US20070208911A1 - Media player with instant play capability - Google Patents
Media player with instant play capability Download PDFInfo
- 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
Links
- 239000004065 semiconductor Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 52
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 35
- 238000004590 computer program Methods 0.000 claims description 10
- 230000003213 activating effect Effects 0.000 claims description 8
- 230000000977 initiatory effect Effects 0.000 claims description 3
- 230000002708 enhancing effect Effects 0.000 abstract description 2
- 238000012545 processing Methods 0.000 description 52
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 12
- 230000008901 benefit Effects 0.000 description 9
- 238000013500 data storage Methods 0.000 description 3
- 238000012986 modification Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004048 modification Effects 0.000 description 2
- 238000009987 spinning Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000004913 activation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000010276 construction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000003111 delayed effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000013461 design Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000694 effects Effects 0.000 description 1
- 230000003287 optical effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000012546 transfer Methods 0.000 description 1
Images
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B20/00—Signal processing not specific to the method of recording or reproducing; Circuits therefor
- G11B20/10—Digital recording or reproducing
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/26—Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
- G06F1/32—Means for saving power
- G06F1/3203—Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
- G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
- G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
- G06F1/26—Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof
- G06F1/32—Means for saving power
- G06F1/3203—Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
- G06F1/3234—Power saving characterised by the action undertaken
- G06F1/325—Power saving in peripheral device
- G06F1/3268—Power saving in hard disk drive
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B19/00—Driving, 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
- G11B19/02—Control of operating function, e.g. switching from recording to reproducing
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
- G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
- G11B27/102—Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers
- G11B27/105—Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers of operating discs
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B27/00—Editing; Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Monitoring; Measuring tape travel
- G11B27/10—Indexing; Addressing; Timing or synchronising; Measuring tape travel
- G11B27/34—Indicating arrangements
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing 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
- H04N21/432—Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk
- H04N21/4325—Content retrieval operation from a local storage medium, e.g. hard-disk by playing back content from the storage medium
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N21/00—Selective content distribution, e.g. interactive television or video on demand [VOD]
- H04N21/40—Client devices specifically adapted for the reception of or interaction with content, e.g. set-top-box [STB]; Operations thereof
- H04N21/43—Processing 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
- H04N21/443—OS processes, e.g. booting an STB, implementing a Java virtual machine in an STB or power management in an STB
- H04N21/4436—Power management, e.g. shutting down unused components of the receiver
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N5/00—Details of television systems
- H04N5/76—Television signal recording
- H04N5/78—Television signal recording using magnetic recording
- H04N5/781—Television signal recording using magnetic recording on disks or drums
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G11—INFORMATION STORAGE
- G11B—INFORMATION STORAGE BASED ON RELATIVE MOVEMENT BETWEEN RECORD CARRIER AND TRANSDUCER
- G11B2220/00—Record carriers by type
- G11B2220/20—Disc-shaped record carriers
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N5/00—Details of television systems
- H04N5/76—Television signal recording
- H04N5/907—Television signal recording using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories
-
- H—ELECTRICITY
- H04—ELECTRIC COMMUNICATION TECHNIQUE
- H04N—PICTORIAL COMMUNICATION, e.g. TELEVISION
- H04N9/00—Details of colour television systems
- H04N9/79—Processing of colour television signals in connection with recording
- H04N9/80—Transformation of the television signal for recording, e.g. modulation, frequency changing; Inverse transformation for playback
- H04N9/82—Transformation 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
- H04N9/8205—Transformation 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
-
- Y—GENERAL 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
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02D—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
- Y02D10/00—Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management
-
- Y—GENERAL 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
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02D—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES [ICT], I.E. INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES AIMING AT THE REDUCTION OF THEIR OWN ENERGY USE
- Y02D30/00—Reducing energy consumption in communication networks
