AUDIO CONTENT PLAYBACK METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PORTABLE TERMINAL

• US 20140192986A1
• Filed: 01/07/2014
• Published: 07/10/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: CHOI, Kyu-Ok, LEE, Jung-Mi, UM, Ji-Hyun
• Granted Patent: US 9,654,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 381/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/43076 of the same content streams on multiple devices, e.g. when family members are watching the same movie on different devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 21/4788 communicating with other users, e.g. chatting arrangements for providing for computer conferences, e.g. chat rooms, to substation in data switching networks H04L12/1813; distributed application using peer-to-peer [P2P] networks H04L67/104
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/12 for distributing signals to two or more loudspeakers specially adapted for hearing aids H04R25/407
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 5/04 Circuit arrangements, e.g. for selective connection of amplifier inputs/outputs to loudspeakers, for loudspeaker detection, or for adaptation of settings to personal preferences or hearing impairments combinations of amplifiers H03F3/68; stereophonic systems H04S
• CPC Class Codes: H04S 7/30 Control circuits for electronic adaptation of the sound field

Abstract

An audio content playback method for a portable terminal The audio content playback method includes checking a channel that is supportable by audio content that is currently engaged in group'"'"'s simultaneous playback, in group'"'"'s simultaneous playback of the audio content. The method includes allocating a channel to each of devices included in a group based on position information of each device included in the group or based on an input state in a user interface environment that is preset for channel allocation for each device included in the group, and transmitting the allocated channel information to each device included in the group to allow the device to select its allocated channel and play the audio content.

Claims

1. An audio content playback method for a portable terminal, comprising:

checking by a controller whether a channel is supportable by audio content that is currently engaged in in a group of devices engaged in simultaneous playback of the audio content;

allocating by the controller a channel to each of devices included in the group based on a position information of each device included in the group or based on an input state in a user interface environment that is preset for channel allocation for each device included in the group; and

transmitting via short-range communication by an auxiliary communication unit the allocated channel information to each device included in the group to allow each device to select its allocated channel and play the audio content.

2. The audio content playback method of claim 1, wherein the user interface environment that is preset for channel allocation for each device included in the group comprises:

a plurality of menu selection items provided in advance to receive selection of a channel allocation scheme corresponding to the supportable channel of the audio content; and

sub-menu selection items for selecting a channel for each device included in the group based on the supportable channel of the audio content.

3. The audio content playback method of claim 2, further comprising displaying on a channel allocation main screen the menu selection items provided in advance to receive selection of a channel allocation scheme corresponding to the supportable channel of the audio content are displayed, in which the channel allocation main screen that is provided in advance for each channel allocation scheme corresponds to the supportable channel of the audio content, and

additionally displaying on the channel allocation main screen:

a plurality of touch key input items provided in advance for each channel allocation scheme corresponding to the supportable channel of the audio content; and

touch key input items for checking a list of the devices included in the group and channel allocation states of the devices included in the group.

4. The audio content playback method of claim 3, wherein on the channel allocation main screen are additionally displayed touch key input items provided in advance for each channel as at least a part of the sub-menu selection items for selecting a channel for each device included in the group based on the supportable channel of the audio content.

5. The audio content playback method of claim 4, wherein, as a sub-menu of the touch key input item provided in advance for each channel, a list of the devices included in the group and channel allocation states of the devices are displayed as touch key input items.

6. The audio content playback method of claim 4, wherein additionally displaying on the channel allocation main screen a touch key input item provided in advance for automatic channel allocation.

7. The audio content playback method of claim 4, wherein the touch key input items provided in advance for each channel comprise ‘

Left’ and

‘

Right’

corresponding to 2 channels or ‘

Left’

, ‘

Surrounded Left’

, ‘

Woofer’

, ‘

Surrounded Right’

, and ‘

Right’

corresponding to 5.1 channels.

8. The audio content playback method of claim 1, wherein checking the channel that is supportable by audio content that is currently engaged in group'"'"'s simultaneous playback, in group'"'"'s simultaneous playback of the audio content comprises:

determining whether there is an input manipulation with respect to a menu selection item provided in advance to receive manipulation of whether to perform playback of a selective channel for each device included in the group.

9. The audio content playback method of claim 1, wherein the supportable channel of the audio content comprises 2 channels and 5.1 channels.

10. A machine-readable non-transitory storage medium having recorded thereon a program that is executed by a controller of a portable terminal to operate the audio content playback method of claim 1.

11. A portable terminal comprising:

a controller;

a mobile communication unit configured to perform a wireless signal processing operation for a mobile communication function;

an auxiliary communication unit for short-range communication with a group of devices;

an audio input/output unit receives an audible input, or outputs audible sound; and

a storage unit comprising having recorded thereon machine executable code that is executed by the controller for controlling playback of audio content playback operation by each device of a group of devices simultaneously,

wherein the controller performs a group'"'"'s simultaneous playback operation in the audio content playback operation, checks a channel supported by audio content and separately allocates a corresponding channel supported by corresponding audio content for each device of the group automatically.

12. The portable terminal of claim 11, wherein the audio input/output unit includes a microphone, speaker and a codec.

13. The portable terminal of claim 11, further comprising:

a manipulation unit, wherein the controller separately allocates the corresponding channel supported by corresponding audio content for each device in the group according to selection via the manipulation unit of each device in the group.

14. The portable terminal of claim 13, wherein the manipulation unit comprises a touch screen.

15. The portable terminal of claim 13, wherein the manipulation unit includes a touch pad.

16. The portable terminal of claim 11, wherein the controller controls the auxiliary communication unit to transmit allocated channel information to each device included in the group to allow each device to select its allocated channel and play the audio content.

17. The portable terminal of claim 11, further comprising:

a position checking unit, wherein the controller separately allocates the corresponding channel supported by corresponding audio content for each device in the group according to a position of each device in the group determined by the position checking unit.

18. The portable terminal of claim 17, wherein the position checking unit includes a Global Positioning System (GPS) for checking a local position of the portable terminal and generating location information.