Fast start voice recording and playback on a digital device

• US 6,760,696 B1
• Filed: 04/01/1999
• Issued: 07/06/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 01/07/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Goldberg, Jossef, Lui, Charlton E., Blum, Jeffrey R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Dorvil, Richemond
• Assistant Examiner(s): ARMSTRONG, ANGELA A
• Application Number:
  US09/283,224
• Time in Patent Office: 1,923 Days
• Field of Search: 704/201, 704/270, 704/500, 369/25, 369/29.02, 369/25.01, 700/94, 713/1, 713/2, 713/100, 713/300, 713/323, 713/324
• US Class Current: 704/201
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L
• CPC Class Codes: G11B 19/022 Control panels
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 1/04 Structural association of microphone with electric circuitry therefor in deaf-aid sets H04R25/00

Abstract

Voice recording is initiated immediately upon pressing a record button on a digital computing device such as a palm computer. To enable an immediate response to the button being pressed without a delay that would be normally be incurred to load a user interface and a recording application, a stub program is continuously executed on the device, even when a main user interface program is not running. When the record button is pressed, the stub program immediately begins recording a digital signal corresponding to the sound waves incident on a microphone of the device in a compressed format. If the record button is depressed for more than a second, the recorded digital signal is stored in a file so that it can subsequently be played back, and if the record button was pressed for less than one second, the file is not retained. Sound recording can be initiated in an “eyes free” mode, e.g., while using the device under low ambient light conditions, or while engaged in another activity. Recording and playback are controlled by a user interface that is launched when the record button is initially pressed, if not already running. Sound files can be selected and played back at either a normal speed or at a substantially higher speed without any significant change in the frequency of the recorded sound, using control buttons provided on the hand held computing device or the user interface that is provided on a touch screen display.

Claims

1. A digital computing device that immediately implements a predefined function in response to a user action, independent of whether an operating system is currently running on the digital computing device, comprising:

(a) a power supply for providing electrical power to energize the digital computing device;

(b) a memory for storing machine instructions;

(c) a switch disposed on a housing; and

(d) a processor, coupled to the memory and to the switch, for executing the machine instructions to carry out a plurality of functions, a portion of said machine instructions comprising a stub program that runs until the power supply is de-energized, and another portion of the machine instructions comprising the operating system that is substantially larger than and independent of the stub program and which is selectively executed by the processor to provide a main user interface implemented by the operating system and to provide access to hardware resources for selectively loaded application programs, said stub program immediately responding to a user actuating the switch by implementing the predefined function independent of and not under control of the operating system, even before the operating system is run and the main user interface is thus not currently available, said predefined function being unrelated to initiating the operating system.

2. The digital computing device of claim 1, wherein, if the operating system is not yet running, the stub program causes the processor to launch the operating system after implementing the predefined function in response to the user actuating the switch.

3. The digital computing device of claim 1, further comprising:

(a) a microphone that produces an analog signal corresponding to sound waves that are incident on the microphone; and

(b) an analog-to-digital converter coupled to the microphone and to the memory, said analog-to-digital converter converting the analog signal produced by the microphone into a digital signal that is stored in the memory, wherein the predefined function comprises storing the digital signal from the analog-to-digital converter in the memory to record the sound waves incident on the microphone.

4. The digital computing device of claim 3, wherein the stub program is adapted to cause the processor to at least temporarily store the digital signal in the memory until the user stops actuating the switch.

5. The digital computing device of claim 4, wherein the stub program causes the processor not to save the digital signal at least temporarily stored in the memory if the user continuously actuates the switch for less than a predefined interval.

6. The digital computing device of claim 5, wherein the stub program causes the processor to launch the operating system if the user continuously actuates the switch for less than the predefined interval.

7. The digital computing device of claim 3, wherein the stub program further compresses the digital signal and saves the digital signal in the memory in a compressed format.

8. The digital computing device of claim 3, further comprising:

(a) a sound transducer that produces audible sounds in response to an applied analog signal; and

(b) a digital-to-analog converter that is coupled to the memory to receive the digital signal stored therein and to the sound transducer to provide the applied analog signal, said applied analog signal corresponding to the digital signal, so that said sound transducer produces audible sounds corresponding to the digital signal to play back sounds substantially reproducing the sound waves that were incident on the microphone.

9. The digital computing device of claim 8, wherein the operating system includes functions for controlling the playback of the digital signal stored in the memory.

10. The digital computing device of claim 9, further comprising a plurality of controls adapted to be actuated by the user, at least one of said plurality of controls initiating the playback of the digital signal stored in the memory to produce the audible sounds with the sound transducer.

11. The digital computing device of claim 10, wherein one of the plurality of controls is adapted to cause the playback of the digital signal at a speed substantially greater than a rate at which the digital signal was provided to the memory by the analog-to-digital converter.

12. The digital computing device of claim 10, wherein another of the plurality of controls is adapted to rewind through the digital signal stored in the memory.

13. The digital computing device of claim 12, wherein while rewinding the digital signal, audible tones are produced by the sound transducer at periodic intervals of time to represent durations of successive portions of the digital signal being rewound.

14. The digital computing device of claim 10, wherein the machine instructions cause the processor to store the digital signal as a file, in a folder specified by the user.

15. The digital computing device of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of controls, if actuated for less than a minimum predefined interval of time during playback of the digital signal in one file, causes a digital signal in a next file to be played, and if said one control is actuated for more than the minimum predefined interval of time, is adapted to cause the playback of the digital signal currently being played at a speed substantially greater than a rate at which the digital signal was provided to the memory by the analog-to-digital converter.

