Method and apparatus of karaoke storage on a wireless communications device

• US 7,079,026 B2
• Filed: 02/11/2004
• Issued: 07/18/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Smith, Glen
• Primary Examiner(s): PHAM, TOAN NGOC
• Application Number:
  US10/777,007
• Publication Number:
  US 20050140519A1
• Time in Patent Office: 888 Days
• Field of Search: 340/539.22, 340/692, 340/7.58, 379/375.01, 379/373.01, 379/373.02, 379/373.03, 379/373.04, 455/567, 381/119
• US Class Current: 340/539.22
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/0083 using wireless transmission, e.g. radio, light, infrared
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 1/365 the accompaniment information being stored on a host computer and transmitted to a reproducing terminal by means of a network, e.g. public telephone lines
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/015 PDA [personal digital assistant] or palmtop computing devices used for musical purposes, e.g. portable music players, tablet computers, e-readers or smart phones in which mobile telephony functions need not be used touch-screen interfaces G10H2220/096
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2230/021 Mobile ringtone, i.e. generation, transmission, conversion or downloading of ringing tones or other sounds for mobile telephony; Special musical data formats or protocols herefor mobile telephone transmission specifically adapted for electrophonic musical tools or instruments G10H2240/251
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72442 for playing music files
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 19/04 the ringing-current being generated at the substations

Abstract

A wireless communications device that alerts a user to a predetermined event includes a transceiver, a speaker, memory, and a controller. First and second pre-recorded audio files are stored in the memory, and may be, for example, pre-recorded music and the user'"'"'s pre-recorded voice. When the device receives an incoming call, for example, the controller combines the first and second audio files to form a combined audio signal. The controller then plays the combined audio signal through the speaker for the user as a personalized ring tone.

Claims

1. A method of alerting a user of a wireless communications device comprising:

generating a signal to combine a first audio file and a second audio file to form a combined audio signal according to synchronization information stored in memory of a wireless communication device; and

playing said combined audio signal through a speaker in said wireless communications device responsive to a predetermined event.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said first audio file comprises a pre-recorded music file.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein said second audio file comprises a voice file.

4. The method of claim 3 wherein said voice file comprises the user'"'"'s pre-recorded voice.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising associating said first audio file with said second audio file.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein associating said first audio file with said second audio file comprises storing a configuration file in memory that identifies said first and second audio files.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein the synchronization information comprises timing information to synchronize the playback of said second audio file with said first audio file.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein said synchronization information comprises a timestamp that synchronizes the playback of said second audio file with said first audio file.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein said predetermined event is an incoming call.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein said predetermined event is an alarm.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said predetermined event is a page.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said predetermined event is an alert.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising recording the user'"'"'s voice using a microphone communicatively connected to said wireless communications device.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein combining a first audio file and a second audio file to form a combined audio signal is done responsive to said predetermined event.

15. A method of alerting a user of a wireless communications device comprising:

storing a first audio file in memory of said wireless communications device;

storing a second audio file in said memory of said wireless communications device;

combining said first audio file and said second audio file according to synchronization data stored in said memory to form a combined audio signal responsive to an incoming call; and

playing said combined audio signal as a ring tone in said wireless communications device.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising recording the user'"'"'s voice using a microphone communicatively connected to said wireless communications device.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein said pre-recorded voice file comprises the user'"'"'s voice.

18. The method of claim 15 further comprising generating a signal to combine said first audio file and said second audio file according to said synchronization data.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein said synchronization data comprises information that identifies said first and second audio files stored in said memory.

20. The method of claim 19 wherein said synchronization data further comprises information that synchronizes the playback of said second audio file with the playback of said first audio file.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein combining said first audio file and said second audio file to form a combined audio signal comprises mixing a pre-recorded music file with a pre-recorded voice file.

22. A wireless communications device comprising:

a wireless transceiver;

a speaker to render audio to a user;

memory to store a first audio file and a second audio file, and timing data associated with the first and second audio files; and

a controller to synchronize the playback of said first and second audio files as combined audio signal through said speaker according to the timing data responsive to a predetermined event.

23. The device of claim 22 further comprising a microphone to record said second audio file while playing said first audio file through said speaker.

24. The device of claim 23 wherein said microphone records the user'"'"'s voice.

25. The device of claim 24 wherein said microphone is disposed in a hands free headset coupled to said wireless communications device.

26. The device of claim 22 wherein said controller is further configured to associate said first audio file with said second audio file, and store said association in said memory.

27. The device of claim 26 wherein said association comprises identification data that identifies said first and second audio files stored in said memory.

28. The device of claim 22 wherein said controller is further configured to control a synthesizer according to said timing data stored in said memory.

29. The device of claim 22 further comprising a synthesizer communicatively coupled to said controller and said memory.

30. The device of claim 29 wherein said controller is further configured to control said synthesizer to combine said first and second audio files responsive to said predetermined event.

31. The device of claim 22 wherein said predetermined event is an incoming call.

32. The device of claim 22 wherein said predetermined event is an alarm.

33. The device of claim 22 wherein said predetermined event is a page.

34. The device of claim 22 wherein said predetermined event is an alert.

35. The device of claim 22 wherein said wireless communications device comprises a cellular phone.