Wireless cassette adapter

• US 20050245191A1
• Filed: 05/03/2004
• Published: 11/03/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Falcon, Stephen R.
• Application Number:
  US10/838,286
• Publication Number:
  US 20050245191A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/3.60
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 23/049 Cassettes for special applications not otherwise provided for

Abstract

A wireless cassette adapter in the form of an audio cassette that can be inserted into an audio cassette player provides an audio interface for wireless mobile devices to existing audio systems. A wireless interface is established by the wireless cassette adapter to one or more wireless mobile devices and receives audio (including voice) data from the wireless mobile devices. The cassette adapter processes the audio data and transfers the data in analog format to the cassette player which is connected to an existing audio system which plays audio data from the wireless mobile device. Furthermore, the cassette adapter receives voiceinput that is transmitted to the wireless mobile device as part of a telephone call or in performance of voice recognition performed at the wireless mobile device.

Claims

1. A wireless cassette adapter comprising:

a housing physically sized in a form factor of an audio cassette;

a wireless interface resident within the housing to communicate with a wireless mobile device;

an audio system interface resident within the housing to communicate with an audio system, such that when the wireless cassette adapter is inserted into a cassette player of the audio system, audio data received by the wireless interface from the wireless mobile device is played by the audio system.

2. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 1, wherein the wireless interface comprises an RF radio.

3. The wireless cassette adapter of claim 1 wherein the wireless interface uses Bluetooth wireless technology.

4. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 1, wherein the audio system interface comprises a magnetic head that communicates with a pickup head of the cassette player.

5. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 1 further comprising a radio receiver supporting one or more radio frequency bands to receive radio broadcasts to be passed on to the interface to the audio system, wherein the radio broadcasts are interrupted when audio is received by the wireless interface.

6. A wireless cassette adapter adapted for use with a cassette player, the cassette player having take up and supply reels and a pickup head, the wireless cassette adapter comprising:

a radio to establish a wireless connection with a wireless mobile device;

one or more transducers to sense movement and activation of the take up and supply reels and pickup head of the cassette player when the wireless cassette adapter is placed in the cassette player; and

a processor to receive input from the transducers and translate the input into commands, wherein the commands are passed to the radio and transmitted to the wireless mobile device.

7. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 6, wherein the wireless mobile device uses the commands to control playback of media in the wireless mobile device and transmitted as audio to the wireless cassette adapter.

8. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 6, wherein the wireless cassette adapter is in a form factor of an audio cassette.

9. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 6 wherein the radio is a Bluetooth radio.

10. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 6, further comprising a microphone to receive voice input from a user wherein the processor receives the voice input and converts the voice input to voice data and commands that are passed on to the radio and transmitted to the wireless mobile device.

11. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 10, further comprising a baseband processor to selectively process the voice data and commands.

12. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 10 wherein the microphone is mounted on a boom which places the microphone a distance from the cassette player.

13. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 6, further comprising a radio receiver supporting one or more radio frequency bands to receive radio broadcasts to be passed on as analog data by the magnetic head wherein the radio broadcasts are interrupted when the radio establishes the wireless connection to the wireless mobile device.

14. A wireless cassette adapter adapted for use with a cassette player, the wireless cassette adapter comprising:

an antenna to transmit and receive RF data to and from a wireless mobile device;

a radio connected to the antenna to convert digital data to the RF data that is transmitted over the antenna, and to convert the RF data received by the antenna into digital data; and

a processor to provide digital data to the radio.

15. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 14 wherein the received RF data comprises audio data of the wireless mobile device, wherein the audio data is played by an audio system connected to the cassette player.

16. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 14 wherein the transmitted RF data comprises voice data and commands.

17. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 14, further comprising a microphone to receive voice input from a user wherein the processor receives the voice input and converts the voice input to voice data and commands that are passed on to the radio and transmitted to the wireless mobile device.

18. The wireless cassette adapter as recited in claim 17 wherein the wireless cassette adapter transmits the voice data as part of a telephone call or in performance of voice recognition performed at the wireless mobile device.

19. A method of playing audio data of a wireless mobile device on a separate audio system having a cassette player, the method comprising:

establishing a wireless connection to the wireless mobile device which provides the audio data;

receiving the audio data from the wireless mobile device; and

converting the audio data to analog data that is transferred to the cassette player for play on the audio system.

20. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the establishing is performed by requesting a connection to an available wireless mobile device.

21. The method as recited in claim 19, wherein the establishing and receiving are performed using Bluetooth wireless technology.

22. The method as recited in claim 19, further comprising distinguishing audio data and voice data, wherein data integrity is performed on audio data.

23. One or more computer-readable media comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed, perform the method as recited in claim 19.

24. A method of sending data to a wireless mobile device from a cassette player, the cassette player having take up and supply reels and a pick up head, comprising:

establishing a wireless connection to the wireless mobile device;

receiving an input indicating activity of the take up and supply reels or pickup head,

converting the input into a command; and

sending the command through the wireless connection to the wireless mobile device.

25. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the establishing is performed using Bluetooth wireless technology.

26. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the receiving further comprises a voice input from a microphone.

27. For use with a wireless cassette adapter, a storage medium having instructions that, when executed on the wireless cassette adapter, causes the wireless cassette adapter to perform acts comprising:

interfacing to a wireless mobile device;

receiving audio data from the wireless mobile device;

converting the audio data to analog data;

passing the analog data to a pickup head of a cassette player for play on an audio system that is separate from the wireless mobile device.

28. A storage medium as recited in claim 27, wherein the connecting is performed using Bluetooth wireless technology.

29. A storage medium as recited in claim 27, furthering comprising distinguishing the audio and voice data;

and processing separately the audio and voice data.

30. For use with a wireless cassette adapter, a storage medium having instructions that, when executed on the wireless cassette adapter, causes the wireless cassette adapter to perform acts comprising:

interfacing to a wireless mobile device;

receiving an input comprising voice input and transducer input related to cassette player reel movement and pickup head activation;

converting the input to digital data and commands; and

sending the digital data and commands through a wireless link to the wireless mobile device.

31. A storage medium as recited in claim 30, wherein the interfacing is performed using Bluetooth technology.