Broadcast receiving apparatus and method having volume control

• US 20050264705A1
• Filed: 12/20/2004
• Published: 12/01/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kitamura, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,369,185 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 348/738
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/42692 for reading from or writing on a volatile storage medium, e.g. Random Access Memory [RAM]
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/439 Processing of audio elementary streams
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/44222 Analytics of user selections, e.g. selection of programs or purchase activity monitoring of user selections in data processing systems G06F11/34; arrangements for monitoring the user's behaviour or opinions in broadcast systems H04H60/33
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4532 involving end-user characteristics, e.g. viewer profile, preferences monitoring of user activities for profile generation for accessing a video database G06F16/739; user profiles in network data switching protocols H04L67/306; processing of user preferences or user profiles in wireless networks H04W8/18
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4622 Retrieving content or additional data from different sources, e.g. from a broadcast channel and the Internet web site content organization and management for information retrieval from the Internet G06F16/958; transmission by internet of broadcast information H04H60/82; stock exchange data over packet-switching network H04L12/1804; push services including data channel over packet-switching network H04L12/1859
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4852 for modifying audio parameters, e.g. switching between mono and stereo
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/84 Generation or processing of descriptive data, e.g. content descriptors systems specially adapted for using meta-information in broadcast systems H04H60/73
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 5/60 for the sound signals

Abstract

A receiving apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive a signal including a program, an acquiring unit configured to acquire information representing a category of the program received by the receiving unit, a volume data generating unit configured to generate volume data related to a controlled volume in accordance with volume control performed when the program is being received by the receiving unit, and a memory unit storing volume data and category data in association with each other. The memory unit is read for retrieving the category data of the program currently being received and the sound volume is automatically set according to the volume data stored in the memory unit which is associated with the category data of the current program.

Claims

1. An audio receiving method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of programs including audio signals;

adjusting sound volumes produced by said audio signals by utilizing inputs from a user for said plurality of received programs;

acquiring data representing at least one of a category of each of said plurality of programs, a time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and a source for said plurality of programs;

storing, in a memory, associations of said adjusted sound volumes and said at least one of the category of each of said plurality of programs, the time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and the source for said plurality of programs; and

receiving a current program having a current audio signal; and

automatically adjusting a sound volume produced by said current audio signal in accordance with said stored associations.

2. The audio receiving method as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said category of each of said plurality of programs, said time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and said source for said plurality of programs is only said category.

3. The audio receiving method as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said category of each of said plurality of programs, said time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and said source for said plurality of programs is only said time of day.

4. The audio receiving method as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said category of each of said plurality of programs, said time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and said source for said plurality of programs is only said source.

5. The audio receiving method as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said category of each of said plurality of programs, said time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and said source for said plurality of programs is only said category and time period.

6. The audio receiving method as recited in claim 1, wherein said at least one of said category of each of said plurality of programs, said time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and said source for said plurality of programs is each of said category, time of day and source.

16. A receiving apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the control unit is configured to supply preset reference volume data to the volume control unit when the category data is not stored in said memory unit.

7. An audio receiver apparatus comprising:

a receiver for receiving a plurality of programs including audio signals;

a sound volume adjusting device for adjusting sound volumes produced by said audio signals by utilizing inputs from a user for said plurality of received programs;

an input data unit for obtaining data representing at least one of a category of each of said plurality of programs, a time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and a source for said plurality of programs;

a memory for storing associations of said adjusted sound volumes and said input data representing said at least one of the category of each of said plurality of programs, the time period during the day in which said plurality of programs is received and the source for said plurality of programs; and

a control processor connected to receive the data from the input data unit and connected to receive the stored associations from said memory for automatically adjusting a sound volume produced by a current audio signal of a current program in accordance with said associations stored in said memory.

8. A receiving apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a signal including a program;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire category data representing a category of the program received by the receiving unit;

a volume data generating unit configured to generate volume data corresponding to a controlled volume in accordance with volume control performed by a user when the program received by the receiving unit is watched;

a memory unit configured to store said category data in association with said volume data; and

a control processor connected to receive said category data acquired from said acquiring unit and connected to said memory unit for automatically adjusting a sound volume of a current program in accordance with said associations stored in said memory unit.

9. The receiving apparatus as recited in claim 8, wherein said control processor is operative to store said category data in association with said volume data upon detecting a new category data representing a change in category data of a new program just being received by the receiving unit.

10. The receiving apparatus as recited in claim 9, wherein said control processor is operative to store said category data and said volume data in association with one another upon detecting any one of:

a new category data representing a change in category data of a new program just being received by the receiving unit, a change in a channel being received by the receiving unit and a power supply to said apparatus being turned off.

11. The receiving apparatus as recited in claim 8, further comprising:

a time acquiring unit operative to provide time data of said current program;

said control processor operative to store in said memory unit, in association with one another, said category data, said volume data and said time data.

12. The receiving apparatus as recited in claim 11, wherein said control processor is operative to store said category data, said time data and said volume data in association with one another upon detecting any one of:

a new category data representing a change in category data of a new program just being received by the receiving unit, a change in a channel being received by the receiving unit a change in time data and a power supply to said apparatus being turned off.

13. A program receiving apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a program;

a signal processing unit configured to generate an audio signal of the program received by the receiving unit;

a volume control unit configured to convert the audio signal into sound having a volume controlled in accordance with a volume control operation;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire category data representing a category of the program received by the receiving unit;

a storage unit configured to store a table in which the category data and volume data corresponding to the controlled volume are associated with each other for a plurality of previously received programs having different categories; and

a control unit configured to read the volume data from the table in the storage unit associated with a category of a current program and to supply the volume data to the volume control unit to control the volume of the current program.

