Enhanced delivery of audio data for portable playback

• US 6,549,942 B1
• Filed: 07/10/2000
• Issued: 04/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 05/25/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Ironworks Patents LLC
• Original Assignee: audiohighway.com
• Inventors: Schulhof, Nathan, Jasmin, Grant, Janky, James M.
• Primary Examiner(s): DAM, TUAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US09/613,025
• Time in Patent Office: 1,009 Days
• Field of Search: 709/217-219, 709/237, 709/227-229, 375/240, 370/485, 370/486, 370/313, 434/308, 434/319, 705/26, 725/70, 725/91, 725/112, 725/114, 369/24.01, 369/25.01, 369/29.02, 704/270-278
• US Class Current: 709/219
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2240/305 Internet or TCP/IP protocol use for any electrophonic musical instrument data or musical parameter transmission purposes
• CPC Class Codes: G10L 13/00 Speech synthesis; Text to speech systems
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00086 Circuits for prevention of unauthorised reproduction or copying, e.g. piracy indicating unauthorised use of record carriers in general G11B23/28; scrambling for television signal recording H04N5/913; network architectures or network protocols for network security H04L63/00; cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for secret or secure communication H04L9/00
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/0021 involving encryption or decryption of contents recorded on or reproduced from a record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00797 wherein the usage restriction limits the number of times a content can be reproduced, e.g. using playback counters
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00855 involving a step of exchanging information with a remote server
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/00869 wherein the remote server can deliver the content to a receiving device
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10 Digital recording or reproducing
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 20/10527 Audio or video recording; Data buffering arrangements G11B20/12 - G11B20/18 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/00014 the compressed signal being an audio signal
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2020/10546 specifically adapted for audio data
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/04 for providing a confidential data exchange among entities communicating through data packet networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 63/0428 wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/04 Protocols for data compression, e.g. ROHC
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols

Abstract

A system for selection by a user and delivery to the user over an internetwork transmission channel of selected audio data files at a delivery rate of at least twice the delivery rate for normal, audibly perceptible playback of an audio data file. The user registers the user'"'"'s selection of audio material with a central library of audio and/or text data files, and a digitized and optionally compressed omnibus file containing the user'"'"'s selections is prepared and transmitted to the user at a high data transfer rate. The user receives downloads the selected data files to a personal computer or to a portable storage and playback unit (SPU) that may store and play back digitized text or audio data, using a docking station. The user carries this SPU until the user has an opportunity to audio process and play back the text or audio data files in audibly perceptible form.

Claims

1. Portable apparatus for accessing digital audio data stored at a remote location, the apparatus comprising:

a storage unit for storing the data; and

a playback unit for playing back the data;

the apparatus being capable of communicating via a docking station with a computer connectable to a communications link for downloading the data from the remote location and uploading the data to the apparatus.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further comprising the computer and the communications link.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein the communications link comprises the Internet.

4. A method comprising the steps of:

downloading to a computer digital audio data stored at a remote location;

establishing via a docking station an upload connection between the computer and a portable unit having storage and playback capability; and

uploading the data to the portable unit for storage therein.

5. A method according to claim 4 comprising the step of breaking the upload connection and playing back the data.

6. Audio information storage and playback apparatus comprising:

a computer and associated data interface, programmed to receive and extract an audio data file from an incoming signal over an internetwork channel at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the data file; and

a data transfer mechanism adapted for connection to the computer and to a playback module that receives and stores the data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of the data file, wherein said playback module further comprises;

flash memory for receiving and storing said data file from said computer;

a playback selection device to select and retrieve at least one selected data file recorded in the flash memory;

a digital-to-analog conversion device to convert the selected data file into an audio signal; and

an audio processing device to select and retrieve the selected data file from the flash memory and to reproduce the selected data file in audibly perceptible form for playback at a real time delivery rate.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said flash memory further comprises a PCMCIA card.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein said playback module includes at least one of an audibly perceptible display and a visually perceptible display that displays user information from at least one of the following:

(1) an estimated length of time required for real time playback of a user-specified selection recorded on said playback module;

(2) a title or phrase describing a user-specified selection recorded on said playback module; and

(3) a user-specified category to which a user-specified selection recorded on said playback module is assigned.

9. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

a keypad, having at least two keys thereon that are tactilely distinguishable or visually distinguishable, connected to said playback module, that allows a command to be entered that selects said selected data file and that causes said audio processing means to convert said selected data file to an audibly perceptible signal.

10. Audio information storage and playback apparatus comprising:

a computer and associated data interface, programmed to receive and extract an audio data file from an incoming signal over an internetwork channel at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the data file; and

a data transfer mechanism adapted for connection to the computer and to a playback module that receives and stores the data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of the data file, wherein said computer further comprises a data file interrogation module, for receiving and examining said data file to determine whether said data file contains at least one E-mail message, for removing the E-mail routing information for each E-mail message that is part of said data file, and for retaining the remainder of the E-mail in said data file.

