Computing system with external speaker detection feature

• US 10,388,326 B1
• Filed: 11/21/2018
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/16/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Tribune Broadcasting Company Incorporated (Nexstar Media Group, Inc.)
• Inventors: Hundemer, Hank J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Harvey, David E
• Application Number:
  US16/198,567
• Time in Patent Office: 272 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 3/10 using electric transmission; using electromagnetic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 5/36 using visible light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/031 Electronic editing of digitised analogue information signals, e.g. audio or video signals
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/11 by using information not detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/19 by using information detectable on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/611 for multicast or broadcast systems for broadcast or conference H04L12/18; arrangements for broadcast or distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/00; arrangements for broadcast applications with a direct linkage to broadcast information or to broadcast space-time H04H60/00; selective distribution of broadcast services, e.g. multimedia broadcast multicast service [MBMS], H04W4/06
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/70 Media network packetisation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/762 at the source reformatting of additional data in video distribution servers H04N21/2355
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/765 intermediate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/234 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing of video streams or manipulating encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/23424 involving splicing one content stream with another content stream, e.g. for inserting or substituting an advertisement
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/24 Monitoring of processes or resources, e.g. monitoring of server load, available bandwidth, upstream requests monitoring of server performance or load G06F11/34; arrangements for observation, testing or troubleshooting for broadcast or for distribution combined with broadcast H04H20/12
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/2408 Monitoring of the upstream path of the transmission network, e.g. client requests monitoring data switching networks utilization H04L43/0876; scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/262 Content or additional data distribution scheduling, e.g. sending additional data at off-peak times, updating software modules, calculating the carousel transmission frequency, delaying a video stream transmission, generating play-lists scheduling strategies for dispatcher in multiprogramming arrangements G06F9/4881; arrangements for scheduling broadcast services or broadcast-related services H04H60/06; flow control in packet networks H04L47/10; establishing a time schedule or organising the servicing of application requests H04L67/62
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4394 involving operations for analysing the audio stream, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in audio streams arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of audio in broadcast systems H04H60/58
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44 Processing of video elementary streams, e.g. splicing a video clip retrieved from local storage with an incoming video stream or rendering scenes according to encoded video stream scene graphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44008 involving operations for analysing video streams, e.g. detecting features or characteristics in the video stream arrangements characterised by components specially adapted for monitoring, identification or recognition of video in broadcast systems H04H60/59
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44209 Monitoring of downstream path of the transmission network originating from a server, e.g. bandwidth variations of a wireless network arrangements for maintenance or administration in data switching networks involving bandwidth and capacity management H04L41/0896
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4627 Rights management associated to the content security in data switching network management H04L41/28; security management or policies for network security H04L63/20; access security in wireless networks H04W12/08
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/472 End-user interface for requesting content, additional data or services; End-user interface for interacting with content, e.g. for content reservation or setting reminders, for requesting event notification, for manipulating displayed content end-user interfaces for retrieving video data from a database G06F16/739; network services for supporting unicast streaming H04L65/612
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4884 : for displaying subtitles
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/6587 : Control parameters, e.g. trick play commands, viewpoint selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8126 : involving additional data, e.g. news, sports, stocks, weather forecasts
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 : Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/8456 : by decomposing the content in the time domain, e.g. in time segments
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/854 : Content authoring
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/60 : Control of cameras or camera modules
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/63 : by using electronic viewfinders
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/681 : Motion detection
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/6815 : by distinguishing pan or tilt from motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 23/683 : performed by a processor, e.g. controlling the readout of an image memory
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/272 : Means for inserting a foreground image in a background image, i.e. inlay, outlay
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/77 : between a recording apparatus and a television camera
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/0127 : by changing the field or frame frequency of the incoming video signal, e.g. frame rate converter
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/05 : Detection of connection of loudspeakers or headphones to amplifiers
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 : Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 29/001 : for loudspeakers H04R29/007 takes precedence

Abstract

In one aspect, an example method includes (i) making a determination of whether an external speaker is connected to a computing system via an audio communication interface; (ii) based on the determination, selecting an operational mode from among a first operational mode and a second operational mode, wherein (a) when the computing system operates in the first operational mode, the computing system disables output of the received audio content via the internal speaker and enables transmission of the received audio content via the audio communication interface for output by the external speaker, and (b) when the computing system operates in the second operational mode, the computing system disables output of the received audio content via the internal speaker and disables transmission of the received audio content via the audio communication interface for output by the external speaker; and (iii) causing the computing system to operate in the selected operational mode.

