Low power media player for an electronic device

• US 20050066207A1
• Filed: 05/28/2004
• Published: 03/24/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vulcan Portals Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vulcan Portals Incorporated
• Inventors: Perrin, Stephen L., Fleck, Rod G., Kee, Martin J., Flynn, Rex Antony
• Granted Patent: US 7,426,647 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 713/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3203 Power management, i.e. event-based initiation of a power-saving mode
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A low power media player is provided for an electronic device, such as a hand-held portable computer having capability to operate an application during a low power mode. During the low power mode, portions of hardware, software, services, and/or other components of the portable computer that are not necessary to the operation of the low power media player are suspended or otherwise deactivated. Rather than repeatedly accessing a hard disk to read media files for playback, the low power media player limits its number of access operations by reading as many media files as possible during each access operation, and then caching the read media files. When playback of the media files is to be performed, the media files are read from the cache, thereby reducing the amount of power consumption attributable to hard disk access operations.

Claims

1. A method usable for an electronic device that can operate in a low power mode, the method comprising:

monitoring for an event representative of a transition to the low power mode;

if the event is detected, activating a media player to operate during the low power mode;

reading at least a portion of a media file, to be played during the low power mode, from a storage location;

loading in a memory the portion of the media file read from the storage location;

reading the loaded portion of the media file from the memory; and

playing the read portion of the media file during the low power mode.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein playing the read portion of the media file includes playing the read portion of the media file with a media application that is controllable by the media player.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

playing a media file when the transition to the low power mode occurs;

receiving, at the media player, information associated with at least one of a plurality of media files stored in the storage location; and

using the received information to determine which media file to read from the storage location and to load in the memory.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein receiving the information associated with the media files stored in the storage location includes receiving a playlist of the media files.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing the information associated with the media files for presentation on a low power display of the electronic device.

6. The method of claim 3 wherein playing the media file when the transition to the low power mode occurs includes playing that media file using a media application different from the media player, the method further comprising:

controlling playing of other media files by the media application during the low power mode, using the media player for control; and

placing the media application in an embedded mode during the low power mode.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising keeping the media player running in modes different from the low power mode.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein loading the portion of the media file read from the storage location includes storing the portion of the media file in a cache while the portion is read from the storage location.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising suspending operations of other components of the electronic device during the low power mode to prevent data associated with operation of such components from overwriting the loaded portion of the media file.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user-entered commands, directed towards playing of media files, from a user interface on a low power display of the electronic device; and

applying the user-entered commands to control, using the media player, playing of corresponding media files by a media application.

11. A method usable for an electronic device that can operate in a reduced power mode, the method comprising:

while at least a portion of a first media file is being played during the reduced power mode, determining at least one additional media file to play after the first media file;

reading at least a portion of the additional media file from a persistent storage location during playing of the first media file;

storing the portion of the additional media file read from the persistent storage location in a volatile storage location; and

playing the stored portion of the additional media file from the volatile storage location.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein playing the stored portion of the additional media file includes, subsequent to completion of playing of the first media file, playing the stored portion of the additional media file from the volatile storage location instead of re-accessing the persistent storage location to play the portion of the additional media file.

13. The method of claim 11 wherein playing the stored portion of the additional media file includes playing an audio file.

14. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

obtaining playlist information associated with media files stored in the persistent storage location;

using the playlist to determine which of the media files will be the read from the persistent storage location and stored in the volatile storage location during playing of the first media file; and

reading from the persistent storage location and storing in the volatile storage location at least some the determined media files during playing of the first media file.

15. The method of claim 11 wherein reading and storing the portion of the additional media file is performed using a media player that operates during the reduced power mode, and wherein playing the stored portion of the additional media file is performed with a media application different from and controlled by the media player.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

presenting playlist information on a user interface of a low power display of the portable computer during playing of a media file during the reduced power mode; and

applying playing-related commands received via the user interface on the low power display to a background media application that performs the playing of media files.

17. The method of claim 11, further comprising preventing, during the reduced power mode, other elements of the portable computer from storing data in regions of the volatile storage location that store the portion of the additional media file.

18. The method of claim 17 wherein preventing other elements from storing data in the regions for the volatile storage location includes suspending operation of these elements during the reduced power mode.

19. A method usable for an electronic device that can operate at least one application during a low power mode, the method comprising:

playing at least a portion of a first media file during the low power mode using a first application running as a background process;

while at least some of the first media file is playing, using a second application to obtain copies of other media files stored in a persistent storage location, and storing the obtained copies in a volatile storage location; and

playing the copies stored in the volatile storage location using the first application.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising substantially reducing a number of accesses to the persistent storage location by at least one of the first and second applications, during the lower power mode, as compared to a higher power mode.