- Y02D30/50—Reducing 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. - 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 amedia player 100 according to one embodiment of the invention. Themedia player 100 includes aprocessor 102 that pertains to a microprocessor or controller for controlling the overall operation of themedia player 100. Themedia player 100 stores media data pertaining to media items in afile system 104 and acache 106. Thefile system 104 is, typically, a storage disk or a plurality of disks. The file system typically provides high capacity storage capability for themedia player 100. However, since the access time to thefile system 104 is relatively slow, themedia player 100 also includes acache 106. Thecache 106 is, for example, Random-Access Memory (RAM) provided by semiconductor memory. The relative access time to thecache 106 is substantially shorter than for thefile system 104. However, thecache 106 does not have the large storage capacity of thefile system 104. - Further, the
file system 104, when active, consumes more power than does thecache 106. The power consumption is particularly important when themedia player 100 is a portable media player that is powered by a battery (not shown). - The
media player 100 also includes auser input device 108 that allows a user of themedia player 100 to interact with themedia player 100. For example, theuser input device 108 can take a variety of forms, such as a button, keypad, dial, etc. Still further, themedia player 100 includes a display 110 (screen display) that can be controlled by theprocessor 102 to display information to the user. Adata bus 111 can facilitate data transfer between at least thefile system 104, thecache 106, theprocessor 102, and theCODEC 112. - In one embodiment, the
media player 100 serves to store a plurality of media items (e.g., songs) in thefile 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 thedisplay 110. Then, using theuser input device 108, a user can select one of the available media items. Theprocessor 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. TheCODEC 112 then produces analog output signals for aspeaker 114. Thespeaker 114 can be a speaker internal to themedia player 100 or external to themedia player 100. For example, headphones or earphones that connect to themedia 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, theprocessor 102 immediately accesses thefile system 104 or thecache 106 to retrieve an initial portion of the media data and supplies it to theCODEC 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 thefile system 104. However, since the access speed of thefile system 104 is relatively slow compared to the access speed needed for the playing of the media item, and because thefile system 104 consumes significant amounts of power of themedia player 100, the media data for the media item is loaded into thecache 106 such that once the media data has been loaded into thecache 106, all remaining portions of the media data for the particular media item are retrieved from thecache 106. Consequently, the media item is played almost substantially immediately following the user's selection because the initial portion is obtained immediately from thefile system 104 and then subsequent portions are obtained from thecache 106. Here, thecache 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, thefile system 104 can be inactivated (e.g., placed in a low power mode) to save power consumption for themedia player 100. By deactivating thefile system 104 in this matter, battery life of themedia player 100 is able to be significantly improved, assuming themedia 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. Themedia play processing 200 is, for example, performed by themedia player 100 illustrated inFIG. 1 . - The media play processing 200 initially begins with a
decision 202 that determines whether a play selection has been made. When thedecision 202 determines that a play selection has not been made, then themedia play processing 200 awaits such a selection. In other words, themedia play processing 200 is effectively invoked when a play selection is made. In any case, once thedecision 202 determines that a play selection has been made, then adecision 204 determines whether the media data for the play selection is in a cache (e.g.,cache 106,FIG. 1 ). When thedecision 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 thedecision 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 media play processing 200initiates 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 adecision 212 next determines whether there is more data to be retrieved. When thedecision 212 determines that there is more data associated with the media item being played to be retrieved, then themedia play processing 200 returns to repeat thedecision 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, adecision 214 determines whether the file system is active. When thedecision 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 theoperation 216, as well as following thedecision 214 when the file system is already active, the media data for the particular media item is loaded 218 into the cache. Here, theloading 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 theoperation 220, the cache loading process is complete and ends. Further, once the cache loading process has completed, the next time themedia play processing 200 performs thedecision 204, the result will be that all subsequent media data for the particular media item will be retrieved from the cache atoperation 208. -
FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of mediadata retrieval processing 300 according to one embodiment of the invention. The mediadata retrieval processing 300 is, for example, performed by a media device, such as themedia device 100 illustrated inFIG. 1 . In one embodiment, the mediadata retrieval processing 300 is performed or controlled by theprocessor 102 of themedia device 100 shown inFIG. 1 . - The media
