begin playing after a media play selection has been made. Through intelligent operation, the media program is able to start playing even before the media program has been substantially or completely loaded from disk storage into semiconductor memory (i.e., cache memory). Additionally, the media program can be loaded into semiconductor memory through use of a background process without disturbing the playing of the media program. Further, if desired, the disk storage is able to be aggressively “powered off” when not being accessed, thereby enhancing battery life when being battery-powered.

Description

    CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
  • This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 11/131,800 filed May 17, 2005 and entitled “MEDIA PLAYER WITH INSTANT PLAY CAPABILITY,” that is, in turn, a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/118,217 filed Apr. 5, 2002 and entitled “MEDIA PLAYER WITH INSTANT PLAY CAPABILITY,” that has issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,934,812 B1 and which claims the benefit of priority of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/346,236 filed Oct. 22, 2001 and entitled “MEDIA PLAYER WITH INSTANT PLAY CAPABILITY,” all of which are hereby incorporated herein by reference.
  • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • 1. Field of the Invention
  • The present invention relates to media devices and, more particularly, to playing of media on media devices.
  • 2. Description of the Related Art
  • Media players are becoming more popular these days. Of particular popularity are portable media players such as MP3 players or DVD players. Media players operate to play media items for their user that are stored within the media players. The media items are most commonly audio items (e.g., songs) but could also be video items (e.g., DVDs). Typically, an MP3 player will store various audio items internally on a storage disk. When the user makes a selection to play one of the stored audio items, the audio item must first be loaded into semiconductor memory (i.e., Random-Access Memory) before the audio item begins to be played. Unfortunately, the delay in reading the rather large file for the audio item is unsatisfactory to users who are anxious to hear the audio item they have already selected to be played. Thus, there is a need for improved techniques for media players to play media items.
  • SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIBED EMBODIMENTS
  • Broadly speaking, the described embodiments relate to a media player and a method for operating a media player. According to one aspect of the described embodiments, a method for conserving power in a battery powered media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor-based data store having a faster access time than does the disk-based data store, and wherein the disk-based data store consumes more power than does the semiconductor-based data store is described. The method is carried out by performing at least the operations of retrieving a first portion of an identified media item from the semi-conductor based data store, wherein media data for the identified media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including the first portion and remaining portions, the remaining portions being different than and not including the first portion, playing the first portion without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store, transferring substantially all of the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store, and de-activating the disk-based data store after substantially all of the remaining portions have been transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player.
  • In another embodiment, a method of selectively activating the disk-based data store in a portable media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor based data store is described. The method is carried out by performing at least the following operations: receiving a media item selection wherein media data for the selected media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including a first portion and remaining portions that are different than and do not include the first portion, activating the disk-based data store and accessing at least the first portion, playing the first portion retrieved from the disk-based data store without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store, transferring the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store concurrent with the playing of the first portion, and de-activating the disk-based data store after the remaining portions are transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player.
  • In yet another embodiment, computer program product executable by a processor for conserving power in a battery powered media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor-based data store having a faster access time than does the disk-based data store, and wherein the disk-based data store consumes more power than does the semiconductor-based data store is described. The computer program product includes at least computer code for retrieving a first portion of an identified media item from the semi-conductor based data store, wherein media data for the identified media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including the first portion and remaining portions, the remaining portions being different than and not including the first portion, computer code for playing the first portion without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store, computer code for transferring substantially all of the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store, computer code for de-activating the disk-based data store after substantially all of the remaining portions have been transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player, and computer readable medium for storing the computer code.
  • In still another embodiment, a consumer electronics product is described that includes at least a first storage device that stores a plurality of media items, a user input device that enables a user of the consumer electronics product to select a particular media item from the plurality of media items, a second storage device capable of storing at least one of the media items having substantially faster access than does the first storage device and a processor operatively connected to the first storage device the user input device and the second storage device. The processor retrieves and plays a first portion of the media data directly from the first storage device while concurrently initiating background loading of subsequent portions of the media data for the particular media item from the first storage device into the second storage device. Once substantially all the subsequent portions of the media data have been loaded, the processor de-activates the first storage device thereby substantially reducing power consumption of the consumer electronic product.
  • The invention can be implemented in numerous ways, including as a method, system, device, apparatus, or computer readable medium.
  • 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.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • 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:
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a media player according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of media play processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of media data retrieval processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of data access processing according to one embodiment of the invention.
  • FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing according to another embodiment of the invention.
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
  • The invention relates to a media player and a method for operating a media player. According to one aspect of the invention, a media program is able to substantially immediately begin playing after a media play selection has been made. Through intelligent operation, the media program is able to start playing even before the media program has been substantially or completely loaded from disk storage into semiconductor memory (i.e., cache memory). According to another aspect of the invention, the loading of the media program into semiconductor memory is performed in a background process without disturbing the playing of the media program. Still another aspect of the invention is that the disk storage is able to be aggressively “powered off” when not being accessed, thereby enhancing battery life when being battery powered. The invention is particularly suitable for use with portable media players.
  • Embodiments of this aspect of the invention are discussed below with reference to FIGS. 1-6. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the detailed description given herein with respect to these figures is for explanatory purposes as the invention extends beyond these limited embodiments.
  • FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a media player 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. The media player 100 includes a processor 102 that pertains to a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of the media player 100. The media player 100 stores media data pertaining to media items in a file system 104 and a cache 106. The file system 104 is, typically, a storage disk or a plurality of disks. The file system typically provides high capacity storage capability for the media player 100. However, since the access time to the file system 104 is relatively slow, the media player 100 also includes a cache 106. The cache 106 is, for example, Random-Access Memory (RAM) provided by semiconductor memory. The relative access time to the cache 106 is substantially shorter than for the file system 104. However, the cache 106 does not have the large storage capacity of the file system 104.
  • Further, the file system 104, when active, consumes more power than does the cache 106. The power consumption is particularly important when the media player 100 is a portable media player that is powered by a battery (not shown).
  • The media player 100 also includes a user input device 108 that allows a user of the media player 100 to interact with the media player 100. For example, the user input device 108 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, etc. Still further, the media player 100 includes a display 110 (screen display) that can be controlled by the processor 102 to display information to the user. A data bus 111 can facilitate data transfer between at least the file system 104, the cache 106, the processor 102, and the CODEC 112.
  • In one embodiment, the media player 100 serves to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs) in the file system 104. 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 110. Then, using the user input device 108, a user can select one of the available media items. The processor 102, 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) 112. The CODEC 112 then produces analog output signals for a speaker 114. The speaker 114 can be a speaker internal to the media player 100 or external to the media player 100. For example, headphones or earphones that connect to the media player 100 would be considered an external speaker.
  • According to the invention, the processor 102 controls the playing of the particular media item such that upon receiving the user's selection of the particular media item, the processor 102 immediately accesses the file system 104 or the cache 106 to retrieve an initial portion of the media data and supplies it to the CODEC 112 and thus begins playing the media item. When the media item is not initially available in the cache 106 (which is typically the case), the initial portion is retrieved from the file system 104. However, since the access speed of the file system 104 is relatively slow compared to the access speed needed for the playing of the media item, and because the file system 104 consumes significant amounts of power of the media player 100, the media data for the media item is loaded into the cache 106 such that once the media data has been loaded into the cache 106, all remaining portions of the media data for the particular media item are retrieved from the cache 106. Consequently, the media item is played almost substantially immediately following the user's selection because the initial portion is obtained immediately from the file system 104 and then subsequent portions are obtained from the cache 106. Here, the cache 106 is loaded at the same time that the retrieval or playing of the initial portion of the media data occurs.
  • Still further, once the media data for the particular media item has been loaded into the cache 106, the file system 104 can be inactivated (e.g., placed in a low power mode) to save power consumption for the media player 100. By deactivating the file system 104 in this matter, battery life of the media player 100 is able to be significantly improved, assuming the media player 100 is a battery-operated device (portable device).
  • In one embodiment, the media player is a portable computing device dedicated to processing media such as audio, video or images. For example, the media player 100 can be a music player (e.g., MP3 player), a game player, a video player, a video recorder, a camera, an image viewer 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 is a handheld device that is sized for placement into a pocket or hand of the user. By being handheld, the media player 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 users hands, no reference surface such as a desktop is needed.
  • FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of media play processing 200 according to one embodiment of the invention. The media play processing 200 is, for example, performed by the media player 100 illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • The media play processing 200 initially begins with a decision 202 that determines whether a play selection has been made. When the decision 202 determines that a play selection has not been made, then the media play processing 200 awaits such a selection. In other words, the media play processing 200 is effectively invoked when a play selection is made. In any case, once the decision 202 determines that a play selection has been made, then a decision 204 determines whether the media data for the play selection is in a cache (e.g., cache 106, FIG. 1). When the decision 204 determines that the media data is not in the cache, then the media data is retrieved 206 from a file system (e.g., file system 104, FIG. 1). Alternatively, when the decision 204 determines that the media data is in the cache, then the media data is retrieved 208 from the cache. Here, it is preferable that the media data be retrieved from the cache because its access time is substantially shorter than that of the file system. In addition, when the media data is available in the cache, the file system is typically not needed, and thus it can be placed in a low power mode to reduce power consumption.
  • Following operations 206 or 208, the media play processing 200 initiates 210 playing of the retrieved media data. Here, the retrieved media data can be directed to be played so that the media player produces multimedia output (e.g., audio) for its user. However, only a portion of the media data is initially obtained and thus a decision 212 next determines whether there is more data to be retrieved. When the decision 212 determines that there is more data associated with the media item being played to be retrieved, then the media play processing 200 returns to repeat the decision 204 and subsequent operations so that additional media data can be retrieved and played.
  • Concurrently with the operations of 206-212, when the decision 204 determines that the media data is not in the cache, then other processing can be invoked to load the media data into the cache. In particular, according to one embodiment, such processing is performed by a separate process (e.g., thread) operating within the media player. According to such processing, a decision 214 determines whether the file system is active. When the decision 214 determines that the file system is not active, then the file system is activated 216. Here, activation refers to placing the file system in its normal operating mode, and an inactivated file system refers to a reduced-power operation mode. Following the operation 216, as well as following the decision 214 when the file system is already active, the media data for the particular media item is loaded 218 into the cache. Here, the loading 218 occurs by this process while other operations are being performed in another process to retrieve and play at least an initial portion of the media data (operations 206-212). Once the media data has been loaded 218 into the cache, the file system can be inactivated 220 to reduce power consumption. Typically, the file system is not needed for a period of time, at least on the order of the duration of the media item being played, since the remaining amount of media data is now available within the cache. Following the operation 220, the cache loading process is complete and ends. Further, once the cache loading process has completed, the next time the media play processing 200 performs the decision 204, the result will be that all subsequent media data for the particular media item will be retrieved from the cache at operation 208.
  • FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of media data retrieval processing 300 according to one embodiment of the invention. The media data retrieval processing 300 is, for example, performed by a media device, such as the media device 100 illustrated in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the media data retrieval processing 300 is performed or controlled by the processor 102 of the media device 100 shown in FIG. 1.
  • The media data retrieval processing 300 begins with a decision 302 that determines whether more media data is needed. Hence, the decision 302, for example, pertains to the CODEC 112 requesting media data pertaining to a media item that is to be played by the media device 100. Typically, the CODEC 112 operates to buffer a short play duration of media data and thus periodically requests additional data from data storage provided by the media device 100. Hence, when the decision 302 determines that more media data is not needed, then the media data retrieval processing 300, in effect, awaits the need (or request) for more media data.
  • Once the decision 302 determines that more media data is needed, then a decision 304 determines whether the media data is available in the cache memory. For example, the cache memory can be the cache 106 illustrated in FIG. 1. When the decision 304 determines that the media data is available in the cache memory, then a data block is retrieved from the cache memory. Here, the data block being retrieved 306 pertains to the next needed portion of the media data associated with the media item.
  • On the other hand, when the decision 304 determines that the media data is not available in the cache memory, then processing is performed to retrieve the media data from the file system. The file system is, for example, the file system 104 illustrated in FIG. 1. More particularly, a read request is issued 308 to the file system to read a data block. The read request prepares the file system 104 (storage disk) for read/write access. For example, if the file system 104 is in an inactive (low-power) state, the read request can return the file system 104 to an active state. Typically, the storage disk is spinning and ready for read/write access when in the active state.
  • Next, a decision 310 determines whether a cache loader is already running. Here, “running” of the cache loader means that the cache loader is active in loading media data into the cache memory. When the decision 310 determines that the cache loader is not already running, then the cache loader is activated 312. Alternatively, when the decision 310 determines that the cache loader is already running, then the operation 312 is bypassed. Following the operation 312, as well as following the decision 310 when the cache loader is already running, a data block is retrieved 314 from the file system (storage disk). Here, the size of the data block being retrieved 314 is kept small so that the retrieval time from the file system is still relatively short (e.g., a few milliseconds) and so that retrieval times for other concurrent accesses to the file system (such as by the cache loader) are not significantly impeded and thus can be performed in a timely fashion. As an example, the data block can have a reasonably small size, such as a size in the range of 32-256 kilobytes and more likely one of 32, 64, 128 or 256 kilobytes. Following the operations 306 and 314, the media data retrieval processing 300 returns to repeat the decision 302 and subsequent operations so that additional media data can be obtained in the same manner.
  • FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing 400 according to one embodiment of the invention. The cache loader processing 400 is, for example, processing performed by the cache loader that is activated in operation 312 illustrated in FIG. 3.
  • The cache loader processing 400 begins with a decision 402 that determines whether the storage disk is “on” (active). Here, the storage disk (i.e., hard drive) pertains to disk storage of data provided by a file system, namely, the file system 104 illustrated in FIG. 1. More generally, the decision 402 could indicate whether the file system is active. In any case, when the decision 402 determines that the storage disk is not “on,” then the storage disk is turned on 404. This is also referred to as “spinning-up” the storage disk. Access times to storage disks are considerably slower when the storage disk is not already on (spinning). “Spinning-up” the storage disk is a prerequisite to accessing data from the storage disk. Hence, the operations 402 and 404 cause the storage disk to be turned on 404 when not already turned on.
  • Thereafter, a data block is retrieved 406 from the file system. Here, for example, a block of data pertaining to a particular media item is retrieved 406 from the file system 104 (storage disk). The retrieved data block is then stored 408 to the cache memory. For example, the cache memory could be the cache 106 illustrated in FIG. 1.
  • A decision 410 then determines whether all of the data blocks for the file (i.e., media item) have been retrieved. When the decision 410 determines that all of the data blocks for the file have not yet all been retrieved, then the cache loader processing 400 returns to repeat the operation 406 and subsequent operations so that additional data blocks pertaining to the file (i.e., media item) can be retrieved 406 and stored 408 into the cache memory. Once the decision 410 determines that all of the data blocks for the file have been retrieved, then the cache loader is de-activated 412. The cache loader is the process that is performing the cache loader processing 400 and thus, when de-activated 412, the process that is performing the cache loader processing 400 can be closed. Additionally, the storage disk is then turned off 414. When the storage disk is turned off 414, the media device is able to conserve the energy or power it would otherwise use to keep the storage disk turned on.
  • The invention is well suited for implementation using multiple threads of execution, such as provided by a multi-threaded programming environment. For example, the media data retrieval processing 300 of FIG. 3 and the cache loader processing 400 can be implemented by separate threads. The processing shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 below can also pertain to other threads of execution.
  • FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of data access processing 500 according to one embodiment of the invention. The data access processing 500 is, for example, performed by the operation 314 of the media data retrieval processing 300 shown in FIG. 3 or the operation 406 of the cache loader processing 400 illustrated in FIG. 4. In any case, the data access processing 500 operates to acquire 502 an access lock for access to the file system. Given that multiple different threads of execution can be seeking the same access lock to the file system, these different threads contend for acquisition of the access lock. Hence, the data access processing 500 could be delayed in the event that another thread presently holds the access lock. Nevertheless, per program or implementation design, each of the threads that may be utilizing the access lock do so only for a short duration of time (on the order of milliseconds). Hence, any delay incurred while waiting for the access lock is manageable. After the access lock is acquired 502, a file position is set 504. The file position indicates a starting point in a file at which data is to be read. Hence, after the file position is set 504, a predetermined number of bytes of data can be read 506 from the file stored in the file system. Here, the predetermined number of bytes is also managed such that the block of data being read is rather small (e.g., 32, 64, 128 or 256 kilobytes) so that the access lock is not unavailable for an extended period of time. After the predetermined number of bytes of data is read 506, the access lock is released 508 because the access to the file system is, at this point, completed. Hence, after the access lock is released 508, the data access processing 500 is complete and ends.
  • FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of cache loader processing 600 according to another embodiment of the invention. The cache loader processing 600 has features similar to the cache loader processing 400 illustrated in FIG. 4. However, the cache loader processing 600 is designed to provide efficient utilization of the storage disk in cases in which the file (i.e., media item) to be loaded in the cache memory exceeds the available capacity of the cache memory.
  • The cache loader processing 600 begins with a decision 602 that determines whether the storage disk (e.g., hard drive) is “on.” When the decision 602 determines that the storage disk is not “on,” then the storage disk is turned on 604. Alternatively, when the decision 602 determines that the storage disk is already “on,” then the operation 604 is bypassed. In any case, a data block is then retrieved 606 from the file system. As an example, the retrieval 606 of the data block can be performed in accordance with the data access processing 500 discussed above with respect to FIG. 5. Once the data block is retrieved from the file system, the retrieved data block is then stored 608 into the cache memory. Next, a decision 610 determines whether all of the data blocks for the file (i.e., media item) have been retrieved. When the decision 610 determines that all of the data blocks for the file have not yet been retrieved, then a decision 612 determines whether the cache memory has available space for another data block. When the decision 612 determines that the cache memory does have available space for another data block, then the cache loader processing 600 can return to repeat the operation 602 and subsequent operations so that at least one additional data block for the file (i.e., media item) can be retrieved and stored in the cache memory. On the other hand, when the decision 612 determines that the cache memory does not have available space for any additional data blocks, then the storage disk is turned off 614. By turning off the hard drive, the media device is able to conserve energy when the file system is temporarily not needed. A decision 616 then determines whether it is time to re-fill the cache memory. When the decision 616 determines that it is not yet time to fill the cache memory, the cache loader processing 600 awaits a more suitable time. In other words, the decision 616 causes a delay in the cache loader processing 600. The delay can be a predetermined delay, or can be signaled based upon the amount of available space in the cache memory or the amount of data remaining to be played before additional data is needed. Hence, regardless of the particular criteria utilized, when the decision 616 determines that it is time to re-fill the cache memory, then the cache loader processing 600 returns to repeat the decision 602 and subsequent operations so that one or more additional data blocks can be retrieved from the file system and stored to the cache memory such that the data, when needed by other threads, is available in the cache memory for high-speed access.
  • On the other hand, when the decision 610 determines that all of the data blocks for the file (i.e., media item) have been retrieved, then the storage disk is turned off 618. Here, the storage disk is turned off 618 because the file (i.e., media item) has been completely retrieved from the file system and thus the storage disk is no longer needed with respect to that media item. Of course, if another thread is in need of the file system, the storage disk could be left “on” and the other data access performed. In any case, the cache loader is then deactivated 620 because the file (media item) has been fully acquired and stored in the cache memory. Following the operation 620, the cache loader processing 600 is complete and ends.
  • The various aspects or features of the invention described above can be used alone or in various combinations.
  • Although the media items of emphasis in several of the above embodiments where audio items (e.g., audio files or songs), the media items are not limited to audio items. For example, the media item can alternatively, pertain to videos (e.g., movies) or images (e.g., photos).
  • The invention is preferably implemented by software, but can also be implemented in 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 embodiments or implementations may yield one or more of the following advantages. One advantage of the invention is that media items can be played by a media device almost immediately after a play selection is requested. Consequently, users tend to be less anxious and less frustrated because the delay imposed before initiating playing is able to be substantially reduced. Another advantage of the invention is that media data (e.g., for audio playing) is able to be retrieved from either a cache or a file system with minor changes to other system components or software. Another advantage of the invention is that power consumption is reduced by transferring data to a cache memory and deactivating a file system.
  • 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.