21. The method of claim 19 wherein storing the obtained copies in the volatile storage location includes storing the copies in a cache inherently when the copies are read from the persistent storage location.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

obtaining playlist information from the first application during playing of some portion of the first media file; and

using the obtained playlist information to determine which media files to read from the persistent storage location and to store in the volatile storage location.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising controlling operation of the first application with the second application.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

receiving user-entered commands at a user interface on a low power display module of the portable electronic device;

passing the received user-entered command from the user interface to the second application; and

using the second application to apply the user-entered commands to control operation of the first application.

25. An article of manufacture usable for a portable electronic device, the article of manufacture comprising:

a machine-readable medium having instructions stored thereon to cause a processor to operate a media player of the electronic device in a low power mode, by;

monitoring for an event representative of a transition to the low power mode;

if the event is detected, activating the media player to operate during the low power mode;

reading, from a first storage location, at least a portion of at least one of a plurality of media files, to be played during the low power mode;

storing the portion of the media file read from the first storage location in a second storage location; and

reading the stored portion of the media file from the second storage location, and playing the read portion of the media file during the low power mode.

26. The article of manufacture of claim 25 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to substantially minimize access of the first storage location to read media files during the low power mode.

27. The article of manufacture of claim 25 wherein the instructions for playing the read portion of the media file during the low power mode includes instructions to play the portion using a background application different from the media player and which is under control by the media player.

28. The article of manufacture of claim 25 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to obtain information associated with media files stored in the first storage location and to provide the obtained information for presentation on a low power display of the electronic device.

29. The article of manufacture of claim 28 wherein the machine-readable medium further includes instructions stored thereon to use the obtained information to determine which media files to read from the first storage location and store in the second storage location during playing of a portion of one of the media files.

30. A system usable for an electronic device, the system comprising:

a means for monitoring for an event representative of a transition to the low power mode;

a means for activating a media player to operate during the low power mode, if the event is detected;

a means for reading at least a portion of a media file, to be played during the low power mode, from a persistent storage location;

a means for storing the portion of the media file read from the persistent storage location in a volatile storage location; and

a means for reading the stored portion of the media file from the volatile storage location, and for playing the read portion of the media file during the low power mode.

31. The system of claim 30 wherein the media player is different than the means for playing the stored portion of the media file, the system further comprising:

a means for communicating information between the media player and the means for playing the stored portion of the media file; and

a means for communicating information between the media player and a low power display module means for presenting information associated with the media files on a low power display of the electronic device.

32. The system of claim 30 wherein the means for storing includes a cache means for caching the portion of the media file as the portion is read from the persistent storage location.

33. The system of claim 30, further comprising:

a means for operating the electronic device in the low power mode;

a means for storing applications, program data, at least one operating system, and other information;

a means for presenting data;

a means for communicating with devices external to the electronic device;

a means for high-power and low-power processing; and

a means for providing user input.

34. An apparatus that can operate at least one application during a low power mode, the apparatus comprising:

a media player application;

a persistent storage location accessible by the media player application and that can store a plurality of media files; and

a volatile storage location, wherein during the low power mode;

the media player application is able to control playing of a first media file, and able to read at least a portion of one other additional media file from the persistent storage location and load that read additional media file in the volatile storage location during playing of the first media file.

35. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the portion of the additional media file is read from the volatile storage location instead of the persistent storage location after completion of playing of the first media file.

36. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising another media application to operate as a background process and under control of the media player application to play the portion of the loaded media file.

37. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the media player application comprises an audio player application that is substantially inactive, but running, during a full power mode.

38. The apparatus of claim 37 wherein the audio player application comprises an MP3 player application.

39. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising a low power mode service to activate the media player application during the low power mode and to control either one or both deactivation and suspension of processes during the low power mode.

40. The apparatus of claim 39 wherein the low power mode service can selectively instruct deactivation of elements during the low power mode after use of such elements by the media player application for a particular task.

41. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising a low power display module to present data associated with the media files and to provide user-entered commands to the media player application.

42. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising a plurality of application program interfaces to allow the media player application to communicate with other components in connection with playing the portion of the media file.

43. The apparatus of claim 34 wherein the volatile storage location comprises a cache.

44. The apparatus of claim 34, further comprising an element to provide the media player application with a playlist of media files, the media player application capable to use the playlist to determine which portion of media files to read and load during playing of a particular media file portion.