Claims

1. A computing system comprising:

a camera;

an internal speaker;

an audio communication interface configured to allow the computing system to connect with an external speaker;

one or more processors; and

non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a set of acts comprising;

capturing, by the camera, video content;

transmitting the captured video content to a second computing system; and

while transmitting the captured video content to the second computing system;

receiving, from the second computing system, audio content;

making a determination of whether the external speaker is connected to the computing system via the audio communication interface;

based on the determination, selecting an operational mode from among a set of at least two operational modes comprising a first operational mode and a second operational mode, wherein (i) when the computing system operates in the first operational mode, the computing system disables output of the received audio content via the internal speaker and enables transmission of the received audio content via the audio communication interface for output by the external speaker, and (ii) when the computing system operates in the second operational mode, the computing system disables output of the received audio content via the internal speaker and disables transmission of the received audio content via the audio communication interface for output by the external speaker; and

causing the computing system to operate in the selected operational mode.

2. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the audio communication interface is configured to allow the computing system to connect with the external speaker via a wired connection.

3. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the audio communication interface is configured to allow the computing system to connect with the external speaker via a wireless connection.

4. The computing system of claim 1, wherein making the determination comprises determining that the external speaker is connected to the computing system via the audio communication interface, and wherein based on the determination, selecting the operational mode comprises, based on the determination, selecting the first operational mode.

5. The computing system of claim 1, wherein making the determination comprises determining that the external speaker is not connected to the computing system via the audio communication interface, and wherein based on the determination, selecting the operational mode comprises, based on the determination, selecting the second operational mode.

6. The computing system of claim 1, wherein receiving the audio content comprises receiving the audio content from the second computing system over Internet Protocol (IP).

7. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the second computing system is a video-production system.

8. The computing system of claim 1, wherein the computing system is an end-user device.

9. A computing system comprising:

one or more processors; and

non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the one or more processors, cause the computing system to perform a set of acts comprising;

receiving, from a second computing system, video content captured by the second computing system;

while receiving the video content captured by the second computing system;

receiving audio content;

making a determination of whether an external speaker is connected to the second computing system via an audio communication interface of the second computing system;

based on the determination, selecting an operational mode from among a set of at least two operational modes comprising a first operational mode and a second operational mode, wherein (i) when the computing system operates in the first operational mode, the computing system enables transmission of the received audio content to the second computing system for output by the external speaker, and (ii) when the computing system operates in the second operational mode, the computing system disables transmission of the received audio content to the second computing system; and

causing the computing system to operate in the selected operational mode.

10. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the audio communication interface is configured to allow the second computing system to connect with the external speaker via a wired connection.

11. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the audio communication interface is configured to allow the second computing system to connect with the external speaker via a wireless connection.

12. The computing system of claim 9, wherein making the determination comprises determining that the external speaker is connected to the second computing system via the audio communication interface, and wherein based on the determination, selecting the operational mode comprises, based on the determination, selecting the first operational mode.

13. The computing system of claim 9, wherein making the determination comprises determining that the external speaker is not connected to the second computing system via the audio communication interface, and wherein based on the determination, selecting the operational mode comprises, based on the determination, selecting the second operational mode.

14. The computing system of claim 9, wherein receiving the audio content comprises receiving the audio content via a user interface of the computing system.

15. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the computing system is a video-production system.

16. The computing system of claim 9, wherein the second computing system is an end-user device.

17. A system comprising:

one or more processors; and

non-transitory computer-readable media having stored thereon program instructions that, upon execution by the one or more processors, cause performance of a set of acts comprising;

capturing, by a camera of a first computing system, video content, wherein the first computing system comprises an internal speaker and an audio communication interface configured to allow the first computing system to connect with an external speaker;

transmitting the captured video content from the first computing system to a second computing system;

receiving audio content destined for the first computing system;

making a determination of whether the external speaker is connected to the first computing system via the audio communication interface;

based on the determination, selecting an operational mode from among a set of operational modes comprising at least one of a first operational mode, a second operational mode, a third operational mode, or a fourth operational mode, wherein (i) operating in the first operational mode comprises disabling output of the received audio content via the internal speaker of the first computing system and enabling transmission of the received audio content via the audio communication interface for output by the external speaker of the first computing system, (ii) operating in the second operational mode comprises disabling output of the received audio content via the internal speaker of the first computing system and disabling transmission of the received audio content via the audio communication interface for output by the external speaker of the first computing system, (iii) operating in the third operational mode comprises enabling transmission of the received audio content to the first computing system for output by the external speaker of the first computing system, and (iv) operating in the fourth operational mode comprises disabling transmission of the received audio content to the first computing system; and

operating in the selected operational mode.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein making the determination comprises determining that the external speaker is connected to the first computing system via the audio communication interface, and wherein based on the determination, selecting the operational mode comprises, based on the determination, selecting at least one of the first operational mode or the third operational mode.

19. The system of claim 17, wherein making the determination comprises determining that the external speaker is not connected to the first computing system via the audio communication interface, and wherein based on the determination, selecting the operational mode comprises, based on the determination, selecting at least one of the second operational mode or the fourth operational mode.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first computing system is an end-user device and the second computing system is a video-production system.