11. Audio information storage and playback apparatus comprising:

a computer and associated data interface, prograunmed to receive and extract an audio data file from an incoming signal over an internetwork channel at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the data file; and

a data transfer mechanism adapted for connection to the computer and to a playback module that receives and stores the data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of the data file, wherein said audio data file is provided in digitized and compressed format using a compression algorithm drawn from the class of audio compression algorithms consisting of perceptual encoding, Dolby Labs AC-3 and CCITT recommendation G.722.

12. Audio information storage and playback apparatus comprising:

a computer and associated data interface, programmed to receive and extract an text data file from an incoming signal over an internetwork channel, where the text data file is received by the computer at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the text data file; and

a data transfer mechanism, adapted for connection to the computer and to a playback module that receives and stores the text data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of the text data file, further comprising said playback module, wherein said playback module comprises;

flash memory for receiving and storing said text data file from said computer;

a playback selection device to select and retrieve at least one selected data file recorded in the flash memory;

a text-to-speech conversion device to receive at least one text data file from the playback selection device and to convert at least one text data file to an output signal that is in audio format;

a digital-to-analog conversion device to convert the text-to-speech conversion means output signal into an audio signal; and

an audio processing device to receive the digital-to-analog conversion means output signal and to reproduce the output signal in audibly perceptible form for playback at a real time delivery rate.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, where in said flash memory further comprises a PCMCIA card.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said playback module includes at least one of an audibly perceptible display and a visually perceptible display that displays user information from at least one of the following:

(1) an estimated length of time required for real time playback of a user-specified selection recorded on said playback module;

(2) a title or phrase describing a user-specified selection recorded on said playback module; and

(3) a user-specified category to which a user-specified selection recorded on said playback module is assigned.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

a keypad, having at least two keys thereon that are tactilely distinguishable or visually distinguishable, connected to said playback module, that allows a command to be entered that selects said selected text data file and that causes said audio processing means to convert said selected text data file to an audibly perceptible signal.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said playback module further comprises a text-to-speech conversion module that receives and converts said data file to an audio file.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said data interface is a universal data interface to receive a file as part of an incoming signal, tansmitted over an internetwork transmission channel, in digitized format, and to provide automatic data format recognition for this data file.

18. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said computer comprises a data file interrogation module, for receiving and examining said data file to determine whether said data file contains at least one E-mail message, for removing the E-mail routing information for each Email message that is part of said data file, and for retaining the remainder of the E-mail in said data file.

19. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising a telephone modem, connected to said data interface, for receiving and converting said incoming signals and for passing the converted incoming signals to said data interface.

20. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein said text data file is converted to a digitized and compressed audio format using a compression algorithm drawn from the class of audio compression algorithms consisting of perceptual encoding, Dolby Labs AC-3 and CCITT recommendation G.722.

21. Audio information storage and playback apparatus comprising:

a computer and associated data interface, programmed to receive and extract an audio data file from an incoming signal over an internetwork channel at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the data file; and

a data transfer mechanism adapted for connection to the computer and to a playback module that receives and stores the data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of the data file, wherein said transfer mechanism further comprises a docking station, connected to said computer and adapted for receiving a playback module that receives and stores said data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of said data file.

22. Audio information storage and playback apparatus comprising:

a computer and associated data interface, programmed to receive and extract an text data file from an incoming signal over an internetwork channel, where the text data file is received by the computer at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the text data file; and

a data transfer mechanism, adapted for connection to the computer and to a playback module that receives and stores the text data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of the text data file, wherein said transfer mechanism further comprises a docking station, connected to said computer and adapted for receiving a playback module that receives and stores said text data file from the computer and provides audibly perceptible playback of said text data file.

23. A system for receiving, storing and playing back digital files, the system comprising:

a portable storage and playback device that receives and stores a digital file over an internetwork channel at a transfer rate that is greater than a playback rate for audibly perceptible playback of information contained in the data file;

a personal computer that contains at least one digital file; and

a transfer mechanism connected to the portable storage and playback device and including a signal connection for facilitating transfer of the digital file between the personal computer and the portable storage and playback device,

wherein at least one of the personal computer and the portable storage and playback device includes software to facilitate a transfer of the digital file from the personal computer to the portable storage and playback device, using the connection between the personal computer and the transfer mechanism, and the portable playback and storage device is removed from the transfer mechanism for playback of the digital file,

wherein said transfer mechanism comprises a docking station connected to said portable storage and playback device and includes said signal connection between said personal computer and said portable storage and playback device.