Method and apparatus for muting a sounder device

• US 20090104929A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 04/23/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Lenovo (Beijing) Limited (Lenovo Group Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ke, Haibin, Li, Zhongqing
• Granted Patent: US 8,666,443 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/550.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6075 adapted for handsfree use in a vehicle H04M1/6058 takes precedence; arrangements for holding telephones in a vehicle B60R11/0241
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72415 for remote control of appliances
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72448 with means for adapting the functionality of the device according to specific conditions

Abstract

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for muting a sounder device, the method comprises steps of binding a network terminal with the sounder device via a network; generating a muting requirement; sending a muting signal to the sounder device via the network, the muting signal is generated based on the muting requirement; wherein the sounder device is configured to perform a muting process upon the muting signal. The method further comprises a step of sending a recovery signal to the sounder device via the network if the muting requirement becomes invalid, and the sounder device is configured to recover the status before the muting process upon the recovery signal. When it is necessary to remove unwanted background sound, all the sounder devices can be controlled via a network to perform a muting or volume-lowering process. In this way, the mobile terminal can easily and rapidly have the unwanted background sound be removed or lowered at the time of answering or making a call.

Claims

1. A method for muting a sounder device, comprising steps of:

binding said sounder device to a network terminal via a network;

generating a muting requirement;

sending a muting signal to said sounder device via said network, said muting signal being generated based on said muting requirement;

wherein said sounder device is configured to perform a muting process in response to said muting signal.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step of sending a recovery signal to the sounder device via said network if the muting requirement becomes invalid, and wherein the sounder device is configured to recover a status before the muting process upon said recovery signal.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said sounder device is a mobile phone, a TV set, a stereo set, a networked game machine, a personal computer or a personal digital assistant with network communication capability.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein said network is a Personal Local Area Network or a Wide Area Network.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said network terminal is a mobile phone, and the step of generating a muting requirement occurs when said mobile phone receives an incoming call or makes an outgoing call.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said network terminal is a mobile phone, and said muting requirement becomes invalid at the time of rejecting an incoming call or completing a conversation.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the step of sending a muting signal to said sounder device via said network occurs at the same time that a call-answering key or a call-making key on said mobile phone is pressed, or by pressing a muting key provided on said mobile phone.

8. An apparatus for muting a sounder device, comprising:

a binding module which is bound with said sounder device via a network, and

a muting signal module which sends a muting signal to the sounder device via said network upon generation of a muting requirement in the current sound environment,

wherein said sounder device is configured to perform a muting process in response to said muting signal.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a recovery signal module which sends a recovery signal to the sounder device via said network if the muting requirement becomes invalid, and wherein said sounder device is configured to recover a status before the muting process upon said recovery signal.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a muting key connected to said muting signal module for triggering said muting signal module to send said muting signal.