Claims (35)

1. A method for conserving power in a battery powered media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor-based data store having a faster access time than does the disk-based data store, and wherein the disk-based data store consumes more power than does the semiconductor-based data store, comprising:
retrieving a first portion of an identified media item from the semi-conductor based data store, wherein media data for the identified media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including the first portion and remaining portions, the remaining portions being different than and not including the first portion;
playing the first portion without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store;
transferring substantially all of the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store; and
de-activating the disk-based data store after substantially all of the remaining portions have been transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player.
2. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
playing the remaining portions of the media data retrieved from the semiconductor-based data store.
3. A method as recited in claim 2, wherein the playing of the remaining portions comprises:
determining when additional media data is needed beyond the first portion;
retrieving at least one of the remaining portions of the media data from the semiconductor-based data store when the determining determines that the additional media data is needed; and
playing the at least one of the remaining portions of the media data retrieved from the semiconductor-based data store.
4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and remaining portions have a size in a range of about from 32 kilobytes to about 256 kilobytes.
5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media player is a pocket-sized device.
6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein the media player is a handheld music player.
7. A method as recited in claim 1,
wherein the disk-based data store of the media player stores a plurality of media items, and wherein the media player comprises at least one of an audio player, a video player and an image viewer, and
wherein the media items include at least one of audio files of songs, video files of videos and image files of images.
8. A method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:
receiving a media item selection corresponding to the identified media item;
determining if the media data associated with the identified media item is stored in the semiconductor-based data store;
activating the disk-based data store if the media data associated with the identified media item is not stored in the semiconductor-based data store; and
transferring at least the first portion of the media data from the disk-based data store to the semiconductor-based data store.
9. In a portable media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor based data store, a method of selectively activating the disk-based data store, comprising:
receiving a media item selection wherein media data for the selected media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including a first portion and remaining portions that are different than and do not include the first portion;
activating the disk-based data store and accessing at least the first portion;
playing the first portion retrieved from the disk-based data store without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store;
transferring the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store concurrent with the playing of the first portion; and
de-activating the disk-based data store after the remaining portions are transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player.
10. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:
playing the remaining portions retrieved from the semiconductor-based data store.
11. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein if the media data for the selected media item is stored in the semiconductor data store, then playing the selected media item without activating the disk-based data store.
12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the playing of the remaining portions comprises:
determining when additional media data is needed beyond the first portion;
retrieving at least one of the remaining portions of the media data from the semiconductor-based data store when the determining determines that the additional media data is needed; and
playing the at least one of the remaining portions of the media data retrieved from the semiconductor-based data store.
13. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the first and remaining portions have a size in a range of about from 32 kilobytes to about 256 kilobytes.
14. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the media player is a pocket-sized device.
15. A method as recited in claim 9, wherein the media player is a handheld music player.
16. A method as recited in claim 9,
wherein the disk-based data store of the media player stores a plurality of media items, and wherein the media player comprises at least one of an audio player, a video player and an image viewer, and
wherein the media items include at least one of audio files of songs, video files of videos and image files of images.
17. A method as recited in claim 9, further comprising:
receiving a media item selection corresponding to the identified media item;
determining if the media data associated with the identified media item is stored in the semiconductor-based data store;
activating the disk-based data store if the media data associated with the identified media item is not stored in the semiconductor-based data store; and
transferring at least the first portion of the media data from the disk-based data store to the semiconductor-based data store.
18. Computer program product executable by a processor for conserving power in a battery powered media player having a disk-based data store and a semiconductor-based data store having a faster access time than does the disk-based data store, and wherein the disk-based data store consumes more power than does the semiconductor-based data store, comprising:
computer code for retrieving a first portion of an identified media item from the semi-conductor based data store, wherein media data for the identified media item includes a plurality of data portions, the data portions including the first portion and remaining portions, the remaining portions being different than and not including the first portion;
computer code for playing the first portion without first storing to the semiconductor-based data store;
computer code for transferring substantially all of the remaining portions from the disk-based data store to the semi-conductor-based data store;
computer code for de-activating the disk-based data store after substantially all of the remaining portions have been transferred thereby substantially reducing power consumption by the media player; and
computer readable medium for storing the computer code.
19. Computer program product as recited in claim 18, further comprising:
computer code for playing the remaining portions of the media data retrieved from the semiconductor-based data store.
20. Computer program product as recited in claim 19, wherein the playing of the remaining portions comprises:
computer code for determining when additional media data is needed beyond the first portion;
computer code for retrieving at least one of the remaining portions of the media data from the semiconductor-based data store when the determining determines that the additional media data is needed; and
computer code for playing the at least one of the remaining portions of the media data retrieved from the semiconductor-based data store.
21. Computer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein the first and remaining portions have a size in a range of about from 32 kilobytes to about 256 kilobytes.
22. Computer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein the media player is a pocket-sized device.
23. Computer program product as recited in claim 18, wherein the media player is a handheld music player.
24. Computer program product as recited in claim 18,
wherein the disk-based data store of the media player stores a plurality of media items, and wherein the media player comprises at least one of an audio player, a video player and an image viewer, and
wherein the media items include at least one of audio files of songs, video files of videos and image files of images.
25. Computer program product as recited in claim 18, further comprising:
computer code for receiving a media item selection corresponding to the identified media item;
computer code for determining if the media data associated with the identified media item is stored in the semiconductor-based data store;
computer code for activating the disk-based data store if the media data associated with the identified media item is not stored in the semiconductor-based data store; and
computer code for transferring at least the first portion of the media data from the disk-based data store to the semiconductor-based data store.
26. A consumer electronics product, comprising:
a first storage device that stores a plurality of media items;
a user input device that enables a user of the consumer electronics product to at least select a particular media item from the plurality of media items, the particular media item having a first portion and subsequent portions, the subsequent portions being different than and not including the first portion;
an output device for playing back the particular media item;
a second storage device capable of storing at least one of the media items, the second storage device has substantially faster access than does the first storage device; and
a processor operatively connected to the first storage device, the user input device and the second storage device, the processor causes the output device to play back the particular media item substantially immediately following the selection of the particular media item by the user without regard to whether media data for the particular media item resides in the second storage device or on the first storage device,
wherein when the media data for the particular media item is not initially stored in the second storage device, the processor concurrently activates the first storage device and retrieves and plays a first portion of the media data directly from the first storage device while substantially concurrently initiating background loading subsequent portions of the media data for the particular media item from the first storage device into the second storage device, and
wherein once substantially all the subsequent portions of the media data for the particular media items are available in the second storage device due to the background loading of the subsequent portions of the media data for the particular media item, the processor de-activates the first storage device when the consumer electronic product is battery powered thereby substantially reducing power consumption of the consumer electronic product and retrieves the subsequent portions of the media data for the particular media item from the second storage device
27. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 26, wherein at least a portion of the loading of the media data from the first storage device to the second storage device is performed concurrently with the playing of the first portion of the media data.
28. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 26, wherein the consumer electronics product further comprises:
a display screen operatively connected to the processor, the display screen displays a list of the media items.
29. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 28, wherein the consumer electronics products is a portable, battery powered media player.
30. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 26, wherein the consumer electronics product is a handheld media player.
31. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 30, wherein the first storage device of the handheld media player stores a plurality of media items, and wherein the handheld media player comprises an audio player, and wherein the media items include at least audio files of songs.
32. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 31, wherein at least a portion of the loading of the media data from the first storage device to the second storage device is performed concurrently with the playing of the first portion of the media data.
33. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 26, wherein the first storage device of the consumer electronics product stores a plurality of media items, and wherein the consumer electronics product comprises a video player, and wherein the media items include at least video files of videos.
34. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 33, wherein the consumer electronics product is a handheld media player.
35. A consumer electronics product as recited in claim 26, wherein the first storage device is a disk-based storage device and wherein the second storage device is a semiconductor-based storage device.
US11/746,548 2001-10-22 2007-05-09 Media player with instant play capability Abandoned US20070208911A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US11/746,548 US20070208911A1 (en) 2001-10-22 2007-05-09 Media player with instant play capability

Applications Claiming Priority (4)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US34623601P 2001-10-22 2001-10-22
US10/118,217 US6934812B1 (en) 2001-10-22 2002-04-05 Media player with instant play capability
US11/131,800 US7234026B2 (en) 2001-10-22 2005-05-17 Media player with instant play capability
US11/746,548 US20070208911A1 (en) 2001-10-22 2007-05-09 Media player with instant play capability

Related Parent Applications (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/118,217 Continuation US6934812B1 (en) 2001-10-22 2002-04-05 Media player with instant play capability
US11/131,800 Continuation US7234026B2 (en) 2001-10-22 2005-05-17 Media player with instant play capability

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
US20070208911A1 true US20070208911A1 (en) 2007-09-06

Family

ID=26816097

Family Applications (3)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/118,217 Expired - Lifetime US6934812B1 (en) 2001-10-22 2002-04-05 Media player with instant play capability
US11/131,800 Expired - Fee Related US7234026B2 (en) 2001-10-22 2005-05-17 Media player with instant play capability
US11/746,548 Abandoned US20070208911A1 (en) 2001-10-22 2007-05-09 Media player with instant play capability

Family Applications Before (2)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
US10/118,217 Expired - Lifetime US6934812B1 (en) 2001-10-22 2002-04-05 Media player with instant play capability
US11/131,800 Expired - Fee Related US7234026B2 (en) 2001-10-22 2005-05-17 Media player with instant play capability

Country Status (8)

Country Link
US (3) US6934812B1 (en)
EP (2) EP1440444B1 (en)
JP (3) JP4837891B2 (en)
KR (1) KR100645123B1 (en)
CN (1) CN100492272C (en)
HK (1) HK1076914A1 (en)
SG (1) SG146462A1 (en)
WO (1) WO2003036647A1 (en)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2015047926A1 (en) * 2013-09-27 2015-04-02 Intel Corporation Power consumption reduction in a computing device
US10534452B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2020-01-14 Apple Inc. Highly portable media device

