Visualization supplemented wireless mobile telephony-audio

• US 20040137954A1
• Filed: 10/15/2003
• Published: 07/15/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Varia Holdings LLC
• Original Assignee: Varia Mobil LLC
• Inventors: Graham, Tyrol R., Engstrom, G. Eric
• Granted Patent: US 7,212,839 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0233 Character input methods
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 1/00 Secret communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0283 for providing a decorative aspect, e.g. customization of casings, exchangeable faceplate
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/22 Illumination; Arrangements for improving the visibility of characters on dials
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/048 Arrangements providing optical indication of the incoming call, e.g. flasher circuits

Abstract

A wireless mobile phone is provided with the capability to visually convey audio to users, using a number of light sources, such as light emitting diodes (LEDs), in accordance with one or more attributes of the audio. The attributes may include different volume, spectrum, treble, bass, and so forth. The visualization may animate dance steps. In various embodiments, the implementations may include a visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs. The LEDs may be disposed on a side surface or underneath an array of input keys. In various embodiments, all or selected combinations of the elements may be part of the base unit of the wireless mobile phone, while the remaining elements, if any, may be part of an interchangeable cover. The cover may be a housing cover or an accessory cover.

Claims

1. A wireless mobile phone comprising:

a transceiver to receive and send audio communication;

an audio renderer to render audio;

a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs);

a visualization controller coupled to the LEDs to selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs as requested; and

a sound visualization client coupled to the visualization controller to request the visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs in at least one desired manner to effectuate visualization of audio rendered by the audio renderer, in accordance with at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

2. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the attributes comprise one or more of a volume attribute, a spectrum attribute, a treble attribute, and a bass attribute.

3. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the sound visualization client is designed to receive said at least one or more attributes.

4. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the sound visualization client is designed to analyze said audio being rendered to determine said at least one or more attributes.

5. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said sound visualization client requests the visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate different color ones of the LEDs in view of the at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

6. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said sound visualization client requests the visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs to animate a selected one of a graphic analyzer, a geometric primitive, a pattern, a thing, an object, a person and an animal, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

7. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said sound visualization client requests the visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs to depict a plurality of dance steps, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

8. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein

said wireless mobile phone further comprises a processor to execute programming instructions;

said visualizer controller comprises first programming instructions designed to perform said selective activation and deactivation of selected ones of said LEDs as requested; and

said sound visualization client comprises second programming instructions designed to perform said request of the visualization controller to effectuate said visualization of the audio being rendered by the audio renderer.

9. The wireless mobile phone of claim 8, wherein said first programming instructions of said visualization controller are designed to accept a request to activate/deactivate selected ones of said LEDs in at least one of a first form singularly specifying one round of activation and deactivation of said LEDs, and a second form simultaneously specifying a series of rounds of activations and deactivations of said LEDs.

10. The wireless mobile phone of claim 8, wherein said wireless mobile phone further comprises a first storage medium having stored therein at least said first programming instructions of said visualization controller.

11. The wireless mobile phone of claim 10, wherein said wireless mobile phone further comprises second storage medium having stored therein at least a portion of said second programming instructions of said audio visualization client.

12. The wireless mobile phone of claim 11, wherein

said wireless mobile phone further comprises a body having one of at least two designs, a first design where a complementary cover of the body is substitutable with any one of a plurality of embodiments of said cover, and a second design where said body is at least partially coverable by a selected one of a plurality of embodiments of a complementary cover of the body;

and

each of said embodiments of said cover comprises an electronic component including at least said second storage medium.

13. The wireless mobile phone of claim 12, wherein said electronic component further comprises said first storage medium.

14. The wireless mobile phone of claim 13, wherein the first and second storage medium are the same storage medium.

15. The wireless mobile phone of claim 12, wherein each of said embodiments of said cover comprises a front facing exterior surface, and said LEDs being disposed on said front facing exterior surface.

16. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said wireless mobile phone further comprises a body having an exterior surface, and said LEDs being disposed on said exterior surface.

17. The wireless mobile phone of claim 16, wherein said exterior surface is a selected one of a front exterior surface, a back exterior surface, a side exterior surface, a top exterior surface, and a bottom exterior surface of said body of said wireless mobile phone.

18. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said wireless mobile phone further comprises a key pad having a plurality of keys, and said LEDs being integrally disposed with said keys.

19. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said LEDs comprises single color LEDs of a plurality of colors, organized into groups.

20. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said LEDs comprises at least one multi-color LED.

21. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein said audio renderer comprises a selected one of a radio and a MPx player.

22. The wireless mobile phone of claim 1, wherein the phone further comprises a microphone to provide said audio to said audio renderer to render.

23. A wireless mobile phone comprising:

means for sending and receiving audio communication;

means for rendering sound;

means for emitting light;

visualization control means coupled to the light emitting means to selectively activate and deactivate the light emitting means as requested; and

sound visualization client means coupled to the visualization control means to request the visualization control means to selectively activate and deactivate the light emitting means in a desired manner to effectuate visualization of the sound being rendered by the sound rendering means, in accordance with one or more attributes of the sound being rendered.

24. The wireless mobile phone of claim 23, wherein said sound visualization client means requests the visualization control means to selectively activate and deactivate different color ones of the light emitting means, in view of a volume attribute of the sound being rendered.

25. The wireless mobile phone of claim 23, wherein said sound visualization client means requests the visualization control means to selectively activate and deactivate the light emitting means to animate a selected one of a graphic analyzer, a geometric primitive, a pattern, a thing, an object, a person and an animal, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the sound being rendered.

26. The wireless mobile phone of claim 23, wherein said sound visualization client means requests the visualization control means to selectively activate and deactivate the light emitting means to depict a plurality of dance steps, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the sound being rendered.

27. The wireless mobile phone of claim 23, wherein the phone further comprises means to provide ambient sound to said sound rendering means.

28. An article of manufacture comprising

a cover designed to at least partially cover a body of a wireless mobile phone;

and

an electronic component embedded in said cover, the electronic component including storage medium having stored therein at least first programming instructions implementing a sound visualization client that requests a visualization controller of the wireless mobile phone to selectively activate and deactivate a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of the wireless mobile phone to visualize audio being rendered by an audio renderer of the wireless mobile telephone.

29. The wireless mobile phone of claim 28, wherein said sound visualization client requests the visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate different color ones of the LEDs, in view of a volume attribute of the sound being rendered.

30. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein said sound visualization client requests the visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs to animate a selected one of a graphic analyzer, a geometric primitive, a pattern, a thing, an object, a person and an animal, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

31. The article of manufacture of claim 28, wherein said sound visualization client requests the visualization controller to selectively activate and deactivate the LEDs to depict a plurality of dance steps, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

32. The article of claim 28, wherein the cover is a selected one of a housing cover and an accessory cover.

33. A method comprising:

monitoring audio being rendered out of a wireless mobile phone; and

selectively activating and deactivating a plurality of light emitting diodes (LEDs) of the wireless mobile phone to visualize the audio being rendered based at least in part on at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein said selective activating and deactivating comprises selectively activating and deactivating different color ones of the light emitting diodes in view of a volume attribute of the audio being rendered.

35. The method of claim 33, wherein said selective activating and deactivating comprises selectively activating and deactivating the light emitting diodes to animate a selected one of a graphic analyzer, a geometric primitive, a pattern, a thing, an object, a person and an animal, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.

36. The method of claim 33, wherein said selective activating and deactivating comprises selectively activating and deactivating the light emitting diodes to selectively activate and deactivate the light emitting diodes to depict a plurality of dance steps, in view of the at least one or more attributes of the audio being rendered.