data retrieval processing 300 begins with adecision 302 that determines whether more media data is needed. Hence, thedecision 302, for example, pertains to theCODEC 112 requesting media data pertaining to a media item that is to be played by themedia device 100. Typically, theCODEC 112 operates to buffer a short play duration of media data and thus periodically requests additional data from data storage provided by themedia device 100. Hence, when thedecision 302 determines that more media data is not needed, then the mediadata 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 adecision 304 determines whether the media data is available in the cache memory. For example, the cache memory can be thecache 106 illustrated inFIG. 1 . When thedecision 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, thefile system 104 illustrated inFIG. 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 thefile system 104 is in an inactive (low-power) state, the read request can return thefile 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 thedecision 310 determines that the cache loader is not already running, then the cache loader is activated 312. Alternatively, when thedecision 310 determines that the cache loader is already running, then theoperation 312 is bypassed. Following theoperation 312, as well as following thedecision 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 theoperations data retrieval processing 300 returns to repeat thedecision 302 and subsequent operations so that additional media data can be obtained in the same manner. -
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram ofcache loader processing 400 according to one embodiment of the invention. Thecache loader processing 400 is, for example, processing performed by the cache loader that is activated inoperation 312 illustrated inFIG. 3 . - The
cache loader processing 400 begins with adecision 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, thefile system 104 illustrated inFIG. 1 . More generally, thedecision 402 could indicate whether the file system is active. In any case, when thedecision 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, theoperations - 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 inFIG. 1 . - A
decision 410 then determines whether all of the data blocks for the file (i.e., media item) have been retrieved. When thedecision 410 determines that all of the data blocks for the file have not yet all been retrieved, then thecache loader processing 400 returns to repeat theoperation 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 thedecision 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 thecache loader processing 400 and thus, when de-activated 412, the process that is performing thecache 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 ofFIG. 3 and thecache loader processing 400 can be implemented by separate threads. The processing shown inFIGS. 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 theoperation 314 of the mediadata retrieval processing 300 shown inFIG. 3 or theoperation 406 of thecache loader processing 400 illustrated inFIG. 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 ofcache loader processing 600 according to another embodiment of the invention. Thecache loader processing 600 has features similar to thecache loader processing 400 illustrated inFIG. 4 . However, thecache 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 adecision 602 that determines whether the storage disk (e.g., hard drive) is “on.” When thedecision 602 determines that the storage disk is not “on,” then the storage disk is turned on 604. Alternatively, when thedecision 602 determines that the storage disk is already “on,” then theoperation 604 is bypassed. In any case, a data block is then retrieved 606 from the file system. As an example, theretrieval 606 of the data block can be performed in accordance with the data access processing 500 discussed above with respect toFIG. 5 . Once the data block is retrieved from the file system, the retrieved data block is then stored 608 into the cache memory. Next, adecision 610 determines whether all of the data blocks for the file (i.e., media item) have been retrieved. When thedecision 610 determines that all of the data blocks for the file have not yet been retrieved, then adecision 612 determines whether the cache memory has available space for another data block. When thedecision 612 determines that the cache memory does have available space for another data block, then thecache loader processing 600 can return to repeat theoperation 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 thedecision 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. Adecision 616 then determines whether it is time to re-fill the cache memory. When thedecision 616 determines that it is not yet time to fill the cache memory, thecache loader processing 600 awaits a more suitable time. In other words, thedecision 616 causes a delay in thecache 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 thedecision 616 determines that it is time to re-fill the cache memory, then thecache loader processing 600 returns to repeat thedecision 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 theoperation 620, thecache 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.
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)
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)
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)
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)
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 |
-
2002
- 2002-04-05 US US10/118,217 patent/US6934812B1/en not_active Expired - Lifetime
- 2002-10-18 WO PCT/US2002/033330 patent/WO2003036647A1/en active Application Filing
- 2002-10-18 SG SG200701865-8A patent/SG146462A1/en unknown
- 2002-10-18 EP EP02786440.4A patent/EP1440444B1/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2002-10-18 KR KR1020047005851A patent/KR100645123B1/en active IP Right Grant
- 2002-10-18 EP EP12175189.5A patent/EP2533243A3/en not_active Withdrawn
- 2002-10-18 JP JP2003539048A patent/JP4837891B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2002-10-18 CN CNB028259386A patent/CN100492272C/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2005
- 2005-05-17 US US11/131,800 patent/US7234026B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
- 2005-10-07 HK HK05108911.4A patent/HK1076914A1/en not_active IP Right Cessation
-
2007
- 2007-05-09 US US11/746,548 patent/US20070208911A1/en not_active Abandoned
-
2008
- 2008-02-27 JP JP2008045351A patent/JP4806689B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
-
2011
- 2011-07-11 JP JP2011152681A patent/JP5297505B2/en not_active Expired - Fee Related
Patent Citations (99)
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)
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 |