Families Citing this family (259)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US8645137B2 (en) 2000-03-16 2014-02-04 Apple Inc. Fast, language-independent method for user authentication by voice
US6934812B1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2005-08-23 Apple Computer, Inc. Media player with instant play capability
US8151259B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2012-04-03 Apple Inc. Remote content updates for portable media devices
US7433546B2 (en) * 2004-10-25 2008-10-07 Apple Inc. Image scaling arrangement
KR20050038650A (en) * 2002-09-09 2005-04-27 코닌클리케 필립스 일렉트로닉스 엔.브이. Method and apparatus for managing power consumption of a disk drive
US7724716B2 (en) 2006-06-20 2010-05-25 Apple Inc. Wireless communication system
US7831199B2 (en) 2006-01-03 2010-11-09 Apple Inc. Media data exchange, transfer or delivery for portable electronic devices
US20040267812A1 (en) * 2003-06-26 2004-12-30 Microsoft Corporation Media platform
US20050034153A1 (en) * 2003-08-08 2005-02-10 Maven Networks, Inc. System and method for delivery of broadband content with integrated interactive elements
US7177983B2 (en) * 2003-08-12 2007-02-13 Intel Corporation Managing dirty evicts from a cache
JP2007511865A (en) * 2003-11-18 2007-05-10 コーニンクレッカ フィリップス エレクトロニクス エヌ ヴィ Calculation of energy required
TWI252628B (en) * 2004-08-04 2006-04-01 Apacer Technology Inc Multimedia device having wireless transmission function
US20060053169A1 (en) * 2004-09-09 2006-03-09 Straub Roland U System and method for management of data repositories
US8745132B2 (en) * 2004-09-10 2014-06-03 Silver State Intellectual Technologies, Inc. System and method for audio and video portable publishing system
US7706637B2 (en) 2004-10-25 2010-04-27 Apple Inc. Host configured for interoperation with coupled portable media player device
US20060248235A1 (en) * 2005-03-21 2006-11-02 Sony Corporation Method and apparatus for data collection in a media player
US7457915B2 (en) * 2005-04-07 2008-11-25 Microsoft Corporation Intelligent media caching based on device state
TWI269232B (en) * 2005-04-27 2006-12-21 Ali Corp Data processing system capable of operating in two modes independently and exclusively
US7500128B2 (en) 2005-05-11 2009-03-03 Intel Corporation Mobile systems with seamless transition by activating second subsystem to continue operation of application executed by first subsystem as it enters into sleep mode
US9063941B2 (en) * 2005-06-03 2015-06-23 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. System having an apparatus that uses a resource on an external device
US8300841B2 (en) 2005-06-03 2012-10-30 Apple Inc. Techniques for presenting sound effects on a portable media player
JP4556789B2 (en) * 2005-07-07 2010-10-06 ソニー株式会社 Playback apparatus, playback method, and playback program
JP4412269B2 (en) 2005-07-28 2010-02-10 ソニー株式会社 Electronic device, display processing method and program
JP2007042204A (en) * 2005-08-02 2007-02-15 Sony Corp Reproducing apparatus, time limit notification method, and time limit notification program
US7590772B2 (en) 2005-08-22 2009-09-15 Apple Inc. Audio status information for a portable electronic device
US8677377B2 (en) 2005-09-08 2014-03-18 Apple Inc. Method and apparatus for building an intelligent automated assistant
US7930369B2 (en) 2005-10-19 2011-04-19 Apple Inc. Remotely configured media device
EP1949579B1 (en) 2005-10-21 2010-08-18 Nielsen Media Research, Inc. Personal People Meter PPM in the headset of a MP3 portable media player.
US8654993B2 (en) 2005-12-07 2014-02-18 Apple Inc. Portable audio device providing automated control of audio volume parameters for hearing protection
US20070137463A1 (en) * 2005-12-19 2007-06-21 Lumsden David J Digital Music Composition Device, Composition Software and Method of Use
US8352323B2 (en) * 2007-11-30 2013-01-08 Blaze Mobile, Inc. Conducting an online payment transaction using an NFC enabled mobile communication device
US8255640B2 (en) * 2006-01-03 2012-08-28 Apple Inc. Media device with intelligent cache utilization
US7673238B2 (en) * 2006-01-05 2010-03-02 Apple Inc. Portable media device with video acceleration capabilities
US7848527B2 (en) 2006-02-27 2010-12-07 Apple Inc. Dynamic power management in a portable media delivery system
US8099548B2 (en) 2006-03-23 2012-01-17 Microsoft Corporation Power efficient media playback on general purpose portable devices
US8369971B2 (en) * 2006-04-11 2013-02-05 Harman International Industries, Incorporated Media system having preemptive digital audio and/or video extraction function
US9137309B2 (en) 2006-05-22 2015-09-15 Apple Inc. Calibration techniques for activity sensing devices
US7643895B2 (en) 2006-05-22 2010-01-05 Apple Inc. Portable media device with workout support
US20070271116A1 (en) 2006-05-22 2007-11-22 Apple Computer, Inc. Integrated media jukebox and physiologic data handling application
US8073984B2 (en) 2006-05-22 2011-12-06 Apple Inc. Communication protocol for use with portable electronic devices
US8358273B2 (en) 2006-05-23 2013-01-22 Apple Inc. Portable media device with power-managed display
US20080016624A1 (en) * 2006-07-21 2008-01-24 Kathy Osborn Soothing devices
US20080020672A1 (en) * 2006-07-21 2008-01-24 Kathy Osborn Programmable baby mobiles and baby soothing devices
US7913297B2 (en) 2006-08-30 2011-03-22 Apple Inc. Pairing of wireless devices using a wired medium
US7813715B2 (en) 2006-08-30 2010-10-12 Apple Inc. Automated pairing of wireless accessories with host devices
US9318108B2 (en) 2010-01-18 2016-04-19 Apple Inc. Intelligent automated assistant
US8090130B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2012-01-03 Apple Inc. Highly portable media devices
US8341524B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2012-12-25 Apple Inc. Portable electronic device with local search capabilities
US7729791B2 (en) 2006-09-11 2010-06-01 Apple Inc. Portable media playback device including user interface event passthrough to non-media-playback processing
US7933670B2 (en) * 2007-01-12 2011-04-26 Mircosoft Corporation Maintaining music playback
US7589629B2 (en) 2007-02-28 2009-09-15 Apple Inc. Event recorder for portable media device
US7698101B2 (en) 2007-03-07 2010-04-13 Apple Inc. Smart garment
US8977255B2 (en) 2007-04-03 2015-03-10 Apple Inc. Method and system for operating a multi-function portable electronic device using voice-activation
US20080306909A1 (en) * 2007-06-08 2008-12-11 Microsoft Corporation Intelligent download of media files to portable device
US8028090B2 (en) 2008-11-17 2011-09-27 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing utilizing client location information
US7991910B2 (en) 2008-11-17 2011-08-02 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Updating routing information based on client location
US9330720B2 (en) 2008-01-03 2016-05-03 Apple Inc. Methods and apparatus for altering audio output signals
US8447831B1 (en) 2008-03-31 2013-05-21 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Incentive driven content delivery
US8156243B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2012-04-10 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing
US8533293B1 (en) 2008-03-31 2013-09-10 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Client side cache management
US8601090B1 (en) 2008-03-31 2013-12-03 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Network resource identification
US8606996B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2013-12-10 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Cache optimization
US8321568B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2012-11-27 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Content management
US7970820B1 (en) 2008-03-31 2011-06-28 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Locality based content distribution
US7962597B2 (en) 2008-03-31 2011-06-14 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing based on class
US8996376B2 (en) 2008-04-05 2015-03-31 Apple Inc. Intelligent text-to-speech conversion
US10496753B2 (en) 2010-01-18 2019-12-03 Apple Inc. Automatically adapting user interfaces for hands-free interaction
KR100985617B1 (en) * 2008-05-20 2010-10-05 주식회사 팬택 Method and system for providing digital rights management file using caching
US9912740B2 (en) 2008-06-30 2018-03-06 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Latency measurement in resource requests
US7925782B2 (en) 2008-06-30 2011-04-12 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing using network computing components
US9407681B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2016-08-02 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Latency measurement in resource requests
US20100030549A1 (en) 2008-07-31 2010-02-04 Lee Michael M Mobile device having human language translation capability with positional feedback
US20110219026A1 (en) * 2008-11-04 2011-09-08 Bo Schonemann Method and system for distributing information relating to a piece of music and/or a movie/video
US8732309B1 (en) 2008-11-17 2014-05-20 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing utilizing cost information
US8521880B1 (en) 2008-11-17 2013-08-27 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing content delivery network service providers
US8065417B1 (en) 2008-11-17 2011-11-22 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Service provider registration by a content broker
US8122098B1 (en) 2008-11-17 2012-02-21 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing content delivery network service providers by a content broker
US8073940B1 (en) 2008-11-17 2011-12-06 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing content delivery network service providers
US8060616B1 (en) 2008-11-17 2011-11-15 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing CDN registration by a storage provider
TWI368845B (en) * 2008-12-02 2012-07-21 Ite Tech Inc Multimedia palying method and apparatus thereof
CN101751961B (en) * 2008-12-10 2011-12-07 联阳半导体股份有限公司 Multimedia playing method and playing device thereof
US9959870B2 (en) 2008-12-11 2018-05-01 Apple Inc. Speech recognition involving a mobile device
US8412823B1 (en) 2009-03-27 2013-04-02 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing tracking information entries in resource cache components
US8756341B1 (en) 2009-03-27 2014-06-17 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing utilizing popularity information
US8521851B1 (en) 2009-03-27 2013-08-27 Amazon Technologies, Inc. DNS query processing using resource identifiers specifying an application broker
US8688837B1 (en) 2009-03-27 2014-04-01 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Dynamically translating resource identifiers for request routing using popularity information
US20120311585A1 (en) 2011-06-03 2012-12-06 Apple Inc. Organizing task items that represent tasks to perform
US10241752B2 (en) 2011-09-30 2019-03-26 Apple Inc. Interface for a virtual digital assistant
US9858925B2 (en) 2009-06-05 2018-01-02 Apple Inc. Using context information to facilitate processing of commands in a virtual assistant
US10241644B2 (en) 2011-06-03 2019-03-26 Apple Inc. Actionable reminder entries
US8782236B1 (en) 2009-06-16 2014-07-15 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing resources using resource expiration data
US9431006B2 (en) 2009-07-02 2016-08-30 Apple Inc. Methods and apparatuses for automatic speech recognition
US8397073B1 (en) 2009-09-04 2013-03-12 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing secure content in a content delivery network
US8433771B1 (en) 2009-10-02 2013-04-30 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Distribution network with forward resource propagation
US10705794B2 (en) 2010-01-18 2020-07-07 Apple Inc. Automatically adapting user interfaces for hands-free interaction
US10679605B2 (en) 2010-01-18 2020-06-09 Apple Inc. Hands-free list-reading by intelligent automated assistant
US10276170B2 (en) 2010-01-18 2019-04-30 Apple Inc. Intelligent automated assistant
US10553209B2 (en) 2010-01-18 2020-02-04 Apple Inc. Systems and methods for hands-free notification summaries
WO2011089450A2 (en) 2010-01-25 2011-07-28 Andrew Peter Nelson Jerram Apparatuses, methods and systems for a digital conversation management platform
US9495338B1 (en) 2010-01-28 2016-11-15 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Content distribution network
US8682460B2 (en) * 2010-02-06 2014-03-25 Apple Inc. System and method for performing audio processing operations by storing information within multiple memories
US8682667B2 (en) 2010-02-25 2014-03-25 Apple Inc. User profiling for selecting user specific voice input processing information
KR101460684B1 (en) * 2010-07-02 2014-11-12 에스케이플래닛 주식회사 Apparatus and method for processing image based on pre loading, and apparatus and method for processing image based on asynchronous loading
US8756272B1 (en) 2010-08-26 2014-06-17 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Processing encoded content
US8938526B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2015-01-20 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing management based on network components
US8468247B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2013-06-18 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Point of presence management in request routing
US9712484B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2017-07-18 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing request routing information utilizing client identifiers
US8577992B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2013-11-05 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing management based on network components
US9003035B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2015-04-07 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Point of presence management in request routing
US10097398B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2018-10-09 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Point of presence management in request routing
US8924528B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2014-12-30 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Latency measurement in resource requests
US8819283B2 (en) 2010-09-28 2014-08-26 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing in a networked environment
US8930513B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2015-01-06 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Latency measurement in resource requests
US10958501B1 (en) 2010-09-28 2021-03-23 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing information based on client IP groupings
US8452874B2 (en) 2010-11-22 2013-05-28 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing processing
US9391949B1 (en) 2010-12-03 2016-07-12 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing processing
US8626950B1 (en) 2010-12-03 2014-01-07 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing processing
US10762293B2 (en) 2010-12-22 2020-09-01 Apple Inc. Using parts-of-speech tagging and named entity recognition for spelling correction
US9262612B2 (en) 2011-03-21 2016-02-16 Apple Inc. Device access using voice authentication
US10467042B1 (en) 2011-04-27 2019-11-05 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Optimized deployment based upon customer locality
US10057736B2 (en) 2011-06-03 2018-08-21 Apple Inc. Active transport based notifications
US8994660B2 (en) 2011-08-29 2015-03-31 Apple Inc. Text correction processing
US8904009B1 (en) 2012-02-10 2014-12-02 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Dynamic content delivery
US10021179B1 (en) 2012-02-21 2018-07-10 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Local resource delivery network
US10134385B2 (en) 2012-03-02 2018-11-20 Apple Inc. Systems and methods for name pronunciation
US9483461B2 (en) 2012-03-06 2016-11-01 Apple Inc. Handling speech synthesis of content for multiple languages
US9083743B1 (en) 2012-03-21 2015-07-14 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing request routing information utilizing performance information
