Connected clock radio

• US 20050174889A1
• Filed: 02/06/2004
• Published: 08/11/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/06/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Mikhail, Joseph M., Marcantonio, John L.
• Application Number:
  US10/773,384
• Publication Number:
  US 20050174889A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 368/12
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 13/028 combined with a radio
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2803 Home automation networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/2807 Exchanging configuration information on appliance services in a home automation network arrangements for maintenance or administration involving network analysis for automatically determining the actual topology of a network H04L41/12; hardware or software tools for network management using graphical user interfaces H04L41/22; address allocation H04L61/50
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/282 based on user interaction within the home receiver circuitry for displaying additional information being controlled by a remote control apparatus H04N21/42204
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 2012/2849 Audio/video appliances

Abstract

A clock radio receives over a network, instructions from a remote device that are configured to sound a local alarm on the clock radio. The clock radio may also receive audio alarm data to be used by the clock radio in sounding the alarm. A user can “snooze” the local alarm and have it sounded at a later time, or “stop” the local alarm and initiate streaming and playback of preconfigured audio data from the remote device. The preconfigured audio data can include a range of personalized and public media. The clock radio enables a user to step through audio files within a stream of preconfigured audio data and to step through additional streams of preconfigured audio data available from the remote device.

Claims

1. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving configuration data for a clock radio;

retrieving media content identified by the configuration data;

preconfiguring audio data from the media content into one or more audio sources; and

sending an alarm instruction over a network to the clock radio, the alarm instruction configured to sound an alarm on the clock radio at an alarm time identified by the configuration data.

2. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

sending an alarm audio file over the network to the clock radio, the alarm instruction further configured to sound the alarm on the clock radio by causing the clock radio to play the alarm audio file.

3. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a post-alarm audio data instruction from the clock radio; and

streaming a first audio source of preconfigured audio data to the clock radio over the network in response to the post-alarm audio data instruction.

4. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 3, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving an audio data adjustment instruction from the clock radio; and

adjusting the first audio source of preconfigured audio data in response to the audio data adjustment instruction.

5. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 4, wherein the audio data adjustment instruction is a skip back instruction and the adjusting comprises streaming the first audio source of preconfigured audio data beginning at an audio file that is previous to a currently streaming audio file within the first audio source.

6. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 4, wherein the audio data adjustment instruction is a skip forward instruction and the adjusting comprises streaming the first audio source of preconfigured audio data beginning at an audio file that is subsequent to a currently streaming audio file within the first audio source.

7. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 4, wherein the audio data adjustment instruction is to step to a next audio source of preconfigured audio data, and the adjusting comprises:

halting the streaming of the first source; and

streaming a second source of preconfigured audio data to the clock radio over the network.

8. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a snooze instruction from the clock radio; and

sending the alarm instruction over the network to the clock radio at a later time in accordance with the snooze instruction.

9. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the retrieving media content comprises retrieving media content from the group comprising:

audio formatted content; and

text-based content.

10. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 9, wherein the text-based content is selected from the group comprising:

text-based email;

text-based calendar appointments;

text-based news reports;

text-based weather reports;

text-based traffic reports; and

text-based stock reports.

11. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the preconfiguring audio data comprises converting text-based data into audio formatted data.

12. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 1, wherein the preconfiguring audio data comprises generating audio file playlists to be used as audio sources.

13. A processor-readable medium comprising processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving an alarm instruction from a remote device over a network, the alarm instruction configured to sound a local alarm;

receiving audio alarm data from the remote device over the network; and

sounding the local alarm by playing the audio alarm data.

14. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 13, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a stop instruction from a local control panel, the stop instruction configured to stop the sounding of the local alarm; and

sending a post-alarm audio data instruction to the remote device over the network, the post-alarm audio data instruction configured to cause the remote device to stream a first audio source of preconfigured audio data over the network.

15. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 14, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving the first audio source of preconfigured audio data from the remote device over the network; and

playing the first audio source of preconfigured audio data.

16. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 15, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a skip forward instruction from the local control panel; and

sending the skip forward instruction to the remote device over the network, the skip forward instruction configured to cause the remote device to skip to a next audio file in the first audio source of preconfigured audio data.

17. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 15, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a skip back instruction from the local control panel; and

sending the skip back instruction to the remote device over the network, the skip back instruction configured to cause the remote device to skip to a previous audio file in the first audio source of preconfigured audio data.

18. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 15, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving an audio source instruction from the local control panel; and

sending the audio source instruction to the remote device over the network, the audio source instruction configured to cause the remote device to halt the streaming of the first audio source and to stream a second audio source of preconfigured audio data.

19. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 15, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a snooze instruction from the local control panel;

sending the snooze instruction to the remote device over the network;

receiving the audio alarm data from the remote device over the network at a later time according to the snooze instruction; and

sounding the local alarm at the later time.

20. A processor-readable medium as recited in claim 15, comprising further processor-executable instructions configured for:

receiving a local function instruction from the local control panel; and

changing a local function according to the local function instruction.

21. A computer comprising:

a clock radio setup application configured to support a clock radio user interface and to receive clock radio setup information through the clock radio user interface; and

a communication interface configured to communicate with a clock radio over a network in accordance with the clock radio setup information.

22. A computer as recited in claim 21, wherein the clock radio setup information comprises:

an alarm time;

an alarm sound; and

instructions for generating post-alarm audio data.

23. A computer as recited in claim 22, wherein the alarm time is selected from the group comprising:

a user-entered alarm time; and

an application-determined alarm time.

24. A computer as recited in claim 22, wherein the post-alarm audio data comprises an audio file playlist.

25. A computer as recited in claim 24, wherein the audio file playlist includes audio files selected from the group comprising:

audio files stored on the computer;

audio files from a peripheral device coupled to the computer;

audio files from an Internet content provider; and

audio files converted from text-based data.

26. A computer as recited in claim 25, wherein the text-based data is selected from the group comprising:

data from a text-based news source;

data from a text-based sports source;

data from a text-based weather source;

data from a text-based traffic source;

data from a text-based email source; and

data from a text-based calendaring source.

27. A computer as recited in claim 22, further comprising a text-to-speech converter configured to convert text-based data into post-alarm audio data.

28. A clock radio comprising:

an electronic time base to keep time;

a display device to display the time;

a control panel configured to receive local instructions, including local time set instructions and local alarm set instructions;

a communication interface configured to receive remote instructions, including remote time set instructions, remote alarm set instructions, and a remote audio data stream from a network device; and

a control module configured to set the time, to set an alarm, and to render the remote audio data stream in accordance with the local instructions and the remote instructions.

29. A clock radio as recited in claim 28, wherein the control panel comprises:

a forward button configured to skip forward to a next audio file in the remote audio data stream;

a back button configured to skip backward to a previous audio file in the remote audio data stream; and

an audio source button configured to skip between a plurality of audio data sources available from the network device.

30. A clock radio as recited in claim 29, wherein the control panel further comprises:

a snooze button to turn off the alarm temporarily;

a stop/resume button to alternately stop and resume a local function;

a local function button to alternately set the clock radio to different local functions; and

a volume button to set a volume level for the clock radio.

31. A clock radio as recited in claim 30, wherein the local functions are selected from the group comprising:

a time set function;

an alarm set function;

an AM radio station function;

an FM radio station function; and

an audio source function.

32. A clock radio as recited in claim 28, wherein the remote audio data stream comprises a preconfigured playlist of audio files.

33. A clock radio as recited in claim 32, wherein the audio files are selected from the group comprising:

an appointment audio file representing text-based calendar appointment information translated by a text-to-speech engine;

an email audio file representing a text-based email translated by a text-to-speech engine;

a news audio file representing a text-based news story translated by a text-to-speech engine;

a weather audio file representing a text-based weather report translated by a text-to-speech engine;

a business audio file representing a text-based business story translated by a text-to-speech engine;

a sports audio file representing a text-based sports story translated by a text-to-speech engine;

a traffic audio file representing a text-based traffic report translated by a text-to-speech engine; and

a personal music file from a collection of music files.