System and method of providing for the control of a music player to a device driver

• US 7,237,198 B1
• Filed: 05/22/2000
• Issued: 06/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: RealNetworks, Inc.
• Inventors: Chaney, Jeremy P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Bayerl; Raymond J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bonshock; Dennis G.
• Application Number:
  US09/577,257
• Time in Patent Office: 2,591 Days
• Field of Search: 345/730, 345/733, 345/734, 345/735, 345/736, 345/737, 345/738, 345/739, 345/740, 345/970, 715/730, 715/733, 715/734, 715/735, 715/736, 715/737, 715/738, 715/739, 715/740, 715/970, 715/716, 715/717, 715/749, 719/310
• US Class Current: 715/730
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/545 Gui
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/162 Interface to dedicated audio devices, e.g. audio drivers, interface to CODECs
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G10H 2220/101 for graphical creation, edition or control of musical data or parameters
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 715/97 Instrumentation and component modelling, e.g. interactive control panel

Abstract

A system and method of providing for the control of a music player to a device driver. One embodiment of the system comprises an electronic music player that is connected to a plurality of music renderers via device drivers via a music renderer controller. The music renderer controller comprises a device integration application program interface for providing a standard interface for communicating with each of the device drivers. Each of the device drivers manage a selected music renderer. The device drivers can display a graphical interface for displaying notifications, customized controls, links to websites, or any other type of information desired by the manufacturer of the device driver. The device drivers can also customize the interfaces of the music render to rename textual elements that are displayed by the device driver. Furthermore, the device drivers can command the music player to suspend and resume playback of music items during selected periods.

Claims

1. A method of providing a customized graphical interface, the method comprising:

executing a music player that displays a graphical user interface comprising information about music items and that provides a device driver interface;

executing a device driver, related to a music renderer, that indicates a change to the display of the music player'"'"'s graphical user interface; and

providing via the device driver interface a control object for managing music items; and

displaying the control object in response to an event occurring during the execution or startup of the music player.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the control object is a button or selection item.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein managing the plurality of music items comprises an act that is selected from the group comprising:

playing a music item, copying a music item from a first location to a second location, and recording a music item.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the event comprises receiving a request to transfer or export a music item from a storage device associated with the music player to the music renderer.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the music player is a program executing on a computer.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the music renderer is a portable MP3 music player device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the music renderer is a device for burning optical diskettes.

8. A system for providing a customized graphical interface, the system comprising:

a music player for displaying one or more graphical interfaces that comprise information about music items, wherein the music player provides an application programming interface that enables device drivers to modify the music player'"'"'s graphical user interface;

a music renderer; and

a device driver for sending music items to the music renderer, wherein the device driver displays a graphical interface including at least one control object for managing the music items, and wherein the control object is provided by the device driver via the application programming interface.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the control object is a button.

10. The system of claim 8, wherein managing the plurality of music items comprises an act that is selected from the group comprising:

playing a music item, copying a music item from a first location to a second location, and recording a music item.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the event comprises receiving a request to transfer or export a music item from a storage device associated with the music player to a music renderer.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein the music player is a program executing on a computer.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the music renderer is a portable music player device.

14. The system of claim 8, wherein the music renderer is a device for burning optical diskettes.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the control object is a button or a switch.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the music player is a program executing on computer.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the music renderer is a portable music player device.

18. The method of claim 8, wherein the application programming interface is a device driver interface.

19. A system for providing a customized graphical interface, the system comprising:

means for executing a music player that displays a graphical interface comprising information about music items, wherein the music player provides an device driver interface that enables device drivers to control the graphical user interfaces of the music player; and

means for displaying a graphical interface and a customized control object for managing the music items, wherein the customized control object is provided by a device driver, related to a music renderer, to the means for executing via the device driver interface, and wherein the displaying of the customized graphical interface is in response to an event occurring during the execution of the music player.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the control object is a button.

21. The system of claim 19, wherein managing the plurality of music items comprises an act selected from the group comprising:

playing a music item, copying a music item from a first location to a second location, and recording a music item.

22. The system of claim 19, wherein the event comprises receiving a request to transfer or export a music item from a storage device associated with the music player to a music renderer.

23. The system of claim 19, wherein the music player is a program executing on computer.

24. The system of claim 19, wherein the music renderer is a portable music player.

25. The system of claim 19, wherein the music renderer is a device for burning optical diskettes.

26. A method of providing a customized graphical interface, the method comprising:

executing a music player that displays a graphical interface comprising information about a plurality of music items, wherein the graphical interface comprises one or more control objects that are operative to be used by a user to control the operation of a music renderer that is configured to play the music items;

naming using the music player a control object; and

receiving a request from a device driver for the music renderer to change a name for the control object.

27. The system of claim 26, wherein the music player is a program executing on computer.

28. A system for providing a customized graphical interface, the system comprising:

a music player displaying a graphical interface comprising information about a plurality of music items, wherein the graphical interface comprises one or more control objects that are adapted to be used by a user to control the operation of a music renderer that is configured to play the music items, the music player adapted to receive requests from a device driver related to the music renderer to rename the control objects that have been named by the music player.

29. The system of claim 28, wherein the device driver controls a portable music player.

30. The system of claim 28, wherein the device driver controls a device for burning optical diskettes.

31. A program storage device storing instructions that when executed performs the steps comprising:

executing a music player that displays a graphical user interface comprising information about music items;

providing with the music player a device driver interface that enables device drivers to modify the graphical user interfaces of the music player; and

displaying a graphical interface including at least one control object for managing the music items, wherein the control object is provided via the device driver interface by a device driver.

32. A method of providing a customized graphical interface, the method comprising:

executing a music player that is executing in a computer and that displays a graphical interface comprising information about music items;

displaying, in response to a user request for transferring a music item from the computer to a portable music player device, a graphical interface for managing the content of the portable music player device; and

assigning an object in the graphical interface with a device driver of the portable music player device.

33. The method of claim 32, additionally comprising, wherein the graphical user interface includes an import window to identify a file on the computer.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the graphical user interface includes a selector for initiating transfer of at least one music item to the portable music player device.

35. The method of claim 32, additionally comprising transferring a music file from the computer to the portable music player device.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein the graphical user interface includes a selector for initiating playback of at least one music item that is stored in the portable music player device.

37. A method of providing a customized graphical interface, the method comprising:

executing an application for playing music, the application displaying a graphical interface comprising information about music items;

providing a device driver interface that enabless device drivers to modify the graphical user interfaces of the music player; and

receiving, in the application, a request from a device driver to modify one of graphical user interfaces; and

displaying the modified graphical user interface.

38. The method of claim 37, wherein the device driver controls a portable music player.

39. The method of claim 37, wherein the device driver controls a compact diskette burner.