US10623408B1 (en) 2012-04-02 2020-04-14 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Context sensitive object management
US9280610B2 (en) 2012-05-14 2016-03-08 Apple Inc. Crowd sourcing information to fulfill user requests
US9721563B2 (en) 2012-06-08 2017-08-01 Apple Inc. Name recognition system
US9154551B1 (en) 2012-06-11 2015-10-06 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Processing DNS queries to identify pre-processing information
US9495129B2 (en) 2012-06-29 2016-11-15 Apple Inc. Device, method, and user interface for voice-activated navigation and browsing of a document
US9525659B1 (en) 2012-09-04 2016-12-20 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request routing utilizing point of presence load information
US9576574B2 (en) 2012-09-10 2017-02-21 Apple Inc. Context-sensitive handling of interruptions by intelligent digital assistant
US9547647B2 (en) 2012-09-19 2017-01-17 Apple Inc. Voice-based media searching
US9135048B2 (en) 2012-09-20 2015-09-15 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Automated profiling of resource usage
US9323577B2 (en) 2012-09-20 2016-04-26 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Automated profiling of resource usage
US10205698B1 (en) 2012-12-19 2019-02-12 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Source-dependent address resolution
KR20230137475A (en) 2013-02-07 2023-10-04 애플 인크. Voice trigger for a digital assistant
US9368114B2 (en) 2013-03-14 2016-06-14 Apple Inc. Context-sensitive handling of interruptions
WO2014144579A1 (en) 2013-03-15 2014-09-18 Apple Inc. System and method for updating an adaptive speech recognition model
US9922642B2 (en) 2013-03-15 2018-03-20 Apple Inc. Training an at least partial voice command system
US9294391B1 (en) 2013-06-04 2016-03-22 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Managing network computing components utilizing request routing
WO2014197334A2 (en) 2013-06-07 2014-12-11 Apple Inc. System and method for user-specified pronunciation of words for speech synthesis and recognition
WO2014197336A1 (en) 2013-06-07 2014-12-11 Apple Inc. System and method for detecting errors in interactions with a voice-based digital assistant
US9582608B2 (en) 2013-06-07 2017-02-28 Apple Inc. Unified ranking with entropy-weighted information for phrase-based semantic auto-completion
WO2014197335A1 (en) 2013-06-08 2014-12-11 Apple Inc. Interpreting and acting upon commands that involve sharing information with remote devices
EP3937002A1 (en) 2013-06-09 2022-01-12 Apple Inc. Device, method, and graphical user interface for enabling conversation persistence across two or more instances of a digital assistant
US10176167B2 (en) 2013-06-09 2019-01-08 Apple Inc. System and method for inferring user intent from speech inputs
KR101809808B1 (en) 2013-06-13 2017-12-15 애플 인크. System and method for emergency calls initiated by voice command
JP6163266B2 (en) 2013-08-06 2017-07-12 アップル インコーポレイテッド Automatic activation of smart responses based on activation from remote devices
US9620105B2 (en) 2014-05-15 2017-04-11 Apple Inc. Analyzing audio input for efficient speech and music recognition
US10592095B2 (en) 2014-05-23 2020-03-17 Apple Inc. Instantaneous speaking of content on touch devices
US9502031B2 (en) 2014-05-27 2016-11-22 Apple Inc. Method for supporting dynamic grammars in WFST-based ASR
US10170123B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2019-01-01 Apple Inc. Intelligent assistant for home automation
US9633004B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2017-04-25 Apple Inc. Better resolution when referencing to concepts
US10289433B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2019-05-14 Apple Inc. Domain specific language for encoding assistant dialog
US9785630B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2017-10-10 Apple Inc. Text prediction using combined word N-gram and unigram language models
US10078631B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2018-09-18 Apple Inc. Entropy-guided text prediction using combined word and character n-gram language models
US9842101B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2017-12-12 Apple Inc. Predictive conversion of language input
EP3480811A1 (en) 2014-05-30 2019-05-08 Apple Inc. Multi-command single utterance input method
US9734193B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2017-08-15 Apple Inc. Determining domain salience ranking from ambiguous words in natural speech
US9430463B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2016-08-30 Apple Inc. Exemplar-based natural language processing
US9715875B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2017-07-25 Apple Inc. Reducing the need for manual start/end-pointing and trigger phrases
US9760559B2 (en) 2014-05-30 2017-09-12 Apple Inc. Predictive text input
US10659851B2 (en) 2014-06-30 2020-05-19 Apple Inc. Real-time digital assistant knowledge updates
US9338493B2 (en) 2014-06-30 2016-05-10 Apple Inc. Intelligent automated assistant for TV user interactions
US10446141B2 (en) 2014-08-28 2019-10-15 Apple Inc. Automatic speech recognition based on user feedback
US9818400B2 (en) 2014-09-11 2017-11-14 Apple Inc. Method and apparatus for discovering trending terms in speech requests
US10789041B2 (en) 2014-09-12 2020-09-29 Apple Inc. Dynamic thresholds for always listening speech trigger
US10074360B2 (en) 2014-09-30 2018-09-11 Apple Inc. Providing an indication of the suitability of speech recognition
US9886432B2 (en) 2014-09-30 2018-02-06 Apple Inc. Parsimonious handling of word inflection via categorical stem + suffix N-gram language models
US9668121B2 (en) 2014-09-30 2017-05-30 Apple Inc. Social reminders
US9646609B2 (en) 2014-09-30 2017-05-09 Apple Inc. Caching apparatus for serving phonetic pronunciations
US10127911B2 (en) 2014-09-30 2018-11-13 Apple Inc. Speaker identification and unsupervised speaker adaptation techniques
US10552013B2 (en) 2014-12-02 2020-02-04 Apple Inc. Data detection
US9711141B2 (en) 2014-12-09 2017-07-18 Apple Inc. Disambiguating heteronyms in speech synthesis
US10097448B1 (en) 2014-12-18 2018-10-09 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Routing mode and point-of-presence selection service
US10091096B1 (en) 2014-12-18 2018-10-02 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Routing mode and point-of-presence selection service
US10033627B1 (en) 2014-12-18 2018-07-24 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Routing mode and point-of-presence selection service
US10349116B2 (en) * 2014-12-29 2019-07-09 DISH Technologies L.L.C. Systems and methods for pre-caching media content in response to user-system interaction
US9865280B2 (en) 2015-03-06 2018-01-09 Apple Inc. Structured dictation using intelligent automated assistants
US9886953B2 (en) 2015-03-08 2018-02-06 Apple Inc. Virtual assistant activation
US9721566B2 (en) 2015-03-08 2017-08-01 Apple Inc. Competing devices responding to voice triggers
US10567477B2 (en) 2015-03-08 2020-02-18 Apple Inc. Virtual assistant continuity
US9899019B2 (en) 2015-03-18 2018-02-20 Apple Inc. Systems and methods for structured stem and suffix language models
US10225326B1 (en) 2015-03-23 2019-03-05 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Point of presence based data uploading
US9887931B1 (en) 2015-03-30 2018-02-06 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Traffic surge management for points of presence
US9887932B1 (en) 2015-03-30 2018-02-06 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Traffic surge management for points of presence
US9819567B1 (en) 2015-03-30 2017-11-14 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Traffic surge management for points of presence
US9842105B2 (en) 2015-04-16 2017-12-12 Apple Inc. Parsimonious continuous-space phrase representations for natural language processing
US9832141B1 (en) 2015-05-13 2017-11-28 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Routing based request correlation
US10083688B2 (en) 2015-05-27 2018-09-25 Apple Inc. Device voice control for selecting a displayed affordance
US10127220B2 (en) 2015-06-04 2018-11-13 Apple Inc. Language identification from short strings
US10101822B2 (en) 2015-06-05 2018-10-16 Apple Inc. Language input correction
US9578173B2 (en) 2015-06-05 2017-02-21 Apple Inc. Virtual assistant aided communication with 3rd party service in a communication session
US11025565B2 (en) 2015-06-07 2021-06-01 Apple Inc. Personalized prediction of responses for instant messaging
US10255907B2 (en) 2015-06-07 2019-04-09 Apple Inc. Automatic accent detection using acoustic models
US10186254B2 (en) 2015-06-07 2019-01-22 Apple Inc. Context-based endpoint detection
US10616179B1 (en) 2015-06-25 2020-04-07 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Selective routing of domain name system (DNS) requests
US10097566B1 (en) 2015-07-31 2018-10-09 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Identifying targets of network attacks
US10747498B2 (en) 2015-09-08 2020-08-18 Apple Inc. Zero latency digital assistant
US10671428B2 (en) 2015-09-08 2020-06-02 Apple Inc. Distributed personal assistant
US9794281B1 (en) 2015-09-24 2017-10-17 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Identifying sources of network attacks
US9697820B2 (en) 2015-09-24 2017-07-04 Apple Inc. Unit-selection text-to-speech synthesis using concatenation-sensitive neural networks
US9774619B1 (en) 2015-09-24 2017-09-26 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Mitigating network attacks
US9742795B1 (en) 2015-09-24 2017-08-22 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Mitigating network attacks
US11010550B2 (en) 2015-09-29 2021-05-18 Apple Inc. Unified language modeling framework for word prediction, auto-completion and auto-correction
US10366158B2 (en) 2015-09-29 2019-07-30 Apple Inc. Efficient word encoding for recurrent neural network language models
US11587559B2 (en) 2015-09-30 2023-02-21 Apple Inc. Intelligent device identification
US10691473B2 (en) 2015-11-06 2020-06-23 Apple Inc. Intelligent automated assistant in a messaging environment
US10270878B1 (en) 2015-11-10 2019-04-23 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Routing for origin-facing points of presence
US10049668B2 (en) 2015-12-02 2018-08-14 Apple Inc. Applying neural network language models to weighted finite state transducers for automatic speech recognition
US10049051B1 (en) 2015-12-11 2018-08-14 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Reserved cache space in content delivery networks
US10257307B1 (en) 2015-12-11 2019-04-09 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Reserved cache space in content delivery networks
US10348639B2 (en) 2015-12-18 2019-07-09 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Use of virtual endpoints to improve data transmission rates
US10223066B2 (en) 2015-12-23 2019-03-05 Apple Inc. Proactive assistance based on dialog communication between devices
US10446143B2 (en) 2016-03-14 2019-10-15 Apple Inc. Identification of voice inputs providing credentials
US9934775B2 (en) 2016-05-26 2018-04-03 Apple Inc. Unit-selection text-to-speech synthesis based on predicted concatenation parameters
US9972304B2 (en) 2016-06-03 2018-05-15 Apple Inc. Privacy preserving distributed evaluation framework for embedded personalized systems
US10075551B1 (en) 2016-06-06 2018-09-11 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Request management for hierarchical cache
US10249300B2 (en) 2016-06-06 2019-04-02 Apple Inc. Intelligent list reading
US10049663B2 (en) 2016-06-08 2018-08-14 Apple, Inc. Intelligent automated assistant for media exploration
DK179309B1 (en) 2016-06-09 2018-04-23 Apple Inc Intelligent automated assistant in a home environment
US10509862B2 (en) 2016-06-10 2019-12-17 Apple Inc. Dynamic phrase expansion of language input
US10192552B2 (en) 2016-06-10 2019-01-29 Apple Inc. Digital assistant providing whispered speech
US10586535B2 (en) 2016-06-10 2020-03-10 Apple Inc. Intelligent digital assistant in a multi-tasking environment
US10067938B2 (en) 2016-06-10 2018-09-04 Apple Inc. Multilingual word prediction
US10490187B2 (en) 2016-06-10 2019-11-26 Apple Inc. Digital assistant providing automated status report
DK179049B1 (en) 2016-06-11 2017-09-18 Apple Inc Data driven natural language event detection and classification
DK201670540A1 (en) 2016-06-11 2018-01-08 Apple Inc Application integration with a digital assistant
DK179415B1 (en) 2016-06-11 2018-06-14 Apple Inc Intelligent device arbitration and control
DK179343B1 (en) 2016-06-11 2018-05-14 Apple Inc Intelligent task discovery
US10110694B1 (en) 2016-06-29 2018-10-23 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Adaptive transfer rate for retrieving content from a server
US9992086B1 (en) 2016-08-23 2018-06-05 Amazon Technologies, Inc. External health checking of virtual private cloud network environments
US10033691B1 (en) 2016-08-24 2018-07-24 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Adaptive resolution of domain name requests in virtual private cloud network environments
US10043516B2 (en) 2016-09-23 2018-08-07 Apple Inc. Intelligent automated assistant
US10616250B2 (en) 2016-10-05 2020-04-07 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Network addresses with encoded DNS-level information
US11281993B2 (en) 2016-12-05 2022-03-22 Apple Inc. Model and ensemble compression for metric learning
US10593346B2 (en) 2016-12-22 2020-03-17 Apple Inc. Rank-reduced token representation for automatic speech recognition
US10372499B1 (en) 2016-12-27 2019-08-06 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Efficient region selection system for executing request-driven code
US10831549B1 (en) 2016-12-27 2020-11-10 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Multi-region request-driven code execution system
US10938884B1 (en) 2017-01-30 2021-03-02 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Origin server cloaking using virtual private cloud network environments
US10503613B1 (en) 2017-04-21 2019-12-10 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Efficient serving of resources during server unavailability
DK201770383A1 (en) 2017-05-09 2018-12-14 Apple Inc. User interface for correcting recognition errors
DK201770439A1 (en) 2017-05-11 2018-12-13 Apple Inc. Offline personal assistant
DK179496B1 (en) 2017-05-12 2019-01-15 Apple Inc. USER-SPECIFIC Acoustic Models
DK179745B1 (en) 2017-05-12 2019-05-01 Apple Inc. SYNCHRONIZATION AND TASK DELEGATION OF A DIGITAL ASSISTANT
DK201770428A1 (en) 2017-05-12 2019-02-18 Apple Inc. Low-latency intelligent automated assistant
DK201770431A1 (en) 2017-05-15 2018-12-20 Apple Inc. Optimizing dialogue policy decisions for digital assistants using implicit feedback
DK201770432A1 (en) 2017-05-15 2018-12-21 Apple Inc. Hierarchical belief states for digital assistants
DK179560B1 (en) 2017-05-16 2019-02-18 Apple Inc. Far-field extension for digital assistant services
US11075987B1 (en) 2017-06-12 2021-07-27 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Load estimating content delivery network
US10447648B2 (en) 2017-06-19 2019-10-15 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Assignment of a POP to a DNS resolver based on volume of communications over a link between client devices and the POP
US10742593B1 (en) 2017-09-25 2020-08-11 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Hybrid content request routing system
US10592578B1 (en) 2018-03-07 2020-03-17 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Predictive content push-enabled content delivery network
US10862852B1 (en) 2018-11-16 2020-12-08 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Resolution of domain name requests in heterogeneous network environments
US11025747B1 (en) 2018-12-12 2021-06-01 Amazon Technologies, Inc. Content request pattern-based routing system
CN112700797B (en) * 2019-10-22 2022-08-16 西安诺瓦星云科技股份有限公司 Playlist editing method, device and system and computer readable storage medium