14. The receiving apparatus as recited in claim 13, wherein the storage unit is configured to store in said table, said category data, said volume date and time zone data in association with each other, said time zone data representing a period of the day during which said program is received;

and

the control unit is configured to read from said storage unit said volume data associated with time zone data corresponding to a current time and associated with category data corresponding the category of a currently received program and for supplying the read volume data to the volume control unit.

15. A receiving apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive a signal including a program;

an acquiring unit configured to acquire category data representing a category of the program received by the receiving unit;

a volume data generating unit configured to generate volume data corresponding to a controlled volume in accordance with a volume control operation performed by a user when the program received by the receiving unit is watched;

a memory unit configured to store said category data in associated with said volume data; and

a processing unit configured to generate an audio signal of the program received by the receiving unit;

a volume control unit configured to convert the audio signal generated by the processing unit into a volume signal corresponding to the volume data; and

a control unit configured to read, from the memory unit, the volume data associated with the category data corresponding to the category of the current program being received by the receiving unit and to supply the volume data to the volume control unit.

17. A receiving method comprising:

receiving a signal including a program;

acquiring category data representing a category of the received program;

generating volume data corresponding to a controlled volume in accordance with volume control performed by a user when the received program is watched;

storing said category data in a memory unit in association with said volume data; and

automatically adjusting a sound volume of a current program in accordance with said associations stored in said memory unit.

18. A receiving method comprising:

receiving a signal including a program;

generating an audio signal associated with the received program;

converting the audio signal into a volume signal corresponding to volume data;

acquiring category data representing a category of the received program;

providing a memory unit storing associations of said volume data and said category data; and

reading the category data and associated volume data stored in said memory unit; and

automatically adjusting a sound volume of a current program in accordance with said associations read from said memory unit.

19. A sound reproducing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit configured to selectively receive signals from a plurality of sources including an audio signal;

a control unit responsive to said plurality of sources for generating source data corresponding to each of said plurality of sources;

a volume data generating unit configured to generate volume data corresponding to a controlled volume in accordance with volume control operations performed by a user when the source received by the receiving unit is watched;

a memory unit configured to store said source data in association with said volume data; and

said control unit connected to said memory unit for automatically adjusting a sound volume of a current program in accordance with source data of said current program and said associated volume data stored in said, memory unit.

20. A sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

said memory unit stores time zone data generated in accordance with a volume control operation data.

21. A sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 19, wherein

said control unit is operative to store in said memory unit a most currently set volume data by a user in association with said source data at a timing when a power supply to said sound reproducing apparatus is turned off.

22. A sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 20, wherein

said control unit is operative to store in said memory unit a most currently set volume data by a user in association with said source data and said time zone data at a timing when a power supply to said sound reproducing apparatus is turned off.

23. A sound reproducing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit for selectively receive signals from a plurality of sources including an audio signal;

a processing unit for generating the audio signal of the signal received by the receiving unit;

a control unit responsive to said plurality of sources for generating source data corresponding to each of said plurality of sources;

a volume control unit for converting the audio signal generated by the processing unit into a volume signal corresponding to volume data;

a storage unit for storing associations of said source data and said volume data based on previously set volume data by a user upon viewing each of said plurality of sources; and

said control unit reading from said storage unit the volume data associated with source data of a currently watched program and supplying said read volume data to the volume control unit.

24. A sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 23, wherein

the storage unit stores a time zone data stored in association with said volume data and said source data;

and

said control unit operative for reading from said storage unit volume data associated with source data corresponding to a current source being watched and time zone data corresponding to a current time zone during which a current program of said current source is being watched and supplying the read volume data to the volume control unit.

25. A sound reproducing apparatus comprising:

a receiving unit for selectively receive signals from a plurality of sources;

a control unit responsive to said plurality of sources for generating source data corresponding to each of said plurality of sources;

a volume data generating unit for generating volume data corresponding to a controlled volume in accordance with volume control performed when the source received by the receiving unit is watched;

a detection unit configured to detect switching between one of said plurality of sources to another of said plurality of sources from the receiving unit;

a memory unit for storing in response to a detection result from the detection unit source data and associated volume data of a program being watched immediately before switching of said source;

a processing unit for generating audio signals from the signals received by the receiving unit;

a volume control unit for converting the audio signals generated by the processing unit into a volume signal corresponding to the volume data; and

said control unit reading from said storage unit the volume data associated with source data of a currently watched program and supplying said read volume data to the volume control unit.

26. A sound reproducing apparatus according to claim 25, wherein

the control unit is operative to supply preset reference volume data when the source data is not stored in said memory unit.

27. A source reproducing method comprising:

selectively receiving signals from a plurality of sources including an audio signal;

generating source data corresponding to each of said plurality of sources;

generating volume data corresponding to a controlled volume in accordance with volume control operations performed when the received source is watched;

detecting switching of sources; and

storing said source data in association with said volume data for a currently watched program when it is detected that said switching of sources take place.

28. A sound reproducing method comprising:

selectively receiving signals from a plurality of sources including an audio signal;

generating an audio signal of the received source;

generating source data corresponding to each of said plurality of sources;

converting the generated audio signal into a volume signal corresponding to volume data stored in a memory; and

reading from the memory the volume data associated with the source data of a currently received program, said read volume data used in said converting step.