Personal audio recorder in a vehicular entertainment sound system

• US 6,665,234 B2
• Filed: 03/26/2002
• Issued: 12/16/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Goodman, Bryan Roger, Varnum, Kenneth James
• Primary Examiner(s): Neyzari, Ali
• Application Number:
  US10/063,157
• Publication Number:
  US 20030185107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 630 Days
• Field of Search: 369/2, 369/6, 369/7, 369/1, 369/4, 369/19, 369/20, 369/21, 369/22, 369/30.23, 369/47.13, 360/72.2, 360/7, 368/250, 368/72, 381/77, 386/46, 386/120, 725/75, 725/76
• US Class Current: 369/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2545 CDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 2220/2562 DVDs [digital versatile discs]; Digital video discs; MMCDs; HDCDs
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 27/002 Programmed access in sequence to a plurality of record carriers or indexed parts, e.g. tracks, thereof, e.g. for editing; transfer of record carriers from magazine G11B15/68, G11B17/10; G11B17/22
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 31/003 with radio receiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 20/95 characterised by a specific format, e.g. an encoded audio stream
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/13 Arrangements for device control affected by the broadcast information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/27 Arrangements for recording or accumulating broadcast information or broadcast-related information
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/65 for using the result on users' side
• CPC Class Codes: H04H 60/72 using electronic programme guides [EPG] focusing on identifying broadcast space time H04H60/39 ; menu type display of EPG in television receivers H04N21/47

Abstract

A method of recording a plurality of audio signals associated with an entertainment sound system (42) of an automotive vehicle (12) includes an audio input (20). A plurality of audio signals (18) is transmitted from the audio input (20) to a controller (24) within the automotive vehicle (12). A preferred plurality of audio signals (36) is acoustically played on the entertainment sound system (42). A recorder (28) is actuated to record the preferred plurality of audio signals (34) onto an electronic medium (30) within the vehicle (42). Consequently, the preferred plurality of audio signals (34) is recorded onto the electronic medium (30). An acoustical transmission of the preferred plurality of audio signals (34) received from said audio input (20) is halted at a halting point. Finally, the acoustical transmission is resumed from the electronic medium (30), from the halting point simultaneously as the plurality of audio signals (18) continues being recorded.

Claims

1. A method of recording a plurality of audio signals associated with an entertainment sound system of an automotive vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

providing an audio input associated with the automotive vehicle;

transmitting the plurality of audio signals from said audio input to a controller within the automotive vehicle;

acoustically playing a preferred plurality of audio signals on the entertainment sound system;

actuating a recorder to record said preferred plurality of audio signals onto an electronic medium within said vehicle;

recording said preferred plurality of audio signals for a recording time period onto said electronic medium within said vehicle;

halting an acoustical play of said preferred plurality of audio signals received from said audio input at a halting point; and

resuming said acoustical play from said halting point simultaneously as the plurality of audio signals continues being recorded, resuming said acoustical play from said electronic medium within said vehicle.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of recording said preferred plurality of audio signals comprises:

encoding said preferred plurality of audio signals to a digital format, said digital format being at least one of an MP3 format or an MPEG format.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said recording time period is selectively determined by a user.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said recording time period is a predetermined time period.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of actuating a recorder to record said preferred plurality of audio signals comprises:

designating a programmable recording signal, said programmable recording signal being at least one of a selectively chosen time, a selectively chosen word and a selectively chosen phrase.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of actuating a recorder to record said preferred plurality of audio signals comprises:

detecting a programmable recording signal within said preferred plurality of audio signals, said programmable recording signal being at least one of a selectively chosen word and a selectively chosen phrase.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of resuming said acoustical play of said preferred plurality of audio signals from said electronic medium comprises:

decoding said preferred plurality of audio signals.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 further comprising the steps of:

providing a central server for generating a plurality of data associated with the plurality of audio signals;

providing a data input associated with the automotive vehicle;

transmitting a plurality of data from said central server to said controller within the automotive vehicle through said data input, said plurality of data being at least one of a program schedule, a program description, a recommendation, and a preference vector associated with the plurality of audio signals;

acoustically playing said preferred plurality of audio signals on the entertainment sound system, said preferred plurality of audio signals received from said audio input;

recording a preferred plurality of data of said preferred plurality of audio signals, recording said preferred plurality of data onto a user profile stored on an electronic medium; and

recording a recommended plurality of audio signals onto said electronic medium, said recommended plurality of audio signals having a preference vector congruent to said user profile.

9. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said controller receives said plurality of data from said central server through said data input.

10. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said controller compiles said user profile on said electronic medium, said user profile being derived from a preferred plurality of data of said preferred plurality of audio signals acoustically played within the automotive vehicle.

11. The method as recited in claim 8 further comprising the step of recording said recommended plurality of audio signals, said recommended plurality of audio signals having said preference vector congruent to said user profile.

12. The method as recited in claim 8 wherein said user profile is stored on said electronic medium within the automobile.

13. The method as recited in claim 8 further comprising the step of transmitting said preferred plurality of data to said central server for generating at least one of said user profile and said recommended plurality of audio signals.

20. The personal audio recording system as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of resuming said acoustical play of said preferred plurality of audio signals from said electronic medium comprises:

decoding said preferred plurality of audio signals.

14. A personal audio recording system associated with an automotive vehicle, the personal audio recording system comprising:

an audio input for supplying a plurality of audio signals, said audio input associated with the automotive vehicle;

a controller for receiving said plurality of audio signals, said controller selectively transmitting a preferred plurality of audio signals received from said audio input, said controller selectively encoding said preferred plurality of audio signals, said controller selectively actuating a recorder to record said preferred plurality of audio signals onto an electronic medium, said controller selectively decoding said preferred plurality of audio signals stored on said electronic medium, said controller selectively transmitting said preferred plurality of audio signals from said electronic medium simultaneously as said recorder records said preferred plurality of audio signals; and

an entertainment sound system receiving said preferred plurality of audio signals from said controller, said entertainment sound system acoustically playing said preferred plurality of audio signals, said entertainment sound system disposed within the automotive vehicle.

15. The personal audio recording system as recited in claim 14 wherein said controller receives a plurality of data from said data input, said plurality of data being at least one of a program schedule, a program description, a recommendation, and a preference vector associated with the automotive vehicle.

16. The personal audio recording system as recited in claim 14 wherein said controller actuates said recorder to record a preferred plurality of data of said preferred plurality of audio signals, said recorder records said preferred plurality of data onto a user profile stored on said electronic medium.

17. The personal audio recording system as recited in claim 16 wherein said user profile is stored on said electronic medium within the automotive vehicle.

18. The personal audio recording system as recited in claim 16 further comprising the step of transmitting said preferred plurality of data to said central server for generating at least one of said user profile and said recommended plurality of audio signals.

19. The personal audio recording system as recited in claim 16 wherein said controller actuate said recorder to record said preferred plurality of audio signals for a recording time period upon detecting a programmable recording signal, said programmable recording signal being at least one of a selectively chosen time, a selectively chosen word, and a selectively chosen phrase.