Citations (93)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4090216A (en) * 1976-05-26 1978-05-16 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Ambient light contrast and color control circuit
US4386345A (en) * 1981-09-22 1983-05-31 Sperry Corporation Color and brightness tracking in a cathode ray tube display system
US4451849A (en) * 1982-06-23 1984-05-29 Rca Corporation Plural operating mode ambient light responsive television picture control
US4589022A (en) * 1983-11-28 1986-05-13 General Electric Company Brightness control system for CRT video display
US4908523A (en) * 1988-04-04 1990-03-13 Motorola, Inc. Electronic circuit with power drain control
US4928307A (en) * 1989-03-02 1990-05-22 Acs Communications Time dependent, variable amplitude threshold output circuit for frequency variant and frequency invariant signal discrimination
US5185906A (en) * 1992-07-27 1993-02-16 Motorola, Inc. Belt clip spring with E-ring fastener
US5293494A (en) * 1989-06-23 1994-03-08 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Personal computer for setting, in a software setup operation normal/reverse display, connection of an external device, and an automatic display off function
US5379057A (en) * 1988-11-14 1995-01-03 Microslate, Inc. Portable computer with touch screen and computer system employing same
US5406305A (en) * 1993-01-19 1995-04-11 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Display device
US5608698A (en) * 1994-11-11 1997-03-04 Pioneer Electronic Corporation Disk player which avoids sound failure resulted from retry of data reading
US5617386A (en) * 1995-07-31 1997-04-01 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. CD player for reproducing signals from CD-OK and video CD
US5616876A (en) * 1995-04-19 1997-04-01 Microsoft Corporation System and methods for selecting music on the basis of subjective content
US5710922A (en) * 1993-06-02 1998-01-20 Apple Computer, Inc. Method for synchronizing and archiving information between computer systems
US5712949A (en) * 1991-01-29 1998-01-27 Sony Corporation Disc reproduction system with sequential reproduction of audio and image data
US5717422A (en) * 1994-01-25 1998-02-10 Fergason; James L. Variable intensity high contrast passive display
US5721949A (en) * 1993-12-14 1998-02-24 Apple Computer, Inc. Disk controller having sequential digital logic in a state machine for transferring data between DMA device and disk drive with minimal assistance of the CPU
US5726672A (en) * 1994-09-20 1998-03-10 Apple Computer, Inc. System to determine the color of ambient light for adjusting the illumination characteristics of a display
US5739451A (en) * 1996-12-27 1998-04-14 Franklin Electronic Publishers, Incorporated Hand held electronic music encyclopedia with text and note structure search
US5740143A (en) * 1993-06-18 1998-04-14 Sony Corporation Disc reproducing apparatus
US5760588A (en) * 1997-07-25 1998-06-02 Eveready Battery Company, Inc. Dual rate thermochromic battery tester
US5864868A (en) * 1996-02-13 1999-01-26 Contois; David C. Computer control system and user interface for media playing devices
US5867163A (en) * 1995-12-01 1999-02-02 Silicon Graphics, Inc. Graphical user interface for defining and invoking user-customized tool shelf execution sequence
US5870710A (en) * 1996-01-24 1999-02-09 Sony Corporation Audio transmission, recording and reproducing system
US5918303A (en) * 1996-11-25 1999-06-29 Yamaha Corporation Performance setting data selecting apparatus
US6011585A (en) * 1996-01-19 2000-01-04 Apple Computer, Inc. Apparatus and method for rotating the display orientation of a captured image
US6018705A (en) * 1997-10-02 2000-01-25 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Measuring foot contact time and foot loft time of a person in locomotion
US6041023A (en) * 1999-03-29 2000-03-21 Lakhansingh; Cynthia Portable digital radio and compact disk player
US6172948B1 (en) * 1997-07-09 2001-01-09 Advanced Audio Devices, Llc Optical storage device
US6179432B1 (en) * 1999-01-12 2001-01-30 Compaq Computer Corporation Lighting system for a keyboard
US6185163B1 (en) * 1997-10-16 2001-02-06 Delco Electronics Corporation Vehicle audio system having random access player with play list control
US6191939B1 (en) * 1998-12-23 2001-02-20 Gateway, Inc. Keyboard illumination via reflection of LCD light
US6208044B1 (en) * 1993-08-13 2001-03-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Removable media ejection system
US6216131B1 (en) * 1998-02-06 2001-04-10 Starfish Software, Inc. Methods for mapping data fields from one data set to another in a data processing environment
US6217183B1 (en) * 1999-09-15 2001-04-17 Michael Shipman Keyboard having illuminated keys
US6248946B1 (en) * 2000-03-01 2001-06-19 Ijockey, Inc. Multimedia content delivery system and method
US20020002413A1 (en) * 2000-06-30 2002-01-03 Jun Tokue Contents distribution system, portable terminal player, and contents provider
US6336727B1 (en) * 2000-06-27 2002-01-08 International Business Machines Corporation Pointing device keyboard light
US6336365B1 (en) * 1999-08-24 2002-01-08 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Low-cost accelerometer
US6341316B1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2002-01-22 Avantgo, Inc. System, method, and computer program product for synchronizing content between a server and a client based on state information
US20020013784A1 (en) * 2000-07-31 2002-01-31 Swanson Raymond H. Audio data transmission system and method of operation thereof
US20020028683A1 (en) * 1999-05-19 2002-03-07 Michael Banatre Mobile telephony device and process enabling access to a context-sensitive service using the position and/or identity of the user
US6357147B1 (en) * 1998-10-01 2002-03-19 Personal Electronics, Inc. Detachable foot mount for electronic device
US20020046315A1 (en) * 2000-10-13 2002-04-18 Interactive Objects, Inc. System and method for mapping interface functionality to codec functionality in a portable audio device
US20020045961A1 (en) * 2000-10-13 2002-04-18 Interactive Objects, Inc. System and method for data transfer optimization in a portable audio device
US6377530B1 (en) * 1999-02-12 2002-04-23 Compaq Computer Corporation System and method for playing compressed audio data
US20020055934A1 (en) * 2000-01-24 2002-05-09 Lipscomb Kenneth O. Dynamic management and organization of media assets in a media player device
US20030007001A1 (en) * 2001-06-07 2003-01-09 Philips Electronics North America Corporation Automatic setting of video and audio settings for media output devices
US20030018799A1 (en) * 2000-01-24 2003-01-23 Aviv Eyal System and method for media search and playback
US20030037254A1 (en) * 2001-06-06 2003-02-20 Claudius Fischer Process for synchronizing data between remotely located devices and a central computer system
US20030046434A1 (en) * 2001-08-14 2003-03-06 Microsoft Corporation Method and system for synchronizing mobile devices
US20030050092A1 (en) * 2001-08-03 2003-03-13 Yun Jimmy S. Portable digital player--battery
US20030074457A1 (en) * 2001-10-17 2003-04-17 Kluth Michael R. Computer system with separable input device
US20030076301A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-04-24 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for accelerated scrolling
US20030076306A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-04-24 Zadesky Stephen Paul Touch pad handheld device
US20030079038A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-04-24 Apple Computer, Inc. Intelligent interaction between media player and host computer
US6560903B1 (en) * 2000-03-07 2003-05-13 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Ambulatory foot pod
US20030097379A1 (en) * 2001-11-16 2003-05-22 Sonicblue, Inc. Remote-directed management of media content
US20030095096A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-05-22 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for use of rotational user inputs
US20040001395A1 (en) * 1997-07-09 2004-01-01 Keller Peter J. Optical storage device
US20040012556A1 (en) * 2002-07-17 2004-01-22 Sea-Weng Yong Method and related device for controlling illumination of a backlight of a liquid crystal display
US6693612B1 (en) * 1999-11-18 2004-02-17 Hitachi, Ltd. Liquid crystal display apparatus and its luminance control method
US20040055446A1 (en) * 2002-07-30 2004-03-25 Apple Computer, Inc. Graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player
US20040069122A1 (en) * 2001-12-27 2004-04-15 Intel Corporation (A Delaware Corporation) Portable hand-held music synthesizer and networking method and apparatus
US6731312B2 (en) * 2001-01-08 2004-05-04 Apple Computer, Inc. Media player interface
US20040086120A1 (en) * 2002-11-06 2004-05-06 Akins Glendon L. Selecting and downloading content to a portable player
US20040094018A1 (en) * 2000-08-23 2004-05-20 Ssd Company Limited Karaoke device with built-in microphone and microphone therefor
US20040103411A1 (en) * 2002-11-26 2004-05-27 Thayer Jennifer Joy System and method for automated program updating in a remote appliance
US20050015254A1 (en) * 2003-07-18 2005-01-20 Apple Computer, Inc. Voice menu system
US20050053365A1 (en) * 1997-10-06 2005-03-10 Adams Dale R. Portable DVD player
US6871063B1 (en) * 2000-06-30 2005-03-22 Intel Corporation Method and apparatus for controlling access to a computer system
US6870529B1 (en) * 2002-03-28 2005-03-22 Ncr Corporation System and method for adjusting display brightness levels according to user preferences
US6876947B1 (en) * 1997-10-02 2005-04-05 Fitsense Technology, Inc. Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot
US6882955B1 (en) * 1997-10-02 2005-04-19 Fitsense Technology, Inc. Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot
US20050108754A1 (en) * 2003-11-19 2005-05-19 Serenade Systems Personalized content application
US20050111820A1 (en) * 2002-05-10 2005-05-26 Chiyoko Matsumi Recording/replaying system, recording/replaying method, program and recording medium
US20060013414A1 (en) * 2004-07-15 2006-01-19 Hsuan-Huei Shih Methods and related circuit for automatic audio volume level control
US20060025068A1 (en) * 2004-07-27 2006-02-02 Microsoft Corporation Intelligent data broadcasting
US20060068760A1 (en) * 2004-08-31 2006-03-30 Hameed Muhammad F System and method for pairing dual mode wired/wireless devices
US7028096B1 (en) * 1999-09-14 2006-04-11 Streaming21, Inc. Method and apparatus for caching for streaming data
US20060088228A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2006-04-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Image scaling arrangement
US20060094409A1 (en) * 2000-09-06 2006-05-04 Eric Inselberg Method and apparatus for interactive audience participation at a live entertainment event
US20060095502A1 (en) * 2002-11-22 2006-05-04 America Online, Incorporated Real-time communications and content sharing
US20060098320A1 (en) * 2004-11-05 2006-05-11 Tsutomu Koga Storage control device and method for detecting write errors to storage media
US7171331B2 (en) * 2001-12-17 2007-01-30 Phatrat Technology, Llc Shoes employing monitoring devices, and associated methods
US20070028009A1 (en) * 2002-07-23 2007-02-01 Apple Computer, Inc. Hot unpluggable media storage device
US7191244B2 (en) * 2001-01-19 2007-03-13 Streamworks Technologies, Inc. System and method for routing media
US7213228B2 (en) * 2003-03-17 2007-05-01 Macrovision Corporation Methods and apparatus for implementing a remote application over a network
US20070106660A1 (en) * 2005-11-09 2007-05-10 Bbnt Solutions Llc Method and apparatus for using confidence scores of enhanced metadata in search-driven media applications
US20070124679A1 (en) * 2005-11-28 2007-05-31 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Video summary service apparatus and method of operating the apparatus
US20080055228A1 (en) * 2006-08-31 2008-03-06 Glen David I J Adjusting brightness of a display image in a display having an adjustable intensity light source
US7356679B1 (en) * 2003-04-11 2008-04-08 Vmware, Inc. Computer image capture, customization and deployment
US7508535B2 (en) * 2003-09-25 2009-03-24 Ricoh Co., Ltd. Stand alone multimedia printer with user interface for allocating processing

