Method and apparatus for providing user interface for multistreaming audio control

• US 20060069458A1
• Filed: 09/12/2005
• Published: 03/30/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Kyung-ju, Kim, Jin-hyong
• Granted Patent: US 8,099,666 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/94
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/165 Management of the audio stream, e.g. setting of volume, audio stream path
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10953 Concurrent recording or playback of different streams or files

Abstract

Provided is a method and apparatus for providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control. The method includes determining whether a multistreaming mode of an audio device is activated upon receiving from a user a command to execute a popup menu for content, providing play menu items of audio panels to the popup menu for the content if the multistreaming mode is activated, and playing the content through an audio panel selected by the user.

Claims

1. A method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining whether a multistreaming mode of an audio device is activated upon receiving from a user a command to execute a popup menu for content;

providing play menu items of audio panels to the popup menu for the content if the multistreaming mode is activated; and

playing the content through an audio panel selected by the user.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the popup menu for the content provides play menus of two audio panels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein in the playing of the content, if the selected audio panel is not a currently set audio panel, a play mixer is set as the selected audio panel and the content is played.

4. A method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining whether a multistreaming mode of an audio device is activated upon receiving from a user a command to execute a popup menu for content;

providing play menus of audio panels to the popup menu for the content if the multistreaming mode is activated; and

displaying a play program of the content on a monitor mapped to an audio panel selected by the user.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the popup menu of the content provides play menus of two audio panels and a monitor is mapped to each of the audio panels.

6. A method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining on which monitor among a plurality of monitors a content icon is displayed once a user issues a play command for content using the content icon;

checking an audio panel that is mapped to the monitor on which the content icon is displayed; and

playing the content through the audio panel.

7. A method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining whether an audio panel mapped to a hot key that controls the audio panel is in an active state once a user presses the hot key; and

deactivating the audio panel if the audio panel is in the active state and activating the audio panel if the audio panel is in an inactive state.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising indicating that the audio panel is in the inactive state if the audio panel is deactivated and indicating that the audio panel is in the active state if the audio panel is activated.

9. A keyboard comprising:

a key button module which includes a plurality of key buttons and at least one hot key button to control an audio panel;

a keyboard controller which generates a key signal corresponding to a key button pressed by a user; and

a network interface which communicates with a computer,

wherein when a user presses the at least one hot key button, a hot key signal to control the audio panel is transmitted to the computer.

10. The keyboard of claim 9, further comprising an audio panel lamp that indicates whether the audio panel is in an active state.

11. A computer system comprising:

a keyboard which includes key buttons including a hot key button to control an audio panel; and

a user interface which determines whether the audio panel mapped to the hot key that controls the audio panel is in an active state once a user presses the hot key, deactivates the audio panel mapped to the pressed hot key if the audio panel is in the active state, and activates the audio panel mapped to the pressed hot key if the audio panel is in an inactive state.

12. The computer system of claim 11, further comprising an audio panel lamp that indicates whether the audio panel is in the active state.

13. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer according to a method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining whether a multistreaming mode of an audio device is activated upon receiving from a user a command to execute a popup menu for content;

providing play menu items of audio panels to the popup menu for the content if the multistreaming mode is activated; and

playing the content through an audio panel selected by the user.

14. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer according to a method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining whether a multistreaming mode of an audio device is activated upon receiving from a user a command to execute a popup menu for content;

providing play menus of audio panels to the popup menu for the content if the multistreaming mode is activated; and

displaying a play program of the content on a monitor mapped to an audio panel selected by the user.

15. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer according to a method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining on which monitor among a plurality of monitors a content icon is displayed once a user issues a play command for content using the content icon;

checking an audio panel that is mapped to the monitor on which the content icon is displayed; and

playing the content through the audio panel.

16. A computer readable storage for controlling a computer according to a method of providing a user interface for multistreaming audio control, the method comprising:

determining whether an audio panel mapped to a hot key that controls the audio panel is in an active state once a user presses the hot key; and

deactivating the audio panel if the audio panel is in the active state and activating the audio panel if the audio panel is in an inactive state.