16. The digital computing device of claim 14, wherein one of the plurality of controls, if actuated for less than a minimum predefined interval of time during playback of the digital signal in one file, causes a digital signal in a previous file to be played, and if said one control is actuated for more than the minimum predefined interval of time, is adapted to rewind through said one digital signal currently being played.

17. The digital computing device of claim 14, wherein the machine instructions cause the processor to enable the user to identify the folder by selecting it from a plurality of folders.

18. The digital computing device of claim 14, further comprising a data port adapted for transmitting the file to another computing device.

19. The digital computing device of claim 3, wherein the machine instructions cause the processor to enable the user to record sound with the microphone, for inclusion in an e-mail message.

20. A method for immediately implementing a predefined function in response to a user action on a digital computing device, independent of whether a main user interface of a general purpose operating system is currently running on the digital computing device, comprising the steps of:

(a) executing a stub program that runs while the digital computing device is energized, the separate general purpose operating system that provides the main user interface not being required to execute before the stub program is run;

(b) providing a switch on the digital computing device;

(c) associating the stub program with the switch; and

(d) immediately responding to a user actuating the switch by implementing the predefined function independent of and not under control of the general purpose operating system, even when the general purpose operating system is not currently running and the main user interface is thus not currently available, said predefined function being initiated by the stub program without a delay that is required to launch the main user interface and being unrelated to initiating the general purpose operating system.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of launching the general purpose operating system after implementing the predefined function in response to the user actuating the switch, if the general purpose operating system is not already running.

22. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of providing a microphone on the digital computing device, wherein the predefined function comprises storing a digital signal corresponding to sound waves incident on a microphone.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the digital signal is at least temporarily stored by the stub program until the user stops actuating the switch.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of discarding the digital signal if the user continuously actuates the switch for less than a predefined interval.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the stub program launches the general purpose operating system if the user continuously actuates the switch for less than the predefined interval.

26. The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of initiating playback of the digital signal stored in the memory to produce the audible sounds.

27. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of selectively causing the playback of the digital signal at a speed substantially greater than a rate at which the digital signal was saved.

28. The method of claim 26, further comprising the step of selectively rewinding back through the digital signal during its playback.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the step of producing audible tones at periodic intervals of time, to represent durations of successive portions of the digital signal being rewound.

30. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of enabling the user to record spoken words for inclusion in a message.

31. The method of claim 22, further comprising the steps of:

(a) compressing the digital signal; and

(b) saving the digital signal in a compressed format.

32. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of producing audible sounds corresponding to the digital signal that was stored, thereby substantially reproducing the sound waves that were incident on the microphone.

33. The method of claim 20, further comprising the step of storing the digital signal as a file in a folder specified by the user.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of providing a control, which if actuated for less than a minimum predefined interval of time during playback of the digital signal in one file, causes a digital signal in a next file to be played, and if actuated for more than the minimum predefined interval of time, causes playback of the digital signal currently being played at a fast forward speed.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of providing a control, which if actuated for less than a minimum predefined interval of time during playback of the digital signal in one file, causes a digital signal in a previous file to be played, and which if actuated for more than the minimum predefined interval of time, rewinds through said one digital signal currently being played at a rewind speed.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of enabling the user to selectively identify the folder from a list of a plurality of folders.

37. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of transmitting the file to another computing device.

38. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of enabling the user to play a selected file in which the digital signal is stored.

39. The method of claim 38, further comprising the step of enabling the user to selectively play all files in a selected folder by double clicking the switch.

40. The method of claim 22, further comprising the step of providing functions for controlling the playback of the digital signal that was stored.

41. A method of communicating between a control on a digital computing device and a process for recording input data, comprising the steps of:

(a) assigning the control to a stub program executing on the digital computing device, as a registry entry;

(b) executing the stub program that monitors the control, said stub program running independently of and not under control of an operating system that produces a user interface and without regard for initiating the operating system; and

(c) responding to a user actuating the control by passing a fast_keypress_notification to the stub program, to immediately initiate recording of the input data independent of the operating system.

42. A digital computing device that immediately implements a predefined function in response to a user action, independent of whether an operating system is currently running on the digital computing device, comprising:

(a) a power supply for providing electrical power to energize the digital computing device;

(b) a processor for executing machine instructions;

(c) a switch coupled to the processor and disposed on a housing; and

(d) a memory coupled to the processor and storing the machine instructions that cause the processor to carry out a plurality of functions, said machine instructions comprising;

(i) the operating system, which is selectively executed by the processor to provide a main user interface upon execution of the operating system; and

(ii) a stub program that is independent of and not under control of the operating system and which runs until the power supply is de-energized, said stub program being associated with the switch so as to immediately respond to a user actuating the switch by implementing the predefined function independent of the operating system being notified that the switch was activated, and even before the operating system is executed, so that the main user interface is not currently available, said predefined function being unrelated to initiating the operating system and unrelated to initiating an application program that runs under control of the operating system.

43. The digital computing device of claim 42, wherein the stub program is predefined to be associated with the switch by a registry entry stored in the memory.

44. The digital computing device of claim 42, further comprising a second switch, wherein the stub program is executed upon activation of the switch without activation of the operating system and without a determination that the second switch was not activated.

45. The digital computing device of claim 42, further comprising:

(a) a sound transducer; and

(b) an analog-to-digital transducer in communication with the sound transducer, the memory, and the processor, wherein the predefined function comprises storing in the memory a sound incident on the sound transducer and converted from an analog signal to a digital signal by the analog-to-digital converter.