PORTABLE SPEAKER

• US 20170078795A1
• Filed: 05/27/2014
• Published: 03/16/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Hanes, David H.
• Granted Patent: US 10,051,367 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/102 Programmed access in sequence to addressed parts of tracks of operating record carriers access by moving the head G11B3/08, G11B5/54, G11B7/085, G11B21/022; by moving the record carrier G11B15/005, G11B17/005, by driving of both record carrier and head G11B15/1816
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2227/005 Audio distribution systems for home, i.e. multi-room use
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2430/01 Aspects of volume control, not necessarily automatic, in sound systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 3/04 for correcting frequency response
• 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

Abstract

In one example, a portable speaker is provided. The portable speaker includes a communication interface to receive an audio file from a portable computing device, a machine-readable storage medium to store the audio file, a speaker to output sound corresponding to the audio file, and a management module. The management module is to (i) add the audio file to a queue to be output by the speaker; (ii) analyze the audio file to determine a baseline audio level for the audio file, and utilize the determined baseline audio level to normalize an audio level of another audio file subsequently added to the queue; and (iii) in response to the number of audio files in the queue decreasing below a threshold, analyze metadata from audio files previously or currently in the queue to determine attribute information, and request audio content from an Internet service provider based on the attribute information.

Claims

1. A portable speaker, comprising:

a communication interface to receive an audio file from a portable computing device;

a machine-readable storage medium to store the audio file;

a speaker to output sound corresponding to the audio file; and

a management module to

(i) add the audio file to a queue to be output by the speaker,

(ii) analyze the audio file to determine a baseline audio level for the audio file, and utilize the determined baseline audio level to normalize an audio level of another audio file subsequently added to the queue, and

(iii) in response to the number of audio files in the queue decreasing below a threshold, analyze metadata from audio files previously or currently in the queue to determine attribute information, and request audio content from an Internet service provider based on the attribute information.

2. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein the Internet service provider comprises an Internet radio service provider that streams audio content based at least in part on attribute information, and wherein the attribute information comprises at least one of genre information and artist information.

3. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein the communication interface is further to receive authentication information for the Internet service provider from the portable computing device, and send the authentication information to the Internet service provider.

4. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein, after the speaker outputs the sound corresponding to the audio file, the management module is to delete a portion of the audio file from the machine-readable storage medium while at least temporarily retaining metadata associated with the audio file in the machine-readable storage medium.

5. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein the management module is further to determine the baseline audio level for the audio file by at least one of identifying the loudest point in the audio file and determining the average sound level for the audio file.

6. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein the management module is further to rearrange audio files in the queue such that at least some audio files with similar attribute information are grouped next to each other within the queue.

7. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein the portable speaker is to connect to an access point via the communication interface, and wherein the portable speaker is to generate its own service set identifier (SSID) different from that of the access point.

8. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein the portable speaker further comprises a network server, and wherein the network server enables configuration of the portable speaker via the portable computing device.

9. The portable speaker of claim 1, wherein the portable computing device comprises at least one of a tablet, laptop, and smartphone.

10. A portable speaker, comprising:

a communication interface to receive an audio file from a portable computing device;

a machine-readable storage medium to store the audio file;

a speaker to output sound corresponding to the audio file;

a network server to enable configuration of the portable speaker via the portable computing device; and

a management module to

(i) add the audio file to a queue to be output by the speaker; and

(ii) analyze the audio file to determine a baseline audio level for the audio file, and utilize the determined baseline audio level to normalize an audio level of another audio file subsequently added to the queue, wherein the management module is to determine the baseline audio level for the audio file by at least one of identifying the loudest point in the audio file and determining the average sound level for the audio file.

11. The portable speaker of claim 10, wherein the management module is further to, in response to the number of audio files in the queue decreasing below a threshold, request audio content from at least one of an Internet service provider, a personal computer, a content repository, and a server.

12. A portable speaker, comprising:

a communication interface to receive an audio file from a portable computing device;

a machine-readable storage medium to store the audio file;

a speaker to output sound corresponding to the audio file;

a network server to enable configuration of the portable speaker via the portable computing device, wherein the configuration comprises receiving authentication information for an Internet radio service provider; and

a management module to

(i) add the audio file to a queue to be output by the speaker,

(ii) in response to the number of audio files in the queue decreasing below a threshold, analyze metadata from audio files previously or currently in the queue to determine attribute information, request audio content from the Internet radio service provider based on the attribute information, and cause the speaker to output the audio content received from the Internet radio service provider until another audio file is received from the portable computing device and added to the queue.

13. The portable speaker of claim 12, wherein the Internet radio service provider streams audio content based at least in part on attribute information, and wherein the attribute information comprises at least one of genre information and artist information.

14. The portable speaker of claim 12, wherein, after the speaker outputs the sound corresponding to the audio file, the management module is to delete a portion of the audio file from the machine-readable storage medium while at least temporarily retaining metadata associated with the audio file in the machine-readable storage medium.

15. The portable speaker of claim 12, wherein the management module is further to analyze the audio file to determine a baseline audio level for the audio file, and utilize the determined baseline audio level to normalize an audio level of another audio file subsequently added to the queue, wherein the management module is to determine the baseline audio level for the audio file by at least one of identifying the loudest point in the audio file and determining the average sound level for the audio file.