Family Cites Families (38)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
JPH01205764A (en) * 1988-02-12 1989-08-18 Brother Ind Ltd Pcm reproducing device
JPH01217767A (en) * 1988-02-24 1989-08-31 Sumitomo Electric Ind Ltd Optical reading disk device shared for music/map
JP2701368B2 (en) * 1988-09-29 1998-01-21 ソニー株式会社 Playback device
JP2993692B2 (en) * 1990-02-02 1999-12-20 株式会社日立製作所 Video decoding device
JPH04238160A (en) * 1991-01-21 1992-08-26 Sony Corp Signal reproducing device
JP3230319B2 (en) 1992-07-09 2001-11-19 ソニー株式会社 Sound reproduction device
JP2851977B2 (en) 1992-10-14 1999-01-27 シャープ株式会社 Playback device
JPH07176174A (en) * 1992-12-25 1995-07-14 Mitsubishi Electric Corp Disk device
JP2803064B2 (en) * 1993-07-13 1998-09-24 日本コロムビア株式会社 Optical disk player
JP2927648B2 (en) * 1993-07-16 1999-07-28 シャープ株式会社 Information reproduction method and information recording / reproduction method
JPH07122002A (en) * 1993-10-25 1995-05-12 Hitachi Ltd Cd control device
US5528513A (en) * 1993-11-04 1996-06-18 Digital Equipment Corp. Scheduling and admission control policy for a continuous media server
JPH07182838A (en) * 1993-12-22 1995-07-21 Yamaha Corp Disk reproducing device
JPH07210988A (en) * 1994-01-22 1995-08-11 Victor Co Of Japan Ltd Continuous data recording/reproducing method
JP3111144B2 (en) * 1994-06-16 2000-11-20 クラリオン株式会社 Medium recording / reproducing device
JPH0863877A (en) * 1994-08-19 1996-03-08 Ricoh Co Ltd Disk apparatus
JPH08166853A (en) * 1994-12-14 1996-06-25 Toshiba Corp Recording medium reproducing device
DE4445023A1 (en) 1994-12-16 1996-06-20 Thomson Brandt Gmbh Vibration resistant player with reduced energy consumption
CN1114914C (en) * 1994-12-16 2003-07-16 德国汤姆逊-布朗特公司 Vibration-resistant playback device
JPH08194982A (en) * 1995-01-19 1996-07-30 Suzuki Motor Corp Md player
US5716949A (en) * 1995-04-07 1998-02-10 Novo Nordisk A/S Heterocyclic compounds
JP3493825B2 (en) * 1995-08-02 2004-02-03 ソニー株式会社 Information playback device
JPH09198802A (en) * 1996-01-19 1997-07-31 Nippon Columbia Co Ltd Disk reproducing device
JP3790301B2 (en) * 1996-08-21 2006-06-28 シャープ株式会社 Optical disc and optical disc recording apparatus
JP3462675B2 (en) * 1996-09-24 2003-11-05 株式会社リコー Disk unit
JPH10271438A (en) * 1997-03-27 1998-10-09 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd Image and sound reproduction device, image and sound reproducing method, and recording medium
JP2000090651A (en) * 1998-09-11 2000-03-31 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd Data reproduction system
US6332175B1 (en) 1999-02-12 2001-12-18 Compaq Computer Corporation Low power system and method for playing compressed audio data
JP2000235773A (en) * 1999-02-15 2000-08-29 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Reproducing and processing method for disk reproducing device and disk reproducing device
JP2000285590A (en) * 1999-03-26 2000-10-13 Sony Corp Disk device
JP3570286B2 (en) * 1999-03-31 2004-09-29 ブラザー工業株式会社 Information recording medium having logically structured recording area, method and apparatus for creating information for creating this information recording medium, information recording medium on which creation program is recorded, and method and apparatus for creating this information recording medium An information recording medium on which an apparatus and its creation program are recorded, and a method and apparatus for creating an information recording medium on which image information or sound information is recorded using this information recording medium, and an information recording medium on which the creation program is recorded.
JP2000311352A (en) * 1999-04-26 2000-11-07 Sharp Corp Optical disk and optical recording and reproducing device
JP2000339864A (en) * 1999-05-27 2000-12-08 Matsushita Electric Ind Co Ltd Disk reproducing device
JP2000339917A (en) * 1999-06-02 2000-12-08 Keiichi Kato Musical sound reproducing system
JP2003510734A (en) * 1999-09-27 2003-03-18 コーニンクレッカ フィリップス エレクトロニクス エヌ ヴィ File splitting for emulating streaming
JP2001167501A (en) * 1999-12-08 2001-06-22 Sanyo Electric Co Ltd Portable disk reproducing device
US6934812B1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2005-08-23 Apple Computer, Inc. Media player with instant play capability
US6801964B1 (en) * 2001-10-25 2004-10-05 Novell, Inc. Methods and systems to fast fill media players

