DOCKING STATION, PORTABLE DEVICE CAPABLE OF MULTIMEDIA DATA PLAYBACK MANAGEMENT, AND METHODS THEREOF

• US 20120190406A1
• Filed: 12/22/2011
• Published: 07/26/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/24/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: I O Interconnect Limited
• Original Assignee: I O Interconnect Limited
• Inventors: CHEN, Johnny
• Application Number:
  US13/335,928
• Publication Number:
  US 20120190406A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/557
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/04 Supports for telephone transmitters or receivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files

Abstract

Docking stations, portable devices, and methods thereof are provided. The docking station includes an expansion port, a controller, and a transceiver. The expansion port is configured to be attached to a portable device. The controller is coupled to the expansion port and configured to determine whether the portable device is attached to the expansion port, and copy a multimedia data from the portable device to a media storage device upon the attachment. The transceiver is coupled to the controller and configured to receive a command signal from the portable device, wherein the controller is configured to control playback of the copied multimedia data in response to the command signal.

Claims

1. A docking station, comprising:

an expansion port, configured to be attached to a portable device;

a controller, coupled to the expansion port, configured to determine whether the portable device is attached to the expansion port, and copy a multimedia data from the portable device to a media storage device upon the attachment; and

a transceiver, coupled to the controller, configured to receive a command signal from the portable device;

wherein the controller is configured to control playback of the copied multimedia data in response to the command signal.

2. The docking station of claim 1, wherein:

the controller further comprises a playlist module, configured to establish playlist information based on the copied multimedia data;

the transceiver comprises a transmitter, configured to transmit the playlist information to the portable device; and

the command signal comprises a part of the playlist information.

3. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the transceiver comprises a receiver, configured to receive a backup identifier identifying the portable device;

and

controller further comprises a file label module, configured to associate the backup identifier with the copied multimedia file.

4. The docking station of claim 3, wherein the command signal comprises a portable device identifier identifying the portable device, and the controller comprises a playback module, configured to playback the copied multimedia only when the portable device identifier matches to the associated backup identifier.

5. The docking station of claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises a timestamp generator, configured to generate a timestamp associated with the copied multimedia data.

6. A portable device, docked on a docking station, capable of controlling multimedia data playback, comprising:

an expansion port, configured to connect and transfer multimedia data to the docking station;

a transceiver, configured to communicate with the docking station; and

a controller, coupled to the expansion port and the transceiver, configured to generate a command signal to playback the transferred multimedia data on the docking station,

wherein the transceiver is configured to transmit the command signal to the docking station.

7. The portable device of claim 6, wherein the transceiver comprises a receiver, configured to receive playlist information associated with the transferred multimedia data from the docking station;

and

the controller further comprises a command signal generator, configured to generate the command signal based on the received playlist information.

8. The portable device of claim 6, wherein the transceiver comprises a transmitter, configured to transmit a backup identifier identifying the portable device to the docking station.

9. The portable device of claim 6, wherein the command signal comprises a portable device identifier identifying the portable device.

10. A method of playing multimedia data by a docking station, comprising:

determining whether a portable device is attached to the docking station;

copying a multimedia data from the portable device to a media storage device upon the attachment;

receiving a command signal from the portable device; and

controlling playback of the copied multimedia data in response to the command signal.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising removing the portable device from the docking station.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

establishing playlist information based on the copied multimedia data; and

transmitting the playlist information to the portable device;

wherein the command signal comprises a part of the playlist information.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving a backup identifier identifying the portable device, and associating the backup identifier with the copied multimedia file.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the command signal comprises a portable device identifier identifying the portable device, and the playing back step comprises playing back the copied multimedia only when the portable device identifier matches to the associated backup identifier.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising generating a timestamp associated with the copied multimedia data.

16. A method of controlling multimedia data playback by a portable device docked on a docking station, comprising:

transferring multimedia data to the docking station;

generating a command signal to play back the transferred multimedia data on the docking station; and

transmitting the command signal to the docking station.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising receiving playlist information associated with the transferred multimedia data from the docking station, and the generating step comprises generating the command signal based on the received playlist information.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising transmitting a backup identifier identifying the portable device to the docking station.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the command signal comprises a portable device identifier identifying the portable device.