Audio player with sensing device

• US 20050021162A1
• Filed: 08/13/2004
• Published: 01/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Silverbrook Research Pty Limited
• Inventors: Silverbrook, Kia, Lapstun, Paul, King, Tobin Allen, Walmsley, Simon Robert
• Granted Patent: US 7,286,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: B41J 3/445 Printers integrated in other types of apparatus, e.g. printers integrated in cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1656 Details related to functional adaptations of the enclosure, e.g. to provide protection against EMI, shock, water, or to host detachable peripherals like a mouse or removable expansions units like PCMCIA cards, or to provide access to internal components for maintenance or to removable storage supports like CDs or DVDs, or to mechanically mount accessories mounting of accessories to a computer display G06F1/1607; display hoods G06F1/1603; cooling arrangements for portable computers G06F1/203
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1684 Constructional details or arrangements related to integrated I/O peripherals not covered by groups G06F1/1635 - G06F1/1675
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1688 the I/O peripheral being integrated loudspeakers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1614 Image rotation following screen orientation, e.g. switching from landscape to portrait mode
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2200/1637 Sensing arrangement for detection of housing movement or orientation, e.g. for controlling scrolling or cursor movement on the display of an handheld computer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0384 Wireless input, i.e. hardware and software details of wireless interface arrangements for pointing devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0321 by optically sensing the absolute position with respect to a regularly patterned surface forming a passive digitiser, e.g. pen optically detecting position indicative tags printed on a paper sheet constructional details of pen-shaped pointing devices G06F3/03545, G06F3/03542, G06F3/037
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03545 Pens or stylus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/08 Insurance
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/27475 using interactive graphical means or pictorial representations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/2755 by optical scanning
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72445 for supporting Internet browser applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 : including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/42 : Systems providing special services or facilities to subscribers specially adapted for wireless communication networks H04W4/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 7/0015 : First party call control architectures
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00204 : with a digital computer or a digital computer system, e.g. an internet server programmed control between transmitter and receiver or between image input and image output device H04N1/32561
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00244 : with a server, e.g. an internet server fax-servers or the like for store and forward H04N1/324
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00307 : with a mobile telephone apparatus constructional features of portable telephone sets H04M1/0202; mobile radio systems H04W84/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00326 : with a data reading, recognizing or recording apparatus, e.g. with a bar-code apparatus arrangements for the associated working of recording or reproducing apparatus with related apparatus G11B31/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00392 : Other manual input means, e.g. digitisers or writing tablets
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/00968 : by scanning marks on a sheet mark-sheet input means H04N1/00355; sensing record carriers G06K7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32122 : in a separate device, e.g. in a memory or on a display separate from image data
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32133 : on the same paper sheet, e.g. a facsimile page header
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 1/32778 : using a mark-sheet or machine-readable code request
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/60 : using transform coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 19/61 : in combination with predictive coding
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/41407 : embedded in a portable device, e.g. video client on a mobile phone, PDA, laptop constructional details of equipment or arrangements specially adapted for portable computer application G06F1/1626; arrangements specially adapted for mobile receivers in broadcast systems H04H20/57
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/422 : Input-only peripherals , i.e. input devices connected to specially adapted client devices, e.g. global positioning system [GPS] input devices also receiving signals from specially adapted client devices H04N21/4104
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42203 : sound input device, e.g. microphone
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4223 : Cameras H04N23/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/478 : Supplemental services, e.g. displaying phone caller identification, shopping application
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/0082 : Image hardcopy reproducer H04N2201/0091 - H04N2201/0094 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3226 : of identification information or the like, e.g. ID code, index, title, part of an image, reduced-size image
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3247 : Data linking a set of images to one another, e.g. sequence, burst or continuous capture mode
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3264 : of sound signals
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3269 : of machine readable codes or marks, e.g. bar codes or glyphs
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 2201/3274 : Storage or retrieval of prestored additional information
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/445 : for displaying additional information H04N5/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/76 : Television signal recording
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/765 : Interface circuits between an apparatus for recording and another apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/783 : Adaptations for reproducing at a rate different from the recording rate
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/907 : using static stores, e.g. storage tubes or semiconductor memories H04N5/91 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 7/163 : by receiver means only
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99931 : Database or file accessing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/187 : Continuous sectional layer

Abstract

An audio player (10) is provided with an image sensor (16) capable of imaging invisible infrared tags (78) on a substrate (70). The tags (78) encode identity data which is directly or indirectly associated in a computer system with one or more audio clips.

The audio player (10) can be used to select and play audio clips. It acquires tag identity data via the image sensor (16), transmits it to the computer system, and downloads associated clip(s) for playback via a speaker (22).

Claims

1. An audio player including:

at least one sensor for sensing coded data on or in a substrate;

a transmitter for transmitting, to a computer system, first data at least partially based on said sensed data;

a receiver for receiving, from the computer system, audio data associated with an identity derived from the first data; and

at least one audio output device for outputting an audio signal based on the audio data.

2. The audio player of claim 1 further including a memory for storing received audio data.

3. The audio player of claim 2 wherein at least part of the memory is user replaceable.

4. The audio player of claim 2 wherein the audio player has an identity and further includes processor means to store the identity or data indicative of the identity with or in audio data stored in memory.

5. The audio player of claim 1 further including a display for displaying information relating to received audio data.

6. The audio player of claim 1 including an actuator to enable a user to activate the at least one sensor.

7. The audio player of claim 6 wherein the actuator is selected from the group comprising:

a button, a switch, and a force sensor.

8. The audio player of claim 1 including a motion sensor to enable a user to actuate the audio device.

9. The audio player of claim 1 wherein the audio output device is a loudspeaker.

10. The audio player of claim 1 wherein the audio output device is a user detachable headphone or earpiece.

11. A method of obtaining audio data, the method including:

providing a plurality separately identifiable audio data;

associating each of the plurality with one or more identities;

providing at least one substrate having at least one selection data, the at least one selection data associated with or encoding at least one identity;

selecting at least one of the at least one selection data of the at least one substrate with a selection device;

determining the identity or identities associated with the selected selection data and identified the file or files associated with the identity or identities determined from the selection data; and

downloading the audio data identified to the selection device.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the at least one substrate is paper-like.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein the selection data includes machine readable codes.

14. The method of claim 11 further including playing the audio data.

15. The method of claim 11 further including storing the audio data in a memory of the selection device.

16. The method of claim 11 wherein the selection device has a unique identity.

17. The method of claim 11 wherein the selection device has a unique identity and further including storing the audio data in memory of the selection device together with association data indicative of an association between the identity of the selection device and the audio data.

18. The method of claim 17 further including:

selecting audio data stored in memory of the selection device;

extracting from the memory the identity of the selection device associated with the selected audio data;

comparing the extracted identity with the identity of the selection device; and

if the extracted identity and the identity of the selection device are the same, playing the file.

19. The method of claim 17 further including:

selecting audio data stored in memory of the selection device;

extracting from the memory the identity of the selection device associated with the selected audio data;

comparing the extracted identity with the identity of the selection device; and

if the extracted identity and the identity of the selection device are not the same, not playing the file.

20. The method of claim 11 wherein the selection data is invisible or substantially invisible to the average unaided human eye.

21. The method of claim 11 wherein the substrate has visible data associated with at least one selection data.