Patent Citations (99)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US4090216A (en) * 1976-05-26 1978-05-16 Gte Sylvania Incorporated Ambient light contrast and color control circuit
US4386345A (en) * 1981-09-22 1983-05-31 Sperry Corporation Color and brightness tracking in a cathode ray tube display system
US4451849A (en) * 1982-06-23 1984-05-29 Rca Corporation Plural operating mode ambient light responsive television picture control
US4589022A (en) * 1983-11-28 1986-05-13 General Electric Company Brightness control system for CRT video display
US4908523A (en) * 1988-04-04 1990-03-13 Motorola, Inc. Electronic circuit with power drain control
US5379057A (en) * 1988-11-14 1995-01-03 Microslate, Inc. Portable computer with touch screen and computer system employing same
US4928307A (en) * 1989-03-02 1990-05-22 Acs Communications Time dependent, variable amplitude threshold output circuit for frequency variant and frequency invariant signal discrimination
US5293494A (en) * 1989-06-23 1994-03-08 Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba Personal computer for setting, in a software setup operation normal/reverse display, connection of an external device, and an automatic display off function
US5712949A (en) * 1991-01-29 1998-01-27 Sony Corporation Disc reproduction system with sequential reproduction of audio and image data
US5185906A (en) * 1992-07-27 1993-02-16 Motorola, Inc. Belt clip spring with E-ring fastener
US5406305A (en) * 1993-01-19 1995-04-11 Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. Display device
US5710922A (en) * 1993-06-02 1998-01-20 Apple Computer, Inc. Method for synchronizing and archiving information between computer systems
US5740143A (en) * 1993-06-18 1998-04-14 Sony Corporation Disc reproducing apparatus
US6208044B1 (en) * 1993-08-13 2001-03-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Removable media ejection system
US5721949A (en) * 1993-12-14 1998-02-24 Apple Computer, Inc. Disk controller having sequential digital logic in a state machine for transferring data between DMA device and disk drive with minimal assistance of the CPU
US5717422A (en) * 1994-01-25 1998-02-10 Fergason; James L. Variable intensity high contrast passive display
US5726672A (en) * 1994-09-20 1998-03-10 Apple Computer, Inc. System to determine the color of ambient light for adjusting the illumination characteristics of a display
US5608698A (en) * 1994-11-11 1997-03-04 Pioneer Electronic Corporation Disk player which avoids sound failure resulted from retry of data reading
US5616876A (en) * 1995-04-19 1997-04-01 Microsoft Corporation System and methods for selecting music on the basis of subjective content
US5617386A (en) * 1995-07-31 1997-04-01 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. CD player for reproducing signals from CD-OK and video CD
US5867163A (en) * 1995-12-01 1999-02-02 Silicon Graphics, Inc. Graphical user interface for defining and invoking user-customized tool shelf execution sequence
US6011585A (en) * 1996-01-19 2000-01-04 Apple Computer, Inc. Apparatus and method for rotating the display orientation of a captured image
US5870710A (en) * 1996-01-24 1999-02-09 Sony Corporation Audio transmission, recording and reproducing system
US5864868A (en) * 1996-02-13 1999-01-26 Contois; David C. Computer control system and user interface for media playing devices
US5918303A (en) * 1996-11-25 1999-06-29 Yamaha Corporation Performance setting data selecting apparatus
US5739451A (en) * 1996-12-27 1998-04-14 Franklin Electronic Publishers, Incorporated Hand held electronic music encyclopedia with text and note structure search
US20040076086A1 (en) * 1997-07-09 2004-04-22 Keller Peter J. Compact disc recorder
US20040001395A1 (en) * 1997-07-09 2004-01-01 Keller Peter J. Optical storage device
US6172948B1 (en) * 1997-07-09 2001-01-09 Advanced Audio Devices, Llc Optical storage device
US20040001396A1 (en) * 1997-07-09 2004-01-01 Keller Peter J. Music jukebox
US5760588A (en) * 1997-07-25 1998-06-02 Eveready Battery Company, Inc. Dual rate thermochromic battery tester
US6052654A (en) * 1997-10-02 2000-04-18 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Measuring foot contact time and foot loft time of a person in locomotion
US6018705A (en) * 1997-10-02 2000-01-25 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Measuring foot contact time and foot loft time of a person in locomotion
US6898550B1 (en) * 1997-10-02 2005-05-24 Fitsense Technology, Inc. Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot
US6876947B1 (en) * 1997-10-02 2005-04-05 Fitsense Technology, Inc. Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot
US6882955B1 (en) * 1997-10-02 2005-04-19 Fitsense Technology, Inc. Monitoring activity of a user in locomotion on foot
US20050053365A1 (en) * 1997-10-06 2005-03-10 Adams Dale R. Portable DVD player
US6185163B1 (en) * 1997-10-16 2001-02-06 Delco Electronics Corporation Vehicle audio system having random access player with play list control
US6216131B1 (en) * 1998-02-06 2001-04-10 Starfish Software, Inc. Methods for mapping data fields from one data set to another in a data processing environment
US6357147B1 (en) * 1998-10-01 2002-03-19 Personal Electronics, Inc. Detachable foot mount for electronic device
US6536139B2 (en) * 1998-10-01 2003-03-25 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Detachable foot mount for electronic device
US6191939B1 (en) * 1998-12-23 2001-02-20 Gateway, Inc. Keyboard illumination via reflection of LCD light
US6179432B1 (en) * 1999-01-12 2001-01-30 Compaq Computer Corporation Lighting system for a keyboard
US6377530B1 (en) * 1999-02-12 2002-04-23 Compaq Computer Corporation System and method for playing compressed audio data
US6041023A (en) * 1999-03-29 2000-03-21 Lakhansingh; Cynthia Portable digital radio and compact disk player
US20020028683A1 (en) * 1999-05-19 2002-03-07 Michael Banatre Mobile telephony device and process enabling access to a context-sensitive service using the position and/or identity of the user
US6336365B1 (en) * 1999-08-24 2002-01-08 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Low-cost accelerometer
US6341316B1 (en) * 1999-09-10 2002-01-22 Avantgo, Inc. System, method, and computer program product for synchronizing content between a server and a client based on state information
US7028096B1 (en) * 1999-09-14 2006-04-11 Streaming21, Inc. Method and apparatus for caching for streaming data
US6217183B1 (en) * 1999-09-15 2001-04-17 Michael Shipman Keyboard having illuminated keys
US6693612B1 (en) * 1999-11-18 2004-02-17 Hitachi, Ltd. Liquid crystal display apparatus and its luminance control method
US20030018799A1 (en) * 2000-01-24 2003-01-23 Aviv Eyal System and method for media search and playback
US20020055934A1 (en) * 2000-01-24 2002-05-09 Lipscomb Kenneth O. Dynamic management and organization of media assets in a media player device
US6248946B1 (en) * 2000-03-01 2001-06-19 Ijockey, Inc. Multimedia content delivery system and method
US6560903B1 (en) * 2000-03-07 2003-05-13 Personal Electronic Devices, Inc. Ambulatory foot pod
US6336727B1 (en) * 2000-06-27 2002-01-08 International Business Machines Corporation Pointing device keyboard light
US6871063B1 (en) * 2000-06-30 2005-03-22 Intel Corporation Method and apparatus for controlling access to a computer system
US20020002413A1 (en) * 2000-06-30 2002-01-03 Jun Tokue Contents distribution system, portable terminal player, and contents provider
US20020013784A1 (en) * 2000-07-31 2002-01-31 Swanson Raymond H. Audio data transmission system and method of operation thereof
US20040094018A1 (en) * 2000-08-23 2004-05-20 Ssd Company Limited Karaoke device with built-in microphone and microphone therefor
US20060094409A1 (en) * 2000-09-06 2006-05-04 Eric Inselberg Method and apparatus for interactive audience participation at a live entertainment event
US20020045961A1 (en) * 2000-10-13 2002-04-18 Interactive Objects, Inc. System and method for data transfer optimization in a portable audio device
US20020046315A1 (en) * 2000-10-13 2002-04-18 Interactive Objects, Inc. System and method for mapping interface functionality to codec functionality in a portable audio device
US6731312B2 (en) * 2001-01-08 2004-05-04 Apple Computer, Inc. Media player interface
US7191244B2 (en) * 2001-01-19 2007-03-13 Streamworks Technologies, Inc. System and method for routing media
US20030037254A1 (en) * 2001-06-06 2003-02-20 Claudius Fischer Process for synchronizing data between remotely located devices and a central computer system
US20030007001A1 (en) * 2001-06-07 2003-01-09 Philips Electronics North America Corporation Automatic setting of video and audio settings for media output devices
US20030050092A1 (en) * 2001-08-03 2003-03-13 Yun Jimmy S. Portable digital player--battery
US20030046434A1 (en) * 2001-08-14 2003-03-06 Microsoft Corporation Method and system for synchronizing mobile devices
US20030074457A1 (en) * 2001-10-17 2003-04-17 Kluth Michael R. Computer system with separable input device
US20030095096A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-05-22 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for use of rotational user inputs
US20030079038A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-04-24 Apple Computer, Inc. Intelligent interaction between media player and host computer
US20030076306A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-04-24 Zadesky Stephen Paul Touch pad handheld device
US7046230B2 (en) * 2001-10-22 2006-05-16 Apple Computer, Inc. Touch pad handheld device
US20030076301A1 (en) * 2001-10-22 2003-04-24 Apple Computer, Inc. Method and apparatus for accelerated scrolling
US20030097379A1 (en) * 2001-11-16 2003-05-22 Sonicblue, Inc. Remote-directed management of media content
US7171331B2 (en) * 2001-12-17 2007-01-30 Phatrat Technology, Llc Shoes employing monitoring devices, and associated methods
US20040069122A1 (en) * 2001-12-27 2004-04-15 Intel Corporation (A Delaware Corporation) Portable hand-held music synthesizer and networking method and apparatus
US6870529B1 (en) * 2002-03-28 2005-03-22 Ncr Corporation System and method for adjusting display brightness levels according to user preferences
US20050111820A1 (en) * 2002-05-10 2005-05-26 Chiyoko Matsumi Recording/replaying system, recording/replaying method, program and recording medium
US20040012556A1 (en) * 2002-07-17 2004-01-22 Sea-Weng Yong Method and related device for controlling illumination of a backlight of a liquid crystal display
US20070028009A1 (en) * 2002-07-23 2007-02-01 Apple Computer, Inc. Hot unpluggable media storage device
US20040055446A1 (en) * 2002-07-30 2004-03-25 Apple Computer, Inc. Graphical user interface and methods of use thereof in a multimedia player
US20040086120A1 (en) * 2002-11-06 2004-05-06 Akins Glendon L. Selecting and downloading content to a portable player
US20060095502A1 (en) * 2002-11-22 2006-05-04 America Online, Incorporated Real-time communications and content sharing
US20040103411A1 (en) * 2002-11-26 2004-05-27 Thayer Jennifer Joy System and method for automated program updating in a remote appliance
US7213228B2 (en) * 2003-03-17 2007-05-01 Macrovision Corporation Methods and apparatus for implementing a remote application over a network
US7356679B1 (en) * 2003-04-11 2008-04-08 Vmware, Inc. Computer image capture, customization and deployment
US20050015254A1 (en) * 2003-07-18 2005-01-20 Apple Computer, Inc. Voice menu system
US7508535B2 (en) * 2003-09-25 2009-03-24 Ricoh Co., Ltd. Stand alone multimedia printer with user interface for allocating processing
US20050108754A1 (en) * 2003-11-19 2005-05-19 Serenade Systems Personalized content application
US20060013414A1 (en) * 2004-07-15 2006-01-19 Hsuan-Huei Shih Methods and related circuit for automatic audio volume level control
US20060025068A1 (en) * 2004-07-27 2006-02-02 Microsoft Corporation Intelligent data broadcasting
US20060068760A1 (en) * 2004-08-31 2006-03-30 Hameed Muhammad F System and method for pairing dual mode wired/wireless devices
US20060088228A1 (en) * 2004-10-25 2006-04-27 Apple Computer, Inc. Image scaling arrangement
US20060098320A1 (en) * 2004-11-05 2006-05-11 Tsutomu Koga Storage control device and method for detecting write errors to storage media
US20070106660A1 (en) * 2005-11-09 2007-05-10 Bbnt Solutions Llc Method and apparatus for using confidence scores of enhanced metadata in search-driven media applications
US20070124679A1 (en) * 2005-11-28 2007-05-31 Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. Video summary service apparatus and method of operating the apparatus
US20080055228A1 (en) * 2006-08-31 2008-03-06 Glen David I J Adjusting brightness of a display image in a display having an adjustable intensity light source

