System and method rendering audio/image data on remote devices

• US 20060083194A1
• Filed: 10/19/2004
• Published: 04/20/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Vance, Scott L., Trively, Martin, Dhrimaj, Ardian, Vasa, Yojak
• Application Number:
  US10/968,771
• Publication Number:
  US 20060083194A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/328
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72409 by interfacing with external accessories hands-free H04M1/60
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/04 adapted for relaying to or from another terminal or user
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for rendering multimedia data received by a wireless communications device via a wireless communications network over one or more external multimedia rendering devices. In one embodiment, the present invention receives multimedia data that includes image and audio data from one or more remote parties over the network. A controller in the wireless communications device distinguishes between the received image and audio data. Rather than display the received data on the device display, the controller controls a short-range transceiver to redirect the image data to an external display device for display. Likewise, the controller also controls the short-range transceiver to transmit the received audio data to an external audio device for rendering as audible sound over a speaker. The short-range transceiver transmits the image and audio data to their respective external multimedia rendering devices via one or more short-range interfaces.

Claims

1. A wireless communications device comprising:

a long-range transceiver to transmit multimedia data to and receive multimedia data from a wireless communications network;

a short-range transceiver to transmit the multimedia data to an external short-range transceiver disposed in an external multimedia rendering device;

a controller to detect the capabilities of external multimedia rendering device and to establish a first short-range interface between the short-range transceiver and the external short-range transceiver; and

wherein the controller is configured to re-direct the received multimedia data received to the external multimedia rendering device via the first short-range interface.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein the multimedia data received from the wireless communications network includes image data.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein the short-range transceiver transmits the image data to the external short-range transceiver for display on a display.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein the multimedia data received from the wireless communications network includes audio data.

5. The device of claim 4 wherein the short-range transceiver transmits the audio data to the external short-range transceiver for rendering as audible sound on a speaker.

6. The device of claim 1 wherein the multimedia data received from the wireless communications network comprises audio data and image data associated with an on-going call.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein the on-going call is a teleconference call between a user of the wireless communications device and one or more remote parties.

8. The device of claim 6 wherein the controller is configured to distinguish between the audio data and the image data received by the long-range transceiver from the wireless communications network.

9. The device of claim 6 wherein the external multimedia rendering device comprises a external display device, and wherein the controller is configured to establish a second short-range interface with an external short-range transceiver disposed in a external audio device.

10. The device of claim 7 wherein the controller re-directs the image data to the external display device via the first short-range interface, and the audio data to the external audio device via the second short-range interface.

11. The device of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to re-direct the multimedia data received from the wireless communications network to the external multimedia rendering device responsive to user input.

12. The device of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to re-direct the multimedia data received from the wireless communications network to the external multimedia rendering device responsive to information contained in a pre-configured user profile.

13. The device of claim 1 wherein the remote multimedia system comprises a computing device having a display and a speaker.

14. The device of claim 13 wherein the first short-range interface comprises cabling that interconnects the short-range transceiver on the wireless communications device and the external short-range transceiver on the computing device.

15. The device of claim 14 wherein the multimedia data received by the long-range transceiver include audio data and image data, and wherein the controller re-directs the image data to the computing device for display on the display, and re-directs the audio data to the computing device for rendering over the speaker.

16. The device of claim 13 wherein the controller is configured to store audio data and image data downloaded from the computing device.

17. The device of claim 16 wherein the controller is configured to re-direct the audio data and the image data downloaded from the computing device to a display and a speaker via one or more short-range interfaces.

18. A method of re-directing multimedia data received by a wireless communications device to an external multimedia rendering device, the method comprising:

establishing a first short-range interface between a wireless communications device and a detected external multimedia rendering device;

receiving, at the wireless communications device, multimedia data transmitted by one or more remote parties via a wireless communications network; and

re-directing the received multimedia data to the external multimedia rendering device via the first short-range interface if a suitable external multimedia rendering device is available.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein establishing a first short-range interface further comprises establishing an ad-hoc network between the wireless communications device and the external multimedia rendering device.

20. The method of claim 18 wherein establishing a first short-range interface comprises interconnecting the wireless communications device and the external multimedia rendering device via cabling.

21. The method of claim 18 wherein the multimedia data received from the remote parties includes image data.

22. The method of claim 21 further comprising identifying the resolution of a display disposed in the external multimedia rendering device.

23. The method of claim 22 further comprising scaling the image data received from the remote parties to the resolution of the display in the external multimedia rendering device, and re-directing the scaled image to the external multimedia rendering device via the first short range interface.

24. The method of claim 23 further comprising adjusting the resolution of the image data being displayed on the display in the external multimedia rendering device.

25. The method of claim 18 wherein the multimedia data received from the remote parties includes audio data.

26. The method of claim 25 wherein re-directing the multimedia data comprises re-directing the audio data to the external multimedia rendering device for rendering on a speaker.

27. The method of claim 18 wherein the multimedia data comprises audio data and image data associated with an incoming call.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein the incoming call is a teleconference call.

29. The method of claim 27 further comprising establishing a second short-range interface with a second external multimedia rendering device.

30. The method of claim 29 further comprising distinguishing, at the wireless communications device, between the audio data and the image data received from the remote parties.

31. The method of claim 30 wherein re-directing the multimedia data to the external multimedia rendering device via the first short-range interface comprises transmitting the image data to a remote display in the external multimedia rendering device.

32. The device of claim 31 further comprising re-directing the audio data to a remote speaker disposed in the second external multimedia rendering device.

33. The method of claim 18 further comprising uploading multimedia data from the external multimedia rendering device, and storing the uploaded multimedia data in memory on the wireless communications device.

34. A system for rendering multimedia data received by a wireless communications device on an external multimedia rendering device, the system comprising:

a wireless communications device comprising a display and a speaker, and configured to receive image data and audio data from one or more remote parties via a wireless communications network;

an external display device to display the image data received by the wireless communications device;

an external audio device to render the audio data received by the wireless communications device as audible sound; and

a controller in the wireless communications device to re-direct the received image data from the display to the external display device, and the received audio data from the speaker to the external audio device.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the controller is configured to establish a short-range interface between a short-range transceiver in the wireless communications device and a corresponding short-range transceiver associated with the external display device.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the controller is configured to establish a short-range interface between a short-range transceiver in the wireless communications device and a corresponding short-range transceiver associated with the external audio device.

37. The system of claim 34 wherein the image data and the audio data are associated with an on-going teleconference call.

38. The system of claim 34 wherein the external audio device and the external display device comprise a computing device.