ELECTRONIC DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20130289983A1
• Filed: 04/26/2012
• Published: 10/31/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/26/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hyorim Park, Jihwan Kim, Jihyun Kim
• Inventors: PARK, Hyorim, KIM, Jihyun, KIM, Jihwan, LIM, Seijun
• Granted Patent: US 8,781,828 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 704/235
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 15/26 Speech to text systems G10L15/08 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 25/51 for comparison or discrimination
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3005 in amplifiers suitable for low-frequencies, e.g. audio amplifiers H03G3/32, H03G3/34 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3089 Control of digital or coded signals

Abstract

An electronic device and a method of controlling the electronic device are provided. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may recognize a first sound signal output from at least one external device connectable through a communication unit and to control a sound output of at least one of the at least one external device or the sound output unit when a second sound signal is output through the sound output unit.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a communication unit;

a sound output unit; and

a controller configured to recognize a first sound signal output from at least one external device connectable through the communication unit and to control a sound output of at least one of the at least one external device and the sound output unit when a second sound signal is output through the sound output unit.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to be synchronized with the at least one external device through the communication unit to share a content executed by the at least one external device.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to receive a second content associated with a first content executed by the at least one external device through the communication unit, and wherein the second sound signal includes a sound signal associated with the second content.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the second content includes metadata of the first content.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal to the at least one external device through the communication unit, and wherein the control signal is configured to set a sound output mode of the at least one external device to a mute mode.

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to transmit a control signal to the at least one external device, wherein the control signal is configured to enable the second sound signal to be output from the at least one external device.

7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to set a sound output mode of the sound output unit to a mute mode.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a display unit, wherein the second sound signal includes a voice signal, and wherein the controller is configured to convert the voice signal into text and to display the converted text through the display unit.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a touch screen, wherein the controller is configured to provide a user interface to the touch screen to complementarily control volumes of the first and second sound signals output through the at least one external device and the sound output unit.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a touch screen, wherein the controller is configured to display a user interface to select a device to output a sound among the at least one external device and the sound output unit on the touch screen.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first sound signal and the second sound signal are the same.

12. An electronic device comprising:

a sound output unit;

a communication unit configured to establish a network with at least one external device; and

a controller configured to receive an auxiliary content of a main content executed by the at least one external device through the communication unit and to perform control so that when a second sound signal is output in response to execution of the auxiliary content through the sound output unit while a first sound signal is output in response to execution of the main content through the at least one external device, one of the first sound signal and second sound signal is output through one of the at least one external device and the sound output unit.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the auxiliary content includes metadata of the main content.

14. An electronic device comprising:

a communication unit;

a touch screen;

a sound output unit; and

a controller configured to recognize a first sound signal output by at least one external device connectable through the communication unit, to display a user interface on the touch screen to complementarily control volumes of the first sound signal and the sound signal output through the at least one external device and the sound output unit, respectively, when a second sound signal is output through the sound output unit, and to output a first control signal to increase a volume of the first sound signal or the second sound signal corresponding to the at least one external device or the sound output unit in accordance with a particular direction a drag input is applied to the user interface.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to output a second control signal to decrease a volume of the first sound signal or the second sound signal corresponding to the at least one external device or the sound output unit in accordance with an opposite direction to the particular direction the drag input is applied to the user interface.

16. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

connecting to at least one external device through a communication unit of the electronic device;

recognizing a first sound signal output from the at least one external device; and

controlling at least one sound output from the at least one external device and a sound output unit of the electronic device when a second sound signal is output through the sound output unit.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first sound signal and the second sound signal are the same.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

synchronizing the electronic device with the at least one external device; and

receiving a content associated with a content executed by the at least one external device.

19. A method of controlling an electronic device, the method comprising:

forming a network with at least one external device through a communication unit of the electronic device;

receiving an auxiliary content of a main content executed by the at least one external device through the communication unit;

recognizing a first sound signal output through the at least one external device according to execution of the main content;

outputting a second sound signal through a sound output unit of the electronic device according to execution of the auxiliary content; and

performing control so that one of the first sound signal and the second sound signal is output through one of the at least one external device and the sound output unit.