Cited By (6)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US10534452B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2020-01-14 Apple Inc. Highly portable media device
US11442563B2 (en) 2005-01-07 2022-09-13 Apple Inc. Status indicators for an electronic device
WO2015047926A1 (en) * 2013-09-27 2015-04-02 Intel Corporation Power consumption reduction in a computing device
US20150095686A1 (en) * 2013-09-27 2015-04-02 Shane Matthews Power consumption reduction in a computing device
US9342134B2 (en) * 2013-09-27 2016-05-17 Intel Corporation Power consumption reduction in a computing device
JP2016537751A (en) * 2013-09-27 2016-12-01 インテル コーポレイション Reducing power consumption in computing devices

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
JP5297505B2 (en) 2013-09-25
EP2533243A2 (en) 2012-12-12
WO2003036647A1 (en) 2003-05-01
US7234026B2 (en) 2007-06-19
EP1440444B1 (en) 2013-11-20
JP4837891B2 (en) 2011-12-14
US6934812B1 (en) 2005-08-23
JP4806689B2 (en) 2011-11-02
KR20040045883A (en) 2004-06-02
JP2005507131A (en) 2005-03-10
HK1076914A1 (en) 2006-01-27
CN1625778A (en) 2005-06-08
JP2011233231A (en) 2011-11-17
KR100645123B1 (en) 2006-11-10
SG146462A1 (en) 2008-10-30
JP2008186576A (en) 2008-08-14
EP2533243A3 (en) 2013-04-10
EP1440444A1 (en) 2004-07-28
CN100492272C (en) 2009-05-27
US20050216674A1 (en) 2005-09-29

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
US7234026B2 (en) Media player with instant play capability
JP2002287859A (en) Portable computing device equipped with low-power media player
US6647499B1 (en) System for powering down a disk storage device to an idle state upon trnsfer to an intermediate storage location accessible by system processor
KR100715571B1 (en) Machine-readable medium for computer system and personal computer to play audio files
US7522964B2 (en) Low power digital audio decoding/playing system for computing devices
US7526349B2 (en) Low power digital audio decoding/playing system for computing devices
JP2006525598A (en) Controller for portable electronic devices
US8688928B2 (en) Media device with intelligent cache utilization
US20030088326A1 (en) Low power digital audio decoding/playing system for computing devices
US6590730B2 (en) System for managing power in a portable music player
US20030067847A1 (en) Reducing power consumption of rotating disk storage devices
CN101540180B (en) Media player with instant play capability
KR20080027017A (en) Portable media player including detachable harddisk

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
STCB Information on status: application discontinuation

Free format text: ABANDONED -- FAILURE TO RESPOND TO AN OFFICE ACTION